Disneyland in 3D: June 26, 1966, Pt. 2

Part 2 of June 26, 1966 at Disneyland begins with the Crystal Arcade on Main Street, U.S.A. For these, I have included a flat version which melds the left and the right view, providing a slightly wider frame.



I do love looking inside the shops, especially since we rarely see vintage interiors. Note the window display on the right for the Upjohn Pharmacy, which was next door.



One of the Emporium window displays, also seen in yesterday’s photo:



Across the street you can see Lon Chaney in “The Phantom of the Opera,” playing at the Main Street Cinema:



Definitely summertime, as the patriotic bunting appears on the lightpost at left:



If you’re wondering about the name Edgar Kennedy on the right side of the marquee, he was typically in the Keystone Kops comedies that were featured here, too.



As we approach East Center, we come to the Swift Market House:





See anything you’d be interested in purchasing? Note the old fashioned wallphone visible in the window on the right:



The Art Festival is going on in the East Center Street alleyway:





Guests were once able to have their portraits sketched here. Below are some samples:



The Carnation Company borders on West Center Street:





I could sure go for a sundae right now! It’s so fantastic to be able to see the employees inside the lit interiors at night.



How about a fake bouquet from the West Center Street Flower Market?





$1.25 and 80¢? Not bad!



Still more on the way!

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

"Art" at Disneyland

"Art" lovers needed to look no further than Main Street, U.S.A. to find unique pieces to decorate their abodes. In the early years, original Disney cels could be purchased near the Plaza Inn, as you can see in this unfortunate beginning of the roll wacky exposure. The gent in the Stetson seems to be admiring little Alice.



Those not wanting to go quite as "high brow" as a Disney animated cel could create their own art, thanks to these colorful cutouts that were in the same area:



By the time this September 1960 color-shifted photo was taken, the art had moved to East Center Street.



Granted, the detail when zooming in is not that great, but these interpretations on canvas of the Castle and the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship appear somewhat amateurish.



If you're wondering how I could tell the previous shot was from East Center Street, just compare the buildings at the top of the photo with this shot of the Art Festival:



It would truly make my day to discover that this wacky pirate painting still exists:



"Live" artists were also on hand to do portraits for guests, as seen in this September 1964 photo:



If "art" wasn't your thing, you could always walk across the way to West Center Street and pick up some plastic flowers.



Nothing but "class" on Main Street!

See more vintage & current Disneyland East Center Street photos on my main website.

2000th Post Extravaganza: East Center Street

Sandwiched between the Market House and The Gibson Greeting Card shop (circa 1955-1960), guests can find East Center Street. Once a hub of some very fun activities, this spot on Main Street is best known for portrait sittings and Art Festivals.



Before there was New Orleans Square, guests could have their portraits sketched in pastel by talented artists in a jiffy.







Here is a story about one of the artists at Disneyland from the Disneyland Line Newsletter, November 8, 1972:

150,000 AND STILL DRAWING

Betty Bell, a 15-year employee of the Merchandising division in the Art Festival, drew her 150,000 portrait recently.

Betty started her career with Disneyland, January 3, 1957, as an artist at the Art Corner (which is now the Tomorrowland Stage Area) under the supervision of Jack Olsen. Jack is now Vice President of Merchandising Disneyland/Walt Disney World.

During her 15 years as an artist in Merchandising, Betty has drawn portraits in pastel of such people as Alan Funt, Lucy Johnson Nugent, many foreign dignitaries, and many other celebrities which she can't recall.

Betty is also well known for her oil portraits and her works of sculpture, which she does in her spare time. Spare time? Betty's spare time also includes construction and set decoration of the Disneyland Drama Club plays (including the recent "Lil Abner"), and make-up for the casts (for which she received the Drama Workshop's "Stellar Award").

Besides her active work schedule and hobbies, Betty is also busy with her family. She has been married for 24 years and has 4 girls, the oldest being 22, enough to keep any gal on the go full time - without a job or hobbies! Congratulations to Betty on a job well done!



I'd also want to adjust my Time Machine to make sure I could see the Good Neighbor Mexico festival that was held here in the Summer of 1963.

From the L.A. Times on July 24, 1963: “An authentically decorated Mexican street exhibit will be opened Monday at Disneyland to celebrate a ‘Salute to Mexico’ sponsored by People-to-People, Inc., in co-operation with the Mexican Tourist Council. “Mexico’s former president, Miguel Aleman, now president of the tourist council, will act as official representative at the 11 a.m. dedication ceremonies. “The three-month exhibit will be a showcase of Mexican crafts ranging from pottery and jeweltry to contemporary art and bull fighting.” From the Pasadena Star-News, July 31, 1963: “Mexico Invades Southland—A beachhead based on friendship and mutual understanding has been established at Disneyland with opening of the ‘Salute la Mexico’ under the sponsorship of People-to-People, Inc. Teresa Lucero, 8, of Los Angeles and Patrick Wade, 12, of Anaheim, pulled the ribbon to officially open the display. Watching were Edmondo Gonzales, Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles; Walt Disney, executive committee member of sponsoring group; Carlos Arruz, of Mexico City, and Joyce C. Hall, chairman of People-to-People committee.”



Dancing on Main Street? Count me in! Call me a dreamer, but it sure would be great to have Main Street be an attraction again besides just a path to Star Tours where you can buy plush.



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

Tencennial: ENCORE!

OK, I’d like to say this was planned, but I just realized when updating my site that I’d left a few off from this Tencennial batch, so here they are. All of them show the East Side of Main Street, beginning with a nice one of the Main Street Cinema. I am including a closeup of the A-Frame sign featuring Mabel Normand.



Shot 2 includes the Dapper Dans; natch I have included the closeup. Could that be a cast member on the way to the Tahitian Terrace on the left?





This Keystone Kop is maintaining law and order. I have included a closeup of the artist’s cart on the left.





See more vintage & current Disneyland Main Street photos on my main website.

A Day at Disneyland, September 1964 (pt. 1)

I always enjoy finding a box of slides that document an entire day at Disneyland; seeing what people choose to ride, and also seeing what they choose to photograph and how they compose it. This box from September, 1964 is pretty good, so I am going to include the best ones in chronological order. The first two are from the long-gone Flower Mart on Main Street. Apparently, you could buy fake flowers in this little alley. Sounds bizarre, but I guess they did pretty well for almost twenty years.





Picture three appears to be of an artist on Main Street at the Art Festival, sketching the family’s little blond haired daughter. This is probably my favorite slide of the bunch. Stay tuned for more pics tomorrow!

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