Disneyland Memories from Steven D

One of the greatest joys of doing this blog is the opportunity for readers to reach out to me with cherished memories they have of visiting Disneyland “back in the day.” Steven D is one such reader who recently sent his story of both visiting AND working at the Park. He was also kind enough to share two black and photos from his collection, which are appropriately noted. The rest of the post is peppered with photos from my collection to illustrate his story (in italics). Enjoy!

I truly enjoy your blog, especially the earlier Disneyland stuff. That is the period from my memory and they are good memories. I was first there in 1958, when I was 5 years old. Above is a shot of my brother and me, (the taller one) in Town Square, 1960.

Little boys loved that cannon in Town Square! Below is a shot of my Mom and brothers, circa November 1965:



As boys in the early 60’s, my brother and I lived just a few miles from Disneyland. We would ride our bikes there and with just a $5 bill in each of our pockets, we could buy a 15 ticket book/admission for $3.25 and still have money for lunch. There was a Catholic School Day at Disneyland; we had the patronal feast of the Diocese as a holiday.



We could order our Disneyland admission ticket at school and go to Disneyland on a day when all the public-school kids were in school. That was still in the ticket days but on Catholic School Days you could ride anything as much as you wanted to, no ride tickets that day. I can remember riding the Matterhorn Bobsleds, jumping off, getting right back in line and right back into the bobsled again. We did this over and over again.





As I remember, the park was not busy on that day. Despite all the school kids invited & I think at a special reduced price, it must have been still considered a luxury for many families to send their kids. So, we basically had the run of the park.

After joining the company in 1973, I collected my paycheck every week backstage in a room at the rear of the Courthouse & had to pass the stairs to the Disney apartment on the way. By that time Walt was already dead. We knew though when Lillian was in the park. There would be two pots of blooming flowers on every step, all the way up to their patio platform when she was in residence. I believe that the special Disney train car, the Lilly Belle, was added to the train when she was in the park too.



I actually still remember my first day working on Main Street in the morning before the gates opened. It was a beautiful sunny day, sidewalks and streets wet, freshly washed a few hours before by the night cleaning crew. There was a magic in being there before the gates opened. I was very blessed. What a wonderful place! The above pic shows me working a Grad Nite at the Disneyland Newsstand, 1975 or 1976. I was in front gate, yellow and blue costume here. I preferred working on the other side of the tunnels in Main Street costume. In those days, the Main Street men’s costumes, shirts, bow ties, blazers, and vests came in four different color combinations to choose from! No wonder it was the largest wardrobe department in the world. Imagine the cleaning bill. Bad me, I checked out a clean costume every time I came to work, even if I just worked for 4 hours!



I believe that until 1975 we were wearing the Main Street costume when working at the Newsstand. After that it changed to a front gate costume, bright blue pants, yellow short sleeve shirt and warm but ugly yellow fuzzy jacket for nighttime. I am wearing the jacket in the photo. Everyone hated the new costume. There was a back door in the Newsstand stock room that led to a very narrow, probably not even 3' wide pathway right behind the front gate iron fence/hedge. The path led to the back lot behind the courthouse and was used to bring in stock for the stand from backstage. One time I went out there for some reason and found a young male guest perched on top of the fence trying to get over and into the Park. He asked me to let him come over. In a way I felt bad about it but also didn’t want to lose my job, so I told him, “Sorry, but you need to get back to the other side where you belong.” I remember waiting on Sally Fields and Sidney Poitier at the Guide Stands.

The image below is from March 1975:



I worked at the two Main Street Guide Stands right by the tunnels and listened to the “Disneyland Santa Fe Railroad” now departing message about every 10 minutes. When I pull it up on YouTube, it takes me right back and brings a bit of a lump in my throat. Main Street in the early evening hours was dead quiet. I still remember in the quiet hearing John Denver singing “Rocky Mountain High” from the Tomorrowland stage. The Guide stands were also the perfect places to view the parades. There was the Main Street Electrical Parade, when I first joined the company in 1973, The Christmas Parades, and in 1975/76, America on Parade [shown below in an August 1976 image taken in Town Square].



No better place to see the fireworks too. I wouldn't recognize the view to the former parking lot any longer. Did you know that the parking lot crew were all members of the Teamsters Union? I think the entire Park was unionized; I was a member of the Retail Clerks Union. I also loved spending my lunch break in The One Of A Kind Shop. I walked there in costume, which was slightly discouraged, as you didn't want to be seen in say a Main Street costume in Adventureland. As I remember I had to pass though there to get to New Orleans Square. I tried the tunnel system “once” and got hopelessly lost. I ended up coming out on the shore of “The Rivers of America” and never tried it again. It was dark, a bit scary, and no one was down there when I tried to find my way around.



Above: the Royal Street Bachelors playing in front of the One of a Kind Shop in New Orleans Square, 1969.

One day at the OOAK Shop, I was looking up at a small emerald and clear glass crystal chandelier [picture below]. The sales lady said, Mrs. Disney just brought that in. It hangs in my bedroom today here in Ohio. Stupid me. I didn't ask which Mrs. Disney and worse yet, should have asked the sales lady (who had been there for years) see if Mrs. D would write a short, signed note, for the piece. With the price of Disney memorabilia today, what could that have been worth with a note from Mrs. D? Doesn't really matter, I guess. I love it anyway. What a beautiful and luxurious shop that was! And now, cheap plastic, t-shirts and plush. Ugh!



Speaking of plush, I often worked Grad Nites in “Pooh” gardens, the Tour Guide Staging area, just packed with Winnie the Poohs, wearing graduation caps. Grad nights ran from 11pm till 6am. Unbelievable now, guys came dressed in coats and ties, girls in dresses. Groups like "The Spinners", "Olivia Newton John", "Natalie Cole" & "The Pointer Sisters", would perform those nights. After changing out of costumes at the end of the shift, we all went out to nearby Denny's afterwards for breakfast. Those were the days! Dad was transferred here to Ohio in 1976. I have a Fine Arts/Interior Design degree from Woodbury College but attended Cal State Fullerton too. I have often mused that I may have just stayed working at the park, working my way up, had we stayed in California. I was so happy there. Guests were generally so excited that their excitement was contagious. It as a happy job.

Actor Kevin Costner, who was one year younger than me, was attending California State Fullerton on a baseball scholarship when I was there. He had the esteemed job of a Jungle Cruise Captain when I was working at the park. Although I never officially met him, I wonder if I ever passed him coming out of wardrobe?

The last time I was at Disneyland was some time ago, just before California Adventure went in. I know if I went back certain areas are almost unchanged, like Main Street and New Orleans Square. I would like to see them again but I’m not sure that I wouldn’t be sad over some of the changes in other areas, be they better, like the newer Fantasyland.

Thanks a million, Steve, for sharing these great stories!

See more vintage Disneyland photos at my main website.

TGIF: New Orleans Square, Circa 1979

Where better to celebrate TGIF than Disneyland’s New Orleans Square? This batch of 1979 images focuses on my favorite area of the Park. This lovely young lady is being entertained by the Royal Street Bachelors. This was back when the One Of A Kind shop was part of the shopping experience.



A little peek inside at the vintage treasurers that awaited guests:



Another shot of the Royal Street Bachelors, without photobombers:



Another smiling guest:



A rare vintage interior view of the Blue Bayou restaurant, taken by a guest while riding the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction:



…which provides the perfect segue to the next portion of our 1979 tour. This image shows not only the Wicked Wench, but what the POTC boats looked like in 1979:



A closer view of the Wicked Wench:



A detailed view:



Ah, the treasure…how many guests have attempted to purloin a souvenir from this tableau?



Poor Carlos…the eternal dunking.



Our 1979 photographer ignored the red-headed wench and instead, focused on the auctioneer and the stout maiden that was currently up for bid:



These cats want food…not booze.



Will they ever get out? I’m surprised Governor Newsom hasn’t pardoned them with the rest of the people released early in the California prison system.



Our lovely young guest is back, this time in front of the Mansion:



…and closer:



…closer again:



…and as close as we’re going to get. No interior shots from this batch. Sigh.



I am sure most Disneyland fanatics have seen the tragic news of the man who committed suicide at the Park by jumping from the top of a parking garage. He left behind a lengthy explanatory “note” on social media detailing why he took this action (a damaging public accusation by his wife against him that caused him to be put on leave from his job). It is not my place to determine what is true and what is not; but I what I want to focus on from his note is this sentence:

Please, please, please be kind to one another! Treat each other with kindness and grace. There is too much anger in the world and people need to start treating each other better. What I’ve shared with you above is a prime example of how “anger” can really have long-lasting and extremely damaging effects on a person’s life.

Please read that again…especially before you decide to make judgment about what happened. Be kind. Those are wise words. And here’s another piece of advice: detach yourself from social media for awhile and let the ones you love know that you love them.

See more Disneyland New Orleans Square photos at my main website.

New Orleans Signage: Square and Otherwise

In the good old U. S. of A., there are two versions of New Orleans: the first one shown here is the squeaky clean Disney-fied version found in Anaheim, California. This October 1967 image shows the Frontierland wayfinding signage at the entrance to New Orleans Square, which was Walt's attempt to bring one of his favorite cities to his theme park. Visually, he did a darn good job. The only thing missing are the puke, the pee, and the decadence that have made the original a legend. By creating curved streets, this tiny area seems much bigger to guests who might have to ask themselves, "Have I been down this corridor yet?"

Zooming in, you can see the Blue Bayou Restaurant (still there), The Creole Cafe (now called Cafe Orleans), and the One Of A Kind Shop, where guests could buy antiques and other unique merchandise from all over the world. WITHOUT a Mickey or Disney connection. Let's stop and ponder that a moment.



I'll bet today's Disneyland Merchandising Department would be sweating a bullet over this one.



Gliding across the country to the original...I recently posted this December 1954 image showing the Old Absinthe House. I was bummed that when I zoomed in, I couldn't read the cornerstone signage.



As fate would have it, I was able to acquire this image which shows the same piece from a much closer vantage point:



Who says wishes don't come true?

See more vintage & current New Orleans Square photos from my collection on my main website.

Vintage New Orleans Square

How about a lovely Sunday in New Orleans...Square, that is! It's a perfect day for a little jazz from the Royal Street Bachelors, as seen in this November 1975 photo.

In the background is the Lafitte Silver Shop, which sold jewelry and other silver merchandise.



A courtyard staircase, aged appropriately, which I believe is the one next to the One of a Kind shop:



Oh how I remember that red shopping bag on the left and the Mickey T-shirts worn by the couple on the right!



A contemporary view for comparison's sake showing the Cristal d'Orleans Shop still in biz:



Jumping forward to August 1981, a few knick-knacks from (I believe) the One of a Kind Shop courtyard:



The same courtyard as seen six years earlier. Only the plants have changed!



Today, it is part of the Pieces of Eight Arcade:





I think I need a beignet. How about you?

See more vintage & current Disneyland New Orleans Square photos on my main website.

The One Of A Kind Shop

Back in the day before Disney merchandise overtook the Park, it was possible for guests to find treasures from all over the world. One of the most beloved shops was the One Of A Kind antique shop in New Orleans Square. Here's an article from The Disneyland Line, date July 5, 1979:

They're Not Getting Older...They're Getting More Valuable!

The shop is small, situated on a well-traveled corner. The French doors, opened wide, reveal a decor best described as "creative clutter." Upon entering, you are confronted with a large, ornately carved dining set Austrian, circa 1860. The tabletop hosts a variety of brass -- door knockers, candlesticks, bells and statuettes. In display cases throughout the shop you see English China, Italian porcelain and German bisque. One nook houses an elaborate bedstead of the '30's.

The scene could be the interior of any of a number of quality antique stores, except for one thing -- location! That "well-traveled corner" is right here in Disneyland, and this unique antique collection resides in our overt own One Of A Kind shop in New Orleans Square.



Besides being one of the most interesting of our merchandise locations, One Of A Kind is probably the most famous outside the Park. Stage Supervisor Jack Onyett commented that "people will often come out to Disneyland for the sole purpose of acquiring something from this shop. Either they've been here before, to look, and now are back to buy, or they've heard that we have something of interest to them."

The buyer in charge of keeping One Of A Kind a tempting lure to antique buyers is Hildegard Webster, a Cast Member since 1961. Her realm also includes the Gold and Silver shops, the Parfumerie and Le Gourmet.

Although One Of A Kind is themed primarily to European antiques (you'll find some early American oak in this group), all the buying is done on this side of the Atlantic. Hildegard is naturally reluctant to reveal her sources, but she will admit that she sticks pretty close to the L.A. and Orange County areas, and "attends a lot of auctions."



At one time, buyers did cross the ocean to search for their treasures, but in the long run this just wasn't practical. "Now," says Hildegard, "the merchandise is close at hand and it enables me to look on year-round basis."

The items vary in age, price and description from alabaster eggs selling for $1.50 each to washstands priced at $650, to the nine-piece dinette set the recently sold for $5900!

The oldest are sets of 18th Century microscopes and nautical instruments. There is even an optometrist's kit from the late 1800's, complete with measuring devices and lenses still intact. But New Orleans Lead Pat Cannon and Hostess Joani Magin agree that the most fascinating item they've yet encountered was the elaborate Gregorian Chant Book dated 1607!

It's interesting to note, too, that even here in the land of antiques there are some endangered species, clocks are getting scarce and the prices have become prohibitive. The ones now available in One Of A Kind are in excellent condition and are very modestly priced.

Although some reproductions are handled, notably chandeliers, needlepoint pillows and bell pulls, the majority of the articles, and all the furniture, are genuine.

"One of a kind" in merchandise, this cozy corner also has some "one of a kind" challenges. For instance, when a large hutch or dining set is purchased, nearly the entire shop has to be dismantled to remove it. From New Orleans, it goes to the Warehouse for pick-up or delivery. Since this procedure has to take place after operating hours, it means that at 5:00 the next morning, Hildegard, a stock person and a Lead must attempt to groom the disheveled shop before the Park opens. According to everyone who has ever been involved, "It's a disaster when we get here! If you've never seen it, you can't even imagine it." But they've never failed to finish on time!

"One of a kind"...it implies the unique, the unusual, the out-of-the-ordinary, from odd to awesome. But to us here at Disneyland, One Of A Kind is that most charming corner shop in New Orleans that knows the beauty of age.



See more vintage & current Disneyland New Orleans Square photos on my New Orleans Square web pages.

Royal Street Bachelors & New Orleans Square, 1969

This recently acquired shot of the Royal Street Bachelors in New Orleans Square, circa 1969, provides a number of great closeups.

Playing in front of the One Of A Kind shop, there is an interesting array of merchandise behind the Bachelors. Let's look in:



Opening in 1966, this unique retail location was basically an antique store. There were no rows of mass-produced Disneyana; instead, guests could rummage through "one-of-a-kind" items such as jewelry, clocks, and other treasures from the past.

Here's another New Orleans Square shot from the same batch:



The One Of A Kind shop was replaced by Le Gourmet, a stored stocked with cookbooks and other kitchen-related items.

See more vintage & current Disneyland New Orleans Square photos on my main website.