Getting Mod: July 29, 1973, Pt. 4

Hope you can stand the shock of going from Tomorrowland to Frontierland! We are just inside the gates and the crowds are actually swarming! Today, this is one of the few places that is fairly easy to photograph sans guests.

This shot of the Golden Horseshoe looks fairly typical...



until we zoom in and see that the Oaks Tavern is still around. For all you beer guzzlers, don’t get too excited about opportunities lost. No alcoholic beverages were served here.



The bougainvillea sure makes a purty canopy. Almost helps block out the Freddy Prinze wannabe. Hey mister...you’re at Disneyland. How about buttoning that shirt up a bit? Oh, I forgot. It’s the 70’s.



Wrappin’ it up today with the Columbia & The Twain.





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

Getting Mod: July 29, 1973, Pt. 3

We’re not through with Tomorrowland just yet! Here’s a thumbs up (again) for the Astro Orbiter/Jets/Rockets/Thingamajig on top of the PeopleMover track area. So much cooler to be higher flying above the park. As opposed to being high...which still occurred in the 70s I’m sure!

Even the Autopia cars have taken on the stylings of the 1970’s:



All aboard The Friendship Train:



I’m beginning to breakout in a rash from all the synthetic threads seen here!



We’ll be sailing out of Tomorrowland today with this photo of the Subs:



On another note...Daveland reader Susan sent me these photos of a recent find that had been hidden in a closet for years. The age and story of this empty Toffee Box is a mystery to her; any of you Disneyana Geeks out there able to give her some background info on it?









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

Getting Mod: July 29, 1973, Pt. 2

Boy was that fried chicken tasty! Welcome back to July 29, 1973. We’re still at Central Plaza standing in front of the gateway to Tomorrowland.

Once you get over the shock of the floppy white sun hats and the sloppy sandals (sorry folks...the stylish 50’s and 60’s are a thing of the past now!), step up to the Adventure Thru Inner Space attraction sponsored by Monsanto.



Nothing screams “1970’s Future” better than these wall tiles...



or Rolly Crump’s spired planters:



Even though they seem more at home in Fantasyland, Mary Blair’s Tomorrowland murals were a beautiful one-of-a-kind work of art:





This is hardly a worthy substitute. Insert gasps here, please.



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

Getting Mod: July 29, 1973 Pt. 1

Welcome to the 1970’s! If you’re not sure that these photos are from the polyester decade, please check out this closeup of the previous photo.

Mutton Chops: Check.
Combover: Check.
White Vinyl Belt: Check.



Now that we’ve got that established, we can hop aboard the Horse-Drawn Streetcar and journey up Main Street U.S.A. to Central Plaza & The Castle.







If the Streetcar isn’t your thang, then you can hop on the Fire Engine...



or my personal fave, The Omnibus. I always feel like an Osmond when I ride on the top level (true children of the 60s/70s will understand that reference).



I’m going to stop at the Plaza Inn and have a little fried chicken. Catch up with me tomorrow for some more glorious 1973 images.



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

Screen Gem Saturdays: Lily Munster, Eliot Ness, and Hollywood Nightclubs

Best known as Lily Munster, Yvonne DeCarlo was actually a great beauty with a respectable movie career behind her before she ever filmed the TV classic, “The Munsters.”

Here are two vintage shots of a date between Yvonne DeCarlo & Robert Stack (known as Eliot Ness in the TV series "The Untouchables"). What a handsome couple they made. According to Yvonne’s autobiography, the two actually dated for awhile.



I love the “back off bitch!” look that Yvonne shoots the Philip Morris cigarette girl. In shot #2, they laugh about how Yvonne has just put the poor cigarette girl in her place—or at least that’s what I think.



Once a glamorous nightclub at 8433 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, Ciro’s was where all the movie stars used to hang out. Since 1972, it has been The Comedy Store. In this vintage image, Ava Gardner and Howard Duff enjoy an evening out together, back in the day when stars dressed up to go out.



Another favorite nightspot of the stars was The Cocoanut Grove, located inside the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Sadly, this historic landmark was torn down recently.



For “Regions Beyond,” here’s a color closeup of the area requested from yesterday’s post:



To see more Hollywood photos, visit my main website.

Zooming In To The Jungle Cruise Dock, 1958.

On the initial view, this publicity shot stamped April 6, 1958, looks like a typical photo of the Jungle Cruise attraction’s dock area. Cast members assist guests into and off of the boats and the queue seems to be fairly packed.

Looking closer, you can see two ladies on the 2nd level on the backside of New Orleans Street. Were guests able to access this or are these two cast members? You can also see a poster on the construction wall plugging the Keystone Kops.



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

Traveling Thursdays: Mom Goes To Europe, 1955, Pt. 1

As a college graduation gift, my grandmother took my mom on a trip to Europe. The two set sail for Europe on September 2, 1955, aboard the SS United States. Built in 1952, The SS United States was a luxury passenger liner designed to capture the trans-Atlantic speed record. Costing $78 million, the ship was the largest ocean liner constructed entirely in the United States, the fastest ocean liner to cross the Atlantic in either direction, and even in retirement retains the Blue Riband (yes, correct spelling!) given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed.





To minimize the risk of fire, the designers of The SS United States used no wood in the ship’s framing, accessories, decorations or interior surfaces. Fittings, including all furniture and fabrics, were custom made in glass, metal and spun glass fiber to ensure compliance with fireproofing guidelines set by the U.S. Navy. Though the galley did feature a butcher block, the clothes hangers in the luxury cabins were aluminum. The ballroom’s grand piano was of a rare, fire-resistant wood species, though originally specified in aluminum — and accepted only after a demonstration in which gasoline was poured upon the wood and ignited. Fortunately for music lovers aboard the ship, the piano didn’t ignite!





The SS United States operated uninterrupted in transatlantic passenger service until 1969; since 1996 she has been docked at Pier 82 on the Delaware River in Philadelphia, just rotting away.











Off in the distance is Ellis Island:



The Statue of Liberty:



My grandmother sure liked her Winston cigarettes; the guy next to her...doesn’t look like she cared for him very much.



Mom enjoying the salty sea air.



The height of trans-Atlantic travel fashion.



See more photos at my main website.