70 Years Ago: Disneyland, August 4, 1955

One of my longtime readers VERY generously supplied these rare images that they recently acquired showing a visit to Disneyland on August 4, 1955. How do we know the date? Read the back of the photo (and note the Kodak Velox Paper watermark!):



I have assembled these in the order that one would take as they journey to the Park from front to back. I let out a yelp at this one, which is an extremely rare shot of the Disneyland Police Department, which once resided to the left of City Hall:



It was also for Lost Children; wonder if the two tots sitting on the steps were lost or just looking for playmates?



City Hall:



Closing in, we can see a very different type of Disneyland AND the guests that once frequented it. In August 1955, people took time to enjoy life. They dressed up for a special occasion and cherished the friends and family that they were with.



The Bob Gurr designed Carnation Truck shown below. As he recalled years later:

An early sponsor at Disneyland was the Carnation Milk Company. They wanted to have an antique delivery truck parked on Main Street right in front of their Carnation Ice Cream parlor. Walt had me design an antique looking truck which Carnation built right in their own truck maintenance shop in Glendale.  I based the antique design on a “modern” 1931 Model A Ford chassis. A friend made a custom radiator emblem for it naming the truck.....Gurrmobile. I used to get a kick out of 'know-it-all' guests who would tell others how they remember the old Gurrmobiles that were built in Los Angeles long ago. For years it served as a photo-op prop in front of the ice cream parlor. When folks would take each other’s photo seated in the cab, behind them would appear the words 'Carnation Milk'…clever publicity.



Strolling down further our August 1955 guest focuses on the Penny Arcade:



On the opposite side of the street is the Swift Market House. Who was the slob who blocked this shot?!?



Another yelp of excitement when I saw this shot of the Coca-Cola Refreshment Corner, taken BEFORE the hotly contested red/white alternating bulbs were installed:



Look Ma - no light bulbs at the entrance!



This appears to be a ho-hum shot of the Horse-Drawn Streetcar in Central Plaza:



…but when you zoom in, you can see the short-lived Central Plaza Bandstand in the background:



A shot of the Sleeping Beauty Castle was a requirement for all guests (not really, but it seems like it):



The second shot was an occasion for a third yell:



While the uncomfortable siblings holding their Disneyland popcorn containers are fun, the exciting part of the shot is this detailed view of two Disneyland News Boys, hawking their wares:



Guests could have their names imprinted on the Disneyland News for a very fun personalized souvenir:



The Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Restaurant was still being finished up one month after the Park opened, as you can see by the surrounding scaffolding:



Over in Frontierland, the name Davy Crockett was a huge draw:



The Mark Twain yielded excitement from our August 1955 photographer:



Written on the back:

Steam Boat, Disneyland, August 4, 1955. We all took a ride in it - Harris, Harold, and I, John and Sherylann.



Tom Sawyer Island had not been constructed yet, but the land could already boast a waterfall feature:



From the Twain, our guests could see a Disneyland Train leaving the Frontierland Depot as it passed around Fowler’s Harbor:



Over in Tomorrowland, the Flags of the Nations were placed in a star formation in front of the TWA Moonliner:



HUGE shout out to the donor who provided this amazing glimpse of Disneyland from seventy years ago!

See more vintage Disneyland photos at my main website.

TPE: Welcome to Tomorrowland!

Going back in time, I would want to visit Tomorrowland when it really had an entrance; not the cramped mess it is today, but a wide-open land with visual markers that drew guests in from the front to the back. The original plans (shown in photo #1) are so invitingly retro, filled with a sense of awe and wonder.

This August 1955 photo gives you the viewpoint that guests saw as they approached Tomorrowland from the hub, Central Plaza.



A few steps closer, and you can see this proud young lad sporting his Mouse-ears, on the verge of experiencing the wonders of the future.



Exploding with color, this 1956 shot takes us even closer, so that we can see the Clock of the World, with the TWA Moonliner almost visible in the background.





Once we get to the Clock of the World, guests could meet a Spaceman from the future!



At the back of Tomorrowland, guests saw The Flags of the Nations:



In the formation of a star, I am guessing this was a patriotic space-filler for early Tomorrowland.



Very soon, the flags were replaced by The Flight Circle:



and moved to the entrance of Tomorrowland, as seen in this December 1956 photo, with the Russian Olympic Team. The flags only served to increase the sense of entrance and wonder that guests experienced as they left the hub and entered Tomorrowland:



Facing the other way, you can see the back of the Clock of the World, facing towards Frontierland:



The flags were moved, but the Spaceman still happily greeted guests at the entrance:





The flags (and original Tomorrowland) stayed around until 1967's New Tomorrowland replaced the original vision. Primitive as it may be, give me original Tomorrowland over the glitzy (but uninspired) version guests experience today.



See more vintage & current Disneyland Tomorrowland photos on my Fantasyland web page.

Greetings, Space Cadets!

One image for today, but definitely a good one...plus a little bonus. This undated shot is from approximately 1957, and features the Tomorrowland Spaceman posing with two lovely ladies. Mama on the left looks a bit unsure about the Disneyland Spaceman, whereas her hip younger counterpart on the right is fully aware of the great potential and hope that space exploration will provide for the future! In the background are the Flags of the Nation, in their recently moved spot at the edge of Central Plaza & Tomorrowland. The Monsanto House of the Future can also be glimpsed behind the flags as well.

As a special treat, I provide you three short retro videos directed by Robert Dastoli. The first one, "Keep Watching the Skies!" is based on the Tomorrowland episodes of the Disneyland TV series (specifically Man in Space), showcasing artistic projections and live action dramatizations of a flying saucer invasion. Its design comes entirely from the early space race and cold war period. The film has already played at a few sci-fi film festivals.


This next Dastoli short, "The Day the President Moved Thanksgiving," was very much inspired by The Hall of Presidents, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, and the American Adventure.



Six years ago he also made a short film called "Southwestern Orange County vs. the Flying Saucers," which is about a flying saucer attack on an Orlando theme park. At the time Robert was living in Orlando and working in MuppetVision 3D at the then named Disney-MGM Studios. The film is a bit rough around the edges, but it is still worth a watch for any Disney theme park fan!



Hope you enjoyed today's post and Robert's videos. See more vintage & current Tomorrowland photos on my Disneyland Tomorrowland web page.

Disneyland 1958 in Living Color, Pt. 2

Welcome to Tomorrowland! Once you are done gazing at the Monsanto House of the Future, be sure to notice the placard on the Oregon State Flag Pole at the entrance to Tomorrowland.

Nothing very futuristic about the water fountain in this shot:



Be sure to notice the Thimble Drome sign in the background:



See more Disneyland Tomorrowland photos at my main website.

July 1957 Batch, Pt. 3 & More Disney Studio

Mom and dad look charming, posed on the bridge near the Castle; and this wooden bridge looks absolutely authentic for the Frontierland area that it leads to. A veritable FEAST for termites! Munch! In the background we can see the Monsanto House of the Future as well as the state flags at the entrance of Tomorrowland.

Time to call security, as these ladies appear to be trampling the flowers outside the castle. This was 10 years before Tiny Tim’s “Tip-Toe Through The Tulips!”



In front of the castle, one of the tots decides to wear his hat at a rakish angle. This is the same hat shown in photo #1 of post #1 on his younger brother. In this shot, you can almost hear, “Gimme my hat back, you creep!” Meanwhile, sister is just posing happily, ignoring all of the drama between her brothers.



Back to the Walt Disney Studio in Burbank…



Thanks to the folks at D23, I was able to tour the Studios again. Although the Eisner building has been criticized for its design which does not blend into the 1930’s deco campus look of the rest of the studio, there is some truth to it: Dopey & the Seven Dwarfs are the ones who started the whole thing and made it possible...after Mickey, of course! How fitting that they are holding the building up! It’s pretty cool to be able to get up close and personal with Blaine Gibson’s Partner’s Statue; definitely not something you can do at Disneyland in Central Plaza.





Having the WDW Roy Statue nearby is also touching; and being able to see the two brothers holding Mickey & Minnie’s hands...well, it can get a little emotional here!





Here’s a vintage overview of the studio when there were actually sets on the backlot:





Today, all that remains of the outdoor sets is one lonely street that constantly has to change the name of its tenants, depending upon the project being filmed:





I understand how times change and how economies and new technologies make these changes necessary, but from the standpoint of a fan, it does make me a little sad. When you watch characters and their environments on the big screen or at home in the setting of your living room, it is easy to form an attachment to these fictional plays. Can you imagine the thrill of being able to walk onto a studio lot and seeing the ACTUAL setting that Zorro fought the bad guys? Or the street that Pollyana lived on? But times marches on...

Back at the archive, the display cases were full of fun memorabilia, including famous hats from Disney:







Let’s zoom in for a closer look at Mary Poppins’ chapeau:



And from one of my favorite Disney films of recent years comes a dress from “Enchanted”:



Inside the actual archives we were welcomed with an evolutionary depiction of Mickey Mouse:



And another gem from Mary Poppins: the original snow globe from the “Feed the Birds” sequence...amazing that this stuff is still around!



And how’d you like to have this piece of furniture? The wardrobe from the “Chronicles of Narnia” film:





And a statue of James McAvoy as Mr. Tumnus, frozen by the evil White Witch:



Speaking of McAvoy, I happened to stumble upon him in Savannah last week as he was filming “The Conspirator.” You might also recognize the director of the film.





But I digress. Time to wrap this post up and save some photos for tomorrow. See more Studio photos at my website.