1950s Disneyland: Town Square

Today seems like a good day to relax in Disneyland’s Town Square, especially with some photos from the Park’s early years. In this 1956 image, chicken wire is still the standard for protecting the plants, and the Bekins Storage area features the unique architectural details that would later be removed.



Ugh. Who approved this change?



Back to happier times…a detailed view of a cast member cleaning up one of the A-Frame signs in the Square.



A few from March 8, 1956:



Who wants to be a Fireman? This could be your opportunity.



Note that City Hall at this time is for First Aid and Press Information:





Both these boys are doing their part to show support for Mickey Mouse!





Mabel Normand is at the Main Street Cinema and two Keystone Kops are getting ready to wow guests with some music as they cross the street.





Glad I wasn’t there that day; the Disneyland Railroad was temporarily closed!





Music stands are piled up in the Opera House alcove, awaiting the Disneyland Band to pull them out for a concert.



See…I don’t make this stuff up!



This was back when there was a Print Shop in Town Square; the Disneyland News is for sale in front of the window:



These two DANGEROUS gents are getting ready to attempt some mischief in Town Square, roughly 1955-56:



Be glad there was no ammo in the 19th century cannon. Walt was smart enough to have these sealed up before these screwballs arrived. Also note the chicken wire around the landscaping:



One of the goofballs thought it would be funny to have his buddy take a photo of him pretending to blow his head off with the rifle the Tobacco Wooden Indian was holding. I wonder if these kids survived into adulthood?



Moving ahead a few years to August 3, 1959:



Bekins is still there!



Thus ends our day in 1950s Town Square.

See more Disneyland Town Square photos at my main website.

Disneyland October 1955

This vintage image from October 25, 1955 shows an elderly woman posing by the Main Street Wooden Indian.

In the closeup view, you can see The Disneyland News for sale on the sidewalk…for only a dime! What a value!



Had it been a few years later, you might have found writer/comedian/actor/musician Steve Martin in this very shop working the typesetting machine.



You may not find Steve at the park, but you can still see the Wooden Indian guarding over this section of Main Street, U.S.A.



More vintage (and current) Main Street photos at my main website.

The Yankees Go To Disneyland

In these November 1966 photos, two of the players from the New York Yankees paid a visit to Disneyland. Outside the entrance in shot #1 is Robert "Bobby" Richardson, a former second baseman for the Yanks from 1955-1966. Richardson won three World Series (1958, 1961, 1962) of the seven he played with the team. In the 1960 Series, Richardson was named Most Valuable Player after hitting .367 with 12 RBIs, becoming the first non-pitcher to earn the award, and is to this day the only MVP to play for the losing team. To Bobby's left is Joe Garagiola, Sr., a former Major League Baseball catcher who later became a color commentary announcer, TV host, and one of the regular panelists of The Today Show on NBC. A few classic quotes from Garagiola:

"Nolan Ryan is pitching much better now that he has his curve ball straightened out."

"I know a baseball star who wouldn't report the theft of his wife's credit cards because the thief spends less than she does."

Here on Main Street, U.S.A., Steve Hamilton poses with the Wooden Indian outside of the Tobacconist Shop. Garagiola probably would have been opposed to this shop as he was an outspoken advocate against chewing tobacco. Hamilton was a Major League Baseball (MLB) and NBA player. He was mostly a relief pitcher during his 12 MLB seasons, including a stint as the New York Yankees closer during the 1968 season. He pitched 1 inning during the Yankees 1963 World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers and 2 innings during the Yankees 1964 World Series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals, including 1 save.



Any readers out there who were at Disneyland on this particular day?

See more vintage & current Disneyland photos from my collection on my main website.

Puffin' in the Park

Times change as our knowledge increases, and so do pastimes and habits. At one time, cigarettes were smoked by the general public and also considered to be very glamorous. It should come as no surprise that since Walt himself was a smoker that cigarettes had a presence in the park, as can be seen by this photo of the Tobacco Shop on Main Street, U.S.A.



The door of the Tobacco Shop pretty much sums up the habit for those who find themselves in its addictive clutches:



I hate to call today's post a tribute to cigarettes, as they are smelly and obviously not good for your health. However, they were part of early Disneyland and even today, part of the collectibles that people accumulate. What follows are photos of some of the vintage matchbook covers you could have found at Disneyland (thanks to Bill H.!), conveniently shown flipped both ways so that you don't have to turn your computer upside down!



Matchbooks were even made for the parades:



For those who might get offended about Mickey being associated with matches, let's remember matches have other uses besides lighting up cigs.



I wonder if the Country Bears smoked?



Can you imagine cigarette smoke in the Blue Bayou? Today, smokers are relegated to a few areas within the park. I am sure the day when smoking is completely banned at Disneyland is not too far off.



I love the retro look of this one:



Even the land of Tomorrow needs matches:



Typically, a lady would not be caught with a cigarette in her mouth in a photograph; cigarettes were held discreetly at the side, almost out of view.



On Yippie Day, discretion was not an issue.



This 1962 dad is taking a hard drag on one before he tosses it into the street.



Suzanne Pleshette gives her cancer stick a touch of glamour with her pose.



Something disturbing about Walt holding a cigarette so close to that little boy's arm.



Cigs weren't banned at the Hotel:



Even castmembers could be seen smoking in the park:





What father-son outing would be complete without a dad who smoked? Hope that kid's jacket isn't flammable.



Cigarettes were even part of pop music. Check out this Tex Williams song and get ready for it to stick in your head all day long.



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

A-Frames at the Main Street Cinema

My dad was a huge movie buff, and he introduced me to silent movies when I was just a tot. He used to buy 8mm prints of Charlie Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy movies from Blackhawk Films. I always looked forward to the weekends that he would pull the projector out. Over at the Main Street Cinema, before it became a Mickey Mouse-only theater, guests could watch clips from classic silent movies. In this 1950's image, zooming in to the A-Frame outside of the theater, we can see that they are playing highlights from Rudolph Valentino movies.



The pose on the ad is from a movie he made called "The Eagle." Here's a shot of the famous Latin Lover of the 1920's. If you've never heard of him, let me just tell you that he was as big as The Biebs in his day. Maybe bigger.



In March 1965, the theater was showing "Kismet," starring Otis Skinner.





Skinner's signature role was Hajj, the beggar, on both Broadway (1911) and in the 1920 and 1930 film versions.



For the first year of the park, guests could catch Western star William S. Hart in "Dealing for Daisy."



The movie was also called "Mr. 'Silent' Haskins," and was a 1915 release.



Hart was a pallbearer at Wyatt Earp's funeral in 1929.



In September 1960, these lucky ladies got to see Lon Chaney in "The Phantom of the Opera."





Chaney did all his own makeup, and those in the biz today still marvel at his genius.



As an extra bonus for today, here's a FauxD© image from August 1965, showing a cast member wearing a costume that doubled for both the Phantom as well as Mr. Hyde (of Dr. Jekyll fame) in front of the theater.



Vintage night time shots are hard to come by, but this one from June 1966 is a gem. You can almost reach out and touch that Wooden Indian!



It may be hard to imagine a movie without voices or talking, but as the late great Norma Desmond said, "We didn't need dialogue; we had faces!"



I am happy that the Cinema is still open, but it would sure be a lot more fun if it showed a variety of silent movies from that era. Just like the rest of the Main Street shops, it has lost a lot of character by becoming 100% Mickey Mouse. Bringing back actual variety to Main Street (and Buena Vista Street for that matter) would be a huge plus.

That's all for today, folks!



See more vintage & current Disneyland Main Street Cinema photos on my Main Street Cinema photo web page.