Disneyland Updates

A lot of ground to cover today, so hang on folks and make sure you have your morning beverage of choice ready, cause it’s going to be a long one! The post is starting out with a vintage (July 1970) Submarine Voyage photo, followed by some pics showing the progress on the Nemo Submarine Voyage. Plenty of activity was occurring behind the barricades, including the Submarines in motion, “deep-sea” divers, construction folk, and some AA crabs/seagulls.











You can see the rest of my Nemo Sub photos on my website. Over on the Rivers of America, there is even more activity, as Tom Sawyer’s Island draws nearer to its May 24 due date for completion of phase 1. A new Pirate Crow’s Nest has been erected next to Harper’s Mill, and what appears to be the back of a marooned Pirate Ship is getting framed on the island. The rafts are providing transportation for the construction crew between the island and dry land. Sadly, the moose in the river is now in need of a little makeover as well.









For more Tom Sawyer Island/Pirate’s Lair construction photos, visit my website. California Adventure is also seeing some construction work, as the Midway Mania ride continues to slowly take shape.



I also found the sign that was in Friday’s post, and can say that 50 years later, it’s still looking pretty good. As as Walterworld said, it is over by the currently unused Fantasyland Skyway Station. You’ll note that the Skyway designation is no longer hanging there.



For more vintage & current Disneyland photos, visit my regular website.

The Back of the Sign

From October 5, 1957 comes this Fantasyland slide. Good color, nice sharp detail, but I gotta’ wonder why the photographer took a photo of the back of this sign with a bluebird on it as the focal point? And, does anyone know what this sign is of? While we’re in 1957, here’s another one from the same batch with a nice overhead shot of the Carrousel (that’s 2 R’s at Disneyland) and the Castle.



For more vintage & current Fantasyland photos, visit my regular website.

The Monorail Trio

With over 270 posts, it’s easy to forget what’s been posted already. The other day, the Major pointed out that there were a few Monorail pics from my collection that hadn’t made it to the blog, so today I will rectify the situation. First up is one from August 1960 of the Blue Monorail. If you look closely, you can see a little Mermaid action in the lagoon, as well as the old round-style Skyway buckets above. Shot two is from June 1963 (sans Mermaid action); a nice shot of the escalator and the rear of the Monorail. This one appears to be the rare brown Monorail (can’t wait to see the comments on that one...)



The final pic for today is a Panavue slide that shows the typical color shift which I have attempted to correct as much as possible.



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Monorail photos at my main website.

Mark Twain, Chicken of the Sea, and a follow-up

This is a great shot of the Mark Twain (make sure you scroll all the way to the right as this is a wide one!) that is unfortunately undated. However, judging by the barren look of the banks, it is probably from the first few years of the park. I am very happy that the MT is undergoing an extensive repair/restoration. It is nice to see this old gem taken care of. The second shot for today is an overhead of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship Restaurant from August 1959.



And for James, here are two shots from last year’s Candlelight Processional. Judging by the sold out crowds, I don’t think there was much concern about having the annual Christian-themed show and whether it was “pc” or not.





See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.

Christmas in April

Here’s a good shot of the huge lighted star that used to stand on top of the Matterhorn at Christmas. This slide is from December, 1968. Apparently this tradition was stopped due to the energy crisis/costs during the 1970’s.

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Matterhorn photos at my main website.

Tribute to Don Ho

It was definitely the end of an era last Saturday with the passing of Hawaiian Legend Don Ho. When I went to Hawaii over a year ago, seeing the Don Ho show in Waikiki was on the top of the list of things to do. Although he looked frail, once he started singing, the years rolled back and the legend was young again. So, in honor of Don, today’s post is “Hawaiian” Themed (please note the use of quotes). First up are pictures from Disney World, Summer 1978, showing the Polynesian Village Resort, as well as the Luau at Luau Cove (showing Minnie shaking her grass skirt).









See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Enchanted Tiki Room photos at my main website.

Monorail & Tomorrowland Attraction Poster

This isn’t what I would call an amazing slide, but it gives a good segue into this post. This view is from October, 1959, showing the Red Monorail not long after it’s opening day. My next image is my “re-creation” of the original Monorail poster. Most of the copies available today are sub-par quality or have been altered slightly from the originals, so I have begun re-drawing the original silk-screened classics using Adobe Illustrator.



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Tomorrowlandphotos at my main website.

Friday the 13th: Let Us In!

This slide is from December 1968; the Haunted Mansion is not yet open, and the people in the lower left-hand corner are busy reading the sign.



And for Friday the 13th, here’s one of the Mansion’s 13-Hour Clock:



For those of you who aren’t superstitious, here’s one of the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse, also from December 1968.



Sadly enough, this attraction is now closed for an unknown period of time; HOPEFULLY the Tarzan overlay can be removed and it will be returned to its former glory. Pipe dream? Remember, dreams do come true…

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Haunted Mansion photos at my main website.

Town Square Window

This Christmas, 1968 window display at the Bank of America shows Gepetto’s workshop, with Pinocchio barely visible in the background.

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Town Square photos at my main website.

Tomorrowland Trio, May 1964

Here are 3 views from Tomorrowland, circa May 1964, beginning with the Autopia, moving onto the entrance to America the Beautiful, and then the big finish of the Red Monorail (with a dash of Autopia).





See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Tomorrowland photos at my main website.

Peter Pan Load Area

Today you can view an assortment of photos showing the original load area for Peter Pan. First one is from May 1958, followed by a February 1965 slide.



Moving onto July 1964, this is one of a stereoview slide.



Two from December, 1968:





See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Peter Pan attraction photos at my main website.

One more from the Tiki Room

Here’s another one from the Enchanted Tiki Room, from June 1965. A rare interior shot that is actually useable! I also knew that somewhere I had a current shot of Koro, so here is the current and the vintage (again) for you:





I also found a better front shot to compare with the previous one:





See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Enchanted Tiki Room photos at my main website.

The Enchanted Tiki Room: Then & Now

Here’s a small Then (December 1968) & Now (uh, now...) sampling of the Tiki Room. The first shot shows the United Sponsorship placard above the showroom entrance.

Comparison two shows Maui, who has gotten a healthy dose of turquoise over the years, as has the rest of the area.

Last but not least for today is poor Koro, who I have yet to get a current shot of; add that to my list for my next trip to DLand.



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Enchanted Tiki Room photos at my main website.

Transportation: Main Street Style

Today’s post is for Amazon, who has re-emerged from hiding. My first 1957/58 photo shows the interior of the Horse-Drawn Trolley, which oughta’ get Amazon drooling. And for those of you who need to get to Central Plaza a little quicker, you can always hop on this snazzy red beast:



Whatever you do, don’t pick this Carnation Truck (March 1968) as a mode of transportation: it’s a quick ride to nowhere.



If you wait too long to pick a vehicle, you may just have to walk instead. If that‘s the case, you may need to rest at the Coke Corner while grabbing a hot dog and refreshing Coca Cola. This shot is from August 1958.



UPDATE: A few months ago, I posted a floor plan for the Golden Horseshoe and recently discovered that it was the set design for the 10,000th Show (1961) which aired Sept. 23, 1962 on NBC’s “Wonderful World of Disney.” Many thanks to Gene Sands in helping to confirm this.



And while we’re on the subject of Golden Horseshoe, here are a few recent pics I took there,

including two for Amazon:

See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland photos at my main website.