Mary Blair Monday, September 1976

Today I present three consecutively shot images of the Disneyland Tomorrowland Corridor of Murals, designed by Mary Blair. Shot in September 1976, our vintage photographer must have really been taken with these. Installed when Tomorrowland was re-imagined and re-christened in 1967, they definitely bring to mind Blair’s nearby attraction, it’s a small world.



The first two images show the north mural (on the CircleVision 360 attraction). While the dancing children in Tomorrowland may seem a bit out of context, the satellites at the top representing global communication kind of fit.



And who wouldn’t want to see children from all over getting along in the future?



Below is the south mural, installed on the Adventure thru Inner Space attraction.



The sun portion is truly representative of some of the temperatures lately!



There are conflicting stories about the status of these murals. Glass half full reports say that the murals are intact underneath the current c&*p that was placed on top. Glass half empty photos show that during the installation of the current c&*p large portions of Blair’s art was either removed or drilled through to make way for its uninspired replacement. I believe you can still see Blair’s Grand Canyon Concourse Mural in the Walt Disney World Contemporary Hotel, as shown in my photos from January 2010:



Not only did Blair’s designs include bold colors and shapes, the tiles were…well, tactile. In the detail image below you can see the textures within the design themselves.



If you prefer Blair’s two dimensional art, here’s a concept art piece she did for Disney’s “Cinderella” (1950:



See more Mary Blair Disneyland/WDW photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley Saves Disney World!

Well, maybe not quite Walt Disney World, but the Diamond Horseshoe Revue in Frontierland at the very least!

While juggling her political career and family, Shirley was also on the board of directors for a number of corporations, including Bank of America, Fireman’s Fund Insurance, United States Commission for UNESCO, United Nations Association, National Wildlife Federation, and...the subject of today’s post, Del Monte Foods and the Walt Disney Company.

Guests loved the Diamond Horseshoe Revue at WDW’s Frontierland. It was an opening day (October 1, 1971) attraction similar to the one at Disneyland in Anaheim, since the writer and comedian, Wally Boag, briefly relocated to Florida to get the new show started. The revue featured live music, sing-along-songs, and a can-can welcome with Slue Foot Sue. Pecos Bill (Boag for a time) even made an appearance, as seen in this 1974 image below:

The hour-long show was performed sometimes ten times daily until it was changed on October 1, 1986 when it became the Diamond Horseshoe Jamboree. At this point, the show was recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running stage show of all time.

How did Shirley fit into all of this? According to the story I read on Jim Hill’s website, she used her charms to convince the board of directors at Del Monte Foods that they really should underwrite the operating costs of the show from 1979 - 1984. Who could say “no” to Shirley? Conflict of interest with Shirley being on both boards? Let’s not quibble!

I’m sure Walt was smiling down on her and thanking her for her efforts!

Did you know department: in 1971 Del Monte became the first major U.S. food producer to voluntarily adopt nutritional labeling on all food products.

See more Shirley Temple Black photos at my main website.

Carthay Circle Comparison

The original Carthay Circle Theatre in Los Angeles opened in 1926 and was demolished in 1969 (the indignity!). Thanks to Disney Theme Parks, guests can now enjoy slightly smaller scaled recreations of the movie palace on both coasts. How’d the Disney team do on its versions? I’d say very well. Compare this 1953 shot of the original theater vs. the Carthay Circle Restaurant at Disney California Adventure, which opened in 2012:



They really did a great job on the marquee grillwork, too...except for that one time when they blinged it out for the Diamond Anniversary!



The WDW version was built first; sadly (but not surprisingly), they chose to make it a gift shop. The vertical neon marquee did not exist on the original, but thanks to good vintage design, it works.



See more original Carthay Circle Theatre photos at my main website.

Going to Magic Kingdom!

I am extremely happy to announce that my third collaboration with author Shannon Laskey has been published! You may have previously enjoyed her other two guides for Disney Park fanatics, Going To Disneyland - A Guide for Kids & Kids at Heart, and Going to Disney California Adventure: A Guide for Kids & Kids at Heart. All three books feature my photographs, although I have to admit my Florida WDW shots are sparse in comparison to the Anaheim property, so Shannon had to rely on other photographers for this volume. Regardless, I am totally in love with the series and the concept that Shannon came up with. In honor of Shannon's latest book release, I am sharing a few of the photos that you can see in this volume.



All of these were shot in January 2010, which was my last visit to Walt Disney World in Orlando. I know...shameful.



Oh how I wish I had been able to retake some of these, as this was probably about 3 cameras ago! That's how I measure the onslaught of time, folks!



I still remember taking this photo and watching the gorgeous sunset from the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse.









Here's Shannon in front of my favorite WDW Hotel, The Polynesian Resort:



Shannon is just as darling as her books!



I hope you'll check this book out for yourselves; especially great to share with your children if you have any, or even a niece or nephew: Going to Magic Kingdom: A Guide for Kids & Kids at Heart

See more WDW photos at my main website.

Meet Me At The Tower

The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair lasted from April 22 – October 18, 1964 and April 21 – October 17, 1965. Today's featured shot is from June 1964 and shows two of the seven dwarves on top of Rolly Crump's Tower of the Four Winds. You can just barely see the yellow of Snow White's dress at the far left of the frame. The 120' tall tower was a landmark at the Fair and spawned the phrase, "Meet me at the Tower."

The Tower was torn down at the end of the fair; this model in the Walt Disney World Contemporary Hotel is the best way to see it up close and personal.



See more Daveland 1964/1965 New York World's Fair photos at my main website.

Watts Towers

Another bucket list item was crossed off when I finally made it to The Watts Towers in Los Angeles. Designed and built by Italian immigrant construction worker and tile mason Sabato Rodia, over a period of 33 years, from 1921-1954, this wacky collection of towers made of steel, concrete, porcelain, tile, and just about everything besides the kitchen sink has always fascinated me…from photos. I was excited to experience them in person.



In 1955, Rodia 'quit claimed' his property to a neighbor and left, frustrated from battling the city for permits. He moved to Martinez, California and never returned, passing away ten years later.



I have to admit I was slightly disappointed when I saw them. For some reason, I expected there to be more land around them, but they are smack dab in the middle of a residential neighborhood. I also didn't expect them to be fenced in, especially by a fence that is very closely constructed to the towers themselves. Still, I do understand the need for the fence, as otherwise this amazing piece of architecture would probably not survive the threat of vandalism.



When Rodia's bungalow inside the towers was burned down, the City of Los Angeles condemned the structure and ordered it to be destroyed. Actor Nicholas King and film editor William Cartwright purchased the property in 1959 for $2,000 in order to preserve it. King, Cartwright, architects, artists, enthusiasts, academics, and other community activists formed the 'Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts,' negotiating with the city to allow for an engineering test to establish the safety of the structures and avoid their demolition.



On October 10, 1959, steel cable was attached to each Tower and a crane was used to exert lateral force all connected to a 'load-force' meter. Unable to topple or even shift the Towers with the forces applied, the test was concluded when the crane experienced mechanical failure. As a result, the Towers have served as an influence for stability and endurance in architecture. Not bad for an unsafe condemned structure!



The Committee preserved the Towers independently until 1975 when they partnered with the City of Los Angeles, who then partnered with the State of California in 1978. They are now operated by the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department and curated by the Watts Towers Arts Center/Charles Mingus Youth Arts Center.



I didn't have time to take the tour, so that still remains on my bucket list.

As a follow-up to yesterday's post, here are photos of Walt Disney World's homage to the Cross Roads of the World in Hollywood:







See more Daveland Watts Towers photos at my main website.

Carousel of Progress: 1940's Scene Evolution

The Carousel of Progress attraction was one of the many marvels that Walt Disney debuted at the 1964 New York World's Fair. Today's post takes on a photo journey showing how one particular scene has evolved over the years. Photo #1 is from July 1965 and shows the 1940's host sitting in the kitchen with his dog.

Naturally, sponsor GE manages to get a little product placement into the show!



A publicity shot of the same scene once it hit Anaheim in 1967:



Moving to Florida in 1975, the host got a new hairdo. Actually, this looks like a completely different animatronic.



This last shot shows how it looked in 2010 in Florida, when I made my most recent visit to Orlando. The kitchen has been given a Halloween theme. Love that retro pumpkin on the table! Know where I can find one?



See more Daveland Disneyland Carousel of Progress photos at my main website.

Grand Floridian Celebration!

26 years ago, the Grand Floridian Beach Resort hotel (now the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa) at Walt Disney World opened its doors. Its location on the Monorail route, makes it extremely convenient for hotel guests to shuttle between areas of the resort.

As you can see, it was inspired by the Hotel del Coronado on the west coast:



The photos in today's post were from a June 2002 trip to Orlando, where I got to see this hotel for the first time.



In the background, you can see The Polynesian Resort.



Although it's a beautiful hotel, like the rest of Walt Disney World, I find that its gargantuan size precludes it from having any intimate charm. The basic concept of most WDW hotels is the same; the skins are just different. Here's the grand lobby area:



The band was playing during my visit:







Just as they were on my most recent visit in 2010:





We were given a tour of Citricos Restaurant:





Looks like one of the desserts was celebrating a 100th anniversary; any readers remember the significance of 1902? Maybe it's a leftover garnish celebrating Walt's 1901 birthday.



Happy Birthday, Grand Floridian!



See more Daveland WDW Grand Floridian photos at my main website.