600th Post Anniversary, 1956, & Disney Concert Hall

In honor of my 600th post, I am re-posting one of my favorite images with a little bonus: a detailed closeup. This shot shows the lowering of the drawbridge; not on opening day, but the day after: July 18, 1955. I love the overall shot; a small group is nearby watching intently as the drawbridge comes down and opens up Fantasyland for all to enter. Meanwhile, over on the left, we have a group of guests relaxing, probably watching something over at the bandstand, totally oblivious to what is happening behind them. Note the hill on the right behind the castle; Snow White’s waterfall is yet to be built.



My next series which I am unveiling today is one from 1956; some of these shots are a little grainy/dark, but they are still purty darn cool in my humble opinion. Let’s start with a semi-blurry shot of the entrance, complete with a retro-green Vespa and the E.P. Ripley pulling RETLAW 1, just pulling into the Main Street Train Station. Talk about a sense of arrival! I love seeing the train just pulling up first thing in the morning; it’s always a challenge to get through the ticket line in time to make it onto the Ripley!



Looks like our photographer made it in the gate just in time; with a lively step he might be able to board! I have also included a detail train/attraction poster shot:





Seems like his attention was caught by Vesey Walker & Company, passing by the announcement sign for International Street.



Here’s a nice empty shot of Town Square, facing the Opera House:



Rounding the corner we have two showcasing the Wurlitzer Shop and Maxwell House:





Many more to come from this series! Sometimes people change their opinions; even ranters and ravers like me. I remember when I first saw the drawings and models for the Walt Disney Concert Hall before it was built in downtown Los Angeles. I thought it was an ugly monstrosity and couldn’t believe it was going to bear the Disney name. After it was constructed, I saw it as I was driving through LA one day and decided to stop and take a gander. And you know what? It didn’t bother me so much. Now, years later, I was in the area again and took a much longer look. It’s actually pretty cool...I love the different finishes on the panels (due to complaints from neighbors about the reflectiveness of the original finish), and how the metallic surfaces catch the light & shadow. Quite amazing in person.



There will be more shots from the Concert Hall as well. To see more Town Square photos, visit my website.

Tiki Room "B" Photo & Small World Brouha

June 19th, 1963: A memorable day for Tiki Room fans everywhere. That’s the date of this publicity photo that was circulated everywhere, showing Walt surrounded by the lovely Tiki Room hostesses Diana Lai (l) and Terri Kakuda (r). Anybody know what happened to them? Walt looks a little tired in this shot, but even more so in the “B” shot on the same roll; the one that DIDN’T get published.



It’s nice to know that 45 years later, this attraction still has a large fan base and that guests still line-up to view it. On another note, although it is not one of my favorite attractions (and I refuse to stand in a line for it!), I do appreciate the artistic visual quality and the message of It’s A Small World, seen here in this New York World’s Fair shot from July 1964:



Lately, there has been a large brouha over impending changes to this fabled attraction, leaked out by rumor-monger Al Lutz and others. The resulting "fan" commentary has been akin to this:



Although I understand the need to express an opinion, I feel it is extremely sad to see the lengths that people will jump to in their harsh criticism and quickness to villify the entire Disney organization based solely on a rumor...you would have thought by the angry reactions that Paris Hilton or Britney Spears AA's were being added to the attraction. Because of this, Disney legend Marty Sklar felt the need to make a public statement not only refuting the majority of the rumors leaked, but explaining how Walt himself was an agent for change: "The greatest ‘change agent’ who ever walked down Main Street at Disneyland was Walt himself. In fact, the park had not been open 24 hours when Walt began to “plus” Disneyland, and he never stopped. Having started my Disney career at Disneyland one month before the park opened in 1955, I can cite countless examples." Marty’s well-worded response will probably not satisfy some of the more hungry "fans" who just want a reason to bitch and moan anyway, but what can you do. My other gripe (I promise this is the last one for today) is that people keep mentioning Mary Blair and how it is desecrating her attraction; if you’re going to make a public outrage, then at least have the knowledge behind you to know that Mary cannot be given sole credit for this ride. She had a number of talented Disney legends who probably deserve the lion's share of the credit for actually making this thing see the light of day, including Rolly Crump, Alice Davis, Blaine Gibson, and Harriet Burns.

See more Tiki Room photos at my website.

The Devlin Collection: Storybook Land 2

The Devlins still have a few photos up their sleeves from Fantasyland, and the first one is from the area below Cinderella’s Castle, June 1969. Here is a contemporary shot for comparison; other than the color scheme, this area seems virtually untouched.



From the 1950’s, we have this Devlin shot of Pinocchio’s village:



Flash forward to the Devlin's trip in 1969; it is also interesting to compare the Skyway overhead and the change of bucket design.



Compare to 2004:



One more Storybook shot from this collection is also from Pinocchio’s Village, circa 1950’s. No Skyway floating overhead, but Casey Junior instead:



...and the comparison shot from 2006; bright accent colors and fewer painted details:



To see more vintage & current Disneyland Storybook Land photos, visit my Storybook Land web page.

The Devlin Collection: Storybook Land

Besides “New” Tomorrowland & Nature’s Wonderland, the Devlin family also appeared to be enamored with Storybook Land. Here are a number of shots from June 1969; the first shot from the Skyway is from a different batch that could be from the 1950’s. Storybook has always been one of my favorite Fantasyland attractions; the attention to detail on the buildings and landscaping always blows me away. It’s not hard to get lost in the scale...until a duck appears and blows the illusion! This batch shows some buildings that I don’t even think exist anymore. Here’s the home of the Big Bad Wolf, complete with the rotisserie just waiting for one of the 3 Little Pigs! Compare to what exists today; the little boat is now missing, and the current scene just doesn’t seem to have as many details.







This chapel from Alice’s Village seems to have stayed relatively intact over the years; compare the June 1969 Devlin shot with ones from 1993 & 2005:







Thanks to Daveland reader Rob for IDing this building as Alice’s Cottage.



And probably the most iconic structure from this attraction, Cinderella’s Castle:





...and from 2006:



This windmill from the Devlin collection can be seen at the bottom of the previous 2006 shot:



And here is a closeup contemporary view of the windmill; those crops don’t seem any farther along than they were 40 years before!



To see more Storybook Land photos, visit my website.

The Devlin Collection: Mine Train Ride, Pt. 2 & Toy Story Midway Mania

We’re back with the Devlin family in 1969, riding the Mine Train through Nature’s Wonderland. As we exit this tunnel, we see an abundance of wildlife near the riverbank.







Around this corner are the Devil’s Paint Pots, displaying the subtle (?) color palette that Mother Nature bestowed upon them:











Here are 2 more tunnel shots, just for good measure:





It would appear that the Devlin’s were riding up in the cab from some of these views. Meanwhile, back to the present, over at California Adventure, the new Toy Story Midway Mania exterior is practically finished and looking sharp; June is not that far away!





And as if that weren’t enough...here are some pics of the waaaay overdue Main Street window for Bob Gurr:





To see more Nature’s Wonderland photos, visit my website.

The Devlin Collection: Mine Train Ride

After a rootin' tootin' celebration at the Golden Horseshoe, we’re going to stay in Frontierland for a few days more. Today’s visit is from June 1969; join the Devlin family as they take a journey about the Nature’s Wonderland Mine Train Ride! This group of photos was from 2-3 different cameras, and I have tried to piece them together in the order that the journey would have occurred. Rainbow Ridge is the quaint little mining town where you would board the train. Up on the hill, you can see the Pack Mules sauntering through the tree-lined paths.







As we round the corner, it appears that there’s a tunnel up ahead! I love these tunnel transitions; the first time you ride an attraction with a tunnel, whether it be the Disneyland Railroad, Splash Mountain, etc., there is always a sense of wonderment about what you will find on the other end.



And sorry folks, this is where I leave you hanging...you’ll have to come back tomorrow to see what the Devlins find on the other end of the tunnel.



For all you April Fools fans, be sure to check out the Major’s excellent photoshop skills on his blog today. It’s a hoot! To see more Nature’s Wonderland photos, visit my website.