Hollywood-style in Palm Springs at The Colony Palms Hotel

When visiting Palm Springs, my favorite hotel to relax at is The Colony Palms. Originally known as the Colonial House when it opened in 1936 and then The Howard Manor, it still exudes the quiet glamour of a Hollywood getaway. The first photo in today's post is from a vintage postcard.

This second vintage photo from February 1955 shows baseball legend Leo Durocher and actress wife Laraine Day, vacationing at The Howard Manor:



VACATIONERS Soaking up the desert sun at the Howard Manor Hotel are New York Giants Manager Leo Durocher and his actress-wife Laraine Day, but vacation time is fast running out on the world championship pilot, who soon must leave for spring training.

Day had a fairly long and successful career, including the Alfred Hitchcock thriller "Foreign Correspondent" and Shirley Temple's one and only MGM film, "Kathleen." While married to Durocher, she was known as "The First Lady of Baseball." But I digress...



Back to the Colony Palms, I recently enjoyed a wonderful weekend there, feeling relaxed and refreshed. A 2007 renovation by Los Angeles designer Martyn Lawrence-Bullard gave the property a Moroccan flair, making this boutique-style hotel a hot commodity.





Unlike so many Palm Springs hotels, this one does not suffer from deferred maintenance issues. The staff is friendly and attentive.



The heated pool is still a wonderful gathering place, and provides the perfect place to cool off during the hot summer days of the desert.



The rooms are spacious, clean, and tastefully decorated.



The handpainted concrete tiles add a unique touch that blends in perfectly with the old world style of The Palms.



Bordering the pool is the hotel's restaurant, The Purple Palm.



With a bar that serves both the pool and the restaurant inside, it is a vibrant place to be on the weekends.



Dinner was delicious, and I especially enjoyed dessert, which was a decadent Brioche Brulée with berry compote.



I highly recommend the Palms, but I caution that it is wise to book in advance as many times I have attempted to stay it has been completely full. With views like this, it's no surprise.



See more Colony Palms Hotel photos on my Colony Palms Hotel photo web page.

A-Frames at the Main Street Cinema

My dad was a huge movie buff, and he introduced me to silent movies when I was just a tot. He used to buy 8mm prints of Charlie Chaplin and Laurel & Hardy movies from Blackhawk Films. I always looked forward to the weekends that he would pull the projector out. Over at the Main Street Cinema, before it became a Mickey Mouse-only theater, guests could watch clips from classic silent movies. In this 1950's image, zooming in to the A-Frame outside of the theater, we can see that they are playing highlights from Rudolph Valentino movies.



The pose on the ad is from a movie he made called "The Eagle." Here's a shot of the famous Latin Lover of the 1920's. If you've never heard of him, let me just tell you that he was as big as The Biebs in his day. Maybe bigger.



In March 1965, the theater was showing "Kismet," starring Otis Skinner.





Skinner's signature role was Hajj, the beggar, on both Broadway (1911) and in the 1920 and 1930 film versions.



For the first year of the park, guests could catch Western star William S. Hart in "Dealing for Daisy."



The movie was also called "Mr. 'Silent' Haskins," and was a 1915 release.



Hart was a pallbearer at Wyatt Earp's funeral in 1929.



In September 1960, these lucky ladies got to see Lon Chaney in "The Phantom of the Opera."





Chaney did all his own makeup, and those in the biz today still marvel at his genius.



As an extra bonus for today, here's a FauxD© image from August 1965, showing a cast member wearing a costume that doubled for both the Phantom as well as Mr. Hyde (of Dr. Jekyll fame) in front of the theater.



Vintage night time shots are hard to come by, but this one from June 1966 is a gem. You can almost reach out and touch that Wooden Indian!



It may be hard to imagine a movie without voices or talking, but as the late great Norma Desmond said, "We didn't need dialogue; we had faces!"



I am happy that the Cinema is still open, but it would sure be a lot more fun if it showed a variety of silent movies from that era. Just like the rest of the Main Street shops, it has lost a lot of character by becoming 100% Mickey Mouse. Bringing back actual variety to Main Street (and Buena Vista Street for that matter) would be a huge plus.

That's all for today, folks!



See more vintage & current Disneyland Main Street Cinema photos on my Main Street Cinema photo web page.

Storybook Land in FauxD©

Today I am going to do a post with some depth. Using the magic of my patented process of FauxD©, you can get a semi-three dimensional view of Storybook Land. First up is a May 1961 stereoscopic slide showing the Tremaine home.


This contemporary shot shows that it's still there, basking in the golden hues of sunset.



This vintage stereoscopic view from the 1950's shows the home of Practical Pig. He's the smart one that built his home of bricks.



Looking very much the same, here's his home in a photo that I shot somewhat recently.



Note the detail on this miniature; you can even see a rusted lock on the front door!



See more vintage & current Disneyland Storybook Land photos on my Storybook Land photo web page.

Limited Time Magic: Salute to the Golden Horseshoe Revue

Excitement ran high when Disney announced that there would be a return of The Golden Horseshoe Revue as part of its Limited Time Magic promotion for 2013. Billed as a "Salute," it was fairly obvious that there was not going to be an attempt to exactly re-create the legendary show made famous by Wally Boag & Betty Taylor.

Although many (including myself) would love to see that show again, it just would not be possible. Without the original cast, the audiences who had seen the original would be too busy attempting to compare the new vs. the old. Wisely, the entertainment division created a rousing tribute that is perfectly fitting and tons-o-fun to see.

It is important to get to the Golden Horseshoe PRONTO once the rope drops on Frontierland. Don't even think about trying to get to Indiana Jones first; you might miss the opportunity to get a ticket. The friendly cast members at the stand in front of the Golden Horseshoe Saloon will give you a ticket(s) for the show that you request, and then you return at the appropriate.



And don't even begin to think about showing up late; your ticket is only valid if you show up on time (or early, if you want a good seat!). Annual Passholders have the option of getting a reserved seat and a special dinner-time meal for $35.

A live band performs in the pit (Note: in this case, front row is not really a bonus, as you'll have the drummer in your face. Try to get a balcony seat!), and once the piano player began, it was obvious that this was going to be a real treat.



The Can-Can girls came out and immediately took ownership of the stage.





Don't get too close to the stage; you might lose your front teeth!



Kudos to Miss Lily, the star of the show.



I don't know who played her, but she was a fantastic choice. Excellent timing, a great voice, and a personality that immediately endeared her to the audience.



Once she was done primping with her mirror, she used it to check out the guys in the audience.



She found one lucky sap who ate up all the attention; his wife didn't seem to mind, as they had been married almost twenty years.



Back up on the stage, Miss Lily took the pace of the show back up another few notches.



The Can-Can Girls gave it their all...



and before I knew it, the show was (sadly) over.



Could it have been longer? Probably, but for general audience appeal and attention span, the length was perfect.



Kudos to the Disney Company for putting together this fantastic show; and judging by the packed house, I would say that it has been a hit.

See more Golden Horseshoe Revue Salute photos on my Golden Horseshoe Revue Salute photo web page.

Big Thunder Mountain Construction

The first three shots for today are not recent photos of the Big Thunder Mountain refurb that began this month; instead, they are photos showing the original construction of this Disneyland attraction. Thanks to Daveland reader Bill H., you can have this behind the scenes glimpse.



Bill's photos are from March 1979, seven months before opening day on September 2, 1979.



These two shots, taken just a few months after opening, are the earliest ones in my collection:





Bill also sent this action-packed you-are-there style shot from May 1983:



Currently, there is a huge crane looming overhead BTMRR, assisting in the present-day refurbishment:





The rumor mills have been buzzing about the possible destruction of Rainbow Ridge as well as the whispered additions of elements that will tie into a future movie based on this attraction. Only time will tell whether any of those things will happen.

See more vintage and current Disneyland Big Thunder Mountain Railroad photos on my Big Thunder Mountain Railroad photo web page.