Disneyland 1955

Inside the lobby of Disneyland’s Opera House is an array of artifacts covering Disneyland conception and infancy.  Included here is a diorama of what Disneyland looked like when it opened on July 17, 1955.  As you can see, it’s pretty barren.  The portion to the right of the Rivers of America is the area that was devoted to the Rainbow Mountain Stagecoach and Rainbow Ridge Pack Mules, and later the Rainbow Caverns Mine Train.  The significant remains of this can still be seen today, on Big Thunder, the buildings which the train passes near the end of the ride were part of these original attractions.  New Orleans Square is now in the small area between the Rivers of America and the Jungle Cruise.

Ticket Books

In the same area, a display case shows off original tickets and ticket books from Disneyland’s early days.  Today, we enter Disneyland by purchasing a single ticket from one of the many kiosks between Disneyland and California Adventure and it is scanned upon entering the park.  From that point on, our ticket is no longer needed unless we want to get a FastPass or reenter the park.  But that is not how it always was.  Until 1982, Disneyland used a ticket book system, where there was an entry fee plus the purchase of a ticket book or individual tickets for attractions.  Tickets were graded with letters A through E.  “A” represented the slow moving, simple attractions, usually ones for children, such as the carousel.  “E” represented the most complex and thrilling attractions the park had to offer, such as the Submarine Voyage and Haunted Mansion.  From this point on, the term “E-ticket” has been attributed to attractions that are great.

Tomorrowland’s Hidden Starburst

As some of you know, I collect the dish pattern Starburst.  It’s a very 50s space-age design, and can easily remind the viewer of Sputnik.  For lunch one day, my dad and I ate at Pizza Port, located in Tomorrowland.  We sat at a booth and I was shocked and dismayed when I found part of Starburst as the pattern on the upholstery!  After some digging, I discovered the vinyl fabric was commissioned by Disneyland, and is called “Atomicburst”.

Baby Herman’s Pin-Up

Who Framed Roger Rabbit is perhaps a film that doesn’t get enough credit.  When Roger Rabbit was made in 1988, it showcased fantastic breakthrough effects of interaction between animated characters and real life characters.  Jessica Rabbit is perhaps the most well known, and showcases the classic sultry actress but, remember, she isn’t bad, she’s just “drawn that way”.  Baby Herman is another character from the film, and his dressing room is showcased in the cue area for the Roger Rabbit Cartoon Spin ride in Toontown.  On his wall is a cartoon version of the infamous Betty Grable ipin-up mage.  Additionally the pattern of his wallpaper is that of a shapely woman.

Disneyland isn’t the only place with retro elements, California Adventure across the way has some as well.

Tower of Terror

As part of the Hollywood Backlot section of California Adventure, the Hollywood Tower Hotel represents the “it” hotel for the who’s who of 1930s Hollywood.  Upon entry, guests find themselves in a bygone era of ghostly glamor and soon in a library where Twilight Zone host, Rod Serling shares the chilling story of what happened, and how you, the guest, are now the star.  Perhaps the best ride in California Adventure, the detail is, pardon the pun, to die for.  After you survive the ride, you are ushered into the gift shop, where you can purchase towels, robes, bells, room key fobs, and shot glasses bearing the Hollywood Tower Hotel emblem.

Phil M. Noir Detective Agency

Taking its cue from Disneyland, who prides itself in its Main Street windows, California Adventure offers up cute puns and detailed windows as well.  One such window is this one; Phil M. Noir Detective Agency.  A great logo is combined with a fantastic pun for film buffs to get a good laugh out of.

This is just a hint of fun hidden details the Disney parks offer.  There are many, many more. So next time you’re at Disneyland, remember to look around and you may find yourself getting just as much joy at a small detail as you do a thrilling ride.

The three days in the park were some of my best yet, the longest line I stood for was 45-50 minutes, which was for Roger Rabbit in Toontown, followed by 35 minutes for the new Submarine Voyage, featuring the cast from Finding Nemo.  There are endless topics about Disneyland, and this is the first in at least two entries about Disneyland.

Disneyland: Then and Now

In Walt Disney’s Opening Day speech, he said “Disneyland will never be completed as long as there is imagination in the world”.  That phrase has held true, and for the past fifty-four years, Disneyland has been under constant change.  The first big changes happened in 1959, with the additions of the Monorail, the motor boat cruise, Skyway, Fantasyland Autopia, Matterhorn, and Submarine Voyage.  And in 1967, New Orleans Square opened, with the new ride Pirates of the Caribbean, and in ‘69, the Haunted Mansion finally opened its doors, after standing empty since 1963.  Tomorrowland has gone through the most changes, with total remodels and additions and removals of attractions.  The Jungle Cruise has seen a few additions, Indiana Jones joined the adventure, and the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse turned into Tarzan’s.  Frontierland got rid of the slow moving mine train and pack mules, and Big Thunder Railroad replaced it, offering up “the wildest ride in the wilderness!”  Fantasyland saw more rides, and an facade facelift in 1983, just before the ‘84 summer Olympics.  But I would like to talk about the most recent changes made to Disneyland…

Submarine Voyage

In 1959, the Submarine Voyage opened to Disneyland guests and they were able to explore under the polar icecap, and see the ruins of the lost city of Atlantis.  For a short period of time, live mermaids were part of the attraction, perched on top of rocks, waving to guests, and swimming past the subs as they moved through the lagoon.

In 1998, the Submarine voyage closed, and rumors as to why circulated: the lagoon leaked, the loading process was too time consuming, and renovations to make it purely an exploration of Atlantis when the animated film was released, though that film proved dismal at the box office.  In 2005, the announcement was made that the Submarine Voyage was to be transformed into a Finding Nemo ride.  And in 2007, the subs reemerged to a brand new audience.  This version takes explorers into the waters around Australia, and through new technology, they are able to understand what fish are saying.  Here, the story of Finding Nemo unfolds in stunning new effects of projecting the animated characters.

Pirates of the Caribbean

Pirates was the last ride that Walt Disney had a hand in creating.  Sadly, Disney died three months prior to it opening to the public.

In 1997, the ride under went slight changes, mainly the changing of the cue area outside, and an alteration of the pirates chasing the women and for the “pooped pirate”.  In the original ride, pirates chased women, suggesting a desire to rape, now, the women chase the men with brooms or rolling pins, because the pirates are stealing food.  As for the “pooped pirate”, originally, he held a petticoat, and in the barrel behind him a young woman was be seen peeking in and out, and he could be heard saying “I’d like to hoist me colors on the likes of that winsome wench” along with other sexual innuendos.  The 1997 change had him holding a chicken leg, and a cat popped in and out of the barrel.

In 2003, Disney hit it big with the Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise, and in 2006, the ride was changed to incorporate elements of the film.  The first visible change is seen just as you enter the building, Captain Jack Sparrow and Captain Barbossa have been added to the pirate paintings along the wall. In the ride itself, the first change is in the grotto with the pirate skeleton sitting atop a pile of gold.  On the far right, the chest from Curse of the Black Pearl can be seen.  In dark portion of the ride, a fog is produced and Davey Jones is projected onto the fog, he says a variety of lines, mainly contradicting the age old saying “Dead Men Tell No Tales” and says “Oh, but they do!”  Another change is in the battle between the ship and the fort.  The pirate captain aboard the ship is now Barbossa, and he wants to know where Jack is.  In the scene where the mayor is being dunked, the pirate asks where Jack is, and to the left Jack can be seen peeking in and out of some dress mannequins.  Just a little further on, the “pooped pirate” has gone through yet another change.  Now, he holds a key and map, and Jack pops up out of the barrel, and now the lines discuss not wanting Jack to get a hold of the key and map.  The final change is just past the scene where the four pirates are drunkenly shooting at each other in a room full of explosives.  In the final grotto, Jack is seen among jewels and talking about the joys of piracy.  Additionally, music from the films has been added into portions but overall, the ride maintains its original integrity.

Tom Sawyer’s Island

Along with the popularity of Pirates and change to the ride itself, Tom Sawyer’s Island was taken over by pirates!  The signs for the island now read “Pirate’s Lair” and they are simply nailed over the top of the Sawyer signs.

Injun Joe’s Cave became Dead Man’s Cave with Davey Jones’s chest with a heart beating sound coming from it, along with other audio-animatronic pirate elements.  There are other fun surprises in store and pieces of shipwrecks scatter the island.  Fort Wilderness is no longer available to explore and now, if you peek through, you can see items that are stored for the show Fantasmic.  One shack on the island has been transformed into Will Turner’s blacksmith shop.  Additionally, some portions of the shipwreck forts are built of barrels which bear the brand of the East India Trading Company.

The Haunted Mansion

Celebrating its 40th year, the Haunted Mansion has seen very, very few changes.  In 2006, the attic bride saw an upgrade with a bouquet that changes into a hatchet and there are wedding photographs scattered about with her and her many husbands, whose heads disappear as you move past.  Previously, she had a heart that beat loudly and was visible through her dress.

In 2001, the Haunted Mansion underwent a holiday change for the first time, and now, every October through December, the Haunted Mansion is taken over by Jack Skellington and the citizens of Halloweentown from Tim Burton’s classic The Nightmare before Christmas.  This change is a drastic one with an outside layover, new audio track, different portraits and countless other additions.

As for Thanksgiving itself, it’s never been a big holiday for my family.  Its only had significance because that is when we break out the Christmas decorations.  For Thanksgiving dinner though, we are still going to eat someplace nice.  My first thought: Disneyland’s Blue Bayou aka, the restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean.  I ate there the last time I was at Disneyland, and remember their gumbo being very, very good. Well, I just got off the phone with Disney Dining Services, and 1. I couldn’t get a reservation until 9:15 in the evening and 2. the operator said he would never recommend eating there. But he did suggest Ralph Brennan’s Jazz Kitchen located in Downtown Disney, where I was able to get a 6:15 reservation.  He even recommended a waitress for me! He was very, very nice.

I think this will be my twelfth trip to Disneyland, if not my fourteenth.  I’ve lost count. Isn’t that sad?

Yesterday we did a lot more work, and not only is it coming along wonderfully, we’re almost done.  However, we decided to do the coffin sleigh and skeleton reindeer, (which will go on the roof) so that will be another task altogether, it won’t have to be done until Thanksgiving though.  So far, we’ve put in about 35 hours (five days at about seven hours a day), and a little over $250.00.  I think it’ll all be worth it in the end.  As you can see, Jack and Sally are done.  Lock, Shock and Barrel are also done, Boogie is done, the hill is done, as are all of the headstones.  The Mayor and Zero are almost done.  I’m very happy with how all of this is turning out.

Tomorrow is the first day of the big “OMG We’ve Run Out of Hangers 50% Off Everything Sale” where I work.  It runs three days, I’m working one extra day tomorrow for it, it always means fun and a bonus!  Friday brings Patrick getting his wisdom teeth pulled.  I had mine pulled a few months back, so I owe it to him to make sure he is as comfortable as he made me.  Sunday is the big Coburg Antique Show, which is always a blast.  Coburg is a quaint little town of about 1,000 about five miles north of Eugene.  It has a few good antique shops, and also offers up the best fried chicken you’ve ever had, available at the local market.  So look for an entry about it on Sunday.

Thursday Cinema tomorrow might be a little different.  Instead of picking apart a period film, I want to introduce a film that has been inspired by the past, and offers up stunning visuals for the vintage eye to catch and enjoy.

My dad attended Disneyland opening week in July of 1955.  Growing up in the suburbs of LA, he attended often and witnessed changes as they happened.  He continually mentioned that the exterior building for the Mansion stood “empty”  six years before it opened.  Built in 1963, the imposing building made Disney goers curious and rumors spread like wildfire – “It’s too scary! People have been having heart attacks!” was a common claim.  Now, 40 years and a few tweaks later, the Mansion still gives chills and thrills today.

In the Mansion’s 40th anniversary year, Disney has launched a new magazine, Disney Twenty-Three.  (23 because that is the year that Disney Studios opened) The magazine is chalk full of goodies and inside stories.  In the fall issue, the Haunted Mansion is the cover story with a ten page article inside.  The story brings little of anything new to me.  I already knew about the infamous Hat-Box Ghost, the fact that the organ in the ballroom was Captain Nemo’s in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and other changes and rumors.  New to me however was the pre-opening “phone booth” idea where a phone booth would be placed outside with the voice of a “trapped worker” on the inside, followed by a ghost saying “You’ll be seeing through us sometime in the future” and the original concept of the raven which is seen through out the ride.  Originally, he was to be the ghost host and he was trapped inside a raven’s body due to a curse of a pendant he wore.  The article is written by the Disney Photo Library manager, Ed Squair, who actually never attended Disneyland until 1990, but was fascinated by Disneyland, and especially the Haunted Mansion as a kid growing up watching The Wonderful World of Disney. His writing style is annoying to say the least, and filled with quips that seem to boast and brag about his Mansion collection and the fact that he works at Disneyland.

D23 is spendy to boot.  At $15.95, it’s painful to purchase.  However, I am puddy when it comes to Disneyland, especially when regarding the Haunted Mansion.  The Mansion story, thankfully, wasn’t the only interesting article.  After it is a  three page story about the history of the Blue Bayou (the restaurant inside Pirates of the Caribbean).  This story is much better written and even includes the recipe of the most popular item on the menu, the Monte Cristo Sandwich – the article claims that 200 of them are ordered a day!  There is also a story about the first major revision that happened at Disneyland, in 1959 as well as a bit on the upcoming Toy Story 3.

If you are interested in getting the inside scoop on The Haunted Mansion there are several sources I recommend Jason Surrell’s book: The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies and the extensive fan website, Doombuggies.com.  Both include outstanding, indepth information about the original Haunted Mansion and its counter parts around the world, as well as the Holiday Haunted Mansion, and the film that was released in 2003, which really wasn’t all that good.  Personally, I blame Eddie Murphy.  I don’t care much for his style.  The behind the scenes special that is on the DVD is interesting, which you can watch on YouTube!