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.

The More You Know, The Less You Know

When you find yourself laboring on Labor Day, something’s wrong. I have been collecting vintage Disneyland slides for over fifteen years now. Some have dates stamped on them, some have handwritten notes, and others come with a big fat zilcho. Over the years, I have learned a few clues that determine when the undated ones were shot (and some help from a team of experts who know way more than I do). Originally, I had these first two images of the Mark Twain marked as 1955. However, when I recently noticed that Tom Sawyer Island was in existence, oops…must be after 1956.



The rest of these images were all marked March 1956.



On the Mark Twain, you can clearly see the patriotic bunting which I believe was only used during the month of July. In the background on the right of this image you can clearly see that Tom Sawyer Island is alive and inhabited by guests, which pushes the date to after June 1956.



Whoever coined the phrase, “Ignorance is bliss,” sure wasn’t fooling. At the end of the day, you have to realize that in the grand scheme of things, you just have to let go. OCD be damned. I’m tired of laboring on Labor Day.

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

March 1966

Today is a one-shot batch; no long, drawn out week long series...just one group and it's over! The C.K. Holliday is the star of this photo; I always get excited when I am entering the park in the morning and see a train at the station. It's such a great feeling to think I might be able to take the first Grand Circle Tour of the day!

Zooming in, you can see that the souvenir books at the newstand were a mere 50¢!



In this somewhat-dark image, I'm not quite sure what the photographer was attempting to capture, other than an assortment of tables at The Plaza Inn. Note the beautiful ruby glass hurricane lamps. Can you imagine how long those would last on a table today?



Here's a better look at one of those Plaza Inn lamps; of course, it would be difficult to ignore the lady in the background wearing the hot pink jacket.



Notice how she matches the pink in this ornate bench perfectly? Yes, she looks more at home here in Fantasyland at Merlin's Magic Shop than at the Plaza Inn.



Naturally I have to zoom into that shop window for you! See anything you'd like to buy?



Today, this store is The Heraldry Shop. I think I like the merchandise from the 1960's much better!





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