Scholarly Saturdays: Encyclopaedia Britannica & Fantasyland, Pt. 4

Today’s Scholarly Entry from the Encyclopaedia Britanica is all about Storybook Land and Casey Junior. In shot #1, we can see that Bobby and Susie have safely entered their "realistic" Canal Boat; do they all have teapots?





What a great shot of Casey's expressive face:



Susie is not very happy about being put in a cage:



If you look closely, you can see her desperately clinging to the bars:



So many wonderful things to see along the way:





I can almost hear Casey's "I think I can..."; can't you?



On a different note, anybody out there able to identify what's in this shot that I took yesterday? If not, you'll have to wait until Sunday to find out and see the other photos I took. I know...it’s cruel, but I’m friggin' tired.



See more Encyclopaedia Britannica photos at my regular website.

Freaky Fridays @ The Haunted Mansion: The Exit

The mirrors that everyone looks forward to riding by; which Hitchhiking Ghost will be in my Doombuggy this time? Looks like Ezra:



Here’s a little “behind-the-scenes” peak into how the effect is achieved:





I also really dig the Jean Cocteau inspired sconces on the wall here; too bad the hands don’t move like the ones from “Beauty & The Beast” (1946) that they were modeled after:







Here are two shots of the pattern that was recently stamped on the loading/unloading runners; a nice touch of carrying the theme out of this Victorian Mansion that makes this "modern" technology look slightly less modern.





See more Disneyland Haunted Mansion photos at my website.

Tell-No-Tales Thursdays: POTC "Scene Spoilers"

Through my web crawling one day, I came upon a treasure trove of photos from a former cast member, who has allowed me to post them for all to see. These were all taken in May 2002. If you have issues with seeing "behind-the-scenes" photos, then close your eyes (oops....too late). This photo shows the boat loading area, completely devoid of water. Talk about rough sailing. Here’s one of the drops, without water—that would make for a VERY hard landing.



Right before you hear the Jolly Roger Talking Skull warn you about “Dead Men Tell No Tales,” there’s a façade on the left-hand side of the boat that is very difficult to see. Here it is in all its lit glory (cast member hidden to save his anonymity). Looks like a midwest yard sale!



See more Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean photos at my website.

Indian Joe, October 1959

One of the touchstones for me is seeing Indian Joe—both the Main Street and the Frontierland versions. He has always been a popular photo opportunity, by witnessed from these October 1959 images.



It is interesting to compare him to the present-day version; the knife has definitely been downplayed by putting a painted "sheath" over the originally shiny "blade" from 1959.



The headband also has a different pattern than its predecessor; overall, the original seemed to be painted in much more vibrant colors.



See more Disneyland Frontierland photos at my regular website.

The Frontierland Gate

Check out the camera around this proud papa's neck; no danger of him getting swept up into the digital age! This July 1958 photo shows the entrance to Frontierland which is proudly proclaiming the debut of the Columbia.

And a similar angle from September 2008:



See more Disneyland Frontierland photos at my regular website.

The Adventureland Gate & Project Future

Shot #1 of the Adventureland gate is from July 1958.

Source material makes a great difference when scanning; here's a comparison of a July 1959 shot that is from a photo...



...and then in image #3, directly from the negative.



This black and white image is not really very interesting until you check out the left-hand side. The Dole Whip stand is under construction as the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction begins to take shape.



And the same area today:



On another note, I just finished reading Project Future last week, a new book by Chad Emerson. It is a fascinating mix of Disney history, mystery, politics, and the real estate machinations that went into creating Walt Disney World Resort. I highly recommend this very quick read (under 200 pages)—you will be blown away by all of the behind-the-scenes maneuvering that made WDW possible.



I can assure you, The Walt Disney World resort would never have occurred if the process hadn't started when it did; no way a theme park of that magnitude and creativity could be built with its own governance.

See more Disneyland Adventureland photos at my regular website.

Sailing Through Sundays on The JC: 1955

Here are three 1955 views, presented in the order that they were taken. Enjoy!





See more Disneyland Jungle Cruise photos at my website.

Scholarly Saturdays: Encyclopaedia Britannica & Fantasyland, Pt. 3

Get ready for a little "urp" time as Bobby and Susie twirl around in the teacups, shown in their original location near the Carrousel. In photo #2, she is silently warning Bobby about what will happen if he tries to go too fast.





Right about where the small world queue is today, we can see the Fantasyland Autopia with the Disneyland Railroad Cattle Cars chugging along in the background.



Fortunately, Bobby passes the height requirement with flying colors!



Susie is nervous about her hairdo on the Junior Autopia; maybe she should have done another layer of hairspray!





11 miles an hour...just like the real Los Angeles freeways in traffic!



See more Encyclopaedia Britannica photos at my regular website.

Freaky Fridays @ The Haunted Mansion: Hitchhiking Ghosts

Phineas, Ezra, and Gus are the infamous Hitchhiking Ghosts. Featured on the promo poster and many collectibles, they are definitely iconic when it comes to this attraction. They are also something I look forward to seeing each time I ride through. Ezra (the middle one) is also one of the closest links to the Hatbox Ghost...practically a twin!









This blurry November 1978 shot shows you where these fellows got their name:



And a few recent shots to finish up this tribute to the iconic trio:







And on a very sad note, Disney Legend Fess Parker will be sorely missed by all of his fans.



See more Disneyland Haunted Mansion photos at my Haunted Mansion web page.