You Are There: September 1959, pt. 3 & The Princess and The Frog

Dad sure loves the "you are there" point of view with the camera; here we can see the family as they "glide" out of the loading area of the Matterhorn and also see the innovative steel tubular track!



Two views of the Submarine Voyage and The Skyway:





And for a really fantastic point-of-view series, here is a trip on the Skyway from the Tomorrowland Station over to Fantasyland:



Zooming in for a look at the rarely seen Tomorrowland Train Depot:









WIth this closeup shot, it's easier to see the Matterhorn climber:



DVD/Bluray Update: Get ready on March 16 as “The Princess and the Frog” is released. The Bluray is packed full of fantastic high-def extras; don't miss this American Fairy Tale.



For the wannabe animator in all of us, download this coloring book page and try your own talents!



See more Disneyland photos at my regular website.

Sailing Through Sundays on The JC: Construction of a Hippo

This construction photo from 1955 of a Jungle Cruise hippo shows what’s below the water line.

This April 1964 vintage shot shows the final effect:



And the oh-so-commonly photographed hippo today:



See more Disneyland Jungle Cruise photos at my website.

Scholarly Saturdays: Encyclopaedia Britannica & Frontierland, Pt. 6

Oops...realized that last week I jumped the gun by moving us over to Fantasyland; we still have the Indian Village to visit! Let's run back over counter-clockwise to Frontierland and see what's going on there.

Here are Bobby and Susie checking out the Indian culture:



Would love to have a transcription of this conversation:



And just what is this Chief's target???



Bobby's lovin' this; Susie is nowhere to be found.



You can bet Susie won't be doing any of these dances for the guys back home!





And so our visit to Frontierland ends. Make sure you discuss these talking points with your friends and family!





See more Disneyland Indian Village photos at my regular website.

Freaky Fridays @ The Haunted Mansion: A Swinging Wake!

Just when I thought I was done with the Mansion as far as photographs go, along comes a new low-light lens. Here are a few shots from the cemetery (with no flash!) that I have been unable to get in the past. The first one, although a little blurry, is what you first see as you are exiting the attic area, and provides a nice overview of the swinging wake occurring with the 999.





Next time your mama tells you to wear a helmet, listen to her—or else this could be you.



Here are some of the original vintage publicity shots of the Cemetery:







And the same scene today:









One of my friends shared a photo of his Marc Davis maquette, designed for the graveyard scene. Davis sure had a way with expression and characterization. This figure is funny and creepy all at the same time.



This photo is of one of the pop-up ghosts in the graveyard. Who knew that ghosts wore silk?



Here’s what’s going on behind the tombstone with the pop-up ghost.



And a fittingly final photo for today:



See more Disneyland Haunted Mansion photos at my website.

Tell-No-Tales Thursdays: Jolly Roger comparison

This post was inspired from an email asking me about when the change occurred on the Jolly Roger talking skull that greets visitors just as they are about to plunge down the waterfall. This first photo I snapped in October 1995. #2 is from 2002:



The 3rd shot is from 2007. I am not sure how many other incarnations existed. Experts? I also received a request for a photo of the entrance queue scene where “Pirates of the Caribbean” was written out in pinpoint lights. I am still looking!



And a recent shot with no flash:



This just in from Bill Sauder, Daveland Blog reader; here is a screen shot from the Disney World of Color show that introduced America to Pirates:



See more Disneyland Pirates of the Caribbean photos at my website.

You Are There: September 1959, pt. 2

Our 1959 family is getting a great overview of the park from the platform of the Main Street Train Station. If we zoom in, we can still see the large banners announcing the gala year of 1959: Monorail, Matterhorn, Submarines...so much going on! And isn't it great to know that all 3 are still in operation?



Riding on the top of the Omnibus gives guests a fantastic (and not often-seen) overhead view of Main Street and the Castle:



Once again, we’ll zoom in for the placards hailing all of the fantastic improvements for 1959:



This image might make you dizzy! The boys are enjoying the Astrojets:



Now they have finally gotten into the swing of things with these way-cool feathered hats:



This definitely calls for a closeup! Note the Blue Monorail in the background; just 3 months old at the time! And how about those Hawaiian shirts?!? Looks like something Kevin Kidney would have whipped up!



See more Disneyland photos at my regular website.

You Are There: September 1959, pt. 1

Time to hop aboard the magical Disneyland Hotel Tram and take a trip back in time to September 1959. You won’t see dad in any of these photos; he's busy snapping away these colorful Technicolor slides for your enjoyment in 2010. Can you believe that peeling paint? That would surely stir up some controversy over on the MiceAge chat boards...and under Walt's watch, too!

Look at those frowns! We shouldn't judge though; how happy would you be if you were steps away from entering the Happiest Place on Earth and you had to stop to pose for some lousy pictures?



Check out those virgin ticket books in the little tykes' hands...if only I could grab a few of those.



The family finally made it through the turnstiles, but dad isn’t ready to let his boys have any fun yet...just one more picture, kids! They can't wait to feel like cattle by riding the cattle cars of the Disneyland Railroad.



How about another virgin ticket-book closeup?



See more Disneyland photos at my regular website.

GRAD NIGHT! June 1962

This photo was taken in Tomorrowland on June 16, 1962 during Grad Night festivities. At the top of the photo, you can see the Art of Animation sign. The caption for this AP wire photo was fairly gushing about the event:

They had a ball—it looks like an ordinary graduation dance, but it isn’t. It’s the 1962 version, Disneyland-style. The famed amusement park re-oened its doors at 11 pm after it closed to the public, and threw an all-night graduation party for more than 26,000 grads on Thursday and Friday nights. Besides the rides there were eight bands and the kids were doing the “twist” all over the park.

Just look at those crazy teens dancing! Hey readers—were any of you there that night?

See more Disneyland Tomorrowland photos at my regular website.