Breaking Away: 35th Anniversary

Today marks the 35th Anniversary of one of my very favorite films, "Breaking Away." Filmed entirely in Bloomington where I attended Indiana University, it perfectly captured the quirky small-town community that just happened to have over 40,000 students. I say "captured" because Bloomington has changed a lot in the last 35 years!

Dennis Christopher plays Dave, a high school student who struggles to figure out his future. Here he is posing in downtown Bloomington astride his bike:



Here's how the same Courthouse Square looks today:



The struggle between "Town and Gown" (community residents vs. the college students) comes to a head in an epic brawl that takes place at the University Student Union:



The Indiana Memorial Union Cafeteria today:



One of the local quarries plays a major role in the film. Limestone from this quarry was used in the Empire State Building, The Pentagon, and Washington National Cathedral, just to name a few iconic structures. Here Dave sunbathes with his high school friends, played by Dennis Quaid (diving into the quarry) and Daniel Stern.



During my college days, I used to go swimming in the very same quarry, aka Rooftop Quarry. Today, you couldn't pay me enough money to jump into this stagnant cesspool!



One of the most touching scenes in the film is between Dave and his somewhat detached father (played by Paul Dooley), who used to work in one of the quarries. They stroll through the campus near the library, discussing Dave's future after high school.

Father: You guys still go swimmin' in the quarries?
Dave: Sure.
Father: So, the only thing you got to show for my 20 years of work is the holes we left behind?

He goes on, in an awkward attempt to encourage his son to be something that he never was:

I was proud of my work. And the buildings went up. When they were finished the damnedest thing happened. It was like the buildings were too good for us. Nobody told us that. It just felt uncomfortable, that's all.



The very same limestone library today:



The final bike race is breathtaking and emotionally charged; I still get excited watching it, even though I know what the result will be.



All that's left of the original stadium where the race was filmed are the corner limestone pillars:



The film's box office started out extremely slow, thanks to a trailer that does a very poor job of promoting the film.



Happy Anniversary, "Breaking Away"!

See more "Breaking Away" photos on my main website.

Trip to Disneyland, March 1972

For those of you who love the 70s, you get a one day reprieve! Today's post continues the polyester magic with a few images from March 1972. Other than the swans in photo #1, these two castle shots are fairly ho-hum. Definitely not the reason why I acquired this batch.



I love all Skull Rock shots, but no…this isn't why I wanted this batch.



Hair black as ebony, skin white as snow…no, I don't think this is Snow White, even though she is posing in Fantasyland.



small world topiary…very nice, but again, not impressive to me.



The Excursion car adds a nice touch, but still…not the driving factor.



The Columbia is a beautiful ship, but this shot is not really a "wow."



Finally, we come to reason number one. The Petrified Tree. Any vintage shot of this Disneyland oddity is of interest to me. Can you think of a wackier anniversary present? I'm sure Lillian couldn't.



This dark POTC exterior is interesting as documentation of how this area looked before the under/overpass was constructed.



And the best for last…an interior vintage shot that is in color AND in focus of the skeleton steering the pirate ship in the grotto scene of the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction! Double wow!



I hope you're as impressed as I was!

See more Daveland Disneyland photos at my main website.

Trip to Disneyland, May 1972: Pt. 4

Welcome to New Orleans Square! Holding hands in a display of solidarity, 4/5 of our 1970's quintet are ready to enjoy Walt's sanitized recreation of the decadent southern city.

This second shot appears to have been taken from the 2nd floor of the NOS buildings; perhaps they dined at Club 33?



Zooming in to the shop below, you can see the Pirate Arcade/Museum:



Back on solid ground, the lovely young lass poses for the camera…



and attracts the attention of a young gent. I am sure he is thinking, "Ay caramba!"



Today, Fortune Red is placed inside of the entry:



Here's the front of the card you'd receive if you put your change into the machine:



and the reverse side:



Back to 1972, we have a shot of the Rivers of America:



a closeup of the GAF Photo Trail sign:



And a few non-themed buckets parked next to the trash can:



Hope you enjoyed the trip back in time!

See more Daveland Disneyland photos at my main website.

Trip to Disneyland, May 1972: Pt. 3

Let's meet at the Hub! I am sure many a family/group/couple uttered those famous words over the last 59 years, showing Walt's genius in planning his amusement park.



Care for a balloon?



The 2 gents have allowed the three lovelies to pose without them in front of the Castle. By now, the Crest had been installed above the drawbridge.



Crossing over into Adventureland, we get a glimpse of what the Treehouse looked like before Tarzan broke the Robinson Family's lease.



Signage detail:



See more Daveland Disneyland photos at my main website.

Trip to Disneyland, May 1972: Pt. 2

Today we join our 1972 Quintet in front of the Matterhorn. I'm seeing a lot of love in these photos. Mother/daughter combo perhaps?



3 attractions for the price of one in this photo, with the Monorail track snaking around the Matterhorn and the Skyway buckets floating overhead.



Had to zoom in for a closeup of this sign; can you imagine paying a separate price for each attraction?



So many GREAT choices in 1972 Tomorrowland!



Meanwhile, this poor bastard appears to be searching for a diaper in his leather bag.



See more Daveland Disneyland Matterhorn photos at my main website.

Trip to Disneyland, May 1972: Part 1

This latest Daveland series takes us back to the decade that frowned upon natural fibers: the 1970's. This Quintet fits right in with the mod clothes, hair, and Ka-razy sunglasses! Turns out the blond woman and the dark haired man are Sylvia and Rowland Schaefer, the founders of Claire's Accessory and Jewelry stores found in many malls across the nation.

Can you believe that you could ever park your car THIS CLOSE to the entrance? I still remember the excitement of getting out of the car and running to the ticket booths.



Come back tomorrow for more from our 1970's Quintet of Fabulosity.

See more Daveland Disneyland photos at my main website.

Old Hollywood Map: The Hollywood Hotel

#23 on my vintage Hollywood Map is the Hollywood Hotel.



Located on the north side of Hollywood Boulevard between Highland and Orchid Avenues, The Hollywood Hotel was one of the first elegant hotels to spring up in the bustling city of Hollywood. This first photo is from 1906. A closeup of the Hotel's marquee:



This 1950 shot was taken six years before the Hotel was razed to make way for the First Federal Savings & Loan Association of Hollywood, a shopping center, and parking lots.



A closeup of the attached Florist Shop:



On the backside of this photo is a message to Miss Beverly Grant in New York. Today, a 1 cent stamp wouldn't even get this postcard from the service window to the back of the Post Office.



Knowing you'd be as interested as I am in seeing Aunt Laura's message to Beverly, here it is rotated and cleaned up!



Today, this parcel of land is occupied by the Dolby Theater, formerly the Kodak Center and then The Hollywood and Highland Center, which contains a few nods to vintage Hollywood.





From yesterday's post for Cox Pilot, here's a closeup of the sign hanging from the Moonliner. Not very exciting stuff:



See more Daveland Hollywood photos at my main website.

59 Years Ago Today: The Moonliner

Here's what the 80' Moonliner rocket ship looked like on July 6, 1955.
 Talk about playing things to the wire! Here's what the vintage caption read that accompanies this USC Digital Archive photo:

Wednesday, July 6, 1955. Early risers along a twenty-mile route between Hollydale and Anaheim were startled this morning to see an 80 foot Rocket ship moving through the streets. In order to prevent a gigantic traffic tie-up, the 10 ton aluminum and steel 'Air Ship of Tomorrow' was trucked before sun-up, from Hollydale where it was built, to Disneyland where it will become part of the TWA exhibit as well as the theme of the Tomorrowland section of the park.

These four guys look as if they have doubts as to what's going on. Who could have imagined just how successful Walt's theme park would turn out to be. I also wonder what The Penthouse referred to in the sign looked like?



See more vintage Disneyland Moonliner photos on my main website.