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 Comin' at Ya! Summer 1955, The Grand Finale!

We’ve covered Main Street and Fantasyland, now it’s time to see the rest of the Park circa July/August 1955 in glorious Faux©D! This view of Adventureland was taken at the entrance, looking inside the themed area. As always, the 3D version and the stitched panorama below. That little boy was thirsty!



A closeup of the Tiki's Tropical Imports souvenir stand:



A shot of the stand and its wares from March 1956:



A view of one of the Bull Elephants from the Jungle Cruise attraction:



Not as exciting without the 3D effect!



The Indian Village was once located near Adventureland, in the approximate spot that Indiana Jones would eventually take over:





Below is the New Orleans Street area of Frontierland, which now houses the River Belle Terrace Restaurant.





This location housed Casa de Fritas (opening August 11, 1955) until it moved in 1957 and was replaced by the Silver Banjo BBQ. Initially, I thought the singing group was the Gonzales Trio (with a fourth member added in for good measure), but let’s just say I’m not 100% sure on that!



The Mark Twain riverboat:





It is so jarring to see autos inside the Park in many of these early shots taken during the first few months of operation:



Last one shows the entry area to Tomorrowland, featuring tile from the Clock of the World at left and the atomic symbol on the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry at right:





And that’s all, folks! I hope you enjoyed this FauxD© look at early Disneyland!

 See more photos at my main website.

Sailing Into The Weekend

It’s a TGIF post, as we sail into the weekend. Will it be by air, via the Skyway? This undated image is obviously before 1959, as the Matterhorn is nowhere to be found, and Holiday Hill/Lookout Mountain/Snow Hill/Lover’s Lane is still in full bloom. I’m sure there are a few couples making out in the bushes.



This undated 1950s image is for those who choose the water for sailing into the image. The Mark Twain is the perfect choice!



In the background is Fowler’s Harbor. But what are all those chairs in the foreground for?



The Chicken Plantation Restaurant, of course! Sponsored by Swift’s Premium Meats, this eatery served up fried chicken for guests until 1962.



A closeup; anyone able to figure out what the banner top left is for?



Below is another undated 1950s Mark Twain shot, also taken from the patio of the Chicken Plantation:



A closeup of the Harbor and Keelboats:



…and of the guests, in case you need some fashion ideas for Dapper Day:



See more Disneyland photos at my main website.

Mark Twain and the Helicopter

Back in the day, you could take a helicopter from LAX to Disneyland (and back), as seen in this vintage April 19, 1965 image.



In “40 Pounds of Trouble” (1962), little Claire Wilcox, Suzanne Pleshette, and Tony Curtis boarded such a vehicle in a memorable sequence (from the otherwise forgettable film) where their characters visit Disneyland.



For vintage Disneyland fans, this footage inspires rapid heartbeats because of its time capsule value. See the helicopter circling over the Mark Twain below?



This recently acquired 1965 slide did not inspire much in me when I first saw it.



When I began cleaning it up though, I let out a whoop! Did you hear it? Just above, you can see one of those helicopters above the Twain. I wonder if it was the one with Curtis and Pleshette?



To round out the post, here are a few other vintage Twain images that have not yet been posted. From September 1963, I can’t look away from the interesting art on this woman’s dress:



Pirates of the Caribbean had only been open a few months when this July 1967 image taken aboard the Twain was snapped:



That’s a respectable line of guests waiting to see the treasures within the show building:



From the same batch, a panorama view of the Twain on the Rivers of America:



In this September 1969 evening shot, guests were serenaded aboard the Twain by the Disneyland Strawhatters:



You have seen this September 1969 trio in a previous post.



If you didn’t know how to take a proper photo, the Kodak Picture Spot was a good guide.



Today, nobody needs any advice on where to take a selfie; that would just be any place that other guests could be inconvenienced!

See more Mark Twain at Disneyland photos at my main website.