The Early Days of Disneyland

These photos are part of a batch that I believe are from 1956. In this photo, the C.K. Holliday is at the station, with the Disneyland News Stand below. Those are some cool cars in the parking lot!



This shot of Main Street is charming; especially how this young man was captured photographing his sweetheart across the way.



The plastic flower mart is not yet inhabiting West Center Street:



Moving up the street, we reach the Castle.



It must be early morning; the Carrousel doesn't appear to be open yet for business.



One of the signage maps in the park during the early days:



See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland web pages.

Disneyland Entrance Sign Blow-out!

With the acquisition of a "new" image of the famous Disneyland entrance sign, I decided to do a post in chronological order showing this beloved icon. First up is a September 1959 view, followed by an undated shot that I also believe is from 1959. Looking at these, I noticed that one side of the sign says "Entrance • Park & Hotel" whereas the other side says "Park & Hotel • Entrance."



From August 1962:



July 1963:



September 1964:



July 1965:



An undated 1960's shot:



September 1969:



February 1971:



Thanks to Chris Jepsen, this photo has now been dated to April 1971; apparently Roy Acuff played there on April 4th for the very first Country Jubilee. Thanks Chris!



July 1971:



October 1972:



And the tragic eyesore that replaced it:



See more vintage & current Disneyland Entrance photos on my Disneyland Entrance web page.

The Beloved Parking Lot

All of you young whippersnappers...the ones who think you know everything about Disneyland...I'll bet these images are a strange sight to you. This first shot, taken during the initial month of Disneyland's opening back in 1955, shows a parking lot. Not a multi-tiered concrete eyesore, but a flat paved lot full of yummy vintage autos. If you were standing in this spot today, you'd be somewhere near the Hollywood Studio section of Disney California Adventure, or maybe just outside the gate near the shuttle/tram area.

This next shot is from the 1960's; I would happily take any of those retro cars! This photo was taken from the approximate location of the DCA entrance turnstiles, recently retooled to resemble the Pan Pacific Auditorium.



Must...get....closer...



Jumping ahead to August 1977, the parking lot looks amazingly empty; must be early morning.



This last photo is one I shot myself out the window of my car (I think I still had one hand on the steering wheel!) during an October 1995 visit. This was probably the last time I parked in this lot and was able to walk right up to the gate.



On a sad note, Marion DeFore, beloved wife of the late Don DeFore (of Silver Banjo & "Hazel" fame) has recently passed away. Here she is at the restaurant with husband and daughter Amy:



From the L.A. Times:

Marion Holmes DeFore, wife of late actor Don DeFore (1913-1993), died November 17, 2011 at age of 93 in Santa Monica, California. Born Marion Holm in Chicago, Illinois in 1918, Marion began a singing career at age 17 while in her junior year at Kelvin Park High School by winning a WJJD Radio singing contest. She competed against more than 600 girls and won the opportunity to be the female vocalist with Frank Master's Orchestra in Chicago. She was also the songstress for Jule Styne, Maurie Sherman and the Buddy Rodger's band, with drummer Gene Krupa. Marion recorded several songs with the Henry Busse Orchestra, toured the Mid-West and sang at the famous Coconut Grove in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Marion joined Chicago-based Art Kassel and his Kassel's-in-the-Air, recording and making famous, "I'm A Little Tea Pot" and performed live broadcasts on WGN radio every Saturday night from the Walnut Room in the Bismarck Hotel, where she met Don while he was in Chicago starring in the "Male Animal". They married in Los Angeles on Valentine's Day, 1942 with Marion's matron of honor, Judy Garland. Although Marion gave up her singing career, her life in the celebrity spotlight increased as husband Don acted in more than 20 feature films in the '40s and '50s.

Don DeFore is best remembered for his television roles (for which he earned a Star on Hollywood Boulevard) as Ozzie and Harriet's next-door-neighbor "Thorny" and as "Mr. B" in the 1960s TV sitcom "Hazel" co-starring Shirley Booth. He also served as President of the Television Academy 1954-55. Marion and Don owned Don DeFore's Silver Banjo Barbecue Restaurant in Frontierland, Disneyland from '57 to '62, managed by Don's beloved brother Verne.

Marion was a devoted wife for 52 years and mother of 5 children who grew up in Brentwood, Los Angeles. She served on various committees at the First Methodist Church in Santa Monica and as a Board Member of the L. A. Chapter of the Freedom Foundation in the 50's. Marion was a Board member of the ARCS Foundation (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists), President of the L. A. Chapter from 1960-62, and National Chapter President from 1965-67.

Marion had an illustrious carrier as a residential real estate agent for over 30 years beginning in the early 70's. Many agents in Brentwood have fond memories working with her, enjoying her charm, warmth and friendly persona. Marion is survived by her five children, Penny Hill, David, Dawn Burdine, Ron, and Autumn Moore, and 12 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers please send a financial gift to BelAir Presbyterian Church (16221 Mulholland Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90049) in care of Marion Holmes DeFore Memorial. All contributions will go towards programs that assist inner city youth.

See more vintage & current Disneyland Parking Lot photos on my Disneyland Hotel & Parking Lot web page.

A Day At The Park Circa 1958, Pt. 1

This batch of brightly colored gems that you'll be seeing for the next few days is from September 1958. One often hears about the importance of first impressions; if that is true, Disneyland has consistently failed in that department. It is hard to believe that such a magical place has such a boring parking garage. Welcome to the magic, indeed! The tram ride fares little better. Sometimes at the holidays, the tram route is decorated with a few themed character statues, but other than that, it's pretty much snoozeville. The Monorail at least gives a sense of excitement, but dropping guests off in Tomorrowland ruins any chance of experiencing the park entrance and the sense of wonder one gets when walking into Town Square. End of rant. At least this vintage shot of the Tram at the entrance has the benefit of nostalgia on their side! Zooming in for the other signage geeks out there:



Ah, Town Square. What a great place to absorb the music, patriotism, and nostalgia of Walt's past. It's a shame that so many guests rush through this area on the way to Star Tours. They miss so much.



Like the smell of freshly made popcorn. I can almost taste it now!



Right at the edge of Central Plaza stands the Monsanto House of the Future. Walt gets a ton-o-points for finagling this white plastic monstrosity to be constructed at Disneyland.



As you can see by this closeup shot of the windows, guests piled into this place to see the wonders of the near (and not so near) future. It was a tantalizing glimpse into the home of the future. On the negative side, it was a truly wacky location; INSIDE of Tomorrowland would have been a more fitting location instead of on the edge of turn-of-the-century Main Street. Snaps to current Imagineers for the current location of their revisited home of the future...with a few "zzzzzz's" thrown in for its uninspiring nature. Here's to hoping that the Carousel of Progress building will eventually become something more progressive!

See more vintage & current Disneyland entrance photos on my Disneyland entrance web page.

May 1964 Color Images

These colorful images are from May 1964. Pinocchio and Pluto are on hand at the entrance to greet this young lad who appears to be a little cautious about the two costumed characters. Get a load of all those gorgeous attraction posters on the wall! If only...

Over in Fantasyland, Skull Rock is spitting out the water, providing shelter for those who want to eat their Chicken of the Sea Tuna Boats al fresco.



If you've had enough of Fantasyland, you can take the Skyway over to Tomorrowland. This is one of those golden shots that shows all of the movement that made Tomorrowland so vibrant back in the 1960's. Subs, Monorail, and The Skyway. In just a few years, The PeopleMover would join the mix.



Let's zoom in a little closer:



Back in Frontierland, a guest is attempting to capture a photo of the Nature's Wonderland Mine Train. To his right is Mineral Hall. If only I could find an interior view of that shop.



See more Disneyland photos on my Disneyland web page.

Tony Curtis at Disneyland

Tony Curtis stands at the entrance of Disneyland during the May 1962 filming of "40 Pounds of Trouble." Two years later, this same sign that promoted "Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color" was still standing in the same place. In 1964, a TV show broadcast in color was a big deal.



A pensive shot of Curtis with the Mark Twain in the background.



See more "40 Pounds of Trouble" photos at my main website.

March 1966

Today is a one-shot batch; no long, drawn out week long series...just one group and it's over! The C.K. Holliday is the star of this photo; I always get excited when I am entering the park in the morning and see a train at the station. It's such a great feeling to think I might be able to take the first Grand Circle Tour of the day!

Zooming in, you can see that the souvenir books at the newstand were a mere 50¢!



In this somewhat-dark image, I'm not quite sure what the photographer was attempting to capture, other than an assortment of tables at The Plaza Inn. Note the beautiful ruby glass hurricane lamps. Can you imagine how long those would last on a table today?



Here's a better look at one of those Plaza Inn lamps; of course, it would be difficult to ignore the lady in the background wearing the hot pink jacket.



Notice how she matches the pink in this ornate bench perfectly? Yes, she looks more at home here in Fantasyland at Merlin's Magic Shop than at the Plaza Inn.



Naturally I have to zoom into that shop window for you! See anything you'd like to buy?



Today, this store is The Heraldry Shop. I think I like the merchandise from the 1960's much better!





See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my regular my main website.

Welcome to Disneyland, Circa Summer 1962 Pt. 1

The color in this batch isn't the greatest, but they still capture some fun vintage flavor. Obviously, being the anal-retentive person that I am, I have to start your journey at the beginning. The entrance looks fairly empty; something you rarely see today. I don't even think I've ever attempted a shot like this, since it would most likely be littered with people and strollers.

Once on the other side of the tunnel, business seems to be picking up! I love looking at the details in this one; the combine (which has recently been restored), the fanciful ticket booth, the guests looking at their park map (trying to figure out what to see first—always such an exciting time!), and the White Wing on the left, making sure that the park is sparkling clean.



Over at the Main Street Cinema, Blanche Sweet is entertaining the audiences:



For those of you who've never heard of this Silent Screen Queen, here's a photo of Miss Sweet:



Which one will become the centerpiece for dinner tonight?



I don't know which to comment on first; the hats or the expressions.



See more vintage and contemporary Main Street, U.S.A. photos at my main website.