Disneyland, April 1963, Pt. 3, Requests, & Updates

The last few images from this April 1963 set, including one that was previously posted. Many of you will remember the story I wrote about having never noticed that Dopey once held a fishing rod in his hand. For you forgetful readers, here it is again.



A gorgeous image of the Skull Rock area behind the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Restaurant. Not sure why, but neither the version that once existed at The Disneyland Hotel nor the one for Disneyland Paris look quite as convincing as this one did.



And here we have a visit to Random Land, as I throw in a shot of the natives from The Jungle Cruise:



I GET REQUESTS DEPT.:

From my post the other day I had requests to zoom into the Kodak sign as well as the construction walls in Town Square. I think the disease of being a sign geek is contagious!





I haven't shot the Carnation Gardens Bandstand since 2008, so here's my best before & after from the April 1963 batch I posted the other day:







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Disneyland, April 1963, Pt. 2

All aboard the Mark Twain for a ride around the Rivers of America. Sound like a perfect way to spend an Easter morning? That's what I thought! The thundering falls of Cascade Peak add a touch of wonder and excitement that are sorely missed today.

The arena/amphitheater for the Indian Village is quiet; the natives might be busy eating their See's chocolate eggs!



Cascade Peak shows up again; must have been a fave of this photographer. One of the Mine Trains is also visible, rounding the corner at the approximate spot that one of the trains sat rusting for many years.



A nice overhead shot of Rainbow Ridge from The Twain:



So much to see in this one, that it naturally demands a few closeup shots for eagle-eyed readers:



The ticket booth - dang, it must have been hot and claustrophobic in there! Note Mr. Grumpy-Pants with the camera slung over his shoulder, and also the log-styled drinking fountain:



The back side of Casa de Fritos (a bag of those corn chips sounds durn tasty right now!):



Hope those that celebrate Easter day have a joyous celebration!



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.

Screen Gem Saturdays: Happy Birthday, Shirley Temple Black

Today is Shirley Temple Black's 82nd birthday. One of the crazier tales about her famous childhood as a film star is that her parents agreed to shave a year off her age to make her seem even more remarkably talented than she was. In 1934, at age 6 she was singing and dancing with the best of them; however, the public thought she was 5, which apparently made them love her even more for her precocious (and even somewhat saccharin) antics.

Here is a shot taken on what was actually Shirley's 12th birthday from April 23, 1940. However, in keeping with the age-changing antics of her parents and the studio, this was officially promoted as Shirley's 11th birthday. Behind Shirley with her hand on Shirley's shoulders is actress Charlotte Greenwood. Peering out from Greenwood's left shoulder is actress Arleen Whelan, who played the romantic lead in "Young People,” the film that was interupted from production for this festive occasion. Next to Whelan is Kathleen Howard, who played the villainess.



The snipe for this photos reads: “Interupting her work routine only long enough to share refereshments with her co-workers, Shirley Temple yesterday celebrated her eleventh birthday. Photo shows the group of friends and studio workers who helped Shirley with the cake and ice cream.”

In this detailed view, we can see actor George Montgomery (the other romantic lead) in the very back, and Shirley's mother in the foreground with the stylish hat on her head. Montgomery was married at one time to Dinah Shore.



Shirley's father was at the opposite end of the photo, and can be seen in this detailed shot, standing next to a different lady in a (somewhat) stylish hat.



It was April 1941 that Shirley would learn her true age, as she revealed in her autobiography, “Child Star”:

Mother took me aside. “You’re not really twelve,” she said, “you’re thirteen.”

“But yesterday I was eleven,” I rejoined. “What happened to twelve?”

She recounted the early Fox [the film studio] scheme to make me younger than I was, and revealed that my birth certificate had been altered. “I don’t want you entering your teens without knowing it,” she said.

Flash forward to 1963, and Shirley was doing a guest spot on the Red Skelton show.



Her 35th birthday was celebrated on the set with Skelton & his crew:



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Disneyand, April 1963, Pt. 1

From Knott's to Main Street U.S.A., today's post continues with the series that I introduced yesterday from April 1963. The first image from Town Square yields some great closeups. You can see that Mr. Lincoln has yet to move in; instead, the Opera House is inhabited by the Mickey Mouse Club with a shoe shine stand situated in front.



Here's a better shot of the shoe shine stand:



The information booth is full of all kinds of merchandise; check out the little boy in the Mouse Ears proudly waving his souvenir!



Patriotism at its best; the country's flag and the state’s flag, waving proudly over Town Square.



The Carnation Gardens bandstand looks fairly empty; today, this place fills up with swing dancers on the weekend. It's quite a sight to see!



Today's post dumps you off at Central Plaza, with the Monsanto House of the Future just ahead.



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.

Traveling Thursdays: Knott's Berry Farm, April 1963

This week we'll take a break from my mom's 1955 European excursion and visit Knott's Berry Farm, circa April 1963. This will also serve as an intro for a short series of Disneyland images from the same batch.

Although Knott's doesn't really sing the siren's song for me like Disneyland, I sure do like Ghost Town. These photos show it during its heyday, before the views were tainted by off-the-shelf thrill rides and other distractions. This first shot shows something I've commented on before; it always seemed a little odd that a train just ran right through the middle of the park...no fence, no protection at all. I think people must have been smarter back in the 60's!



I wish this Native American would step aside—he's blocking the signage!



I can only guess that "bonnets" were the issue. Maybe somebody put a few bees in them. Oh, that hurts...







Zooming in closer to The Bird Cage Theatre, I can only make out the word "melodrama" on the marquee at left:







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Peter Sellers & Family at Disneyland

47 years ago, comedian Peter Sellers (best known for "Dr. Strangelove" and "The Pink Panther") visited Disneyland with his wife at the time, Britt Eklund (the marriage lasted a total of 4 years), and his kids. This wire photo shows them in the Disneyland Hotel vehicle, ready for a fun day at the park.

ANAHEIM, Calif., April 7—SELLERS ON OUTING BEFORE HEART ATTACK—This picture of British actor Peter Sellers, critically ill in Hollywood of a heart attack, was made last Saturday as he and his bride, Swedish actress Britt Eklund, began a visit through Disneyland with Sellers' children by a former marriage, Sarah, 4, and Michael, 8. Sellers was stricken early yesterday.

Apparently, Sellers had approximately 13 heart attacks that spring, and eventually was given a pacemaker in 1977. He passed away in 1980, shortly before he was about to undergo surgery.

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Hotel photos at my main website.

Disneyland, July 28, 1958, Pt. 4

Today our July 28, 1959 series shifts over to the wilds of Adventureland! The Amazon Belle is ready to take you on a thrilling excursion of The Jungle Cruise (hope we get a good skipper).



Gators and snakes...get me outta' here!



A rare front shot of the backside of water:



A zebra that is either gone or shifted around; couldn't tell you where this is located:



Everybody loves the hippos...almost as much as they love taking pics of the castle and Main Street Train Station:





Personally, I prefer the natives!



Today's Disneyland doesn't hold the franchise on gift shops at the end of an attraction! Here, frenzied guests (worked up from their Jungle Cruise adventure) are blowing their hard earned paychecks at the Tiki's Tropical Imports shop:



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.

Disneyland, July 28, 1958, Pt. 3

Welcome to Frontierland, circa 1958! The Columbia is all the rage, as you can see from this promotional banner hanging from the gateway into Frontierland. In fact, the excitement of the new ship has caused this guest to sit down and rest for a bit.



A vintage/contemporary compare & contrast view:





Pendleton was eventually replaced with the Bonanza Outfitters. I think I'd rather have Pendleton; they make great sweaters!



If you’re afraid of the water, you can just sit back and gaze upon the beauty of the Mark Twain:



Perhaps from the area of this quaint little gazebo/bandstand that was typically the home to Dixieland-style music:



A shot of Tom Sawyer's Island and a raft full of guests:



For all you Gladys Kravitz-types, here's a closeup of the guests so you can critique what they are wearing:



2nd only to the back side of water is the back side of the Twain:



And the Columbia, fresh as a daisy!



The best way to work off those churros:



I wonder if the rafts ever crashed into the Twain?



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.