Happy 64th Anniversary, Disneyland!

In honor of the 64th Anniversary of Disneyland’s Grand Opening Gala, I will present a few memorable images of that historic day starting off with the christening of the Mark Twain. Art Linkletter mugs while actress Irene Dunne smashes the bottle of water from various American Rivers against the Twain.

Here Fess Parker and Buddy Ebsen (aka Davy Crockett & George Russel) ride down Main Street in the Opening Day Parade:



The Mouseketeers, with Annette Funicello in the second row:



Walt Disney himself:



Walt was a busy man that day, running back and forth from Parades, the Disneyland Railroad:



to Town Square for the official opening ceremony:



to the Sleeping Beauty Castle with drawbridge being lowered for the first time to the public:



and hob-nobbing with celebrites Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher on Main Street, U.S.A.:



Congrats on your Anniversary, Disneyland - and thanks to Walt Disney for his creative vision and making this American Institution a reality!

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

Fess & Buddy check out Disneyland, 1955

NOTE: Most of the photos that originally accompanied this post have been removed due to legal issues. Hopefully they will return in the future. In the meantime, just use your imagination!

Still wearing his George Russel costume from "Davy Crockett," Buddy Ebsen is seen here in a behind-the-scenes photo at Disneyland, while the park was still under its initial construction.

Zooming in, you can see some early Park printed publicity materials.

Here's Buddy's costar, Fess Parker (aka Davy himself), walking down an unfinished Main Street.

Not sure who the other two gents are, but it looks like Fess came straight from the set.

Wrong angle, but you can still get an idea of approximately where the three were standing.

Here, Fess and his buddies are having a very deep conversation about what they are seeing. Or at least they are giving a semi-convincing performance to that effect.

As you can see from this 1958 image, they were standing in front of what would become the Upjohn Pharmacy. Interesting to note in the Fess Parker image that the archway on the left gives an unobstructed view all the way through.



Backstage (at the Disney Burbank Studios), Roy Disney is standing with one of Fess' escorts/buddies. Perhaps this was shot before (or after) the day at Disneyland when Fess might have been picked up/dropped off at the Studio.

This one is a mystery to me, as I do not recognize either person standing in front of the official Disneyland car.

Experts?

See more vintage & current Disneyland construction/behind-the-scenes photos on my main website.

Trip Report: Photos from Frontierland

OK...I'd gotten my shots of the Market House Starbucks construction site, the former Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Hook hidden in the Peter Pan exit area, assorted Storybook Land shots, and The Court of Angels. Before my friends joined up with me, I decided to use my remaining time taking a spin around the Rivers of America on the Mark Twain.

It is wonderful spending time in Frontierland when the park first opens. Typically, guests rush to Fantasyland and Tomorrowland when the rope drops, and that's just fine with me. It's pretty durn awesome to have Frontierland and New Orleans Square to myself when they are bathed in early morning sunlight. According to the display at the turnstiles, I had a bit of a wait before the Mark Twain was ready for passengers.



Sitting across the way on a bench, I had time to relax and to notice the details...while attempting to dry off from the humidity that hung over Anaheim. Have you ever read the background signs that describe the flags hanging above the dock?



I can't get enough of these edutainment details.



A genuine FauxD© shot of the dock (hope you've taken your dramamine!):



A cast member appeared and let the guests wait in the cool shade of the dock's structure.



My excitement built as I watched the riverboat round the corner and approach the dock:



This cast member did not seem to share my excitement; he just appeared rather stoic.



All aboard!



The gilded crown caps were gleaming in the sun:



I was early enough to be able to get a ride in the Wheelhouse. Once you've done that, it's difficult to ride anywhere else on the Twain.



Inside, the size of the steering wheel is very impressive (and yes, I know the Twain rides on a rail. Thank you for wanting to tell me about that).



The bell that all guests must ring on the trip:



Pulling away, the dock gets smaller...



and smaller...



The sky over Tom Sawyer's Island was a vibrant blue, with the faintest covering of lacy clouds.



The trees have grown so much over the years that they hide all of the paths that little kids can explore upon The Island.



The Haunted Mansion, Splash Mountain, The Columbia, and The Old Mill...this photo has a little bit of everything. Another benefit of riding up in the Wheelhouse.



The much adorned Castle Rock: proving that less is not always more.



The (former) Burning Cabin is now completely rethemed to Davy Crockett, with the Gullywhumper being the first visual evidence of the change.



As the cabin comes into view, you can hear the homespun voices of Buddy Ebsen and Fess Parker in character as George Russel and Davy Crockett.



I had never noticed just how fluid this animatronic Indian is; check him out on your next trip. It's pretty impressive.



Hidden in the trees is this (not as impressive) mechanical eagle and its young:



Back at the dock, I quickly snapped one of New Orleans Square:



and the still under construction Big Thunder Mountain:



Next up: staying cool in The Enchanted Tiki Room.

See more vintage & current Disneyland Rivers of America photos on my Rivers of America web page.

Davy & George: Friday in Frontierland

Friday is Frontierland Day at Daveland, featuring Davy Crockett (Fess Parker) & George Russel (Buddy Ebsen). In photo #1, this dynamic duo is shown cavorting on Opening Day, July 17, 1955. Host Art Linkletter is in the background, talking to a young guest, while the settlers dance merrily in front.

If you weren't lucky enough to catch Davy & George in the flesh, you could always visit The Frontier Arcade and have your photo snapped with their wax counterparts. This photo circa 1955.



Fess Parker is shown relaxing on the banks of the Rivers of America in 1956 with Kathleen Crowley in a publicity still for "Westward Ho, the Wagons!"



Both Davy & George are remembered in today's Frontierland; the Hat Company shop bears their name:



The Frontierland Gate looks beautiful here, illuminated by the golden light of the early morning:



In a recent post, I showed the plaque on the gate that tells about the Thirteen Flags of the Revolutionary War:



On my last trip, I finally document all 13 that can be seen at the front gate:









See more vintage & current Frontierland photos on my Frontierland web page.

Davy & George at the Frontierland Arcade

First, I truly want to thank all of those who took the time yesterday to drop a line about my 3 year anniversary. It is truly appreciated and one of the main reasons I really enjoy blogging; getting the feedback and positive comments really makes this a lot fun and a great educational process for me. Today will be a quick post though...but hopefully still enjoyable. I am posting 3 photos of the wax statues of Davy Crockett & George Russel that were located in the Frontierland Arcade. Guests were able to pose alongside these TV-Land favorites. Not bad either when it comes to resembling the real Fess Parker & Buddy Ebsen! The first photo from 1956 is from the collection of a Daveland reader, and it shows her mother, Shirley Sowder, who was a cast member.

The other shots show various children who are living every child’s dream from the 1950’s!





See more Disneyland Frontierland photos at my website.

1000th Post: Opening Day Parade, Pt. 3

It’s official; today is my 1000th post...really hard to believe. To start us off, we’ll follow the Mouseketeers in the Opening Day Parade as they travel from Town Square down Main Street U.S.A. Kinda’ like the Wizard of Oz, watch ’em go from black and white to color.







Next up are some Frontierland images, including Fess Parker & Buddy Ebsen as Davy Crockett & his sidekick, George Russel.











For my last image from the July 17, 1955 Opening Day Parade, you can see TV & Film Star Don DeFore (wearing the white blazer) driving an Autopia car down Main Street:







Many thanks to all you readers out there, especially the ones who have left great comments and helped educate me on some of the finer points of Disneyland History. On another celebratory note, “Zorro” starring Guy Williams, is finally going to be released on DVD in glorious black and white.







See more Disneyland photos at my website.