Disneyland in 3D: June 26, 1966, Pt. 3

Today marks the 3rd and final installment of the June 26, 1966 Disneyland in 3D (aka genuine FauxD© series). Wouldn’t it be great to step inside of the Penny Arcade?



Despite the blur of guests, you can see Esmeralda the fortune teller front and center:



Eastman Kodak? Film for cameras? Huh?



For all you cellphone snapping goobers, yes…cameras used to take film. Real film. And you could buy it right on Main Street, U.S.A. at the Eastman Kodak Shop.



Just take a look inside those windows:



This overall view down Main Street shows the location of the Penny Arcade and Kodak shop across from each other with the Train Station at the end of the street in Town Square:



This view was shot closer to the Castle:



The sign on the far left that is cut off says “Insurance by North America,” aka INA. That was the sponsor of the Carefree Corner (not to be confused with the Coke Corner across the street).



This set would not be complete without a nighttime shot of the Castle:





By this time the coat of arms had been added above the entrance:



The last one shows the Mark Twain at the dock:





Oh to take a spin around the original Rivers of America again!



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

Holiday 1963 Miscellany

Time for the grand finale of this December 1963 Christmas batch. Feathered Hat Gal is at the gate of Frontierland. The tyke is tired and in the stroller now. Or maybe she just wants to be close to her Mickey balloon.



From the Mark Twain, we have a view of the Rivers of America dock; looks like a foggy morning!



Feathered Hat Gal poses aboard the Twain.



Two views of the thundering falls of Cascade Peak:





The last one shows the Yellow Monorail at the station, with the Skyway Buckets overhead.



The Yachtsmen Quartet have abandoned their post:



This 1965 image shows where they would normally be performing:



See more vintage Disneyland photos at my main website.

Twainapalooza, Pt. 2

This Twainapalooza post takes place in the 1950s, beginning with this early shot of the Twain. Most likely 1955...perhaps even before the park was open. Wonder what the D.L. Kissell Refrigeration Company was doing here?



1956:



I can't read the sign board; perhaps for the Indian Village?



A great shot of the dock, also from 1956:



A closer look at the guests, most wearing matching red sweaters:



Two shots from March 1956:





Two undated shots:





How about this gorgeous night shot from 1956?



Even in closeup it's a beauty!



May 1956:



Tom Sawyer Island appears to still be under construction; it opened one month later.



October 27, 1956 yielded the next three:







Is that an engineer or just a nosey guest?



More shots of everyone's favorite riverboat at my main website.

Framed

While sometimes just the vintage-nature of an image makes it spectacular enough; having it well composed is just icing on the cake. Today I present three undated 1950s images from the same photographer who obviously took a little extra time to frame his photos in a creative way.

They were taken from this gazebo that was once on the Rivers of America:





I am totally digging this shot of Storybook Land.



This one was taken from inside the second floor of the Golden Horseshoe:



Compare with the exterior shot to see that the window arch matches:



See more creatively framed photos at my main website.

Layering The Wedding Cake: Mark Twain Construction

It all started with extensive research followed by sketches and concept art. A steam powered riverboat doesn't just magically appear, folks. For the Mark Twain Riverboat at Disneyland, the decks were put together at the Disney Studios in Burbank, and the hull was built at Todd Shipyards in San Pedro. The two were assembled on-site at Disneyland, as you can see here. The layering of the "Floating Wedding Cake" had begun.



I sure would love to see that photographer's photos!



Could that be Walt on the far right? Maybe, maybe not...but I'd like to think so.



Compared to another shot of him surveying the park, the hat, outfit, and stance do look appropriate:



Still missing a layer!



Getting closer...



Finally, as seen in this public Opening Day July 18, 1955 photo, it was ready to take guests on a journey around the Rivers of America.



See more vintage & current Disneyland Mark Twain photos on my main website.