How about a lovely Sunday in New Orleans...Square, that is! It's a perfect day for a little jazz from the Royal Street Bachelors, as seen in this November 1975 photo.
In the background is the Lafitte Silver Shop, which sold jewelry and other silver merchandise.
A courtyard staircase, aged appropriately, which I believe is the one next to the One of a Kind shop:
Oh how I remember that red shopping bag on the left and the Mickey T-shirts worn by the couple on the right!
A contemporary view for comparison's sake showing the Cristal d'Orleans Shop still in biz:
Jumping forward to August 1981, a few knick-knacks from (I believe) the One of a Kind Shop courtyard:
The same courtyard as seen six years earlier. Only the plants have changed!
Today, it is part of the Pieces of Eight Arcade:
I think I need a beignet. How about you?
See more vintage & current Disneyland New Orleans Square photos on my main website.
It was with great sadness that I read on the Dougsploitation blog that actress Juanita Moore had passed away. If you've never seen the 1959 Douglas Sirk classic "Imitation Of Life" then you might not know her.
"Imitation of Life" was based on a Fannie Hurst novel of the same name and a remake of a 1934 Claudette Colbert film. Over the course of many years, it tells the story of an ambitious white actress, Lora Meredith (Lana Turner) and her friendship with a black woman, Annie Johnson (Moore) who meet by chance when their two daughters become playmates at Coney Island Beach. Lora allows the homeless Annie and her daughter to stay with her for the night.
Annie makes herself indispensable to Lora, organizing the apartment and tending to her child while she is out on auditions. Lora "hires" her (initially for just a place to stay) and the two forge a life-long working and personal relationship.
Johnson's daughter, Sarah Jane (Susan Kohner), is light-skined enough to pass for white, something the girl attempts to do as she gets older and becomes more disgusted with the lack of opportunities available to blacks at the time.
Both Moore and Susan Kohner (daughter of a Mexican actress and a Jewish film producer) earned Oscar nominations for their work. At the time, Juanita Moore was only the third black performer to be nominated for an Oscar. Moore and Kohner provide the framework for the most touching yet gut-wrenching scenes in the film.
Sarah Jane grows tired of her mother's supposed acceptance of being treated like a second-class citizen and decides to strike out on her own, living life as a white woman.
Annie attempts to teach patience and tolerance to her daughter, hoping she won't run away, but to no avail. Much later, when Annie is able to find her wayward daughter (now a showgirl), the two have a final confrontation that will rip your heart out. Sarah Jane obviously has a deep love for her mother, but her immaturity and desire for acceptance wins out, forcing her to publicly denounce Annie and tell her friends that she is only her mammy.
Many who take the film only at face value have dismissed it as typical 1950s melodrama, while pointing out the stereotypical nature of Moore's character. Those that take the time to examine the film will be richly rewarded by Moore's performance and its subtle yet powerful nuances. During a low-key reflective scene between Annie and Lora, Annie talks about her friends and her church. "It never occurred to me that you had any friends...I didn't know." Lora's self-absorbed ignorance about her best friend is not necessarily race-driven, as her treatment of her own daughter (annoyingly portrayed by Sandra Dee) is not much different. Annie could have made a very dramatic scene by calling her friend uncaring and selfish; instead, she subtly lets her know with one very simple line, delivered without anger or sarcasm: "Miss Lora, you never asked." It is the writing for Annie's character and Moore's natural performance that creates the core of the film, keeping it from going over the edge of artifice.
Towards the end of the film, when it becomes apparent that Annie is dying, the somewhat dimwitted Lora finally realizes all of the true riches that she has in this friendship. The final scene between these two is one of the most emotionally charged ones ever put on celluloid.
For a year after her 1960 nomination, Moore didn't work, as casting directors assumed she'd never play servants again. "What can you do?" Moore asked. "They're not going to pay me a lot of money for carrying a tray. That's all we did in movies at the time. The Oscar prestige was fine, but I worked more before I was nominated. Casting directors think an Oscar nominee is suddenly in another category. They couldn't possibly ask you to do one or two days' work. You wouldn't accept it. And I'm sure I would have." She went on to do a number of supporting roles, but the early promise of her acting career in "Imitation of Life" was sadly never fulfilled.
On youtube, you'll find this fantastic 3-part series of Moore vividly recalling her work with Lana Turner on "Imitation of Life":
Once again, calling upon the USC Digital Archives to view the 1956 Tournament of Roses football team, The Michigan State Spartans. Members of the team are shown on the E.P. Ripley at the Main Street Train Station.
The engineer doesn't look like a very big football fan.
No Rose Queens for this team; all they get is a Horse-Drawn Streetcar and a pile of dung.
You probably thought I'd zoom in on the dung; instead, I'm taking the high road and zooming in on the team.
Michigan went on to win the January 2, 1956 game against the UCLA Bruins, 17-14.
See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my main website.
It's December 23, 1959, and the 1960 Tournament of Roses Queen, Margarethe Bertelson, is in Disneyland's Town Square preparing for her royal journey to the Sleeping Beauty Castle, followed by her Court of Princesses...
and members from the Washington University and Wisconsin University football teams. Thanks to the USC Digital Archives, I have been able to expand the coverage of this particular day.
Zooming in for a closer look at the signage on Main Street, U.S.A.
A shot from Central Plaza:
Zooming in, you can see Scary Mickey & Minnie bringing up the rear:
If you're not familiar with Scary Mickey and Minnie, here's a colorful reminder:
At the Castle, Margarethe poses with members from both teams:
Zooming in, you can see that the word "Holidayland" is written on the ball. Perhaps there was a practice there?
How many photos does it take to get a perfect image? Can't use this one...
one of the team members is attempting to "pick a winner."
Can't use this one...
darn it...he blinked.
This one will work. We'll go with this one.
Once the formal portraits were over, it was time for some fun on the Tea Cups.
You just know the guy in the middle hurled.
Another Tea Cups shot:
Yup. Just about to lose his churro.
See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my main website.
Fifty-six years ago today on January 1, 1958, the annual Rose Bowl game pitted The Ohio State Buckeyes against the Oregon Ducks (also known as the Webfoots). Although Oregon lost the game (10-7), at least they had a day of fun at Disneyland. Thanks to these photos from the USC digital archives, you can see the Oregon team as they toured the park on December 23, 1957.
On the left is Jack Crabtree, Oregon's quarterback that was named the Rose Bowl Player of the Game. He was one of only two players in Rose Bowl history from a losing team who won the award outright. Next to Jack is Tournament of Roses Queen Gertrude "Trudy" Wood.
Trudy is all smiles as she is being helped by one of the players.
Queen Trudy and her court pose with the Ducks in front of the Castle.
Note the matching necklaces and bracelets that the girls are wearing.
The best part of the photo is the little boy with the North Long Beach YMCA t-shirt on. His expression is very Beaver Cleaver. "What are all those dumb girls doing here?!?"
Oh Trudy...don't let any of the cast members see you precariously posed on the back of the Casey Jr.!
Soaring off to Neverland aboard Peter Pan's Flight:
All smiles and waves from the E.P. Ripley. I sure hope the one guy got off the train before it started moving! This would be a Disney attorney's nightmare.
These poor fellows were left behind and forced to use the Kalamazoo Handcar for the Grand Circle Tour.
Perhaps this is why Oregon lost; they were too pooped to pass.
See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my main website.
