Disneyland, July 18, 1955

Disneyland Opening Day is typically celebrated on July 17, 1955. While it is true that the Park was open on that day, that was more akin to a soft opening. The actual date where Walt Disney’s innovative theme park wasn’t open to the general public until the following day, July 18. Below is a guest taken shot showing the Sleeping Beauty Castle drawbridge being lowered for guests the second time.





See the guests excitedly “storming the castle”:



A closeup of the still-blank plate for the Disney family crest:



With crest, as seen in this March 1968 image:



Back to 7/18/55 and the recently lowered drawbridge. Note the distinctive salmon colored roof in the background:



Originally, this bandstand was located just off of Central Plaza. It was too big for Town Square (it blocked the view of the Castle) so this is where it landed first:





The Mad Tea Party teacups were a popular attraction from the beginning; the Mickey Mouse Club Theater in the background was replaced by the Pinocchio dark ride in 1983:



The Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship restaurant was not ready for business just yet:



If you look closely, you can see that the windows and other details are not yet complete:



This photo from the collection of Michael Black was also taken on July 18, when scaffolding and work was taken place in plain view of guests:



The Dumbo attraction still had flapping ears at this point; they are now molded in one-piece; much easier to maintain! Note the plywood sitting in this particular Dumbo seat:



The Jungle Cruise attraction:



The Mark Twain was filled with guests, as these were pre-Columbia days. Behind the boat is the Chicken Plantation restaurant:



An unobstructed view of the restaurant:



Next to the Golden Horseshe Saloon was a row of dining establishments, including The Oaks Tavern, Casa de Fritos, and Aunt Jemima’s Pancake House:
 


Tomorrowland got the shaft for Opening Day; there simply just wasn’t enough time to get everything completed in time. An easy fix was to have the 20k League Show, which recycled some of the set pieces from the 1954 Disney classic live-action film:





Were any of you there on that magical day?

See more Disneyland Opening Day photos at my main website.

Disneyland August 1958, Pt. 2

Sorry for the break, folks, but as the saying goes…life gets in the way. Hopefully these rare gems from August 1958 will make up for my absence. The first image is a rare interior of the Frontierland Shooting Gallery. Who would be crazy enough to attempt an indoor photo back in 1958? The fantastic photographer I am showcasing today! Well, technically not really an interior since the Gallery was open air, but you know what I mean. The below November 1958 image shows the exterior:



This August 1968 photo is the only one in my collection (so far) that also features the “interior”:



Moving deeper into Frontierland, we see this (assumed) son and mother combo sitting on the patio of the Chicken Plantation restaurant:



Pulling back for a nighttime exterior view:



While nighttime images from “back in the day” typically don’t yield a lot of detail due to camera limitations, this one produced an interesting view of the interior through the patio door:



This 1955 image shows the side exterior of the building and the aforementioned patio door:



The last one for today from the August 1958 batch is a nighttime view of the Richfield sign at the Autopia attraction:



The October 1956 shot below, most likely taken from the Skyway, gives you an idea of where the sign was on the attraction:



Can you believe that Harbor Drive ever looked this empty?



See more Disneyland photos at my main website.

1990s 3D: Frontierland Friday Finish!

The finale to my 1995 3D images from Disneyland wraps up in Frontierland, starting off with a shot of Harper's Cider Mill. I don’t think cider was ever served there, which seems like a missed opportunity especially on a nice crisp Fall day! And how about a shot of the Burning Cabin, back when it still burned? Note the absence of the dead settler; too traumatic for the kiddies of the time, he was removed from the fiery tableau.



Our 1995 photographer most likely took the previous two shots aboard the Columbia, as it sailed around the Rivers of America. The original version - not the current Readers Digest version.



It’s almost like being aboard; don’t get seasick!





Last two of the batch were taken inside the Country Bear Jamboree:



The incomparable Teddi Barra (voiced by Cheryl Poole), descending down upon the audience from her vine-covered swing:



Have a good weekend; and if you happen to find a Time Machine so that we can get more of these 3D images, please let me know!

See more Disneyland Frontierland photos at my main website.

Greetings from Black Bart!

If you were at the Disneyland entrance on this day in June 1956, you could have been greeted by ne’er-do-well Black Bart. Stepping outside of his regular Frontierland home, he provided a little entertainment on this day outside the gate,



Noah “Dick” Morrison played the original Black Bart until approximately 1961.



Sometimes he was in charge…and sometimes Sheriff Lucky was!



Here he is shooting the s$%t with a plethora of Sheriffs in Frontierland. I guess in the 1950s they needed more!



You knew Black Bart was a bad guy…he smoked in public!



He knew how to charm the kids though.



He also had a way with the ladies.



The last one for today shows him giving a guest the whammy for taking his photo:



A close-up of his signature Ace of Spades, stuck in his hat.



See more Disneyland Black Bart photos at my main website.

The Beaver goes to Disneyland

“Leave it to Beaver” was a popular TV show of the 1950s, running from 1957 to 1963. During its original run, it never broke into the top 30 Nielsen ratings, but thanks to reruns, it became an even bigger hit. All I remember hearing about “Leave it to Beaver” was that my parents did not allow my older brothers to watch it, due to the character of Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond), a wise-ass who has little respect for adults. They were afraid he might rub off on them. Jerry Mathers played the title character, and is shown here with his sister Susie at Disneyland’s Fort Wilderness. From the publicity caption:

MAPREADING BEAVER

ANAHEIM, CALIF.: As his sister Susie, 8, points helpfully, Jerry Mathers, 10, who stars as Beaver on ABC-TV’s program “Leave it to Beaver,” consults a map of Tom Sawyer’s Island at Disneyland, in Anaheim, California. Busy little star that he is, Jerry couldn’t resist taking time out for a tour of the famous Park. 1/21/59.



If you want a look at the brochure Jerry is reading, here you go:



…and the reverse side:



A color view of Fort Wilderness, from March 1959, right about the time Mathers made his visit:



A wide view of the area where Mathers was shot, October 1958:



Good thing Eddie Haskell wasn’t there; he probably would have told The Beav to jump! From July 1959, you can see kids loved to be up on “the balcony”:



In later years, Mathers and Tony Dow (who played his older brother, Wally) filmed a PSA at Disneyland City Hall encouraging people to register to vote:



See more Disneyland Fort Wilderness photos at my main website.