Trip to Hollywood, June 1963

A recent acquisition to my vintage collection was this set of June 1963 images which show tourist sites from Hollywood and Los Angeles. What I love about this set are the vintage handwritten notes on the back that describe little details that I would not have known otherwise. On June 12th, our vintage photographer visited Universal Studios. According to the note on the back, this one is a “Universal International Revue Studio,” and the second car from the right (a Rolls Royce) belongs to Jack Benny.



The image below features the Shanty boat used in “Tammy and the Bachelor,” the 1957 Debbie Reynolds movie.



Next up, they visited the Hollywood Bowl, using this escalator to get to the famed venue.



“Truck working on fountains;  had just turned them off” is the description for this one.



As if that wasn’t enough, they also trekked over to the Farmers Market off Fairfax:



I’d never noticed the weathervane on top before.



Nearby at the CBS Television studio, they got to see Red Skelton’s costumes…but apparently not Red Skelton.



How about this plate for the AMC Rambler; CBS 199. Coincidence? I wonder who it belonged to. Apparently this car was Motor Trends Car of the year!



One shot of the Capitol Records building was not enough. In case you were wondering, it was shot at 100 f/4.



Zooming in we can see the Cleopatra Parking Lot and Du-Par’s Restaurant:



This second shot, slightly blurrier, was shot at 100 f/8.



What trip to Hollywood would be complete without a trek to the famed Hollywood & Vine street corner? The Brown Derby restaurant is visible in the background.



The next day included a trip to Chinatown, where they saw this Wishing Well:



…and the Hong Building, which is still there today:



It would appear that the trip ended on June 15, at (not surprisingly) LAX:







See more Hollywood photos at my main website.

Flying Saucer Friday

It’s not truly a Flying Saucer, but it sure looks like one! Here’s a vintage shot of Theme Building at LAX from April 1962, less than a year after it opened. Dig that Mercedes Benz in front!

The original airport design was created by James Langenheim of Pereira & Luckman in 1959, but was apparently too ambitious. William Pereira, Charles Luckman, Paul Williams, and Welton Becket stepped in with the revised plan, which included the Theme Building built on the spot that was intended for the original airport terminal, as a reminder of the initial design. The futuristic Theme Building was dedicated on June 25, 1961 by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson. Contrary to reports, the building’s restaurant never revolved. The structure was dedicated on June 25, 1961, by Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Interestingly enough, Disneyland’s Flying Saucer attraction opened about the same time, August 6, 1961.

Saucers must have been on the brain in 1961! Thanks for the memory jolt, KS!

See more LAX photos at my main website.

Audie Murphy Goes To Disneyland, Pt. 1

In 1956, war hero and actor Audie Murphy went to Disneyland with his family: wife Pamela Archer and their two children, Terry Michael and James Shannon. At the time, Terry was six and James was two. The two shots for today show them at the Disneyland Heliport, which had just begun operation. Operated by Los Angeles Airways, the flight lasted about fifteen minutes and took guests between Los Angeles International Airport and Disneyland (southeast of Tomorrowland).

Even though these shots were most likely taken at the end of the day’s visit, I am showing them first to give a sense of what it must have been like to arrive at the park via helicopter. Talk about VIP!

Pamela was no stranger to flying; she had once been a flight attendant.

I had to include a closeup of the vintage cars in the parking lot!

This color shot from my collection shows two little guests arriving at LAX after a full day at Disneyland, circa April 1965.

More to come of Audie's day at Disneyland!

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

Safe Travels

For those of you traveling home after this holiday weekend, here's a vintage shot of the Theme Building at LAX, circa September 1963. In case you want a closeup of the cars and signage, here ya' go!



This example of Googie architecture opened in 1961. It's pretty much still brand new in this shot!

See more photos at my main website.

June 1959 Trip to California, Pt. 1

This may be hard for today's generation to comprehend, but at one time, plane travel was pretty sexy. This batch of June 1959 snapshots show a bit of the excitement that once accompanied a trip through the "friendly skies." People actually dressed up to board a plane.



And then there was the thrill of descending the steps of the plane like a movie star, waving to friends/family that were there to greet you at the gate. Yes…the gate. Note the friendly stewardess (sorry but the term "flight attendant" was not part of the vocabulary back then) helping the young child down the stairway.





The images from this set are not numbered, so I will attempt to recreate this group's trip. I know after a long flight I would want lunch, so let's follow the gang to Clifton's Brookdale Cafeteria in downtown Los Angeles.



It's been years since I dined at this quirky and kitschy little gem, but it is also my understanding that it has been closed for renovations. The grand re-opening date has been anxiously anticipated by many.



Be sure to return tomorrow for more of this June 1959 journey!

More vintage Los Angeles at my main website.

Disneyland, July 1962

Imagine it's July 1962, and you've just landed at LAX, anxiously awaiting your first trip to Disneyland. The camera is full of slide film, and you're ready to go!

Check out the kids at Fort Wilderness; they're loving it! What could be more fun than exploring Tom Sawyer Island?



These two are kickin' it back at the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship.



Zooming in, you can see Paco the Talking Parrot's Cage, located at the rear of the ship, near Skull Rock Cove:



High up above, the Skyway buckets, still round in shape, soar over head:



My inner signage geek forced me to zoom in for this closeup:



The teacups were on pause at the moment this image was captured:



The Skyway, Storybook Land, and The Teacups; this couple got a little bit of a lot in the background of their photo!



I'll end the post with this up close and personal Skyway shot:



I can almost feel myself floating over the Subs with this closeup!



See more vintage and current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland photo web pages.

Trip to Disneyland: April 1965

Yup, Daveland is giving you another series. This time, our time machine is whisking us back to April 1965. The stars of our series are a boy and a girl who were lucky enough to spend a few days at Disneyland when the park was almost 10 years old! Enjoy the pic of them at LAX; this is about as much of a smile as we’ll see from these two charming tots. Naturally, the first order of business for this family was to check into the Disneyland Hotel:





Can’t you just hear these two now as they patiently wait at the Monorail station? “C'mon dad...stop taking pictures! We want to see Mickey!”



See more Disneyland Hotel photos at my website.