65 Years Ago: Disneyland, August 1960, Pt. 3

The final installment of the August 1960 series begins with a shot of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship restaurant. The Skull Rock tableau had not been added yet. The below shot was most likely taken from a speeding Casey Jr. car.



A cast member does a little watering at left to keep the landscaping green. Below, you can see that the canal boat is named after Walt himself!



A back view of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship, taken from the Storybook Land attraction:



That beautiful mermaid! I wonder how many cans of tuna she sold?



Toad Hall in its original location:



How it looked in 2012 in its “new” location:



A nice closeup of Gepetto’s Village; no, that’s not the Matterhorn behind the Village. Those are miniature mountains that seamlessly blended into the 1959 attraction when it was built.



Final shot shows two little girls looking into the jaws of Monstro, wondering if anyone ever comes out alive!



See more Disneyland photos at my main website.

Storybook View: A Happy Accident and Mystery Mural

Over on X (formerly known as Twitter, and yes, I’m on there too) the other day, there was a discussion about the view from Storybook Land of the Matterhorn. Image #1 for today is from August 7, 1957, and shows Gepetto’s Village with the Skyway in the background (also note the Zorro hat in the foreground). Below is approximately the same view from August 1958:



…and September 1958:



Flash forward to May 9, 1959 and you can see the Matterhorn under construction in the background:



This is what I would call the beginning of the happy accident.



The next shot in the sequence from May 9, 1959 moves over ever so slightly, showing more of the Village:



This June 2006 photo I snapped shows the peak of the Matterhorn blending in perfectly with the snow-capped mountains of Gepetto’s Village. I would love to know if this was planned or a “happy accident.” Unless Walt knew that the Matterhorn would be built three years after the Gepetto’s Village scenery debuted in 1956, my vote would be for an accident. I know…call me Debbie Downer.



February 2013:



The thread about the Matterhorn construction also included a question about this mural on the side of the church, as seen in the August 1957 image:



…and the May 1959 shot:



When comparing it to one of my contemporary shots, it is basically the same mural albeit with a few minor changes. My guess is that the mural tells the tale of Jesus and Peter and the miracle of the fish.



By 2013, it looks like the miracle was touched up with a silkscreen repair; note the dot pattern on the angel and the figure I am assuming is Jesus. It also seems like Jesus had a shave. The net is more pronounced in this version of the mural, too. Perhaps water damage caused the necessity of this repair, as a cut line is visible above the mural.



Anyone know more about this mural? See more Disneyland Storybook Land photos at my main website.

1977 Storybook Land

Care to join me on a vintage ride through Disneyland’s Storybook Land, circa October 1977? Our first stop in the journey is Mole End/Ratty's House.

For guests, the Cinderella tableau seems to have been the most popular spot.



I get blown away by the tiny details that most guests never see, yet the Imagineers took the time to put them there. Doorways, windows, chimneys, the stonework...



The modest Tremaine home:



Gotta’ have a closeup, because I know you want to see their mailbox:



Last one of the bunch shows Gepetto’s Village. If only it were a bit lighter I could have gotten some really great detail shots out of this one!



See more Disneyland Storybook Land photos at my main website.

More Janet Leigh at Storybook Land

A recently acquired addition to my collection expands my library of 1962 Janet Leigh and family images. Visiting the Park while then-husband Tony Curtis was filming “40 Pounds of Trouble,” today's post shows them on the Storybook Land attraction. First, daughters Jamie Leigh and Kelly Curtis seem to be enjoying the Big Bad Wolf. I wonder if this inspired Jamie Leigh's scream-queen career?

Boarding the attraction:



Look mom, there's Toad Hall!



A closeup:



A contemporary shot of Toad Hall, now in a different location:



Cruising along to Pinocchio's tableau:



A closeup of Gepetto's workshop:



And a contemporary view:



The last shot shows them enjoying Alice's Village:



See more Janet Leigh at Disneyland photos at my main website.

80s Flashback: Storybook Land Pt. 2

This morning it's back to Storybook Land, circa the 1980s. Let's zoom in a bit for a better look at Gepetto's Village. How many previously unnoticed details can you see?



Views of two of the windmills that were featured in the 1937 Silly Symphony, "The Old Mill."





Last one for today shows Alice's Village...as in Alice in Wonderland.



Just read the sign if you don't believe me!



A functioning water wheel. Wow!



A contemporary shot from dusk:



Still more 80s magic to come!

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

Framed

While sometimes just the vintage-nature of an image makes it spectacular enough; having it well composed is just icing on the cake. Today I present three undated 1950s images from the same photographer who obviously took a little extra time to frame his photos in a creative way.

They were taken from this gazebo that was once on the Rivers of America:





I am totally digging this shot of Storybook Land.



This one was taken from inside the second floor of the Golden Horseshoe:



Compare with the exterior shot to see that the window arch matches:



See more creatively framed photos at my main website.