800th Post: It All Began With A Clown

Today is my 800th post. It is only fitting that in honor of my first post (June 4, 2006), which featured this Clown, that I zoom in for a closeup.



I have had two readers (the first being Patrick from "Stuff From The Park" blog) comment that the Clown is Chucko the Clown, a staple of Los Angeles TV during the 50's and 60's. As you can see from the Viewmaster Reel image below, the same clown can be seen as part of the Mickey Mouse Club Circus. Richard from The Viewliner Limited Blog has chimed in that it’s actually just an MMCC performer, and not Chucko. In addition, I have had a rather nasty comment left on the blog by a rude man claiming to be Chucko's son (Randy), threatening legal action if I don't remove Chucko's name from the image. He obviously woke up on the wrong side of the bed or else just enjoys pissing in people's Cheerios (as the saying goes). I have no idea if it is Chucko or just a performer with the MMCC Circus. Quite frankly, I don't give a crap who it is, and most people don't even know who the hell Chucko is anymore anyway. So, I'll just leave it up to you the reader to decide.



Back on my first post, I didn't really have much sense of the history and other things that were a part of the vintage Disneyland-mania that has spawned a hundred or more blogs since Patrick at Stuff from the Park published his first entry back in December 2005. Since I have begun blogging about Disneyland and creating the page on my website that has exploded into its own beast, I have had the pleasure and honor of meeting a number of other Disney fans, admirers, cast members, and guests who were at the park during its formative years. Although there are many times that I think “Why the heck do I spend so much time and money on this stuff?!?”, there are just as many (if not more) times that I smile from the experiences that my blog and website have provided. For instance...meet Ted & Tuija. I had corresponded with Ted for many months and finally got to meet the two of them at the park. I love the fact that they use "Wall-E" as a sort of benchmark to guage how they will get along with people. Unconsciously, I do the same thing with Disneyland. If people don’t “get it,” then I either try to take them there personally or just file them into a different category of friendship (the one marked: Needs to lighten up and enjoy life!). Here they are in front of Walt’s apartment above the Fire Department.



Meet Mike & Juli, a fun couple united through their love of all things Disney. I met them because of my blog, and they have been way cool about sharing their collection and stories with me to post on my site.



Surely all you Disney fanatics have heard of Don DeFore‘s Silver Banjo Barbecue. Thanks to my site, I had the opportunity to meet Don‘s two sons, Dave & Ron, who were more than kind in sharing their stories, photos, and time with me. Here I am with the DeFore brothers outside of the original location of the Banjo, with two other Disneyland fanatics that I've had the pleasure to meet, John & Lannie.



The DeFore brothers had the good fortune of being at Disneyland on Opening Day, and riding in the Autopia Cars down Main Street. Talk about a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!



One of the treasures that Ron has recently unearthed is this personally signed thank you letter from Walt himself:



And I couldn’t forget Carlene. What a treasure! I don’t know where she gets her energy from, but her enthusiam for Disneyland is incredible. Thanks to her, many of the original cast members of the Golden Horseshoe were reunited last March in a rousing tribute at the Anaheim Sheraton. Carlene’s grandfather took many historic photos of the park being built.



There are many that I have left out that began as email correspondents and then became friends. The blogging community is fantastic; extremely supportive and also very informative. The amount of knowledge out there astounds me on the subject of Disneyland. Walt sure knew what he was doing over 50 years ago, and it still strikes a chord with people today. Most of all though, I want to give thanks to Patrick at Stuff From the Park for starting it all.

See more vintage & current Disneyland photos at my regular website.

Disneyland, October 1955 Pt. 4

The Grand Finale for this series is set in Fantasyland, with 2 shots of the Castle, confirming again that it was a low-attendance day.



The Chicken of the Sea maiden beckons guests to come and eat lunch at Fantasyland’s favorite place to get a Tuna Sandwich.



Meanwhile, Casey Jr. chugs bravely along while guests check out the various types of dirt and weeds in Anaheim.



The final image for the series shows King Arthur’s Carrousel.



See more vintage & current Fantasyland photos at my regular website.

Vote Samantha!

Call me crazy, but at the last minute the muses called me and I decided to do another painting for tonight’s reception/gallery showing at World of Wonder. If you want to board the crazy train and see where the inspiration came from, then read on. Last Sunday night, I was celebrating finishing my Palin/Clinton painting and was able to actually eat dinner and watch a little TV. I popped in an episode of "Mad Men." One of the main characters also had a guest stint on "Sex and the City" as a politician who dated Carrie. My memory banks kicked into gear and I remembered Samantha discussing with the ladies about the country running better with a good looking man in the White House. Voilà. To see more of my art, visit my regular website.

Disneyland, October 1955 Pt. 3

The October 1955 series continues today in Frontierland, with our leading lady continuing to look extremely uptight in the photos. In shot #1, she is enjoying (?) the Indian Village, with the Ceremonial Dance Circle behind her. Photo #2 taken from the Mark Twain shows that yup...the park is pretty empty! Would have been a great day for photos. Progressland, get that Time Machine ready!



The Mark Twain, aka “The Floating Wedding Cake,” sure makes for some purty pictures!





From the Twain you could also get a glimpse of Retlaw 1 passing by the Rivers of America; note the last car on the left which is the Grand Canyon Car, better known now as The Lilly Belle.



Even though the Stagecoach would be nice to have back at Disneyland, I don’t think it would be possible, as there are no spaces left that are large enough in Frontierland to host the wide open guest-free vistas that this attraction requires.



See more vintage & current Frontierland photos at my regular website.

Disneyland, October 1955 Pt. 2

Continuing the October 1955 series, we work our way slowly up Main Street, beginning in Town Square, right in front of City Hall. Note the drinking fountain and chicken wire fencing. The horse-drawn chemical wagon is the mode of transportation for this visit to Disneyland, and Bekins is the official mover and shaker (so to speak).



In this view, we see the Ruggles China & Glass Shop and that scandalous Intimate Apparel Shop, aka "The Wizard of Bras."





Our gal is still bundled up in this one taken in front of the Castle.



Could this shifty looking fellow be the reason she's all covered up?



This whole Time Machine thing that you folks have been talking about has got me in a dither. It would be difficult for me to choose between Opening Day and a less crowded one a few months later which would obviously be more conducive to taking pristine photos. I think I'm going to have to sleep on that one. See more vintage & current Main Street photos at my regular website.

Disneyland, October 1955

These shots are from October 1955, exactly 53 years ago from now. It was either a crisp Autumn day or our lead gal in the photos liked to dress in layers. Here she is at the front entrance. The huge box of Toilet Paper is a nice "welcome mat" to our journey into the Kingdom, don't you think? Back in the day, the park actually was closed on Mondays. In detail shot #2, you can see 2 of the bored conductors carrying on a conversation. Where is everybody?!?





It’s about 3pm, and only a handful of guests are at the park. The conductors are still chatting it up in this photo:



Our photographer has crossed under the Main Street Train Station and entered Town Square. It appears that there might be more cast members on this day than there are guests.



See more vintage & current Disneyland entrance photos on my Disneyland entrance web page.

Early Disneyland, Pt. 5

After a little Sleeping Beauty diversion, I am returning to the pre-opening series of photos. To get an idea of what part of the Rivers of America this area is located at, check out the 1955 aerial shot here & closeup:





See more vintage & current Rivers of America photos at my regular website.

Whatever Happened to Baby Sarah: finished!

IT IS DONE! Looking forward to the opening night this Thursday at World of Wonder. To see more of my art, visit my regular website.

Sleeping Beauty: The Diorama

The upcoming restoration of the Sleeping Beauty Castle Diorama probably has me more excited than I've been for any new Disneyland attraction in over 10 years. April 29, 1957 marked the unveiling of the original, with Shirley Temple Black serving as the hostess. Both the entrance and exit areas of the Diorama at the back of the Castle had fanciful canopies that matched the Midieval Faire look of the original Fantasyland:



Eyvind Earle, the man responsible for the look of “Sleeping Beauty” also spearheaded the diorama project.



Here you can see the concept art Earle created for one of the scenes, followed by a rare photo of how it panned out in the original Diorama.





This image from the newly released Blu-ray version of “Sleeping Beauty” shows the virtual walk-through tour of the same Diorama scene. This virtual tour was crucial in selling the concept to the top brass for the actual Castle restoration.



Tony Baxter and Chris Merritt are two of the Imagineers who worked on this project and provided much of the blood, sweat, and tears that helped it to see the light of day.



Note the booklet that Baxter is holding; this commemorative souvenir was given to each person who toured through the scenes of the Diorama.



Additional copies were a mere 25¢!



Here in a behind-the-scenes section of the Blu-ray, Chris describes more information about one of the Diorama’s rooms:



Here are a few more scenes that you can view on the DVD and Blu-ray versions of “Sleeping Beauty”...and trust me, these shots do not do it justice. To see it in high-def is breathtaking.









For the handful of you that might be saying, “Big deal...a bunch of scenes from a 50 year old movie.” It may be hard to comprehend, but this Walkthrough paved the way for The Pirates of the Caribbean & Haunted Mansion attractions. Many of the special effects that debuted in the Diorama were later used in the other 2 beloved attractions.

See more vintage & current Sleeping Beauty Castle Diorama photos at my regular website.