Audie Murphy Goes To Disneyland, Pt. 4

And now we get to the meat and potatoes of this Audie Murphy series. An interior view of the Frontierland Shooting Gallery! Audie shows his son how to fire Betsy. Below is a closeup of the lady in the background holding her Disneyland Guide.

In the background, you'll note a bunch of stuff hanging on the wall.

Based on this other photo showing Audie with his wife, it would appear that the Frontierland Shooting Gallery was attached to a shopping area.

Only $8.95 for a hand-painted skirt. Heck, you probably couldn't get a hand-painted roll of toilet paper from Disney today!

The Murphy family is posing for a photo with the wax figures of Davy Crockett (Fess Parker) and George Russell (Buddy Ebsen) in the Frontier Arcade:

Here you can see a sample posted of what your money is buying:

I don't think I ever realized that the coon skin caps sold had branding on the top of them:

Have to get a closer look at the portrait as it's being shot. Say “cheese”!

This Murphy family shot is from the interior of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon; wonder if they got to meet Wally Boag, too?

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

July 18, 1955 Extravaganza, Pt. 4

Today wraps up this series with a blowout of Frontierland and a smidgen of Tomorrowland images. The Mark Twain is at the dock of the Rivers of America in our first shot. Zooming in, you can see an out of context automobile parked in front of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon. With the trunk open, I can only imagine what item(s) are being delivered last minute.



Unlike today, there is even a stampede of guests to enter the Frontierland gate.





Davy Crockett fever had spread across the land, and in a nod to the mania, Walt named this "Museum" after him. From my understanding, it was more of a shop than a museum.



Two views of a Stagecoach, loading up with guests for a trip through the wilds of the Frontier:





Back in the day, bales of cotton added to the atmosphere of the Rivers, making this area appear to be a true port of trade.



Please ignore those cars parked along the side of the River.



A view of New Orleans Street, which is still at the park today:



Zooming in you can see the signage for the Oaks Tavern eatery:



Located approximately where New Orleans Square is today stands the Chicken Plantation Restaurant.



Guests of the Blue Bayou Restaurant will note that this building was the inspiration for the design of the faux building seen inside:



Another zoom shot provides a view of guests packed on a little footbridge as well as a pickup truck.



A few more vintage pickup trucks and a ton of overhead wires do not make for good show!



The final shot of Frontierland appears to have been taken from the Mark Twain and shows the Miniature Horse Corral, which would eventually become the Shooting Gallery:



Unfortunately, Tomorrowland got the shaft with this set. Only one shot, showing a directional sign for the "20,000 Leagues" exhibit:



I hope this little series made you feel as if you were there! See more vintage and current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland web pages.

Plusing the Show: Davy Crockett Cutout

Today’s post is part recycle out of necessity to show the evolution of a cutout photo opportunity from days gone by. This Davy Crockett painting used to stand near Central Plaza, and was a great opportunity for guests to have their photo taken while imagining that they are the legendary hero himself. All three shots are from 1955. This first shot shows the initial painting; very plain with no bling. Shot #2 shows that someone in the Disney organization felt that the location needed to be added, as you’ll note by looking in the lower righthand corner:



The final version here (in living color no less) gets rid of any confusion as to who this cutout is supposed to be by adding “Davy Crocket and B’ar” up top...looks like there might even be some sparkles on the letters! Talk about bling! Too bad the person who added the “Davy Crocket” spelled his name wrong!



Today, there really is no trace of Davy at Disneyland. The DC Frontier Museum is now The Pioneer Mercantile.





And the once beloved Mike Fink Keelboat is now rotting on The Rivers of America. Beware Jack Sparrow—this could be your fate in 50 years!





See more vintage & current Frontierland photos at my regular website.