Less Is More...Unless It's The 70's

These first two photos (circa 1956 & 1968) show the Mad Tea Party as I believe it should look; colorful and crazy.



And then we come to this photo from August 1969. The first time I saw the Mad Tea Party attraction with these frilly arches I assumed it had to be a shot from Walt Disney World, where 1970's overdone-psychedelic-design ran rampant.



But no...it was definitely Disneyland. Somewhere between August 1968 and August 1969, these crazy little arches were added between the lightposts.



Somehow, they just didn't seem to fit into Fantasyland's Festival Tournament theming. Instead, they looked like something I would expect to see on Main Street.



The last photo in my collection of these decorative arches is circa 1980; I assume they lasted up until the 1983 Fantasyland remodel.



Today, there are no lacy arches. The Mad Tea Party attraction is full of whimsy and cartoon-style lanterns. A perfect fit for Fantasyland, especially in its newer location away from the Carrousel and the Castle.



See more vintage & current Mad Tea Party attraction photos on my Mad Tea Party web page.

Monochrome Monday, Circa 1964

Robert Rooman, a well known aviator and professional photographer from the San Jose California area, was apparently the person who took these two shots. Main Street U.S.A. looks mighty quiet on this 1964 summer morning that he shot this first image. How do I know it's summer? Just check out the patriotic bunting on the light fixtures.

I love his second shot of a guest posing next to the combine car of RETLAW 1.



Let's zoom in for a look at the engineers on the train; they seem to be having a thoughtful conversation aboard the Ripley:



For those of you who hate to wait in line at Disneyland, this book is for you:



Although Imagineers spend an amazing amount of hours putting cool things in the line queue, I would hazard a guess that the majority of Disneyland guests are so intent on getting to the actual attraction that they breeze by the queues and miss a lot of details. Lots To Do In Line: Disneyland not only points some of those details out, but it will make waiting in line a lot more fun. Author Meredith Lyn Pierce has thoughtfully put this easy to carry paperback together in a very easy to follow format. Divided into lands/areas, almost every attraction is covered. Here are some questions you'll find for Space Mountain:

What is the rocket ship's name? Where could you go to play video games What has been made into a rocket that does not normally blast off into outer space? As you enter the ride you will see a sign describing Space Mountain.

For those who you Fast Pass, a bold FP designates those questions for the shorter queues, such as this Space Mountain question: According to the sign which of the following is true?

There are also Treasure Hunt questions. For Space Mountain, could you find A life-size X-wing? A helipad? At least five pictures of robots Space age umbrellas? A gold arrow?

For those of you that ask: Why not just play a video game? Pierce's reply: Well you could have the kids play video games, but let’s face it they can and do do that all the time. Disneyland is special and I think your time there should be as well.

See more vintage & current Disneyland photos on my Disneyland website.

The Start of a Beautiful Friendship

From 1954-55, Don DeFore served as President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He was instrumental in arranging for the Emmy Awards to be broadcast on national TV for the first time on March 7, 1955, which earned him the respect of Walt Disney. This is what led to the two becoming good friends. That year, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Regular Series for his work on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Here is a publicity blurb that accompanied the photo at left from November 1955:

11/15—NEW YORK: Don DeFore (C), president of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, shows Walt Disney (R) and Ed Sullivan the "Emmy" award which will be presented to President Eisenhower for "his distinguished use and encouragement of the television medium." The announcement of the presentation took place at a luncheon at the Hotel Plaza, here 11/15, honoring the 1954 "Emmy" winners from the East Coast.

Walt figured if a guy could get the Emmys on TV, SURELY he could make a restaurant work at Disneyland! This can-do attitue of Don's too him from the Emmy Awards to BBQ...who knew? Here's one of Don with his brother Vern, standing in front of the Silver Banjo Barbecue Restaurant (1957-1961):



Here is how the same location looks today:



See more Don DeFore & Silver Banjo BBQ photos on my Don DeFore web page.

Screen Gem Saturdays: Three Faces of Vivien

Even if she had only done one movie, Vivien Leigh would still be one of my very favorite actresses of all time. Not only was she one of the most beautiful women in the world, the lady knew how to act! Her most famous role was one that she won with a battle of wits that the character herself, Scarlett O'Hara, would have been proud of. Here is Vivien in the deleted ending from "Gone With The Wind."

12 years later, she played the fragile Tennessee Williams heroine Blanche DuBois in "A Streetcar Named Desire." Both characters were shameless flirts, both were from the south, and both were tied to their plantations. But beyond that, the two women were very different. Scarlett had a will to survive at any cost, whereas poor Blanche crumbled when her beloved Belle Reve was lost to financial ruin.



In 1961, Vivien would find success again in another Tennessee Williams story, playing Karen Stone. "The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone" also starred Warren Beatty as gigolo, speaking with a non-too-convincing Italian accent.



Vivien believed that comedy was much more difficult to pull off as an actress than drama: "It's much easier to make people cry than to make them laugh." Sadly, Vivien was lost to us at the early age of 53, due to complications from the tuberculosis that she'd battled for years.

In home video news, the release of "Lady and the Tramp" on Blu-ray is just around the corner on February 7. In honor of the great Peggy Lee, who wrote the songs with Sony Burke and assisted with the score, Disney has released these very cool behind-the-scenes shots for you to enjoy.



Miss Lee's vocals on "He's a Tramp", "La La Lu", "The Siamese Cat Song" and "What Is a Baby?" helped make this animated feature a classic. The smokey-voiced songbird passed away 10 years ago today at the age of 81.





See more vintage & current Vivien Leigh photos on my Vivien Leigh web page.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Nemo's Organ

Before the term "green" became hip, Disney was practicing it in spades. In photo #1, you can see Kirk Douglas testing out Captain Nemo's organ...his MUSICAL organ!



When the park first opened, rather than trash the sets of "20,000 Leagues Under The Sea," Walt recycled them and actually turned them into a paid attraction at Disneyland.



What a genius! Until 1966, these sets provided an indoor diversion for guests in Tomorrowland, and helped Walt fill up some vacant real estate.





By 1967, the old Tomorrowland was gone, including the 20K Walkthrough Exhibit. Nemo's organ was moved once again, this time over to New Orleans Square, where it found a permanent home at The Haunted Mansion.



I'd say Nemo's organ has done pretty well over the years...at least better than some of the other discarded props from 20k.



See more vintage & current Disneyland Haunted Mansion photos on my Disneyland Haunted Mansion web page.

Traveling Thursdays: More Mission Inn

Last week's tribute to The Mission Inn in Riverside, California was chock full-o-photos from the past. Today's post features photos from my first visit to this beautiful property back in 2006. As fortune would have it, my first visit was during the Christmas season.

This overhead shot is of the Spanish patio; what a beautiful setting for a romantic outdoor dinner.



For me, the International Rotunda was a photographer's dream come true. I could have shot an entire memory card on just this area alone.





Time for a colorful late night swim:



This section of the hotel is known as Author's Row; if I remember correctly, Pat & Richard Nixon spent their honeymoon here.



The Anton Clock tower shown here has five rotating symbols of California on a replica of a 1709 clock in Nuremberg, Germany:



See more vintage & current Mission Inn photos on my Mission Inn web page.

Cubby O'Brien, Don DeFore, and Vesey Walker at The Disneyland Hotel

Mouseketeer Cubby O'Brien is shown here playing his heart out at the Disneyland Hotel, circa June 1957, near the hotel's olympic-size swimming pool. This was part of an event to benefit the City of Hope Medical Center. The talented O'Brien was one of the kids actually picked by Walt to audition for the Mickey Mouse Club. Following his time with the Mouse, Cubby had stints with The Lawrence Welk Show, Spike Jones, The Carol Burnett Show, and The Carpenters (as in Karen & Richard, for all you young'ens out there!).

Vesey Walker can be seen in front of the Disneyland Band, just waiting for Cubby to figuratively turn the baton back to him, and actor Don DeFore (of "Hazel" fame) is smiling on the left-hand side of the photo. Don was a good friend of Walt's, and operated the Silver Banjo BBQ Restaurant over on New Orleans Street in Frontierland. None other than Don's son Ron positively ID'ed Don for me:



See more vintage & current Disneyland Hotel photos on my Disneyland Hotel web page.

Before They Were President, Pt. 2: JFK at Disneyland

Before he was President, John F. Kennedy was seen on the steps of City Hall in Town Square at Disneyland. From the publicity blurb that accompanied this 1980 print:

JFK VISITS DISNEYLAND—Two of the many notable persons who have visited Disneyland over the years were then-Senator John F. Kennedy and President Sekou Toure of Guinea. Kennedy and Toure toured the Magic Kingdom during October, 1959. The Park is commemorating its July 17 silver anniversary with many special events during 1980.

Brother Ted also made it to Disneyland & Town Square:



As did Robert, seen here riding the Matterhorn with astronaut John Glenn, June 2, 1968:



See more vintage & current Disneyland City Hall photos on my Disneyland City Hall web page.

Before They Were President, Pt. 1: Nixon at the Disneyland Hotel

Running for Governor of California, Richard Nixon and can be seen here at the Disneyland Hotel on April 27, 1962 at the Orange County Nixon Committee Dinner. Note the "Boxing elephant" (Dumbo) image to the left and the KEZY radio / Disneyland Hotel sign to the right of the photo. KEZY AM 1190 went on the air in 1959 with studios at the Disneyland Hotel. It was first known as K-EZY, or K-easy, due to its easy listening music format. People could see the small studio as they entered the front of the Disneyland Hotel on West Street. In the late 60s, KEZY moved to a larger complex located (coincidentally) at 1190 E. Ball Road in Anaheim, near the intersection of Ball & East Street.

Nixon ran for Governor of California in 1962 after losing to John F. Kennedy in the 1960 Presidential election; Nixon lost this election as well.



See more vintage & current Disneyland Hotel photos on my Disneyland Hotel web page.

Royal Street Bachelors & New Orleans Square, 1969

This recently acquired shot of the Royal Street Bachelors in New Orleans Square, circa 1969, provides a number of great closeups.

Playing in front of the One Of A Kind shop, there is an interesting array of merchandise behind the Bachelors. Let's look in:



Opening in 1966, this unique retail location was basically an antique store. There were no rows of mass-produced Disneyana; instead, guests could rummage through "one-of-a-kind" items such as jewelry, clocks, and other treasures from the past.

Here's another New Orleans Square shot from the same batch:



The One Of A Kind shop was replaced by Le Gourmet, a stored stocked with cookbooks and other kitchen-related items.

See more vintage & current Disneyland New Orleans Square photos on my main website.

Screen Gem Saturdays: Shirley Temple & Will Rogers

Will Rogers, an extremely down-to-earth and low key humorist, was one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920's and 1930's. He is probably best known for saying, "I never met a man I didn't like." A number one box office draw for 1934, Rogers got knocked down a peg a year later by Shirley Temple in 1935.

On the set of "Baby Take A Bow," Rogers visited the competition. Shirley herself remembered the visit in her autobiography Child Star:

One day Will Rogers had wandered over to watch us during a break from "David Harum," which was being made on an adjoining soundstage. His black felt hat was crumpled and tipped back, allowing a shock of hair to spill over his forehead. Hooking both thumbs in his suspenders and rocking back and forth on his heels, he was a picture of cheerfulness and vitality.

"They tell me we're going to make a movie together about railroading when I get back from Alaska."

"Where's Alaska?" I asked. he gestured for me to sit down with him on a pile of boards. Taking up some little chips of wood, he arranged them on the cement floor to show where Alaska was. Apart from his revelations, I liked him. He wasn't good-looking like some other actors, but his speech had an appealing cadence, and he laughed a lot.

Rogers was sort of my favorite. As I had been born into a middle-class family without pretense, my natural preference went toward outgoing, accessible people like Rogers and the workingmen around the soundstage.



For her 1934 movie "Bright Eyes," much of the plot is centered around an airport, where Shirley's godfather works. It is on an airplane that she sings her most famous song, "On the Goodship Lollipop," which actually refers to a plane, not a boat. Shirley recalls him visiting the set:

Will Rogers had taken a special interest in what we were doing and often hung around our stage. An unofficial cheerleader for aviation, Rogers had written, "There were eight people killed in planes all over America on Sunday, and it's headlined in every paper today. When will newspapers give aviation an even break? If there's a safer mode of transportation, I have never found it." One year later he was dead in an air crash.



Recalling his tragic death, Shirley said:

Near Point Barrow, Alaska, at 8:15 pm.om on August 15, 1935, a low-winged red monoplane crashed in the slush ice. Dead in the wreckage was Wiley Post, who the previous year had circumnavigated the earth in the record time of seven days and eighteen hours. Accompanying him on this last, fatal flight was Will Rogers. Ripples from the arctic accident reached Hollywood with telling impact. For newly born Twentieth Century-Fox (Rogers' and Temple's studio), Rogers' death was a catastrophe. In all this darkness flickered on pinprick of hope. Although only number with, I suddenly was the only studio performer among the top ten.

Shirley is shown here with some of Hollywood's behind-the-scenes bigwigs, including (left to right) MGM studio head Louis B. Mayer, Darryl Zanuck from Twentieth Century Fox, Joseph Schenck (one of the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences), California Governor Frank Merriam, and humorist Irvin S. Cobb.



Shirley remembers the occasion:

At the studio a new soundstage was being dedicated to Rogers' memory on November 15, 1935. Newly elected California Governor Frank Merriam was there. Nevada Senator Pat McCarran came wearing high-heeled cowboy boots and a ten-gallon white hat, and many close friends delivered long eulogies. Joseph Schenck called me from the audience to pull the curtain aside and unveil the memorial plaque.

"Now you say something," he instructed and backed away a pace, his mouth gaping open like a gargoyle's. The others before me had said everything.

"I loved him too," was all I could add.

As our group disbanded, around the corner came a vanguard of carpenters for "Captain January." Within days the new soundstage would be transformed from an echoing, vacant hall into a fog-shrouded Maine coast, complete with lighthouse.


Nearly 30 years later in January 1965, Shirley came back to the studio and was shown posing next to the very same plaque:



I'll leave you with some of Rogers' more memorable quotes:

"Americans will feed anyone that's not close to them."

"Our foreign policy is an open book - a checkbook."

"Lettin' the cat out of the bag is a lot easier than puttin' it back in."

"People who fly into a rage always make a bad landing."

"The movies are the only business where you can go out front and applaud yourself."

"There is only one thing that can kill the movies, and that is education."

"I'm not a real movie star. I still got the same wife I started out with nearly 28 years ago."

See more vintage & current Shirley Temple photos on my Shirley Temple web page.

Disneyland Hotel: Take the Monorail!

Back in the day, you could take the Monorail directly to the Disneyland Hotel. This October 1968 photo shows everyone's favorite sleek form of transportation letting guests off at their destination.

In this March 1969 overhead view, it is easy to see that there was no walking to the Hotel; you were right there. Steps away from the pool. Today, there's a fair amount of distance between the Monorail Station in Downtown Disney and the edge of the Disneyland Hotel property.



These shots that I took in May 2004 from my hotel room window give an excellent modern day view showing just how much the entire property has changed since the 1969 view. A wet parking lot has been transformed into Downtown Disney and The Grand Californian.





See more vintage & current Disneyland Hotel photos on my Disneyland Hotel web page.