May 1964: A 60th Celebration!

Today’s post celebrates May 1964 with every cotton-picking shot from my collection (so far) from that time period. Although they were shot by different guests and on different days, I have cobbled them together to give an overall feeling of what a day might have been like at Disneyland circa May 1964. The first image shows guests on the hotel tram, either on the way to the Park or departing; this could be a departing shot as the one boy has a rather large bag at this point in the day. Below, a happy little guest meets Pinocchio AND Pluto at the entrance!



“Balloons? How the heck would I hold those with this gigantic purse with fake fruit on front?”



Town Square, as seen from the Main Street Train Station:



On this particular day, the Park was welcoming Marine Corps Families.



Mickey Mouse was greeting guests outside the Main Street Opera House; inside, you could also see the Babes in Toyland exhibit.



So much Main Street to see!



The Book and Candle Shop or the Candy Palace? Something for everyone!



At the Cinema, you could watch “The Phantom of the Opera” with Lon Chaney or a Will Rogers western. If you’re not into silent movies, perhaps a new trick at the Magic Shop is what you need.



Over at the Plaza Inn, the little kids get their calcium, wishing they were on the attractions instead.



At least it’s not spinach.



Finally, the Castle!



The crest has not yet appeared above the Castle entrance as of May 1964.



Anyone know what the G stands for? These boys look a little nervous about flying off to Neverland.



Aw…a Carrousel moment.



How that same horse looked in March 2012:



I’ll say it again…Skull Rock Cove is one of the things I miss most at Disneyland.



The Midget Autopia:



Such a great vintage image: The Skyway, The Matterhorn, and the Monorail all in one shot…and kind of the Submarines, too.



This fun group gets ready for a jerky ride on the Matterhorn. Note fruit/flower purse gal is attempting to secure her treasured bag.



Fruit/flower purse gal can’t wait to get off. She’s had enough!



A closer look at this amazing contraption. Oh, and the Cast Member uniform, too!



The regular Autopia in glorious color!



Before there was Buzz Lightyear, there was the Circarama Theatre!



Purse gal is back at the Enchanted Tiki Room. I wonder if she tried to steal some of the fruit from Rongo for her purse?



Those shifty eyes and the cat-eye glasses say “yes.”



How Rongo looked in December 2016:



The Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse was a great place for family exploration:





A panoramic view of the Nature's Wonderland attraction from either the Twain or the Columbia:



A closeup of the Frontierland Ticket Booth:



A detailed shot of the Mine Train:



Note the security guard in the front:



Here you can see the Mine Train, Mineral Hall, and seating for Casa de Fritos:



Time to leave. Fruit/Flower Purse gal is totally honked off. She got talked into buying balloons and she can barely see in front of her. Her friend is doing the best she can to make the best of a long day.



To finish off today’s post, here’s a photo from 60 years ago today.



Wow. How did that happen so quickly? See more Disneyland photos from my collection at my main website.

Candle Extravaganza!

Disneyland actually had a shop on West Main Street entirely devoted to candles…and books. This gent looks like he's doing bicep curls with the very ornate candle in his hands in this circa 1974 photo.



I remember in the 70s how candles such as the ones seen here were all the rage.



Zooming in, you can see some of the books that were sold in this shop, as well as two of the young ladies who sold the waxy merchandise.



Another area of the shop:



A closeup of the window shows what I believe to be the Flower Market, which sold plastic flowers. I am sure they went very well with the plastic slipcovers on the family sofa!



Nothing says love like a flower candle. I'll bet this guy made a hit with his girlfriend when he presented it to her!



Light a candle and journey on over to my main website for more.

Dapper Dans in the Candle Shop

Three of the four Dapper Dans are in this seemingly unremarkable March 1968 image which I wouldn't have bothered acquiring had it not been for the background. They are posing in the Main Street Book & Candle Shop, and interior Main Street views are fairly rare. This shop existed from approximately 1955-1971 and is now occupied by a jewelry store inside of the Crystal Arcade. Here's an exterior shot from November 1958 to help you get your bearings:



An August 1966 interior view:



And an undated 1960's photo:



See more Daveland Disneyland Dapper Dan photos at my main website.

2000th Post Extravaganza: Moving Up Main Street, Pt. 1

Let's continue our journey down Walt Disney's Main Street U.S.A., courtesy of my special Time Machine. This delightful trio of February 1960 guests is standing on the east side of Main Street in front of the Yale Lock Shop and The Butcher Shop. Huh...I wonder if you could get EXTRA lean ground beef at the Butcher Shop?

On the corner of East Center Street and Main Street, guests could find the Swift Market House. Plenty of good times could be found within...



"Oh Madge, you just would NOT believe what is going on here at Disneyland..."



On the other side of the street is The Crystal Arcade, which really weaves its magic at night when it is all lit up, as seen in this 1966 shot:





The Disneyland Marching Band is passing the Book & Candle Shop in this shot. Forget Borders...THIS is a book shop I wish I could have gone to.



Check out all of the hand dipped candles that you could find here!



Daveland reader JG was kind enough to send his fond remembrances of this shop from days of yore:

As fashion would have it, candles became a feature of pop culture in the mid-1960’s with bright colors, exotic scents and all manner of accessories, holders, and candlesticks to match. The old style dipped tapers were retained only as props and the Flower Children’s vision took over the shelves. Mom loved this too, she bought several plastic flower and candle arrangements over the years. I don’t recall that any of this merchandise was explicitly “Disney” or had any kind of brand or movie tie-in at all; it was just the sort of fairly expensive, tasteful (for the era) gifts you would find at Macy’s or another specialty store.

I was an early reader and I was fascinated with the book shop, it was very well designed to sell to children, there were free-standing tables with display panels for large-format books only inches off the floor, right at little kid height. There is a great picture at this link. When I look at that picture, I remember sitting on that checkerboard tile by that little table.

For years, my souvenir of each trip was a book. When I was younger, there were books about the Disney movies; 20K Leagues, Bambi, Pinocchio, etc. As I got older, there were other titles, too, such as science-related books on physics, natural history, dinosaurs, etc. These had subtle connections to Nature’s Wonderland, Tomorrowland, Adventure Through Inner Space, the Grand Canyon and Primeval World, etc. but these were not Disney-branded or marked as a tie-in. There were books by Disney, of course; some even tied to the Disney TV Show like “One Day at Beetle Rock”, but not everything, or even most, were Disney titles. I still have many of these books, both cartoons and science books. I read them to my children as they grew. I can’t read them anymore; something keeps getting in my eye when I do, and so I put them away.

Disneyland was a lot more fun when Main Street was a special experience, found only at Disneyland. Once upon a time, you could get a feel for life in the 1890’s by visiting Main Street. Now it’s just a big mall.

The Disneyland book store became less interesting when the books all became “comic books” about the characters, Main Street became less interesting when all the shops changed from (simulated) real places into “Disney Stores”. I can go the Disneyland Emporium now by walking to the Disney Store here in my home town; it’s all the same stuff. There’s nothing wrong with hats, key chains and princess costumes, but there used to be so much more.

Amen, JG!

On the corner of West Center Street and Main Street, guests could tour the Upjohn Pharmacy and receive free vitamin samples.





The guests in this 1956 photo appear to be enthralled with the exhibits contained within:



And if the pills don't knock you out, then surely the Dapper Dans with their tight vocal harmonies will do the trick!



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