Steve Allen on The Jungle Cruise

Today it's back to December 1957 as we follow Steve Allen and family aboard the Disneyland Jungle Cruise. Actress Donna Reed has the sunglasses on and is attempting to avoid the paparazzi in the back of the boat.



Anyone want a closer look at that vintage souvenir bag?



Once the initial batch of photos were over, it would appear that Allen and his family moved to a different position on their boat, The Zambesi Miss.



Check out that huge flash attachment to Steve Jr.'s camera!





Even on the Jungle Cruise, Allen must look his best for the cameras. Fix that collar, Steve!



Wish I knew what they were craning their necks to see in this shot.



As the Allen family leaves Adventureland, I wonder where they will go next? Only time will tell. Stay tuned! I wonder what happened to Donna? Did she stay behind with Trader Sam?!?



More vintage and current Disneyland Jungle Cruise photos at my main website.

The Fonz in San Diego

When it comes to 1970s TV icons, "The Fonz" was way above the rest...until he jumped the shark of course. It brought back many fond memories when I saw the leather jacket and motorcycle used by Henry Winkler in his portrayal of Arthur Fonzarelli at the San Diego Automotive Museum in Balboa Park. Every Tuesday I sat in front of the TV and watched "Happy Days," with its rose-colored glasses retelling of the 1950s.

The cycle on exhibit was one of three used in the filming of the show.



A closeup of his Triumph cycle. And no...you can't "sit on it."



If you're wanting to see this in person, you have until June 8th.

More vintage auto photos at my main website.

Disneyland Parking Lot, June 1965

From one June 1965 image I have managed to expand it into 4 views. Ah, the glory of closeups. A closeup of the back of the Monorail station at the Disneyland Hotel.



The next three closeups show various buildings along Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue.



Anyone for a Grand Slam breakfast at Denny's?



Most amazing to me is the amount of school buses visible in the parking lot.



More Disneyland Hotel and parking lot photos at my main website.

Temple Tuesday: Shirley on the Radio

John Florea worked for LIFE Magazine from 1941-1949, photographing some of the most famous actresses of the 1940s. These three shots that he took show Shirley Temple performing on the radio in 1942. Most likely she was performing the role of Judy Graves in the series "Junior Miss." Not quite sure how the birdcage fits in though!



Shirley's movie career was stalled at the time while she was attending Westlake School for Girls and enjoying the life of a normal teenager. Or at least as normal as the girl who was once the most famous child in the world could ever hope to be.



Ads for "Junior Miss" gushed about teenage Shirley:

"A new radiant Shirley Temple—in a magnificent story, worthy of her talents! Made a date to meet her every Wednesday at 9:00 (E.W.T.) You'll lose your heart to this lovable, laughable JUNIOR MISS! Make a Date to Meet Her!



Here's a closeup of two members of the orchestra. That should account for at least a portion of the extravagant $12,000 per episode budget!



The program premiered on March 4, 1942 and ended with the 26th episode on August 26, 1942.



Not a bad little run for our girl Shirley!



More teenage Shirley at my main website.

1959 New Attraction Preview Map

This vintage image shows a New Attraction Preview map for Disneyland 1959. I have no idea where in the Park this was located, but I think it's pretty cool nonetheless. Even more than 3 years after opening, Tinkerbell is still the spokesperson rather than Mickey Mouse. Apparently the uncertainty of whether or not the Park would make it was the reason she was put front and center instead of Mickey.



A closeup of the Matterhorn/Skyway/Monorail portion of the map. It looks like a tunnel was originally part of the plan for the Monorail to the left of the Matterhorn.



See more behind-the-scenes photos of Disneyland at my main website.

Steve Allen and Casey Jr.

More from Steve Allen's December 1957 trip to Disneyland. The accompanying publicity blurb for their spin around Fantasyland aboard Casey Jr. was as follows:

Steve Allen's three sons, eleven year-old Brian; Steve Jr., 13; and David, seven, leave Fantasyland for Frontierland during a recent visit to Disneyland.

I think the reporter was a little mixed up, or just not familiar with Casey's journey.

Apparently actress Donna Reed was also there that day.



I won't even try to connect the dots on that one.



Meanwhile, Happy St. Patrick's Day to all who celebrate, especially my friends in Savannah where they need a year-round headquarters for today's parade.



More photos and pop culture fun at my main website.

Steve Allen and The Autopia

MORE from Steve Allen's December 1957 very public visit to Disneyland. These are all from his spin around the Autopia track. Looks like Steve had the special privilege of driving the police car! It'd be cool to bring that one back. Here's the accompanying publicity blurb:

"Steve Allen gets some advice from son David, seven, as they prepare to drive Autopia's freeway during a recent trip to Disneyland. Steve's other sons, Steve Jr., 13; and Brian, 11, accompanied their father also.





A closeup of the cast member; I will bet that whistle got a lot of use throughout the day.



Drive on over to my main website for more Disneyland Autopia photos.

Speeding on the Autopia, 1958

At first glance, this shot is a throwaway. Blurry Autopia vehicle...bleh.

Thanks to the source being the original black and white negative, a tight crop yields this wonderful image showing Snow Hill and the Skyway. That's right...you are looking at the future location of The Matterhorn.



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

MORE Steve Allen at Disneyland

Here are two shots from Steve Allen's December 1957 visit to Disneyland with his kids. His Skyway bucket is about to drop them off at Fantasyland. Or is it on the way to Tomorrowland?



A group shot at the Fantasyland Skyway Station. The boys were from his first marriage to Dorothy Goodman; the boys (not necessarily in this order) were Steve Jr., Brian, and David.



More vintage and current Disneyland photos at my main website.

Skyway Madness

Anyone in the mood for a Skyway blowout? Let's start with an image from 1956, when the Skyway attraction at Disneyland first began operation. What? No Matterhorn? That's correct. Just a big mound of dirt, which came from where the Castle is. It had to go somewhere to make room for the foundation and the moat. I guess that kind of makes it royal dirt.

The rest of today's images are from August, 1959.



Call me a Peeping Tom if you'd like, but I love looking into the buckets and getting a closer view. You can also see the Richfield Autopia Eagle on the right side of the frame.





This detailed view provides a better look at the Astrojet attraction.



On first glance, this one kind of stinks because of the bar running down the center of the frame.



With a little cropping, it becomes a magnificent overhead view of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship.



Tuna boats for all!

See more vintage Disneyland Skyway photos my main website.

Frito Friday

I am digging this 1956 image of the Gonzalez Trio in Frontierland. Not only do we get to see the Trio in action, but the Frito Kid is in the background licking his chops over those tasty crunchy chips at the Casa de Fritos.



Here's another shot of the trio from October 1959.



Zooming in we see a very chic looking guest who appears to have been influenced by the style of Audrey Hepburn. Too cool for Disneyland.



Upon closer inspection, today it appears that the Gonzalez Trio is only a duo. I want a refund.



More Gonzalez Trio at Disneyland photos at my main website.

Town Square Thursday

Being able to scan negatives is so much better than a print. The details that are available in a negative are crazy amazing. These images come from a 1958 batch that I recently acquired. This first one looks like it came out of a fashion magazine; how about that hat? Image two shows the Omnibus parked in front of the Main Street Train Station.



How about a detailed view? The recently opened Grand Canyon Diorama is featured on the Omnibus' banner:



This alternate angle looks like it was shot from the platform of the train.



The Alice in Wonderland attraction is featured on the opposite side of the Omnibus:



The last one for today shows the Horse-Drawn Streetcar and one of those amazingly vintage hitching posts.



More vintage and current Disneyland Town Square photos at my main website.