Getting Mod, Part 1

Often ignored in my blog, it is now time to pay a little homage to that mod decade, the 70’s. All from this series are from August 1972, and presented (for the most part) in the order that they were taken. Shot #1 is from the Frontierland Depot, with a few Dusty Springfield wannabes and Bob, who just left the factory and is grumpy because he forgot his pocket protector. Shots 2 & 3 show our Mod Squad gals enjoying the teacups; #3 is obviously taken from the Skyway.





This one is for the request yesterday to see the signs on the wall and the furry object on the wall; my guess is that it’s a combo scarf and fan combo, perhaps from the Golden Horseshoe:



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Eating with the common-folk

Talk about a buzzkill...Snow White carrying her own cafeteria tray? Or Snow White in a cafeteria at all? This photo couldn’t be any more posed; there is at least one cast member representing each land, and the people in seats seem just a little too excited considering the only prop they’ve been allowed is a cup o’ joe. So what I want to know (besides the date of this, anyone?) is who’s the sourpuss with the cigar in the back? Looks like an evil number cruncher to me! See more vintage and current Disneyland photos on my main website.

BW Mish-Mash

Mish-Mash?!? Who writes this crap? Oh yeah...it’s me, and “medley” has been overused. Anyway, this Plaza Pavilion shot is from June 1964; natch, I have included a closeup of the menu. Sure makes me hungry.



Now that you’re hungry, maybe it’s time to wander over to Frontierland to the “Old” New Orleans area and have some pancakes with Aunt Jemima. This adorable little tot in Mouse ears is from February 1956.



Enough of the past, let’s head to the future, with this early 1950’s Central Plaza/Tomorrowland entrance view:



Now that we’ve penetrated the future, let’s take an April 1957 look at the Moonliner/Rocket to the Moon attraction:



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Monorail Blowout!

For me, these 2 1959 icons go hand-in-hand, so it’s only natural that I would follow-up my Matterhorn blow-out with a photo tribute to the Monorail. Shot 1 is from December 1963, showing the always cool bubble. View #2 is from July 1961; something is brewing up in the parking lot!



A little Submarine Voyage spillover in this July 1960 view:



From the Tencennial year comes this Yellow Monorail image (interesting to note that the Autopia is touted as a Fantasyland attraction here):



The last one for today hails from April 1963:



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

More vintage Los Angeles

Occasionally with my vintage Disneyland slides I get a few stray Hollywood/Los Angeles slides. This July 1963 shot was definitely educational for me. I had never heard of the Angel's Flight Railway. Apparently an LA landmark that has had a troubled history of late. Anybody know if it is back in operation or permanently shut down? One more shot from August 1957:



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Indian Village, July 1960

Replaced by Critters and Pooh, the Indian Village was a nice touch of the Frontier that gave guests a nice combo of fun and education, commonly known as funucation. Here are two from July 1960; the 2nd shot is postcard-perfect.



Here’s one from July 1961; I am guessing it was taken from the Train between the Fantasyland and Tomorrowland Depots; experts?



See more vintage and current Disneyland Indian Village photos on my regular website.

Matterhorn Blowout!

Today we have the Matterhorn coming out our ears, folks! Check it out. First 2 views are some nice undated BW views that include the Skyway buckets.



This July 1960 shot has just the edge of the Monsanto House of the Future on the right side:



Last view is from September 1967, with the PeopleMover, Skyway, Submarines, and Monorail as extra added bonuses!



See more vintage and current Disneyland Matterhorn photos on my regular website.

More 60’s Tomorrowland

Welcome Earthlings! Here’s our favorite romantic couple from Space, in this undated photo. The original Skyway round bucket design can be seen in the background, dating this photo to pre-1965. View #2 is a July 1960 hodgepodge shot with the Yacht Bar, Matterhorn, Skyway, and Submarine Voyage. So many things to do and see!



See more vintage and current Disneyland Tomorrowland photos on my main website.

Flight Circle, Astro Jets, and Pixar DVD’s

Today I present 2 shots of the Flight Circle in Tomorrowland and the Astro Jets. Shot 1 is from 1960. View #2 is from June 1963, and if you squint real hard, you can even see CoxPilot!



FYI: Ratatouille is coming out on DVD and so is Volume 1 of the Pixar Short Collection. I highly recommend “Ratatouille,” as it is a definite step up after the slightly bland “Cars.” Be sure to watch the featurette that cuts between Brad Bird of Pixar and Thomas Keller of the French Laundry restaurant. VERY interesting similar philosophies even though the businesses are different.



“Pixar Shorts” is a great collection; the best part is watching the shorts in chronological order and seeing how computer animation has developed. The featurette is an excellent bonus, describing how John Lasseter would sit next to the techno geeks as they were developing the software to produce these amazing shorts. A definite marriage of art and computers.



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

Happy Halloween!

Halloween has always been a favorite time of year for me; so, to celebrate, I’m breaking out one of my favorite “new” photos. It has been difficult to hold off the debut of this one until today. This undated shot shows the Haunted Mansion still under construction. Next up is my very favorite exterior shot, which I shot in February 2006:



My friend Mike shared this photo with me recently; it’s an original Marc Davis maquette that he designed for the Graveyard party scene:



Let’s journey to Orlando with a juicy closeup of the HM exterior from June 1972:



And a sideview:



Not to make DCA feel left out, here’s one showing their recent “holiday” decor:



See more vintage & current Disneyland Halloween photos on my main website.

New Orleans Square opening, 1966

This trio of publicity stills are from Summer 1966, when New Orleans Square first opened. This has always been one of my favorite areas of the park; I love winding around the streets and seeing all the courtyards and other nooks and crannies. Shot 1 shows the Delta Ramblers with tap dancers Gene & Eddie. Shot 2 is an extremely posed view of the Court of Angels.



This view of the Court is from Christmas, 2006:



The last publicity still shows The Creole Cafe, which is now Cafe Orleans:



The current signage is similar in style:



Meanwhile, over at DCA, Toy Story Midway Mania construction continues along:



See more vintage & current New Orleans Square photos on my main website.

1960’s Batch: Pt. 5

It’s transportation day in Frontierland, and we’ll start off with my favorite, The Floating Breakroom...oops, I mean the Mark Twain, followed by The Columbia.



In the interest of moving onto other things slightly more interesting, I’ll go ahead and finish up this series today with 2 more Skyway shots. #1 is of the sub area (missing the mermaids) and the other is Fantasyland, with a little bit of Alice showing.





Went to the park this weekend for their Halloween festivities; the DCA Halloween Treat is definitely for the kiddies, but even taking that into consideration, it is slightly on the lame side. Here are some pics from the weekend, beginning with a heretofore unnoticed “Hear no evil” shot at the Bengal BBQ in Adventureland:



Riverbelle Terrace is getting closer to opening and looks like it’s being prepped for a fresh coat of paint:



Not sure if this had ever been done before, but it was also the first time I’d seen any tribute to Dia de los Muertos. Thumbs up to this one; hope there is more to it in the future. A little dark (aka the Burning Cabin) can be good.











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