Back to Buena Vista Street

If you're like me, you can't get enough of the Red Car Trolley that runs up and down Disney California Adventure's Buena Vista Street. The feeling of movement it adds has made for a huge improvement to the entrance area of DCA. The Buena Vista side of the Trolley can be seen above.

The Hollywood side can be seen in the photo below (which I never noticed until posting these photos!):



Our trip down the street begins with a stop in the Los Feliz Five and Dime.



Personally, I find the props in the shop much more interesting than the merchandise for sale.





It was too early for Clarabelle's, but the perfect time to snap some photos sans guests.





A panorama shot of the entrance to the Elias & Co. department store:



The terrazzo tile entrance is a very authentic detail. In real cities, many of these remain while the original stores they proclaim have changed.



The Trolley Treats exterior:



Even though the Fiddler Fifer and Practical Cafe is large, the warm interior makes it feel very cozy:



As do the vintage-style posters and photos:









Besides the Trolley, the characters of Buena Vista Street also add to the charm. I was fortunate to get to see Oswald the Rabbit, who recently made his debut in the park:



This particular Officer Blue is my favorite; he looks like he stepped out of the 1920's.



Two of Goofy looking dapper in his Five and Dime outfit:





Last one for today shows Dale, of Chip 'n Dale fame:



See more Daveland Buena Vista at Disney California Adventure photos at my main website.

Baby LeRoy

Born May 12, 1932, Ronald Le Roy Overacker was the birth name of Baby LeRoy, who is best known as a comic foil for the bombastic W. C. Fields. His career on the silver screen began when he was less than a year old, co-starring with Maurice Chevalier in "A Bedtime Story" (1933) and ended with a cameo role as himself in "Cinema Circus" (1937). Today's photo shows Baby LeRoy with Fields in "The Old Fashioned Way" (1934), which was his second feature with the bulbous-nosed comedian ("Tillie and Gus," 1933, was the first, and "It's a Gift," 1934, was the third).

Here's the vintage publicity blurb that accompanied this photo:

HOW ABOUT A HUNK? Baby LeRoy celebrated his birthday with a new Paramount contract, and this cake, which W. C. Fields seems to want a large slice of. The old feudists are working together in "The Old-Fashioned Way."



I guess it took four gals to help Baby LeRoy sign his contract.



There are also a number of photos that exist showing Baby LeRoy paired with Shirley Temple. This still is from the set of "Little Miss Marker." The two are held by director Alexander Hall.



In Hollywood Magazine's September 1934 issue, they ran a story titled "Baby LeRoy's First Date." Here are a few photos from that feature.





I guess Baby LeRoy was making more money at this point, as it appears he paid for the date.



Nothing like a soda fountain beverage to finish off the perfect date.



A starring role in the 1940 film "The Biscuit Eater" was to have been LeRoy's comeback, but due to illness, the director was forced to recast, and LeRoy never appeared in another film. Instead, he became a merchant seaman. In 1957, he appeared as a guest challenger on the TV panel show "To Tell The Truth." He died in Van Nuys, California on July 28, 2001.

I found this photo on the web, which is supposed to be Baby LeRoy all grown up.



See more Daveland Classic Movie & TV photos at my main website.

Mickey's Halloween Party: The Grand Finale

Today marks the last of my Mickey's Halloween Party photos; still more trip report photos for next week though!

These gigantic Mickeys are all over the park;



some show fear…



some show happiness:



Nice to see the Ray Bradbury Tree in Frontierland continues its annual tradition of being decorated for Halloween:



This talking scarecrow in Frontierland is just one step away from a creepy clown.



No dessert was had at the Plaza Inn, so a sugary treat needed to be found. The Mint Julep Bar in New Orleans Square was the perfect place for this.



A tasty mint julep (love those maraschino cherries!)…



and a sack of piping hot Pumpkin Beignets.



Heading back to Central Plaza for the Halloween Fireworks, I snapped a few of the Adventureland attractions, specially lit for the evening.



Even the Treehouse looks scary at night!



Unlike previous years, we didn't fight too hard to get the perfect viewing spot for the Fireworks. If you go, you really need to be DEAD (pun intended) center in order to see the special lighting on the castle and the large round orbs that surround the castle. We were at the left side, which totally obliterated the view to just about anything other than the fireworks themselves. At least we could still see Zero flying over the Castle!













The beignets were delish, but when we saw just how empty The Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlour was, we could not resist. This just never happens!



The Firehouse Dalmatian Mint Sundae is a Daveland favorite (more maraschino cherries!):



The Carnation Café was closed, so I took advantage of this occasion to snap some interior shots, including this wide panorama photo:





Previously, we had missed the Town Square Disney Villains finale, so we made a point to catch it this time.



Lady Tremain and her evil daughters were ablaze!



A quartet of cadaverous gents:



Your typical assortment of all-star Disney Villains:







Last one for today shows the cool Halloween lighting on the Main Street Train Station:



I hope these posts have gotten you into the Halloween Spirit; do you have your costume yet for trick or treating?

See more Daveland Disneyland Halloween photos at my main website.