This glorious image from August 1958 shows the colorful attraction posters and Mickey Mouse entrance floral just as the E. P. Ripley is pulling into the Disneyland Main Street Train Station.
In Town Square, Vesey Walker is conducting the Disneyland Band as guests relax on the surrounding benches. Below, White Wing Trinidad Ruiz pushes his cart down Main Street, collecting the horse puckey from the Horse Drawn Streetcars.
Last image for today is a shot of the Monsanto House of the Future, perched atop its concrete foundation off Central Plaza.
I’m glad plastic homes never caught on, aren’t you?
See more Disneyland photos from my collection at my main website.
Sometimes all it takes is one “new” slide to spawn an entire retrospective post. This just such an image, featuring the Keystone Kops playing for Disneyland guests on the porch of the China Closet. It is undated, but most likely from the late 1950s. Younger readers probably wonder who The Keystone Kops were. Here you go—
The Keystone Kops/Cops were the brain child of comedian and silent screen star Hank Mann. They were named after slapstick producer Mack Sennett’s Keystone studio, founded in 1912. Their first film was “Hoffmeyer's Legacy” (1912), with Mann as the police chief. Though initially popular, Sennett relegated the Keystone Cops to supporting roles behind Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle only a few years later. Sennett stopped using them by the 1920s, but they continued to pop up over the years in various features, cartoons, video games, and yes…Disneyland!
As you can see from this Summer 1955 shot, the Kops were shown daily at the Main Street Cinema.
On Disneyland’s Opening Day, these two Kops posed with a young guest outside the Main Street Cinema:
As comic security and a wandering music group, the Kops were a great fit for Main Street, U.S.A.
Outside the Coke Corner in 1956:
A lone Kop from 1956:
Central Plaza was the place guests would most likely see The Keystone Kops play their vintage melodies. On the right is Bernie Flymen; he played sax & clarinet at Disneyland from 1955–1960 and in Desi Arnaz’s “I Love Lucy” band. Funny how this guest appears to be completely oblivious to them. Maybe it’s the sunglasses.
Outside the Opera House, circa March 1959:
This 1960 publicity shot shows a traffic jam of shorts in Town Square.
Not sure how much help the Kop is really giving here! Note the White Wing in the background:
The Keystone Kops were seen in “Forty Pounds of Trouble” with Tony Curtis in 1962 during the Disneyland sequence:
Back to Central Plaza in April 1965:
From September 1, 1967, we see the Kops playing in Central Plaza right near the popcorn cart. The two little kids to the right do not seem amused.
A backstage shot from April 1968:
Last one for today is from July 1968. I can only guess that the Kops were discontinued shortly after that. This is what happens when you defund the police.
Want to see the original Keystone Kops in action? Here’s “A Thief Catcher” (1914) which was considered a lost short until 2010 when a print was discovered at a Michigan antique sale. Charlie Chaplin plays one of the Kops.
See more Disneyland East Main Street photos at my main website.
Happy Friday! This image of Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A. is most likely July/August 1955. The Ruggles Glass Shop AND Hollywood Maxwell’s Intimate Apparel (aka “The Wizard of Bras”) along with the patriotic bunting help clarify the time period. The poor White Wing at right has a full shovel, and he obviously needs to make another trip to pick up the remaining piles of horse poo from the horse-drawn streetcar. Zooming in to the front of those two shops also reveals a young man with his shirt completely unbuttoned. This is a bit of slobbery you would not typically see at Disneyland circa 1955!
At the Main Street Cinema, Gloria Swanson is on the marquee.
Shifting gears, I was saddened beyond belief to see the recent KTLA news article on the DCA Red Car Trolley on Buena Vista Street:
The Red Car Trolley attraction at Disney California Adventure will be discontinued in early 2025 due to an expansion of the Avengers Campus. Due to the anticipated construction, some backstage locations in the area will be impacted, including the backstage Red Car Trolley barn. “We will discontinue operation of the attraction in early 2025 and will share a specific date later this winter.” Disneyland officials told KTLA.
The Red Car was one of the most exciting additions to the Buena Vista Street project that opened in the summer of 2012. It added a sense of motion and purpose to DCA that was previously missing. Guests could take the journey on the Red Car from the DCA entrance all the way to the Tower of Terror attraction.
Roll down Buena Vista Street and Hollywood Land from inside a vintage street car on the Red Car Trolley. Watch as the fabulous sights and sounds of Disney California Adventure Park pass by as you sit back and relax in stylish comfort. It's a whole new way to experience the park!
Stops: The Red Car Trolley offers 4 convenient stops. You can board or disembark at any of the following locations:
• Buena Vista Street near the Main Entrance
• Carthay Circle across from Carthay Circle Theatre
• Hollywood Boulevard near the Disney Animation building
• Sunset Boulevard next to The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
The Cars: Inspired by the Pacific Electric Railway trolleys from the 1920's, the 2 cars are slightly different, including paint schemes that reflect different eras. Similar to the original "Hollywood Car" trolleys, the new cars are entirely powered by electricity and are emissions-free vehicles. However, unlike the original trolleys, the Red Car Trolley vehicles run via batteries. The overhead wires are just for show!
Be sure to check out the amazing details both outside and inside — there are even retro-styled advertisements for the businesses on Buena Vista Street.
History: A vast network of electrical trolleys operated in Southern California from 1887 until 1961. By 1925, the Pacific Electric Railway was built by tycoon Henry Huntington into one of the largest electrical railways anywhere in the world with over 1,000 miles of active track. This incredible transportation network gave way to the automobile, but electrical trolleys are back and rolling down the street once again at Disney California Adventure Park!
Disney has yet to reveal their fate; I guess they could pop up someplace else, but nothing has been stated yet.
Am I surprised about this? Not really. Once the Tower of Terror became Guardians of the Galaxy and was removed from the 1920s/30s Buena Vista theme, I realized that any hope of Hollywoodland being revitalized and expanded was gone.
Just one less reason for me to return to DCA, as the Avengers are of zero interest to me. The Disney Corporation moves closer to a demographic that I no longer relate to.
UPDATE: Thanks to reader Bryan for sharing this excellent video with me. Former Disney Imagineer makes an extremely compelling case of why The Red Car Trolley needs to be saved. Unfortunately, it does come down to money, care, and creativity, so I have little faith that the Disney Corporation will take action on his plea.
See more Disney California Adventure photos at my main website.
In yesterday’s post, I was too lazy to figure out where exactly this February 1970 Town Square shot was taken. Daveland reader Chuck had obviously had his Wheaties and was able to find this other shot from my collection circa October 1970:
…which also gives a great detailed view of the window display:
Chuck also noticed something else in this photo from yesterday’s post:
Is that a Snoopy plush toy in the window display at Disneyland? If only that little girl had moved her head over a bit!
Chuck also suggested I look at this Summer 1955 image from my collection as well:
When I looked at the folder with the images from that batch, I noticed that it appeared that the photographer might have been attempting to take a panoramic shot of the entire Town Square. Through the miracles of photoshop, I combined four separate photos and came up with this:
Yes, I see that in part of the image, the tracks for the Horse Drawn Streetcar don’t line up. I’ll put that on my project list to fix!
Thanks, Chuck! See more Disneyland Town Square photos at my main website.
The White Wings was Disneyland’s name for the cast members who wheeled around the Sanitation Department (SD to keep it clean!) carts and swept up the poo from the horses on Main Street. One of the best known White Wings was Trinidad Ruiz, who had a distinctive large mustache. How many Sanitation workers do YOU photograph when you got to the Park today? I rest my case. This guy must have been pretty nice. In this 1957 black and white image, he is not wearing the usual white pith helmet that he sported. I wonder what happened?
This October 1956 Town Square image shows you what I'm talking about.
He looks like he’s ready for a break.
Another 1956 shot of Trinidad, back in Central Plaza.
Just a reminder....“S.D.” does not stand for San Diego.
See more Disneyland Central Plaza photos at my main website.
From the buzz of my friends, it seems like 2016 has gotten quite the bad rap. With a rash of celebrity deaths in the last few weeks (Zsa Zsa Gabor, Carrie Fisher, Debbie Reynolds, and George Michael), the world has been clubbing the hell out of 2016 and counting the days until 2017 begins. In a somewhat twisted but brilliant maneuver, a man in Spartanburg, SC has started a gofundme page to keep 94 year old actress Betty White away from the clutches of the grim reaper. Before anyone gets their underwear twisted out of shape, the money will actually be going to a theater in Spartanburg. It appears that in just a few days, he has almost achieved his goal of raising $10,000. I say bravo to creativity! Somebody chose to use their energy to leave this comment on the fundraising page:
DUMM PEOPLE HE'S USING HER NAME TO SCAMM YOU......
Where do I begin? Not even worth the effort. I can't say 2016 was really different for me from any other year; it had peaks, valleys, and the usual mesas. A lot of learning...a lot of mistakes...a lot of successes. I guess it's all in what you choose to focus on.
The scariest part of this year has been watching people become so quick to anger. It takes very little for the rants to begin, and of course the election didn't help. Instead of hating, judging, and throwing back the same horse-pucky that we all claim to despise, how about just sharing a little love, compassion, and tolerance? I was so saddened to see Steve Martin's tweet about Carrie Fisher deleted in response to the hateful stone-throwing rants by those who found it offensive. Name-calling and hateful words do not make your point any more compelling. Maybe the world has just gotten angry. I sure hope that when the calendar turns to 2017, we are able to reset and calm the heck down. Instead of going on social media and complaining, ranting, and blaming others for your woes, how about taking some time to volunteer to help an organization or person who is less fortunate than you? Channel that anger and frustration into something positive. Trust me...you'll feel a lot better, too.
By the way...today's vintage Disneyland image is circa 1956. Note the mound of dirt on the left where the Monsanto House of the Future would eventually go.
More vintage and current Disneyland Central Plaza photos at my main website.
Another batch of black and white gems, this time from September 1956. You know it's the early years of the Park when you see the chicken wire fencing around the young plantings.
Look how bare the Park is; unbelievable. If only people knew how expensive it would be visit Disneyland in the future, they would have rushed the Park when it was affordable! Ah, the wonders of hindsight.
Check out the White Wings at the Popcorn Cart in Town Square.
In previous posts, readers have commented how much more realistic Main Street looked in the early years. This photo would definitely support that sentiment; you could almost believe that the Upjohn Pharmacy pictured here is the real thing!
We have to get closer for a better view! A Keystone Kop, vintage outfits...does it get better than this?
What?!? Nobody sitting in the Carnation Company Truck? Unheard of.
Names on the windows are nothing new; they existed way back when!
A contemporary shot shows that this window for Christopher Miller, Walt's grandson, has been virtually untouched!
Last one for today shows two lucky ladies climbing the steps to the recently demolished Fantasyland Skyway Station.
See more vintage and contemporary photos of Disneyland at my main website.
