Greetings from Black Bart!

If you were at the Disneyland entrance on this day in June 1956, you could have been greeted by ne’er-do-well Black Bart. Stepping outside of his regular Frontierland home, he provided a little entertainment on this day outside the gate,



Noah “Dick” Morrison played the original Black Bart until approximately 1961.



Sometimes he was in charge…and sometimes Sheriff Lucky was!



Here he is shooting the s$%t with a plethora of Sheriffs in Frontierland. I guess in the 1950s they needed more!



You knew Black Bart was a bad guy…he smoked in public!



He knew how to charm the kids though.



He also had a way with the ladies.



The last one for today shows him giving a guest the whammy for taking his photo:



A close-up of his signature Ace of Spades, stuck in his hat.



See more Disneyland Black Bart photos at my main website.

Frontierland Friday!

It’s 1956, and Black Bart is in Disneyland’s Frontierland hamming it up for the cameras. The lady on the left with her hand on the hip does not seem amused.



I am guessing Unamused Lady took this next image of her Honey, who was apparently more into being in front of the camera than she was. Note the storybook-style map in the background touting the new Rainbow Cavern Mine Train attraction.



While seeing a gun pointed at a guest these days can be jarring in light of recent circumstances, back in 1956 it was all safe fun and part of the show.



Even more jarring is this guy’s long hair. To think that Walt allowed it is incredible. Must be because Black Bart was supposed to be a bad guy.



This particular lady found him charming. Or maybe she thought a little luck from the Ace of Spades in his hat would rub off on her.

See more Disneyland Frontierland photos at my main website.

Hump Day at the Horseshoe

Wednesday/Hump Day seems like a good day to relax at Slue Foot Sue’s Golden Horseshoe Saloon in Frontierland, doesn’t it? The first two images are from Spring 1956. That Slue Foot Sue sign is a favorite of mine.

Just in case you weren’t sure, Pepsi-Cola was the sponsor. How about that A-Frame sign in front? My best guess: “ABC Radio presents Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Starring Wally Boag and…” The rest is too much for my brain to comprehend today.

Just in case you weren’t sure, Pepsi-Cola was the sponsor. How about that A-Frame sign in front? My best guess: “ABC Radio presents Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Starring Wally Boag and…” The rest is too much for my brain to comprehend today.

UPDATE 1: Daveland reader Darryl’s brain is working much better than mine today. A shot from my collection that I previously posted. Duh.

This one is from February 1964:

I call this “Law and Order”…and a really bad Christmas sweater! Sheriff Lucky ought to lock up the mother for allowing that one.

Something cool was going on here; I wonder what they were filming for?

A spy a box of GE lamp bulbs:

From the other angle:

Even Sheriff Lucky looks somewhat interested in the proceedings:

Did he just shoot the cameraman? The poor little girl in the foreground is horrified! Permanent scars for adulthood are in her future.

UPDATE 2: Bryan, thanks for ALSO jogging my memory. This COULD be from the same day; Wally Boag during a Frontierland shoot-out:

See more Disneyland Golden Horseshoe Saloon photos at my main website.

Friday Frontierland Fun

It’s February 1958 at Disneyland, and the dastardly villain Black Bart is up to no good in Frontierland…again! Sheriff Lucky appears to have things under control. I love seeing the reaction of the crowd, like this little boy covering his ears from the loud gunfight sounds.

…and the little girl wringing her hands with glee as Bart is captured.

If I had been there, I’d be the guy on his knees with the camera trying to get that unique angle of the fight! Wonder where those photos are today?

The next shot in the consecutive sequence is either from the next show, or Bart has managed to get away!

That red cowboy hat is everything.

See more vintage Disneyland Black Bart photos at my main website.

Wednesday in the (not so) Wild West

This undated 1950’s image shows early Disneyland. Looks like the bad guys and the good guys are exchanging stories in Frontierland (I see Black Bart and Sheriff Lucky in this one). Closing in we can see the “office” of Willard P. Bounds, blacksmith AND U.S. Marshal of Frontierland. You can also see Eddie Adamek’s trick ropes for sale, strewn in a semi-circle over the counter.

Farther on the right you can see the sign for the Miniature Horse Corral (which closed in 1957):

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

Wild West Wednesday

Today’s image hails from 1957, where you can see a little tot wearing his Disneyland Keppy Kap, surrounded by Frontierland law enforcement. The boy is also holding some kind of card in his hands; wonder if it was a souvenir that he received from the Sheriff? Digging the Sheriff’s vintage watch and ring, even if they don't really go with his costume!



I have separate pics of both of these gentlemen, and always referred to them as Sheriff Lucky, however…now that I look at their badges, they are definitely different. Maybe one is a deputy. Anyone out there able to shed light on the different badges or characters they played?



I know the one on the right was definitely Sheriff Lucky, as that’s how this Encyclopaedia Britannica labeled him:



Wanna’s see his signature? Here it is on a Wanted Poster in Rainbow Ridge:



Perhaps yet another Deputy on the left? On the right is Black Bart.



In this March 1956 shot, a guest caught him taking a break with a pretty little lass on New Orleans Street:



Finally, here’s another previously posted image of who I am “assuming” the Frontierland Deputy:



See more Frontierland photos at my main website.

Vintage Frontierland Friday

This vintage 1957 shot shows Black Bart, flirting with a guest at Disneyland. In the background is Eddie Adamek who sold trick ropes out of the Blacksmith shop. Actor/comedian/writer Steve Martin learned to trick rope from Eddie when he worked at the park back in the 1950’s; this came in handy 30 years later for his 1986 movie, “The Three Amigos.”



At about the 52 second mark in this video you can see Eddie doing his stuff!



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

Steve Martin and Black Bart at Disneyland

One of my readers, Ryan Richards, sent me a message through Twitter saying I should check out his family's vintage film from a 1950's trip to Disneyland. Little did he know what extra bonus his vintage movie held: a brief clip of a very young Steve Martin in a checked vest, gray pants, and hat at the 7 second mark in front of Disneyland hawking the Park Guidebooks. Two seconds after that, you get a rare glimpse of Black Bart out of Frontierland attempting to wreak havoc in front of the entrance to the Park.

A freeze frame of Steve Martin:



and Martin and Black Bart in the same frame:



Both of Ryan's mother's parents worked at Disneyland at that time. His grandmother was the nurse for the Mouseketeers, his grandfather "drove" the Mark Twain and helped build things (including the Burning Cabin).

At the end of this next family film from Ryan's father's collection, starting at 3:20, there is a shot of a few Cast Members aboard the Mark Twain, but it is too dark to see any faces. He'd like to think his grandfather is one of them, meaning his dad has footage of his future father-in-law!



Many thanks to Ryan for sharing these very cool family treasures!

Craving more vintage Steve Martin at Disneyland and Knott's Berry Farm? Visit my main website.

Black Bart at Rainbow Ridge

This July 30, 1956 image shows the dastardly Black Bart terrorizing an innocent family as they wait to board the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train at Disneyland. Times were obviously different; a gun aimed at a young child would not make for a fun family photo today.

More Nature's Wonderland wonders at my main website.