Welcome to Disneyland, 1970s-Style

It’s June 1970, and our park guest captured the entrance sign (if only they had shifted the camera more to the right!!) which is touting the recently opened (August 1969) Haunted Mansion…and 1000 hotel guest rooms at the Disneyland Hotel.



This shot of Harbor Boulevard perfectly illustrates why Walt went to such great lengths to do a secretive land grab in Orlando.



Look at that cacophony of hotels, motels, and restaurants! I wonder what Mecca was like?



How the ticket booth/entrance area looked circa January 1970.



Hard to believe this parking lot area is what would eventually become the plaza between Disneyland and DCA.



This March 1973 shot shows a slightly better composition!



Ready for Spring Fling? Still touting those 1000 guest rooms.



For all you vintage auto nuts, here’s a closeup of the pileup of cars waiting to enter the Park.



See more Disneyland entrance photos at my main website.

Return to Capistrano, January 1959

How about a visit back to the Mission at San Juan Capistrano, circa January 1959? Actually, these are most likely from December 1958 as one of the slides in the batch shows Christmas decor. In case you weren’t sure where these were taken, this little boy is helpfully pointing out the obvious.



Any vintage auto fans out there less lazy than me and able to identify the vehicle in the parking lot?



Once inside, this little boy quickly makes a new friend. Obviously, “The Birds” has not been released yet.



For all you signage geeks:



A few more shots of the interior grounds of the Mission:



This kid could have been a bird wrangler for Hitchcock:



You can apparently feed the pigeons…as long as you buy the food on premises!





And now for a few other “mystery” slides that were in the same batch. This Main Street, U.S.A. was not too difficult to figure out.



Zooming in, I can see Highway 101 with markers for L.A. and San Francisco, as well as a marking on the curb for E. Montecito Street. Yes, this is downtown Montecito, circa 1959.



I see Pep Boys and some Hotel blah blah blah....wonder if it’s still there?



Not sure about this one; most likely somewhere along the same journey.



You can see a Standard Gas Station on the right in this dirty detail view:



…and another road shot:



Downtown L.A.?



This last one was date stamped July 1959. No idea on this one.



See more Mission San Juan Capistrano photos at my main website.

Welcome Wednesday: 1958

I really need to know the story of this vintage auto in the Disneyland Parking lot, circa 1958. Unfortunately, the photographer did not have a steady hand, so there are no gorgeous closeups from this image. Still, a lot of cool things to see, such as the Tram, The Fred Gurley train at the station, and...what the heck is this auto doing there?!?

This 1958 shot shows the line of attraction posters that once adorned the entry area. These are works of art!

Zooming in for closer looks at the Astrojet, Storybook Land, and Art Corner posters:

On the other side of the Main Street Train Station…

Looks like the A-Frame sign says something is under a “Rehabilitation Program.” Sure can’t use that verbiage anymore!

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

Sunset and Beverly, 1960

It almost sounds like a line from “Singin' in the Rain,” but no…I’m referring to this January 1960 shot of Sunset Boulevard and Beverly Drive with the Beverly Hills Hotel in the background. The vintage autos are the cherry on the sundae in this gorgeous photo! This guy looks like the cat that ate the canary; I wonder if he was staying at the hotel or just being a tourist?

Here’s my shot of the same location, circa June 2012:



And one from last November, where I showed a little more creativity with the angles:



See more Beverly Hills photos at my main website.

Rock Gets A New Car

In this set of 1956 images, it appears that Rock Hudson is on the back lot of Universal Studios surveying his new car.



Let's take a closer look at the front grill work of his Imperial; no vanity plates for Rock!



Not sure who this other gent is.



He doesn't seem impressed.



See more Rock at my main website.

A Mustang And A Mouse

This Mustang is so new, it still has the plastic on the seats! Or maybe it's a slipcover. Either way, I am digging this shot at the entrance from July 1964 with Mickey and friends. I am more interested in the vintage camera around the kid's neck.



More of the Mouse at my main website.