July 1961 Duo

In this July 1961 you see the Horseless Carriage at Central Plaza; this fringed vehicle was last seen on this blog as a photo ops for Walt and his lovely wife, Lillian.



Here's the Snow White Wishing Well, barely a few months old:



Back in the day, Dopey once carried a fishing pole.



Today he just imitates The Fonz.



A vintage closeup of Snow White:



More vintage Disneyland photos at my main website.

Vintage Disneyland Hotel

Today let's travel back in time to the Disneyland Hotel when it had that vintage vibe that was more akin to a motel than the massive behemoth it has morphed into. Today's first image is from August 1961 and features the hotel's swimming pool. The lifeguard seems pretty chill considering what his job is.



Here's a look at the Hotel Tram which shuttled guests to and from the Park.



A closer look at the signage showing the shops at the Hotel.



This foggy January 1962 image of the Hotel also yields some nice details.



The sign for the Hotel Golf Course:



and the Blue Monorail:



More vintage and current Disneyland Hotel photos at my main website.

Trip to Santa Fe, Pt. 2

Next door to my hotel was the Loretto Chapel; day and nighttime views for you.



When I hear the word chapel, I think of something small and quaint; this 1878 structure seemed more like a mini-cathedral.





The showstopper here is the wooden spiral staircase.



From the Chapel's website:

Unable to find a decent way to get to the choir loft above without compromising seating capacity, legend says that the Sisters of the Chapel made a novena to St. Joseph, the patron saint of carpenters. On the ninth and final day of prayer, a man appeared at the Chapel with a donkey and a toolbox looking for work. Months later, the elegant circular staircase was completed and the carpenter disappeared without pay or thanks.



After searching for the man (an ad even ran in the local newspaper) and finding no trace of him, some concluded that he was St. Joseph himself, having come in answer to the sisters' prayers. The staircase has two 360 degree turns and no visible means of support. Also, it is said that the staircase was built without nails—only wooden pegs. Questions also surround the number of stair risers relative to the height of the choir loft and about the types of wood and other materials used in the stairway's construction.



More Santa Fe photos at my main website.

Trip to Santa Fe, Pt. 1

Recently I attended the annual UCDA Design Summit in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For sparking my creativity at work (and at home), this conference was just what I needed. Today's post focuses on the host hotel, The Inn and Spa at Loretto.

Rarely do I gush about a facility, but this place definitely had it going on...day AND night!



The hotel was clean, well-appointed, and the staff was on top of their game at every level.



The room was pretty incredible, too. Spacious and comfortable, it was a great place to relax in between sessions.



A lovely balcony provided a great view of the snow(!) that appeared on our second day there.



I made sure I took advantage of the spa services and thoroughly enjoyed them.



Unlike many hotels, the in-house restaurant was fantastic.







The chef, Marc Quiñones, had done a great job with the menu and I enjoyed every meal I ate there.





Despite the chilly temperatures, I enjoyed swimming in the heated pool!



More Santa Fe photos at my main website.

Judy and the Paparazzi

The paparazzi were around even back in the sixties; this October 1965 image shows Judy Garland (could that be Liza next to her?) being whisked away in a car before another shot can be taken of her.

More Judy photos from my collection at my main website.

Shirley Temple and The Blue Bird Diamond

The 1940 Shirley Temple movie "The Blue Bird" may have been a box office dud, but the 9.54 carat blue diamond ring that Shirley's dad bought for her at the time of the film's premiere definitely wasn't. Recently up on the auction block at Sotheby's, the ring was valued between $25-35 million. Not bad for her dad's original purchase price of $7,210! The ring went unsold at the auction, but Sotheby's had this to say: “Unfortunately, tonight wasn’t its night in the salesroom, but we remain fully confident that it will find a buyer.”



Here's a shot of Shirley and husband Charles Black from the 1980s.



Not sure if the rock on her hands here is the same one, but she continued to wear the 1940 ring throughout her life.



More Shirley photos at my main website.

Sax on a Tuesday

Today you get a double-shot of the Keystone Kops at Disneyland, best known for entertaining the guests with their saxophones. First image is from March 1958, showing two Kops entering Central Plaza with the Tomorrowland entrance behind them.



Seven years later they're still at it in this May 1965 image:



I see a tenor and baritone and one alto sax; can't tell what the partially hidden Kop is playing.



More vintage (and current) Disneyland photos at my main website.

Mary Blair Monday

While this installation of classic Mary Blair in Tomorrowland is greatly missed, it has always seemed a bit out of place stylistically for the land which it was created. This September 1968 shot provides a nice view of this long-gone mural by the beloved Disney artist.



Today, Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters has taken over the real estate where Blair once resided.



More vintage (and current) Tomorrowland photos at my main website.

The Birds: Behind-The-Scenes

Today's image shows a rare behind-the-scenes shot from the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock movie, "The Birds." Tippi Hedren is seen in the prop phone booth, getting ready to shoot one of the more harrowing scenes from the film. In the detailed view, you can see that yes, they really were throwing "live" birds at Tippi. Hollywood is not always so glamorous!



More Tippi Hedren photos at my main website.

Shirley and Judy Double Date

In what appears to be either the most awkward double date or just a forced publicity still, Shirley Temple and first husband John Agar are seated next to Judy Garland and her second hubby Vincente Minnelli. The blurb on the back of this shot says that they are at the 1949 premiere of "Passion." Never heard of it. On Angela Lansbury's Twitter page, she identifies this as being the premiere of the December 1946 film “Paisan,” an Italian war drama. Still, Shirley and Judy look older than they would have in 1946. Lansbury and current beau Peter Shaw were cropped out of this shot, but were in attendance.

Poor Judy looks like she just wants to crawl under the seat. Oh to be a fly on the wall here.



More vintage Shirley Temple photos at my main website.

The Boy On The Hill

These two rare photos show a little boy standing where the Matterhorn would eventually be constructed. Dubbed Holiday Hill, Snow Hill, Lookout Mountain, and even Lover's Lane, this little mountain constructed of dirt from the Castle moat gives a lovely view of Tomorrowland. Although these photos were dated January 1961, they must have been reprints, as the Matterhorn was already built by that time.



More Holiday Hill and Matterhorn photos at my main website.