Disneyland and The Queen Mary

This November 1971 image from the Disneyland Hotel initially looks like some kind of mod sculpture. Nope. I learned that it was one of the propellers from the Queen Mary, a luxury ocean liner that was part of the Cunard portfolio. Its maiden voyage was on May 27, 1936 and then it was “retired” from the sea as an active liner when it became permanently docked in the harbor at Long Beach, California on December 9, 1967. Don Ballard is definitely the expert on Disneyland Hotel history. I edited this info from his The Disneyland Hotel The Early Years Facebook Group to explain how the ship’s propeller ended up on Disney property:

February 1971, the propeller from the Queen Mary is installed at the Disneyland Hotel as part of Water World. Disney obtained the license to “operate” The Queen Mary from the City of Long Beach when they bought Wrather Corporation in 1988. The deal also included the Disneyland Hotel.



Group member Dan Fendel added this info:

I once talked to a former LB City Councilman about the deal they got the Queen through—Cunard was offered MUCH bigger pricetags for her, but they all involved scrapping her and they prefered her preserved. However, to turn her into a hotel and tourist attraction meant lots of work, and under the laws of the time (and maybe still) it meant that as long as she could make steam and move under her own power, the MARITIME unions for things like construction, electrical, plumbing, etc. etc. had jurisdiction (at about 3-4 times the cost of land-based equivalents) SO...they had to GUT her technical spaces, leaving only one of the four engine rooms to act as a display for the tour. THAT meant pulling a LOT of metal out of her and they decided the big stack shafts would be the way in/out for the cranes so the plan was to remove the stacks and set them on the pier for replacement later. What happened was unexpected—as they were released from the guy wires holding them and the bolts, the huge sections of stack were craned to the pier...where they DISINTEGRATED into piles of crumbled metal! Metallurgists were called in and found that over the decades of painting the OUTside and the degrading of the metal INSide all that was left was rust and many coats of lead PAINT. SO the stacks you see now are all new fabrications made to imitate the originals at that time, and of course, the areas that were the other engine rooms were turned into the Jacques Cousteau museum back then.

I snapped this photo of the Queen Mary back in August 2020:



And this one from June 2009, the only time I stepped aboard the fabled ship:



See more Disneyland Hotel photos at my main website.

2020: A Year in Review, Pt. 1

2020 is a year that will go down in history as…well, yet to be determined how it will be classified, but for many it was not a year for good memories. I have been very fortunate in that the pandemic allowed me more time with Willis, continued employment, and the ability to travel via automobile. My number one goal was to improve my health, which meant better eating and a regular exercise regimen. I also made it a goal to get back to the canvas and start painting, which I did, too. This post is a quick summary of the highlights, which started with the virgin trip to Joshua Tree State Park. I was in the Palm Springs area for the wedding of my very good friends Kamy and Amanda. It was definitely one of the most beautiful and touching ceremonies I have been invited to. The Parker Hotel in Palm Springs was the perfect backdrop.

The ready-made family of Amanda, Famous the dog, and Kamy:

The one (and only) plane trip of the year was to Austin, Texas to visit my brother and his family.

I allowed myself one night at the South Congress Hotel, so that I could get some shots of an area I hadn’t really explored before.

The hotel was an excellent choice; hip, clean, and the perfect location.

Neon was in abundance on Congress Avenue:

Back in California, I had the honor of doing the “farewell” shoot of the Dearly Departed Museum in Hollywood before everything was packed up and put in storage.

I was able to get up close and personal with the Jayne Mansfield death car:

The Shirley Temple that Shirley Temple refused!

My one and only “live” concert for 2020 was to hear The Doo Wop Project when they performed in Palm Springs:

It’s always a treat to hear these guys in concert.

2020 marked my first trip to the Anzo Borrego desert:

The pandemic allowed me to capture these shots of an empty Balboa Park at sunset:

There were still reasons to celebrate in 2020; I was hired to do a graduation shoot at San Diego State University:

SO many firsts for me in 2020, including lunch at the Rainbow Oaks Restaurant in Fallbrook:

…and my first trip on the Angels Flight Railway:

While in Laguna Beach for a photo shoot, I captured this. Yes, the anger that was building in this nation was palpable.

A photo shot took me back to Long Beach, which is so close to where I live but a place I rarely spend time in.

I dined twice at the Bali Hai Restaurant on Shelter Island:

I decided to wear a vintage Hawaiian shirt that belonged to my dad. I had worn it frequently during my college years, and it still fit!

I joined Eric Lynxwiler (neon aficionado and LA history/Knott’s Berry Farm expert) and Darin for the first dining experience at Bali Hai:

…and with the group of guys I have been doing my outdoor workouts with. We definitely had earned our dinner (and drinks)!

Stay tuned for Part 2 on Monday! See more Daveland photos at my main website.

Long Beach Interlude

I had a photo shoot in Long Beach this summer. Although barely an hour from San Diego, I rarely stop here on the way to L.A. I could probably spend a long weekend here and take a ton-o-pictures of the architecture and sites, but for whatever reason it just doesn’t happen. Here are a few I DID manage to snap during my brief stopover this summer. The first one shows the Convention Center, which I am guessing is not getting a lot of action these days.

The harbor area gives some gorgeous views. This is a really neat area with lots of restaurants and shops; it was super early in the morning so I really don’t know how vibrant it currently is during the pandemic.

A look back from the promenade towards the Convention Center:

The stairway from the promenade down to the harbor. This type of architectural element over the spiral staircase is worth the dizziness it caused in shooting this photo.

Long Beach is probably most famous for its long-time inhabitant, the Queen Mary, who is permanently docked here.

See more Long Beach photos at my main website.

Walt Disney Makes The Rounds

It is fairly common knowledge that Walt Disney looked at a number of amusement parks to see what would (and wouldn't) work at his own. He didn't want Disneyland to be just another copy of what existed, even though the bean counters encouraged him to use off-the-shelf attractions that had already been created and tested. Today's photo shows Walt in November 1953, checking out a 3-D Movie viewer with actor John Derek at The Pike/Nu Pike amusement arcade/pier/park in Long Beach, California. I do not know if the two were out and about together or if they just happened to run into each other at some event. Perhaps Walt enjoyed Derek's performance as the son of Robin Hood in "Rogues of Sherwood Forest" (1950).



Or maybe there was no connection at all.

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

The Queen Mary

Once a luxury liner, this 1936 cruise ship now sits in Long Beach since 1968, acting as a hotel, restaurant, and semi-tourist trap. Although it still has some of the trappings of its former glorious self, it is definitely in need of a sugar daddy who can do a first-class restoration. Figuratively drifting along without a real mission, it would appear that the owners are doing the best that they can to make a buck. However, it is obvious that this “plan” is not really working too well. I sure hope this piece of floating history is able to be stablized and restored.











For more Daveland Queen Mary photos, visit my regular website.