The Aerotrain and The Viewliner

The Aerotrain was a streamlined train from General Motors that was introduced in 1955. General Motors demonstrated their new lightweight concept on several railroads in 1956, including the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, with the train operating in California between Los Angeles and San Diego as a San Diegan. Its general problems included a rough ride and under-powered locomotive. As a result, not a single railroad ordered a trainset despite extensive testing on both the New York Central and Pennsylvania. They were eventually purchased by the Rock Island and used in commuter service until 1966. The photo above was dated March 5, 1956 and taken at the Santa Fe Train Station in downtown San Diego. Although the San Diego Electric Company sign is gonzo, the building remains…



and now functions as the 43-story tall Electra Condos.



Even though the Aerotrain was a bust, that didn’t stop Walt Disney and Bob Gurr from being inspired by its sleek design when they built the Viewliner at Disneyland. Running from June 1957 to September 1958, it served as the precursor to the much longer lasting Monorail. The shot of the Tomorrowland Viewliner below is from July 1958.



An overhead shot from the Skyway, January 1958:



The Fantasyland Viewliner, from 1957:



August 1958:



The Fantasyland Viewliner Station:



Another Skyway shot, this one showing the Tomorrowland Viewliner Station, circa 1957:



See more Disneyland Viewliner photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: The Princess Meets The Prince

Shirley Temple Black attended the Golden Apple Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel on December 19, 1976. Captured here is that awkward moment when you are being stalked by the paparazzi but are between conversations. “Please,” pleads Shirley, “find me someone interesting to talk to.” It’s not going to be the lady below wiping her nose.



But while we’re here, let’s take a look at Shirley’s lovely jewelry!



“No,” replies Shirley with her best tight-lipped smile, “I will not sing ‘On the Good Ship Lollipop’ for you. I’m the Chief of Protocol, Missy!” While that is just a guess on my part, Shirley DID say something similar according to the newspaper reports of the day:

Said Shirley Tempe Black to Lucille Ball on the dais at the Hollywood Women’s Press Club luncheon, “I must go over to speak to Allan Dwan. He directed eight of my pictures.” Said Lucille to Shirley, “You can’t leave the dais now. Things are just getting started.” “Oh yes, I can. I’m chief of protocol” — and off she went to talk with her former director.



Who did Shirley latch onto? None other than heartthrob Nick Nolte, wearing a (gasp) corduroy suit. You could title this, “The (former) Little Princess meets the (future) Prince of Tides.” Nick was still riding on his fame from starring in the “Rich Man, Poor Man” miniseries when this event took place.



“That doesn’t look like a Shirley Temple,” Nick seems to be saying as he stares at Shirley’s glass, attempting to say something witty. “Oh Nick, I’ve NEVER heard that one before! Ha!”



“What - is he bothering me?” Shirley replies to the guest who sense Shirley’s lack of interest in Nick. “Oh honey, I’ve fought off worse bores than this. Remember, I singlehandedly outran both Arthur Freed and David Selznick!”



Nick was the butt of one of emcee Monty Hall’s quips:

Said Nick Nolte in accepting his “New Star of the Year” Award: “Thank you. It’s always nice to win something,” and he shuffled off stage in his super-casual gear. Said emcee Monty Hall, “His eloquence is equaled only by his attire.”

When you’re at an event attended by “Old Hollywood,” you better dress the part! Margaret O’Brien received a backhanded compliment from columnist Joan Crosby:

Margaret O’Brien was also present, and she has lost all that extra weight she had been carrying around. She looks great.

Nearby were John Wayne and Glenn Ford.



Shirley ditched Nick and quipped to her old friend, The Duke, “Can you believe he asked for my phone number?!?”



Also at the party were Rob Reiner and wife, Penny Marshall. If only this set of negatives had a shot of Penny and Shirley, I could have titled this post, “When Laverne Met Shirley.” A missed opportunity.



In the world of soaps, none were bigger than super couple Bill Hayes and both real and reel wife Susan Seaforth Hayes, posing with Brenda Dickson and…DAVID HASSELHOFF!! The Hoff was in “Young and the Restless” playing Snapper Foster. Who came up with that name?



Patty Weaver joins “Days of Our Lives” costars Bill and Susan for this shot:



If you want to see some color shots from this event, see my previous post.

See more Shirley Temple Black photos at my main website.

The Lady in Orange

In the lower right corner of this August 1966 image at the Court of Angels in Disneyland, there is a very tall “Lady in Orange” statue amidst all the fake flowers for sale (I guess Main Street wasn’t the only place to buy them). Was she decor? Was she for sale? No idea…however, in the image below, also from August 1966, we see either the same lady with a new coat of paint, or a second version by the same artist.



A closeup:



By July 1967, our Lady in Orange had moved to a different part of New Orleans Square.



Back to the Court of Angels by July 17, 1968:



…and then she disappears without a trace. At least in my photo collection! Anybody know her story?

See more Disneyland New Orleans Square photos at my main website.

In Your Easter Bonnet, Pt. 2

Easter 2024 has come and gone, but at Daveland, it still lives on. This vintage Disneyland image from the 1950s shows a shop window with three unique hats that look just perfect for the Easter Parade! I have no idea who Robbie Nesbitt Grinnell is; in a rare situation, Google failed me.



To see where this window is located, you need look no further than the Opera House in Town Square. The Summer of 1955 shot below just happens to include the same display window.



The sign and the hats are different, but the window itself matches in every other way.



In this 2012 shot, the same window is still there, but easy to miss because of the awning hanging over it.



Oh, to have some interesting hats available at the Park again!



See more Disneyland Opera House photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley & Cary

Shirley Temple and Cary Grant co-starred in the 1947 comedy, “The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer.” I believe this publicity shot was taken outside the Beverly Hills High School where a few of the scenes were filmed. The accompanying caption:

HOT RODSTER
Cary Grant is ridin’ the movie ranger these days in a “hot rod” with the best of the bobby-soxers. It’s the result of an involvement with co-star Shirley Temple in their new RKO Radio film, “The Bachelor And The Bobby-Soxer.”

By most accounts, Grant liked things the way he liked them, and could sometimes be difficult on set. At one point during filming, he caught Shirley doing an imitation of him for the film crew; he stalked off and complained to producer David O. Selznick, who read the actress the riot act for her unprofessional behavior.  Selznick had Shirley under contract at the time, thus his involvement. Back on the set, Shirley apologized to Grant, who graciously accepted it and replied, “By the way, it was a pretty good imitation.” Below, Grant’s character makes nice with Shirley’s boyfriend in the film, played by Johnny Sands.



Almost forty years later, Shirley appeared at a tribute to Grant staged by the Princess Grace Foundation, due to the close friendship between the Grant (who died in 1986) and Grace Kelly (who died in 1982). Proceeds from the gala event held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills went to the Princess Grace Foundation. From the LA Times on July 15, 1988, just a few months before the event:

And this fall comes a tribute to the classic and classy actor that will indeed be one of a kind—an Oct. 19 benefit at the Beverly Hilton for the Princess Grace Foundation U.S.A. Barbara Grant, widow of the actor who died in November, 1986, said that she and his daughter, Jennifer, wanted “only one special tribute to Cary, and due to his close friendship with Princess Grace and her family we decided that the proceeds from the evening should benefit the foundation named in her honor.” Although planning is just getting under way, the committee list for the black-tie gala already reads like a list of Hollywood royalty. First Lady Nancy Reagan and Barbara Grant are honorary co-chairs. Dina Merrill chairs the evening, with co-chairs Merv Griffin, Kirk Kerkorian, Veronique and Gregory Peck, Don and Judy Balaban Quine (who was a member of Princess Grace’s wedding party), Barbara and Frank Sinatra, and Lew and Edie Wasserman. In the audience: Prince Rainier, Prince Albert, Princess Stephanie and, reportedly, if her schedule can be changed, Princess Caroline. Sources say the party will be the debut of the new International Ballroom at the Beverly Hilton.

Shirley looked stunning that evening!



The Times spilled more tea on September 14, 1988:

When is a $1,000-a-person benefit ticket worth the price? Try Oct. 19, when the special gala tribute to Cary Grant, benefiting the Princess Grace Foundation U.S.A., brings together the princely family of Monaco with just about every royal persona Hollywood can muster. This evening is unique in many ways--it will be the only tribute Grant’s widow, Barbara, is permitting for the late, beloved actor. And, because there was only one Cary Grant, the evening will have an extraordinary retinue of stars up on stage: James Stewart, Gregory Peck, Frank Sinatra, Walter Matthau, Roger Moore, Shirley Temple Black, Robert Wagner, Warren Beatty, benefit chair Dina Merrill, Eva Marie Saint, Quincy Jones, Robert Mitchum, John Forsythe, Dean Martin, Michael Caine and, performing, Liza Minnelli, Sammy Davis Jr. and Henry Mancini, all in a production designed by Jack Haley Jr. and emceed by Merv Griffin highlighting Grant’s films.



In the front row are Frank Sinatra, Merv Griffin, Robert Wagner, Prince Albert II, Princess Stéphanie, Prince Rainier III, and Henry Mancini. Back row: Michael Caine, Eva Marie Saint, Gregory Peck, Barbara Grant, Unknown, Liza Minnelli, Dina Merrill, and Roger Moore. What a lineup!!

UPI had this to say after the event:

European royalty mingled with Hollywood royalty in tribute to the late sultan of suave, Cary Grant. The Wednesday night gala benefited the Princess Grace Foundation-U.S.A. and Prince Rainier of Monaco and two of his offspring, Princess Stephanie and Prince Albert, attended the black-tie banquet at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Frank Sinatra, Michael Caine, Gregory Peck, Eva Marie Saint, Robert Wagner, Roger Moore and Dean Martin were on hand to swap memories of Grant. The entertainment was provided by Sammy Davis Jr. and Liza Minnelli and Merv Griffin, who owns the hotel, was master of ceremonies. Film clips from Grant's long career were shown in addition to taped tributes sent in by President Reagan, Sophia Loren, Walter Matthau and others. The Princess Grace Foundation-U.S.A. raises funds to help aspiring artists in theatre, dance, and film.

Milton Berle puts the moves on Liza and Shirley, with Jack Haley, Jr. on the right (Liza’s husband at the time) and Eva Marie Saint in the background.



I wonder if Shirley did her Grant imitation? I sure would have loved to have seen that! BTW: Shirley seemed even less interested in Berle one year later, when he attempted to have his photo taken with her again. Give it up, Miltie! Actor Stewart Granger is on the right.



See more Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

Traces of Tut

In 1922, a team led by British Egyptologist Howard Carter excavated the tomb of Tutankhamun (aka “Tut”) from the Valley of the Kings. The discovery received worldwide press coverage; with over 5,000 artifacts, it generated a frenzy of public interest in ancient Egypt that spilled over into American Architecture, as witnessed by today’s post. The first shot is from the City Heights neighborhood of San Diego and shows a detail from what was once known as the Egyptian Garage. Built in 1923 at the end of the old East San Diego trolley line, it was one of three Egyptian Revival streetcar electrical substations. It was sold two years later, remodeled, and from 1926 to 1932 was known as the Egyptian Garage, complete with gas pumps in front. I wonder if the attendants dressed as Tut?



Since 1957 it has been the home of Big City Liquor.



A few neighborhoods away is Hillcrest, which also has a number of Egyptian Revival remnants that have survived the years. On Park Boulevard you’ll find the Nile Apartments, complete with stained-glass doors that carry out the Egyptian theme.



Maybe the Pharaoh's Court Apartments from 1928 are more your style.





Across the street is the Egyptian Court Apartment complex, built in 1926 by Paul Carle. Two small shops and two apartment entrances face the street. The building is classic Egyptian Revival Art Deco, with the courtyard pond and garden designed and installed by Milton P. Sessions, nephew of San Diego horticulturist Kate Sessions, the “Mother of Balboa Park.”





The Bush Egyptian Movie Theater opened on June 30, 1926 and was one of San Diego’s original luxury movie houses. Patrons entered past huge columns in an open courtyard lobby. Today, only a portion of the original entrance remains, with a huge condominium now surrounding it. This was one of the theatres that my father went to as a little boy.



No Tut post would be complete without the Steve Martin song from 1978 that addressed the second wave of fame the “Boy King” experienced when his possessions toured around the world.



See more San Diego photos at my main website.

The Purple Trash Can

Although it doesn’t show the Fantasia mural, I still yelped when I saw this interior shot of the Welch’s Juice Bar in Fantasyland from March 1965. Pluto poses with these two chaps (Doug on the left, can’t read the name on the hat for the boy on the right) who can’t wait to have a 15¢ Welch’s Frozen Grape Bar! Note the themed purple bullet-style trash cans on the right and the left. I’m assuming the “W” visible on the left can is for “Welch’s. That’s a pretty safe bet! This little refreshment shop was where Pinocchio’s Daring Journey is currently located.



Zooming in to this August 1964 shot you can see the exterior:



See more Disneyland Fantasyland photos at my main website.