1960s Tomorrowland Gems

A trio of July 1960 Disneyland images give some rare views into the original Tomorrowland. First, we see the mighty Kaiser Aluminum Telescope in the background; I sure would love to see the footage on the camera belonging to the guest in the foreground! Kaiser Aluminum wanted out almost 3 years before their 5 year contract had expired because they felt that the Disneyland TV show had competing sponsors on it. With some persuasion from Walt Disney himself, this exhibit stayed on until July 1960, making this one of the final images ever taken here.



A slightly out of focus but still color shot of the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry exhibit:



It’s hard to believe, but yes…there was an exhibit about bathrooms in Tomorrowland. Welcome to the Crane Bathroom of Tomorrow! I see a DIY project in the making for all you vintage Disneyland geeks out there.



This set had a fourth image, taken near the Plaza Inn off Central Plaza, showing Teddy and Kenny, the Disneyland shoeshine boys. This is now my earliest image of the duo.



See more Disneyland Tomorrowland photos at my main website.

The Payoff: 1956 Vintage Disneyland Trio

Finally...for all you vintage Disneyland Geeks you get some images that might stir you up this morning. Here are 3 shots from a batch marked "1956 Vacation" that show Tomorrowland. The first one I believe is a rare interior shot from the 20K Leagues Under the Sea Exhibit, which happened to be an excellent example of recycling by Walt. The 2nd one is from the Kaiser Aluminum exhibit (Thanks, Major!):



This dark image shows the Rocket to the Moon attraction interior. Ready for blast off?



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

TPE: The Big Finish

When a reader emailed me and asked me what TPE stood for, and I had to look at an old post to remember, I knew it was time to wrap up this series! So without further adieu, my Two-Thousand Post Extravaganza comes to a finish. Continuing in Tomorrowland, there are a number of things I would love to experience with my Time Machine, starting off with Adventure Thru Inner Space (or ATIS for those who don't like to type!)



As a youngster, I remember being amazed at how Disney miniaturized the guests!



As I got older and wiser, I realized that the amazing part was that the guests all looked alike! Hmmmm....something fishy going on in that shrinking tube!





I'd also love to visit some of the hokey fair-type exhibits that populated Tomorrowland when it first opened, like the Dairy Bag.



Whatever happened to home milk delivery? That concept never quite made it into the future.



I'd also love to play with the color wheels of the Dutch Boy Paint Gallery.





I'm not much of a scientist, but visiting the Hall of Chemistry surely would have helped my high school GPA!





Daveland reader Larry Gould submitted this way cool photo of he and his mother from the July 18, 1955, the first day that Disneyland was open to the public. Kaiser Alumninum was one of the many sponsored attractions guests could marvel over in Tomorrowland. As Larry recalls, "I was at Disneyland the first day it was open to the general public, July 18th 1955. The photo below is my mom and me from July 18th 1955. There must have been a professional photographer over in Tomorrowland taking pictures. I remember that my mom was holding a newspaper or magazine over my head standing in line for the Autopia. A kid with red hair and a short haircut was prone to sunburn."



The Moonliner/Rocket to the Moon attraction held the hope of space travel, and was a symbol of our innovation and forward-thinking nature.



How cool it must have been to experience this simulated flight. I have very vague memories of riding this attraction, trying to figure out if what I saw on the monitor was real or not.



Being a huge 20K fan, I would have loved to have walked through the sets of the movie when they were on display.





And that, dear readers, is the end of the TPE series. Before heading back to the present, I'd want to get a shot of the now defunct Tomorrowland Skyway station...



and then I'd want to ride a Blue Monorail back to the Disneyland Hotel.





So many cool things to see along the way.



And here we are...right where we started, back at the Disneyland Hotel.



When next you visit my blog, I'll be back to my regularly scheduled posts!

See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland web pages.

Scholarly Saturdays: Encyclopaedia Britannica & Tomorrowland, Pt. 2

Now we start getting into the good stuff! Yup, vintage Tomorrowland at its best. Susie and Bobby have rejoined us and are ready to take us through the Monsanto Hall of Chemistry.



I never cared much for Chemistry, but when it’s Disney-fied, ANYBODY would enjoy it! Over at the Kaiser Hall of Aluminum, you can marvel at this way-crazy space suit:



And in case you’ve had too many Pepsis, the Bathroom of Tomorrow may be just what you need!



A trip to the Dairy of tomorrow perhaps? Unfortunately the flying milkman never happened.



Our last two shots show the movie sets from 20k that were repurposed as a Tomorrowland attraction. Sure, it was a move of economy, but who cares...it’s too cool to ignore—let’s explore!





More Tomorrowland fun next Saturday! See more Encyclopaedia Britannica photos at my website.

The Gardner Collection, Disneyland 1955: Pt. 3

Today is all Tomorrowland, and it just doesn’t get better than that, starting off with the Clock of the World.



And the famous Flags of The Nations in their original location:



Anyone care for something to tide them over til dinner from the Snack Bar?



The TWA Moonliner, in its full-sized glory:



The Kaiser Aluminum telescope:



Wonder how many of those paper-hats littered the field of the Autopia?



And a rare shot of the Phantom Boats, shortly after having their name (and design) changed from The Tomorrowland Boats.



Meanwhile, over in DVD/Blu-ray release land, two notable releases tomorrow from the Disney family: “Doubt” and “No Country for Old Men.”



“Doubt” is an extremely well-done thought provoking film that is sure to spur conversations afterwards with whomever you watch it with. The performances and characterizations are riveting, especially Viola Davis in her brief but memorable role. The cinematography really comes to life on Blu-ray; big thumbs-up from Daveland on this one.



“No Country For Old Men” is being re-released as a collector's edition, with plenty of interesting extras. It’s the wacky far-out movie you’d expect from the Coen brothers. Just as riveting as “Doubt” with plenty of excellent performances. Josh Brolin and Kelly Macdonald seem to live and breathe the Texans that they portray; and Javier Bardem gives a new meaning to creepy as a psychotic Terminator-like character. My one beef on this one is that it is extremely violent...way too graphic for me. I really don’t think the amount that is shown is necessary. Like “Doubt,” this movie will really give the brain a workout.

See more Disneyland Tomorrowland photos at my website.

Chicken of the Sea, July 1955

From July 16, 1955 (one day before opening), the Chicken of the Sea "dignitaries" were picked up in grand style at the LAX airport by a customized car. How’s that for fancy?!? In shot #2, I really like this "artsy" silhouette shot of the ship, showing the COTS Maiden herself.



For Rich at I Can Has Pixie Dust (site no longer online), here’s some closeups of KAP; I zoomed in on the eye though, and it doesn’t look like KAP inside of it:





For George, here’s the closeup of the Mickey sign, which unfortunately is still unreadable when zoomed in on:



See more Disneyland Chicken of the Sea restaurant photos at my website.