Tom Visits Disneyland

Daveland reader Tom E. contacted me and shared a number of fantastic vintage photos from his trips to Disneyland as a little tyke. Here’s Tom’s story:

I was born in Glendale, grew up in La Canada, and then Placentia in Orange County. My wife and I had 4 kids and had season passes for 16 years—I still love Disneyland. The wife and I go and sit on Main Street and just watch as the thousands of happy people stroll by on their way to different spots in the park. We sit there for hours and hours watching humanity pass by—everyone is so excited to be there. It’s pretty hard to have a bad day at the Magic Kingdom! We live in Valencia, so we still go as often as we can.

The first four photos are from a 1959 visit to Disneyland. As Tom says, “I still remember these early trips to Disneyland; I fell in love with the place instantly.”



I’m the smaller driver in this 1959 Midget Autopia photo. I was 4 and my brother Jerry in the car with me was 6. I remember thinking I was actually driving the car and that Jerry had the dummy wheel.



Here’s a shot of me with my LA Dodgers hat on taken with a KODAK Instamatic (Polaroid ripoff attempt) on Main Street in the Kodak Shop, 1959. The photo is still perfect 51 years later.



Flash forward two years and Tom was back at Disneyland in 1961 with his family enjoying the Nature’s Wonderland attraction:





I am the little dufus standing on the wall about to fall in the water in this photo from 1961 near the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Restaurant. Just seconds after the photo was taken, I DID fall in the water. I was yanked out quickly and taken backstage to a first aid station. They were all so nice to me, but my parents later confessed that the cast members were pissed at them. I guess I was one of the reasons they raised the walls and fences around the river!



The next three photos are from a 1965 visit to Disneyland.



Party lines and a pickle; could the day get any better?





The color pic is my family at the Magic Kingdom on June 28th 1999 for our oldest son Zane's 10th Birthday. He is now a 21 year old Marine Sniper with the Ist Battalion, 9th Marines Weapons Co.



View more Disneyland photos at my main website.

Screen Gem Saturdays: Steve Martin

The multi-talented Steve Martin has long been a favorite of mine (and not just because he used to work at Disneyland in the early years!). This previously posted first photo shows him honing his craft on the stage of the Bird Cage Theater at Knott’s Berry Farm in June 1965.

I discovered his wild brand of comedy when I was in Junior High. I remember wearing out my “Wild and Crazy Guy” vinyl LP back in the late 70’s, especially because of its novelty hit song “King Tut” (backed by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band but labeled as the Toot Uncommons). It is also one of the highlights of Saturday Night Live’s musical history:



In college, my film class analyzed his 1981 movie “Pennies from Heaven.” I was mesmerized by this dark classic, which was full of irony in its references to Depression era musicals. In his first dramatic film, Martin studied tap dancing for 6 months so that he’d be believable in the musical numbers with Bernadette Peters...and yes, he pulls it off!



Another favorite Martin comedy is “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid,” released one year later in 1982. Mixing classic film noir footage with currently shot scenes, a completely new wacky farce is created that integrates Martin with Humphrey Bogart, Bette Davis, and Joan Crawford. This loving tribute to classic Hollywood marked the last work of both costume designer Edith Head and composer Miklós Rózsa.



As detective Rigby Reardon, Steve Martin assists Juliet Hay Forrest (Rachel Ward) in finding out who killed her father. Both Martin and Ward look as if they could have stepped out of a 1940’s noir thriller and do a perfect job of playing each comic scene straight, rather than hamming it up and ruining it.



Martin and Carl Reiner teamed up again for 1983’s “The Man With Two Brains.” As Dr. Michael Hfuhruhurr, Martin perfects the method of cranial screw-top brain surgery. He saves the life of gold-digging Dolores Benedict (Kathleen Turner), who uses her beauty and sexuality to get him to marry her...



...but holds back “the goods” for him while she sleeps with everyone else that crosses her path.



Besides being a comedian and actor, Steve Martin is also an accomplished musician. This photo of him with a banjo was taken by famous photographer Harry Langdon:



Martin won the Grammy Award for Best Bluegrass Album in 2010. He has also been touring with The Steep Canyon Rangers; recently, I had the pleasure of watching him perform in San Diego at the Balboa Theater. The mixture of comedy and Martin’s brand of humor was a perfect match. Please let it be noted that I did NOT use a flash for any of these photos!





One of my faves from the concert was “Atheists Don’t Have No Songs.” Before anyone gets their panties all twisted, the tune is not a statement against atheism.







Keep checking back to Steve Martin's website to see if he’s coming to a venue near you.

See more Steve Martin photos at my main website.

Disneyland Halloween Trip Report

Halloween was in full swing this week at Disneyland...and so was the rain. Still, being a glass half-full kinda’ guy, I didn’t let it “dampen” my spirits (ba-dum-dum...ouch). Each year, the Halloween decor seems to get better—despite the fact that the Christmas crap is already edging its way in.



Recently, a number of new posters have graced the entrance tunnels; Mr. Toad is a particular favorite, as it does a good job of capturing the essence of the original silk-screened beauties.



Inside the Disney Gallery, feel free to slobber over Kevin Kidney’s latest collectible: a perfectly detailed replicas of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Restaurant & Walt’s Car:





Music greeted us as we strolled down Main Street:



Inside the Penny Arcade, I took a few photos of the Orchestron that I featured in a vintage shot the other day. Nice to see the descriptive signage.





We were on a mission though; we hadn’t eaten since breakfast and it was already close to 2pm...time for Plaza Inn Fried Chicken & Apple Pie! Thanks to the time and the rain, the place was practically deserted—I could pig out in peace!





To shake myself from a food coma, we waddled over to Buzz Lightyear:





As you can guess by the vacant look on my face, despite the fact that I was alone and two cars ahead of her, Stacy still skunked me. One of these days I’ll find the secret spot on Emperor Zurg.



The downpour began right about the time I went to check out the Rapunzel (oops, I mean Tangled) meet and greet area in Fantasyland. She managed to look stunning despite the rain; me...not so much.



I was feeling generous, so I actually appeased Stacy by going on small world; I am still attempting to remove its infernal theme song from my head.







It was even raining INSIDE the attraction!



Next up: A Grand Circle Tour! The train always provides a scenic respite from the elements.





Another great place to escape bad weather is The Tiki Room; I just can’t get enough of its timeless kitsch.



The Indiana Jones animatronic at the Gates of Doom sure looks a lot more like Harrison Ford than the other ones:



Circling around back to Halloween, the mist and lighting effects on the Rivers of America were magical:



Leota at The Mansion never looked lovelier:



Be sure not to miss these creepy little musicians in the portrait hallway:





New Orleans Square was alive with dance at Club Skellington (aka The French Market during). Insert cheesey DJ here:



These little things were all over the park and they truly freaked me out:



We caught the tail-end of the parade…



…and then found our viewing spot for the Halloween Fireworks Show which was worth the price of admission alone!









The castle sure looks purty at night:



I hope that was enough photos for all of you!

See more Disneyland Halloween photos at my main website.