La Coquette, April 1962

Previously I had posted about the hot air balloon that "visited" Disneyland at Easter, 1962. The balloon had been used in the 1956 blockbuster film "Around the World in 80 Days" and continued to make random appearances after its release.



La Coquette was featured at the climax of the 1962 Easter Parade and floated over the Matterhorn after its Central Plaza launch.



Balloonists Peter Pellegrine and Francis Shields rode to an altitude of 2,000 feet and landed 45 minutes later in an orange grove 10 miles away. I am guessing this must have been shortly before takeoff.



More La Coquette photos at my main website.

TPE: Central Plaza

Welcome to Central Plaza, aka "The Hub," because it was designed to be the heart of Disneyland...the central place that guests could meet and enter each of the different lands. "Let's meet at the hub..."

All of the vintage vehicles meet here after taking guests from Town Square. In this particular 1956 photo, you can see where the Matterhorn would eventually be built. I can understand why Walt would want these covered up!



During my vintage visit, there's so much I'd want to do here. First I'd need to get off the Horse-Drawn Streetcar...



Or maybe I would have chosen the Omnibus...I do love that double-decker view down Main Street!





I have to zoom in on this one; the House of the Future, the Hall of Chemistry, signage...oh my!



I would need a snack, so I'd grab a delicious bag of hot freshly popped popcorn:





watch the organ grinder and monkey in action:





I'd want to catch a concert at the original bandstand (before it got moved to Adventureland and then off-premises):



I'd want to make sure I got to see Trinidad Ruiz, the famous White Wing who helped keep the Park spotless.



Central Plaza also seemed to be the place the guests would most likely get to see The Keystone Kops play their vintage melodies. On the right is Bernie Flymen; he played sax & clarinet at Disneyland from 1955–1960 and in Desi Arnaz’s “I Love Lucy” band. Funny how this guest appears to be completely oblivious to them.





I would also want to be in Central Plaza in 1962 when the movie "Forty Pounds of Trouble" was being filmed with Tony Curtis.



More action for the Keystone Kops.



I'd have to make sure I visited during Easter so I could see the La Coquette balloon:



What a cool site from Central Plaza; I wonder if guests were allowed to ride in it?



I'd also want to witness the pageantry often seen in Central Plaza, like the parade that heralded the opening of the Alice in Wonderland dark ride:



And I'd want to see all of the hullabaloo that accompanied the June 14, 1959 unveiling of the Matterhorn, Submarines, Motor Boat Cruise, and the Monorail. Wow...what a year!





Vice President Richard Nixon was on hand with his family:





Disney and Nixon were long-time friends who were a mutual admiration society:



Our Horse-Drawn Streetcar may be heading back to Town Square, but we have new adventures to tackle on Friday! Come back for more!



See more vintage & current Disneyland Central Plaza photos on my Central Plaza web page.

La Coquette: Around the World in 80 Days

Thanks to Jason at Disneyland Nomenclature and a little digging on my own, I was able to uncover some of the background story to a few wacky photos I’ve acquired in the last year. The first photo from today (found on the internet) shows a balloon named “La Coquette” (“the flirt” in French) being filmed for the Oscar winning 1956 film “Around The World In Eighty Days.” Actors David Niven and Cantinflas are in the balloon, which was painted with large figures from Greek Mythology. The balloon was built by Goodyear for the U.S. Navy and originally used during World War II for the training of blimp pilots. The Balloon Club of America acquired the balloon in 1952. Photo #2 (from the LIFE archive available on Google) shows the two stars with producer Mike Todd in Durango, Colorado, 1955.



In 1957, La Coquette was brought out again, this time to celebrate the one year anniversary of the movie with a huge celebration in Madison Square Garden by Mike Todd:



I can hear you readers now...Dave, what the heck does this have to do with Disneyland? Before you all close your browser window and get back to your Turkey, take a gander at this photo. It’s Easter 1962, and for some reason, “La Coquette” found its way to Disneyland’s Central Plaza for the Easter Parade; it may have even been used again in 1965.





You can also see the House of the Future in this one:



“La Coquette” appeared again at the Army Navy Football game in Philadelphia in 1964:



Apparently, Coquette’s retirement came 13 years later in August of 1977. Tony Fairbanks, the legendary American balloonist, took the balloon to the Flying Circus Aerodrome in Bealeton, Virginia to participate in a combined World War I air show and hot air balloon rally. Apparently, you can see a 1/8th scale model of La Coquette at The Hollywood Casino in Tunica, Missouri, created by Modelwerkes in California. Surprisingly, this Casino in Missouri has quite a collection of movie props, including the DeLorean car from “Back to the Future” and the biplane from Hitchcock’s thriller “North by Northwest.”



And there you have it readers, the story of La Coquette. She sure got around! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone - hope you all have plenty to be thankful for. I know I am thankful for all the readers who contribute their comments, stories, and photos!

See more vintage & current Disneyland photos at my regular website.