Disneyland Comin' at Ya! Summer 1955, Pt. 2

The Daveland time machine is taking you back to the Summer of 1955 for some 3D images presented in Genuine FauxD©! The Disneyland Band is aboard the Horse-Drawn Streetcar in Central Plaza. Rain must have been a problem that day, as the photographer wrote, “It Aint Gonna Rain No More” Band on Horse Trolley on the back of the slide. Below is the wider panorama view, created by merging the left and right images.



The Sleeping Beauty Castle is positively  C-R-O-W-D-E-D!



The wider view:



A closeup view of the cute poodle bag, the retro shades, and of course the ticket book and brochure in the gal’s hand on the right of the image:



In the heart of Fantasyland, we can see that the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship still has a few finishing touches to be added before opening to guests:



The restaurant opened for business on August 29, 1955, putting this batch of images somewhere between mid-July and August.



A closer look at the work crews:



How the ship looked on August 27, 1955, shortly after the restaurant opened:





Still a few more 1955 3D images to come!

See more Disneyland photos from my collection at my main website.

Disneyland Comin' at Ya! Summer 1955, Pt. 1

I was very excited to acquire this group of 3D (presented here in Genuine FauxD©) slides showing Disneyland during its first year. The red white and blue bunting tells me these were taken during the first few months of operation. Look at the landscaping around the Mickey floral - positively barren! The first image shows the left and ride sides layered; the image below is a digital composite of the two, which provides slightly more information on both sides, including the slightly disheveled lady on the right.



The main subjects of our year one series can be seen standing in Town Square, waving to the photographer standing on the steps of the Main Street Train Station:



The panoramic view:



Zooming in, you can see that there’s still a crane near the Sleeping Beauty Castle turrets:



How about that non-themed trashcan that just says, “TRASH.” At this stage, the uniforms of the Disneyland Band were navy.



Our guests are standing in front of the Plaza Apartments just on the edge of Main Street/Central Plaza, with the Red Wagon Inn in the background. A Keystone Kop poses with them for good measure.



The panoramic view removes one of the obstructions from what I “assume” is a Main Street vehicle.



Last one for today shows our guests with their backs to Main Street:



A surrey and the Horse-Drawn Streetcar co-exist!



You can just barely see the Disneyland brochure in this gal’s hands in this detailed view:



Most likely this is what we see in the photo:

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

65 Years Ago: Disneyland, August 1960, Pt. 2

Our August 1960 photographer captured the Disneyland Main Street Station along with the Kalamazoo Handcar sitting on the tracks in front. Also note the Kodak Picture Spot sign in the right foreground. Since the population reads as 18 million, these date stamped slides were most likely shot in July, since my records show that in August the population jumped to 22 million.



Regardless, I let out a yell when I saw this passenger car interior shot in the collection!



Interior shots of the passenger cars are fairly rare; here’s one from the 1950s:



And a super cool one from the early years when there used to be TWO tracks that operated at the same time!



After taking the Grand Circle Tour, our 1960 photographer ventured down Main Street, U.S.A.



Zooming in you can see the signs on the lightposts that are promoting the barely one-year old Matterhorn attraction. Behind the Omnibus is a banner proclaiming the “new” (actually upgraded!) Nature’s Wonderland attraction.



A better shot of the banner which also promotes the America the Beautiful and Art of Animation attractions in Tomorrowland:



A color shot of the banner:



The same banner hung over the entrance tunnels, too:



Back to 1960, our photographer entered Tomorrowland:



I have always loved these mod light posts which look like martini olives on toothpicks! Where can I get one?



A closeup of the Hat Bar which is visible in the previous shot:



…and the attraction poster for the Columbia ship which sailed on the Rivers of America:



Still more to come!

See more Disneyland photos at my main website.

Babes in Town Square

Walt Disney was into sustainability years before it became a buzz word. Once the 1960 Disney feature, “Babes in Toyland” was wrapped, the soundstages had to be cleared for the making of the next studio film. Rather than discard or waste storage space for the elaborate sets and props from “Toyland,” Walt had them moved over to his Anaheim Park and converted into an attraction for his Main Street Opera House.



From December 1961 through September 1963, the sets on display included Mother Goose Square, The Toy Factory, and Forest of No Return. These two December 1961 images show the signage in front of the Opera House beckoning guests to come inside.



From May 1962:



This August 1962 image is the best shot in my collection of the signage in front.



From 1963-1964 the Opera House became the Mickey Mouse Club Headquarters, as seen in this September 1963 image: 





The next two shots from February 1964 show that the little guard booths in front of the Opera House from “Babes in Toyland” remained.





May 1964:



…and November 1964:



In 1965, the Opera House finally got a real attraction of its own, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, seen in this August 1965 shot:



Below is a screenshot from the 1960 film, showing the sets from Mother Goose Village:



Side-by-side comparison shots from the Devlin family, who visited the inside of the Opera House and posed by the sets from the film:







See more Disneyland Opera House photos at my main website.