Keystone Kop Celebration

Sometimes all it takes is one “new” slide to spawn an entire retrospective post. This just such an image, featuring the Keystone Kops playing for Disneyland guests on the porch of the China Closet. It is undated, but most likely from the late 1950s. Younger readers probably wonder who The Keystone Kops were. Here you go—

The Keystone Kops/Cops were the brain child of comedian and silent screen star Hank Mann. They were named after slapstick producer Mack Sennett’s Keystone studio, founded in 1912. Their first film was “Hoffmeyer's Legacy” (1912), with Mann as the police chief. Though initially popular, Sennett relegated the Keystone Cops to supporting roles behind Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle only a few years later. Sennett stopped using them by the 1920s, but they continued to pop up over the years in various features, cartoons, video games, and yes…Disneyland!



As you can see from this Summer 1955 shot, the Kops were shown daily at the Main Street Cinema.



On Disneyland’s Opening Day, these two Kops posed with a young guest outside the Main Street Cinema:



As comic security and a wandering music group, the Kops were a great fit for Main Street, U.S.A.







Outside the Coke Corner in 1956:



A lone Kop from 1956:



Central Plaza was the place guests would most likely 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. Maybe it’s the sunglasses.



Outside the Opera House, circa March 1959:



This 1960 publicity shot shows a traffic jam of shorts in Town Square.



Not sure how much help the Kop is really giving here! Note the White Wing in the background:



The Keystone Kops were seen in “Forty Pounds of Trouble” with Tony Curtis in 1962 during the Disneyland sequence:



Back to Central Plaza in April 1965:



From September 1, 1967, we see the Kops playing in Central Plaza right near the popcorn cart. The two little kids to the right do not seem amused.



A backstage shot from April 1968:



Last one for today is from July 1968. I can only guess that the Kops were discontinued shortly after that. This is what happens when you defund the police.



Want to see the original Keystone Kops in action? Here’s “A Thief Catcher” (1914) which was considered a lost short until 2010 when a print was discovered at a Michigan antique sale. Charlie Chaplin plays one of the Kops.



See more Disneyland East Main Street photos at my main website.

Ruggles on Main Street

When we last visited Main Street with my story on the Hollywood Maxwell shop, I mentioned that it was replaced/combined with the Ruggles China & Glass Shop. Ruggles? Who came up with that name? Apparently it was named after actor Charles Ruggles, who starred opposite Hayley Mills in “The Parent Trap.”



From the Van Eaton Galleries catalog:

Created by Phil and Sophie Papel, “Ruggles China and Gifts” was selected by Disney to be among the first few shops to operate on Main Street U.S.A. when the park opened in 1955. Phil Papel’s experience in the giftware industry and his commitment to quality and customer service made him an excellent partner for Disney. When Papel was informed he had been selected to be an opening day merchant on Main Street, he decided to name his shop after Charlie Ruggles, and actor in the 1932 film, “If I Had a Million,” in which the owner of a China Shop receives an unexpected gift of a million dollars. To Papel, the possibilities of what could happen from a partnership with Disney rivaled the level of excitement that the actor felt in the film, and “Ruggles China and Gifts” was born.



The shop flourished on Main Street, and the company would grow to have numerous retail chains and sales in over 15 countries. While Ruggles’ partnership with Disney eventually ended in 1964, the high quality souvenirs from this cherished shop are still sought-after today as reminders of the great early days of Disneyland.


Renamed the China Closet in March 1964, the shop remains in the Park today, although its inventory is less about china and more about whatever the Disney Corporation cares to sell. The first shot above is from July 1963, shortly before the name change. The previously posted image below from October 1960. I wonder how many of those wacky lamps were sold?



Moving into the 70s, the shop appears to be all about the electric lamps that were attempting to evoke the gas lamps of yesteryear.



I’m not quite sure how I feel about the doll with the bulb up her skirt.



An undated color shot from the 1960s.



The exterior sign, circa September 2010:



An exterior overview of the shop from May 2011:



See more Disneyland China & Glass Shop photos at my main website.

Duped at Disneyland

I was excited to receive this first image when I purchased it; granted, it looked a little dark, but I figured I could bring out some detail. Unfortunately, the seller (who took his sweet time in shipping it), also chose to use the word "original” when he listed the slide instead of marking it a “duplicate,” which the slide holder clearly states. It’s still a cool shot of Trinidad pushing his cart down Main Street towards Central Plaza. Note the Ruggles China and Glass Shop on the far right.

What’s that little tent in the alleyway next to the Red Wagon Inn? Not knowing the date of this dupe, it’s hard to say exactly. It could be the Disney Artists Exhibit, which was basically a sale of old Disney animation cels...



Or it could be the promotional area for Edison Square, which never came to fruition.



Today, it’s where you go for First Aid.



See more Disneyland Central Plaza photos at my main website.

2000th Post Extravaganza: Kodak Shop & More

For those of you sick of Main Street U.S.A., my Time Machine stroll down that fabled chunk of pavement is almost over. This 1956 photo gives you a nice view of the next section of MSU that we'll be visiting. Zooming in, you can see Intimate Apparel, The Silhouette Studio, Timex, and The Kodak Shop, with the short-lived Gallenkamp Blue Bird Shoes off to the right.



From August 1956 comes this similar view, with an improved angle:





This rare 1955 image shows part of the exhibit inside the Kodak Shop:



Outside, a Keystone Kop checks the time; looks like this Frontierland Cast Member is out of place.



Zooming in, you can get a better view of the Ruggles China & Glass Shop as well as the Intimate Apparel Shop, complete with a dummy grandma sitting on the front porch. Today, real live dummies sit on this porch which provides top-notch parade viewing.



Zooming in yet again, an interesting detail is revealed. The number on the Kop's badge is 33. Was he psychic or just an early hint of the famous Club that was to be built in New Orleans Square?



This Eastman Kodak Shop sure looks pretty at night; I better stop inside to stock up on film for my special vintage journey through Disneyland.



How about those vintage cameras in the window?



10 years later, you can see the same store...



but with different window displays:



I believe that it was inside the Kodak Shop that you could have your picture taken with these fun cutouts:



Taking that photo, I pulled a Ted Turner to create a color version of what the cutout might have looked like:



The Monorail version:



And the color version:



One of these days when I am extremely bored, I might try to do the same thing with this one:



For a time, Wonderland Music could be found next to the camera shop:



I can't help but get all Gladys Kravitz-y and check out what's in the windows:



I am so glad that the Silhouette Studio (which opened in 1956) is still around on Main Street. It is an (almost) lost art that needs to be maintained amongst all of the mass-produced souvenirs. From the Disneyland Line Newsletter, April 27, 1978, comes this interesting article titled:

Of Shadows and Smiles…The Main Street Silhouette Studio

When Walt Disney first conceived his Main Street entryway to the Magic Kingdom, he desired that each details, each characteristic trait of that turn-of-the-century period be recreated in the most authentic manner. One of the most prominent examples of this duplication of 19th century life lies within the door of the Main Street Silhouette Studio. Today an almost obsolete art form, the craft of cutting profile likenesses found its roots in the mid-18th century. Étienne Silhouette, a French finance minister, originated the commercial production of the craft. During that time, the privilege of personal portraiture was reserved for the very elite, and Étienne began his campaign to generate the production of the "poor man's" portrait…the Silhouette. Eventually this innovative art form caught on even in the wealthy circles and became one of the most popular portrait devices in Europe.

The invention of the camera cast a lasting shadow over the art of silhouette creation, and today only about 25 full-time silhouette artists exist in this country. Harry Brice is Disneyland's artist in residence, and tells an interesting tale of how he came to be an artist of such rare talents. "I was being interviewd by Disneyland's former artist lessee, and he asked me if I'd had any experience with silhouette portraits. I didn't even know what a silhouette portrait WAS, but told my interviewer that I was experienced int he field. Within a week, I had taught myself the craft, and was working in the Sihouette Shop."

Since that time over 10 years ago, Harry has become an accomplished duplicator of Disneyland guest profiles. 60,000 silhouettes were created by Harry last year alone, and it's been estimated that he's the "fastest snip in the West"…and the world at 30 seconds per portrait. Harry has scissored some unusual profiles, as horses, cats and dogs are now a part of his repertoire. One of his most memorable portraits is a silhouette of a departed husband, described th Harry by the man's widow.

Although Harry is the shop's full-time artist, Laurie Myers and Bonnie Elliot share the responsibility on party nights and during the summer and peak seasons. A Silhouette Cart in New Orleans Square relieves some of the pressure during the busier periods.

More than artistic talent, however, is required to be a creative silhouette cutter. Showmanship, patience and an infinite sense of humor are prerequisites to the success of the craft. And in every aspect of this art, Harry and his staff of artists are a difficult group to over-shadow.

OK - I need to duck inside to get my silhouette done. Hope they leave off my double chin!



See more vintage & current Disneyland East Main Street U.S.A. photos on my East Main Street web page.