May 1964: A 60th Celebration!

Today’s post celebrates May 1964 with every cotton-picking shot from my collection (so far) from that time period. Although they were shot by different guests and on different days, I have cobbled them together to give an overall feeling of what a day might have been like at Disneyland circa May 1964. The first image shows guests on the hotel tram, either on the way to the Park or departing; this could be a departing shot as the one boy has a rather large bag at this point in the day. Below, a happy little guest meets Pinocchio AND Pluto at the entrance!



“Balloons? How the heck would I hold those with this gigantic purse with fake fruit on front?”



Town Square, as seen from the Main Street Train Station:



On this particular day, the Park was welcoming Marine Corps Families.



Mickey Mouse was greeting guests outside the Main Street Opera House; inside, you could also see the Babes in Toyland exhibit.



So much Main Street to see!



The Book and Candle Shop or the Candy Palace? Something for everyone!



At the Cinema, you could watch “The Phantom of the Opera” with Lon Chaney or a Will Rogers western. If you’re not into silent movies, perhaps a new trick at the Magic Shop is what you need.



Over at the Plaza Inn, the little kids get their calcium, wishing they were on the attractions instead.



At least it’s not spinach.



Finally, the Castle!



The crest has not yet appeared above the Castle entrance as of May 1964.



Anyone know what the G stands for? These boys look a little nervous about flying off to Neverland.



Aw…a Carrousel moment.



How that same horse looked in March 2012:



I’ll say it again…Skull Rock Cove is one of the things I miss most at Disneyland.



The Midget Autopia:



Such a great vintage image: The Skyway, The Matterhorn, and the Monorail all in one shot…and kind of the Submarines, too.



This fun group gets ready for a jerky ride on the Matterhorn. Note fruit/flower purse gal is attempting to secure her treasured bag.



Fruit/flower purse gal can’t wait to get off. She’s had enough!



A closer look at this amazing contraption. Oh, and the Cast Member uniform, too!



The regular Autopia in glorious color!



Before there was Buzz Lightyear, there was the Circarama Theatre!



Purse gal is back at the Enchanted Tiki Room. I wonder if she tried to steal some of the fruit from Rongo for her purse?



Those shifty eyes and the cat-eye glasses say “yes.”



How Rongo looked in December 2016:



The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse was a great place for family exploration:





A panoramic view of the Nature's Wonderland attraction from either the Twain or the Columbia:



A closeup of the Frontierland Ticket Booth:



A detailed shot of the Mine Train:



Note the security guard in the front:



Here you can see the Mine Train, Mineral Hall, and seating for Casa de Fritos:



Time to leave. Fruit/Flower Purse gal is totally honked off. She got talked into buying balloons and she can barely see in front of her. Her friend is doing the best she can to make the best of a long day.



To finish off today’s post, here’s a photo from 60 years ago today.



Wow. How did that happen so quickly? See more Disneyland photos from my collection at my main website.

Melinda Goes to Disneyland, Pt. 2!

Today, Melinda shares photos from Fantasyland, taken during her family’s 1980 trip to Disneyland. In case you weren’t aware, the banners in front of the Sleeping Beauty Castle should clue you in to the fact that it was the Park’s 25th Anniversary. Note the extremely faded color of the Castle. Obviously before Kim Irvine got her paint brush on it.

These photos show Fantasyland in its original Tournament Festival design state, albeit with a few 1970’s touches of ornamentation.



The arches around the Mad Tea Party attraction went up some time around 1969 and lasted until it was moved during the 1983 Fantasyland remodel.



Before Pinocchio moved in, The Fantasyland Theatre occupied that real estate:



The family takes a spin on the Tea Cups:







Zooming in to see the Dumbo ticket booth in the background:



Dumbo, with his ears firmly attached to his head:



An overhead shot of the Alice attraction, taken from the Skyway:



The intersecting Casey Jr. and Storybook Land attractions:



The favorite car of most kids on the Casey Jr. attraction:





Another Skyway shot, this time showing the it’s a small world attraction:



From Melinda:

it’s a small world was, and is still, one of my most favorite rides to this day. I listened to the record and read the storybook that went with it probably hundreds of times. I worked hard to learn all of the words to that song, and all of the others that went with the many Disney records I had. “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” was another of my particular favorites. I just adore the colors and styling of Mary Blair’s small world to this day, and I would have ridden it as many times as I could. 



This picture of my sister and I shows us sitting in the boat headed into small world and waving. I noticed that neither of our parents is in the boat with us, and when I asked my mom about it she said that they wouldn’t have had a problem putting us on the ride by ourselves so they didn't have to go in and listen to the song again! So, despite the disclaimer on the back of the ticket book about kids not being able to ride that one without a parent, it did happen at least on occasion!



More Melinda at Disneyland to come! See more Disneyland photos at my main website.