TGIF: New Orleans Square, Circa 1979

Where better to celebrate TGIF than Disneyland’s New Orleans Square? This batch of 1979 images focuses on my favorite area of the Park. This lovely young lady is being entertained by the Royal Street Bachelors. This was back when the One Of A Kind shop was part of the shopping experience.



A little peek inside at the vintage treasurers that awaited guests:



Another shot of the Royal Street Bachelors, without photobombers:



Another smiling guest:



A rare vintage interior view of the Blue Bayou restaurant, taken by a guest while riding the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction:



…which provides the perfect segue to the next portion of our 1979 tour. This image shows not only the Wicked Wench, but what the POTC boats looked like in 1979:



A closer view of the Wicked Wench:



A detailed view:



Ah, the treasure…how many guests have attempted to purloin a souvenir from this tableau?



Poor Carlos…the eternal dunking.



Our 1979 photographer ignored the red-headed wench and instead, focused on the auctioneer and the stout maiden that was currently up for bid:



These cats want food…not booze.



Will they ever get out? I’m surprised Governor Newsom hasn’t pardoned them with the rest of the people released early in the California prison system.



Our lovely young guest is back, this time in front of the Mansion:



…and closer:



…closer again:



…and as close as we’re going to get. No interior shots from this batch. Sigh.



I am sure most Disneyland fanatics have seen the tragic news of the man who committed suicide at the Park by jumping from the top of a parking garage. He left behind a lengthy explanatory “note” on social media detailing why he took this action (a damaging public accusation by his wife against him that caused him to be put on leave from his job). It is not my place to determine what is true and what is not; but I what I want to focus on from his note is this sentence:

Please, please, please be kind to one another! Treat each other with kindness and grace. There is too much anger in the world and people need to start treating each other better. What I’ve shared with you above is a prime example of how “anger” can really have long-lasting and extremely damaging effects on a person’s life.

Please read that again…especially before you decide to make judgment about what happened. Be kind. Those are wise words. And here’s another piece of advice: detach yourself from social media for awhile and let the ones you love know that you love them.

See more Disneyland New Orleans Square photos at my main website.

Politically Incorrect Pirates, April 1974

If you like vintage politically incorrect Disneyland, then this treasure trove should be right up your alley! Take a journey back to April 1974 and enjoy these sequentially presented images that give are probably as close as you're going to get to seeing what the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction looked like in its original incarnation. Shall we begin at Lafitte's Landing?



I had to zoom in for a closeup on this figure:



Join us in the belly of the grotto.



The Captain's Bar:



A closeup of the Marc Davis painting, back when it was probably the real thing.



Captain's Quarters:



There is so much clutter in the scene today; I had never noticed these two small paintings before:





I don't believe they are there anymore.



A dark shot of the treasure room:



The Wicked Wench, back when it was still commandeered by Blackbeard!



Poor Carlos - the eternal dunk.



The Wench Auction scene; the latest piece of Disneyland to come under fire for being offensive.



A closeup of the beloved Red-headed wench:



She doesn't seem to bother the onlookers!



Here is what I believe to be the first part of Pirates that came under fire: The Gluttonous Pirate. I had never noticed that he also held the lady's slipper besides her slip.



Today, you get a treasure map, a key, and Jack Sparrow.



The looting pirates and the hat thief:



The last one of the bunch shows the pistol duel:



I have to say that I am very impressed not only with the quality of these shots, but with the choice of scenes that the photographer chose to document. I doubt I could have done a better job back then with my Polaroid One-Step!

More Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean attraction photos at my main website.

POTC circa September 1969

Thanks to the recent acquisition of a batch of September 1969 Disneyland images, I can compare and contrast two scenes from the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. First up is the Captain's Treasure in the grotto area. Surprisingly, it appears that the ceiling has not really changed at all over the years. Even many of the items surrounding the skeleton have stayed in place. Shocking!



The Wicked Wench scene shows a huge change in its main character.



We have gone from Blackbeard to Barbossa. Still, the ship itself is very much the same.



See more vintage (and current) photos from Disneyland's Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at my main website.

Yo Ho Yo Ho, Pt. 2

Welcome back to pt. 2 of my January 2015 trip through the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disneyland. We begin at the battle involving the Wicked Wench!



I love the smokey smell in this seemingly HUUUUUGE area. You feel like you are drifting through the middle of the ocean, with canon fire volleying overhead.



Unlike other ride throughs, I pretty much stuck to the scenery on my side of the boat, rather than frantically attempting to shoot each side. That can really get exhausting. Typically, I sit on the left side of the boat because the Wench Auction is my very favorite scene. No, I am not into the selling of women, but I do think the Red-Headed gal is a hoot and a half. She stands out against the homely maidens lined up before her.



The Auctioneer is probably one of my very favorite animatronics; his movements are so fluid and his face is the epitome of Marc Davis' style.



No donkey was visible in this tableau of three minstrels and their howling dog. Hopefully the donkey was just getting cleaned up backstage.



The Hat Thief was doing his best to balance the stack on his head; always good to see him in this attraction. Of all the figures, he seems to be absent the most.



A semi-decent shot of the hairy-legged pirate. He always brings a smile to my face.



They may be boring compared to the other scenes, but nevertheless I decided to take some shots of the collapsing structures and burning embers that are between the jail and dueling pistol scenes.





Another character that bears the hallmarks of Marc Davis' style.



It's not easy catching this pirate's pistol when it fires!



Last and in my opinion the very least…



Sure, it looks like Johnny Depp, but this scene is still a snoozer.



A closeup of the crest hanging on the back wall:



My apologies to the scenery on the RIGHT side of the boat, since it got the shaft in this post.

See more Daveland vintage & current Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean photos at my main website…ALL 4 PAGES!