Disneyland Hotel, 1957: Pt. 2

2 more from the same batch. Sure could go for a Helen Grace candy right now! Although the original hotel is full of 1950’s mod-charm, it sure does lack the branding and cohesive (albeit overdone) theming present at the hotel today.

Lady, put that cigarette away! Hopefully her son doesn’t follow her bad example. And in front of building #7!



I’m sure many of you have noticed the survey on the Disneyland Railroad Stations that had been languishing up there for weeks. Not surprising that the Main Street Train Station was a guest favorite at 52% of the votes, with the Frontierland Depot coming in at 35%.





The Disneyland version seems more authentic and not quite as artificial as its Orlando counterpart:



I also love the Main Street Station, but something about that Frontierland Depot that like almost as much. Sure wish it was possible to see the inside of the Depot like in the early years of the park! I’ve always thought it was the coolest little structure!



See more Disneyland Hotel photos at my website.

Disneyland Hotel, 1957: Pt. 1 & Disneyana

Contrary to chat-room whining, Pirates are nothing new at Disneyland. Heck, even the Disneyland Hotel had a Pirate’s Den! Displaying my inner-geek, I am throwing in a close-up of the tram signage.



No superstitions here with this young lad; he had no problems at all staying in building #7.



In a little cross-blog-promotion, be sure to check out Kevin Kidney’s entry on the Birthday Cake Room in Disneyana. I always look forward to his entries, as they have some of the rarest and coolest stuff around! In a semi-recent survey, Disneyana was voted as the favorite retail shop at Disneyland by Daveland Blog readers. With its mix of art & collectibles and some of the friendliest staff around, this is truly my favorite place to shop at Disneyland.









A recent shot of the Birthday Cake Room ceiling:



See more Disneyland Hotel photos at my website.

Burly Women Go to Disneyland, September 1957, pt. 4

The last part of this series features a few random shots of the Disneyland Hotel and property, starting off with this empty shot of the pool.

Two landscaping shots:





Here is an early aerial view of the Hotel property:

Two landscaping shots:



And a shot of Walt & Jack Wrather from the Hotel’s opening:



See more Disneyland Hotel photos at my website.

Burly Women Go to Disneyland, September 1957, pt. 2

Back for round 2 with our Burly Women Go to Disneyland series. Here’s a group shot of the gals; you’d think with the cool shiny uniforms that they could at least have found some matching footwear!

Whoever this Jerry guy is, he looks a little nervous in the company of these women. The tall girl in the back row is giving him the stink-eye; how dare a man be in their photo! I think it would be safe to say that none of these ladies spent too much time in the Beauty Salon at the Hotel designated by the sign above.



At least one of these gals has a sense of humor; here’s one having fun in the citrus tree:





According to the bags here, we might have an I.D.; looks like the name of the team is “The Anchorettes,” AND according to the shoulder patch, they are the Metro Champs! Let’s give ’em some hearty applause!





Nope...these ladies never made it to the beauty salon.



See more Disneyland Hotel photos at my website.

Burly Women Go to Disneyland, September 1957, pt. 1

They’re big...they’re burly...they play sports...and they’re staying at the Disneyland Hotel! Other than the fact that these fun images are from September 1957, I don’t know a durn thing about ’em. Some female sports team in Anaheim, and some very fun views of an extremely undeveloped Anaheim!

That laundry cart in the background definitely makes for bad show!



All the other guests cleared out for these girls; too intimidating!



I’m sure someone out there knows what building is being framed in the background of this photo:







You haven’t seen the last of these gals yet! See more Disneyland Hotel photos at my website.

Disneyland Hotel, 1988, Pt. 2

Part 2 of my 1988 Disneyland Hotel post begins with a photo of Papeete Beach and the perfect 80’s family enjoying a day at “the beach.” For fine dining, Granville’s was the restaurant of choice at the Disneyland Hotel in 1988. Specialties included Long Island duckling, Wisconsin vela, skillet-blackened redfish, Maine Lobster, and California Quail. Dang, I’m getting hungry just reading about it...except for the Quail part. Glass etchings around the restaurant depicted “Great Moments in American History.”



Today, Granville’s has become Steakhouse 55. Although Napa Rose is still my favorite, 55 is a very nice restaurant and the food was quite good. I can’t compare it to Granville’s, as I never ate there. Anyone? Anyone?









Back to 1988: The Golden Horseshoe wasn’t the only Saloon in town. Sergeant Preston’s Yukon Saloon & Dancehall featured the “Yukon Follies Revue,” which was a continuous live stage show with songs, comedy, and audience participation from Tuesday through Sunday starting at 8:30pm. And can you believe the show even had a madam, Klondike Kate? She must have had a heart of gold!



So what prompted all these 1988 photos? At the time, The Walt Disney Company finally owned the Disneyland Hotel, which had been formerly owned by The Wrather Corporation (Jack Wrather, Bonita Granville’s husband). Disney bought the Wrather Corporation and began a big push of advertising the hotel as a complete vacation experience. See more vintage & current Disneyland Hotel photos at my website.