Debbie and Eddie on Main Street

On Opening Day at Disneyland, July 17, 1955, Walt visits with America's Sweetheart, Debbie Reynolds and then hubby Eddie Fisher.

Note the strategically placed promo for Coca Cola. Yup…even in the 1950's there was product placement.



Debbie seemed to be going for a rustic look with her thatched hat and homemade snack tin. I hope she wasn't bringing snacks INTO the park!



Four years later, Eddie had dumped Debbie for Elizabeth Taylor and returned to the Park. America lost interest in Eddie the snake and so did Liz.



More Disneyland Day One Magic at my main website.

Alla and The Lonely Heart

Across the street from my beloved Chateau Marmont on Sunset Boulevard once stood the Garden of Allah Hotel. Consisting of a main house and villas, this lovely complex was torn down to make way for a strip mall. Here in this vintage photo from September 10, 1940 we can see the hotel behind its namesake (whose name had no "h"). From the accompanying publicity blurb:

Conferring on the radio script for "This Lonely Heart" beside the pool at The Garden of Allah in Hollywood, are Arch Oboler, writer-director-producer of Everyman's Theatre and Alla Nazimova, internationally famous star. Oboler's forthcoming dramatic series for Proctor and Gamble will make its debut on the NBC-Red Netowkr October 4 with Nazimova as the first guest star. Gordon Jenkins, whom Oboler has chosen as musical director of the series, will lead a symphony orchestra composed of members of the Los Angeles Symphony in the Tschaikowsky music, which serves as the musical background for "The Lonely Heart."



If you want to see the proposed Frank Gehry ginormous structure that might replace the strip mall, check out Curbed LA. There goes the view, Sunset Boulevard neighbors!

Visit my main website and see more Garden of Allah photos.

A Tale of Two Tour Guides

This 1962 Tomorrowland shot is fairly unremarkable at first glance, but…there are dueling Tour Guides!

On the left, we have Tour Guide #1.



You just know that the one on the right is showing shade against her counterpart. It could get nasty if the two groups cross paths.



Plenty more Disneyland Tour Guides at my main website.

A Mustang And A Mouse

This Mustang is so new, it still has the plastic on the seats! Or maybe it's a slipcover. Either way, I am digging this shot at the entrance from July 1964 with Mickey and friends. I am more interested in the vintage camera around the kid's neck.



More of the Mouse at my main website.

July 1974 View From Above

This 1974 aerial view shows Disneyland in its vintage prime. The Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean are part of the landscape, and Tomorrowland is still fairly fresh from its incredible 1967 remodel. Those Rocket Jets soar high over the back of the land of the future.



Fantasyland has yet to be remodeled at this point; the Medievil façades are still in place and the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship has yet to be abandoned.



Last detailed view shows the Disneyland Hotel, back when the Monorail dropped you off at its doorstep and before Downtown Disney encroached on its territory.



See more birds-eye view shots of Disneyland at my main website.

Chilling at the Chateau

My favorite place to get away from it all is The Chateau Marmont. No surprise to my faithful readers. Willis and I packed our bags for a little R&R and headed up to the beautiful hotel on Sunset Boulevard.



Willis has been there enough that he knows where he's going once we arrive. Run up the stairs to the lobby…



and then up two more flights for Room 34.



Couldn't think of a better space to just breathe.



Willis loves the comfortable furniture.



The roses in the room were gorgeous, too.



Willis wasn't too thrilled about them; he would have rather had a biscuit.



He does like the cashmere blanket on the bed, though. Mercifully, he did not chew it up. That would have cost me a small fortune.



View from the room during the daytime…



and how Sunset Boulevard looks at night…or was it early morning? Hell, I can't remember.



Taking Willis for a walk in the unseasonable stifling heat, we encountered this vintage Thunderbird.





Get a load of those fins!



Willis didn't care; he missed the air conditioning.



The pool area is very zen.



LOVE this moroccan light fixture.



Willis rested while I did my laps.



And then he positioned himself between my legs when I was done.



It was a very good weekend. Just what the doctor ordered. If only the doctor covered it, too.

More Chateau Marmont at my main website.

Early Storybook and Casey Jr.

Although Storybook Land is a beloved Disneyland classic, it was not available to guests during the first year of opening. As you can see by this blurry 1956 image, Monstro and the rock work that surround him was still being created during year two.





From the same batch, you can see that Casey Junior is anxiously awaiting his neighbor to be finished so that guests would actually have something to see besides dirt and mud. Zooming in for a better look at what the guy with his hands up is doing. Still a mystery.



This September 1958 shot shows the Casey Junior Circus Train zipping through the beautifully created landscape of a finished Storybook Land.



Don't short change this attraction; even today, racing through the miniature landscapes is a thrill!



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

The Omnibus

The Omnibus has always been a Daveland favorite, especially when I get to ride up top and get a birdseye view of Main Street as it cruises towards the castle. Here we begin with a few from October 27, 1956 image.



A closeup showing the miniature/edited attraction poster art on the side of the Omnibus:



An undated 1950s shot from the holidays.



The very simple Christmas decorations have such a cool vintage feel. Today's overblown decor could sometimes use a "less is more" philosophy makeover.



More Omnibus on Main Street shots at my main website.

Yesterday's Tomorrow

A trio of Spring 1957 black and white Tomorrowland shots starts off my return to blogging. In the background are the Skyway Station and the Space Bar. Don't get excited…no liquor to be found there. In photo #2, the Flight Circle seems fairly quiet. Sad to think that Lee won't be chiming in anymore with commentary.



The Clock of the World once served as the focal point at the Tomorrowland entrance.



While we are talking it, here are a few 1950s shots in vivid color of that iconic clock.



A closer look:



The clock in daylight, circa September 1958:



and the same view at night:



A 1960's view with the Avenue of Flags in the background. Each one represented a different state.



One more closeup!



Final one for today features a Skyway shot of Tomorrowland from 1958:



Zooming in for what matters:



See more of yesterday's tomorrow at my main website.