This panoramic view of the Disneyland sign on Harbor Drive hails from July 1964. The “new” Disneyland Hotel Tower rates prime real estate on the entrance sign.
Shifting to the left, you can see the Saga Motor Hotel and the sign for the Melodyland Theatre. John Raitt is on the marquee, starring in “The Pajama Game.” The publicity shot below was captioned:
Cute Bonnie West, principal dancer in “The Pajama Game,” current Melodyland Theatre stage attraction, clowns it up with star John Raitt during a rehearsal break. The hit musical runs two weeks and will close Sunday, July 19.
Melodyland opened July 2, 1963 and was Southern California’s first theater-in-the-round, featuring top-notch entertainment such as Ray Charles, The Beach Boys, Sonny & Cher, and The Grateful Dead. In 1969, it became a church, retaining the name and signage out front. Demolished in 2003, it “paved” the way for Anaheim GardenWalk.
Panning a little further to the left, you can see The Lancers Restaurant, which featured lunches, dinners, and cocktails.
According to their matchbook, dinner dancing was available 7 days a week!
I wonder if Walt ever used this ashtray?
See more Disneyland entrance photos at my main website.
