Knott's Berry Farm's Roaring 20's - Summer 1975 (50th Anniversary!)

Over the years, I have been searching online for vintage images of a shopping mall that I used to visit as a child.  Usually, nothing comes up, but then one day.....BINGO!  A large set of slides showed up on ebay, which included images taken at FIVE different malls that I used to go to with my mom and grandparents.  As a side bonus, that same lot of slides also contained one dozen images from Knott's Berry Farm, taken in August of 1975, shortly after Knott's unveiled it's brand new "Roaring 20's" section of the park.

So now, I would like you to meet Ralph and Florence, and their son, Alfred.  Based on both the subject matter and the info written on some of their other slides, I have discovered a few things about this family.  They lived in Pomona, California.  They liked visiting shopping malls.  They enjoyed dining out, and they also liked to travel.  I will be posting more of their photos in the future, especially the vintage "mall" shots.  But for now, let's take a trip with them to Knott's Berry Farm.  I am going to include the hand-written labels from their slides.  They will be in berry-colored italics.

"Entrance to Roaring 20's Section at Knott's Berry Farm"

Here we see Ralph (in the red pants) standing at the entrance to the Roaring 20's area, while Florence rests on a bench, at the far left.  Notice the Knott's Bear-y Tales attraction in the background.  This was Knott's first attempt at a "dark ride," for which they hired renowned Disney artist-designer, Rolly Crump, and his son Chris Crump.

"Ralph & Florence at Roaring 20's Section - Knott's Berry Farm"

This is just an alternate view of the same general area, but now we can see the north entrance to the Buffalo Nickel Arcade, and also the Lindy's Cafe food service windows (on the far right).  Today, Johnny Rocket's takes up the space formerly occupied by Lindy's and that northern portion of the arcade.

I tried to merge the previous two photos.  I think it came out pretty good, considering the fact that I don't have Photoshop.

"Ralph & Florence by Fountain at Entrance to Roaring 20's Section - Knott's Berry Farm"

In the past, I've mentioned how this fountain was used in the film, "Hello Dolly!"  I also posted about how Knott's did not originally use it as a fountain (note the plants in the base).  It was finally converted into a fully functional fountain, about 11 years later.  (Now, after having said that, I just noticed a slight stream of water coming out of the mouths of the upside down fish, near the base of the fountain.  That trickle of water appears to be falling into those small basins, attached to the fountain's base.  This feature was not working on the fountain, during my first four years of employment with Knott's.)

"Cars Turning Upside-down on Corkscrew Roller Coaster Ride - Roaring 20's Section - Knott's Berry Farm"

I love seeing rare views of Knott's Corkscrew, when it was still painted entirely white, and with the absence of the Sky Jump tower in the background.  The Sky Jump, along with the rest of the "Roaring 20's Airfield," were added to that corner of the park just one year later. 

"Corkscrew Ride - Knott's Berry Farm"

Hmmm, I wonder if Ralph or Florence went on the Corkscrew?  I went on it that first summer!  A recording in the queue used to say, "Welcome to the Corkscrew....America's first looping roller coaster."  They should have added the words "modern day" in there, because there were some earlier looping coasters.

"Al by Restored City Clock - Knott's Berry Farm"

This is Alfred.  He's Ralph and Florence's son.  Notice how he and his dad both got dressed up for this Knott's visit.  I remember this clock very well.  Unfortunately, it was taken out when the Corkscrew was replaced by "Boomerang," in 1990.  As far as I know, the clock was not relocated.  I wonder if it was placed into storage, or if it was just tossed into a dumpster along with the Haunted Shack?  As for that hand-written description on the slide, I don't remember there ever being a plaque near this clock, so I don't know if it truly was a "restored city clock" or not.  Maybe an employee had given them some detailed information about the clock.

Fun Fact:  Alfred and Walter Knott both attended Pomona High School, in Pomona, California....different years, of course!

"Old Chiming Pole Clock - Roaring 20's Section - Knott's Berry Farm"

Okay, I also don't remember this clock doing any chiming.  And I worked at Knott's for years, and walked by the clock quite often.  I wonder if maybe it did chime in the very early years of the Roaring 20s, but then broke and was never fixed?  After all, that is what happened to the clock in Camp Snoopy.  Note the "Bath House & Plunge" sign in the background.  That sign and the faux windows above it, were placed there to "dress up" what was actually the backside of the Calico Mine Ride's show building.

"Florence Near Marathon Dance Pavilion - Roaring 20's Section - Knott's Berry Farm"

Here's a nice photo of Florence, sitting near one of Knott's infamous popcorn wagons.  I've told this story before, but I think it's worth repeating, because unlike Knott's Berry Farm's popcorn, the story never gets old.  I used the word "infamous" to describe the popcorn wagon, because when I worked at Knott's, they used to make us save the popped popcorn that was remaining at the end of the night.  We were told to scoop it into a trash bag, and bring it into one of the main buildings (the popcorn wagons were all "satellite" locations, belonging to various restaurants throughout the park).  The next day, the person who was opening the popcorn wagon was supposed to take the trash bag full of the old popped popcorn, and dump it into the popcorn bin.  We were told to then pop a fresh batch of popcorn, and mix it together with the old stuff.  How gross!  And how very CHEAP of them!  But that was just par for the course, at "The Farm."  Ah, but I digress!  I just hope that Florence, Ralph, and Alfred didn't have any "early morning" popcorn that day!

"View Near Entrance of Roaring 20's - Knott's Berry Farm"

In this view of the water fountain, we can see the signage for both Cordy's Variety Corner and the Candy Cottage.  Several years ago, the Candy Cottage was converted into a coffee shop.  And unfortunately, that fabulous "Knott's Roaring 20's" neon sign on the roof of the Knott's Bear-y Tales building, was removed in 2015.  

"Good Time Theater (Formerly John Wayne Theater) - Knott's Berry Farm"

Ralph....or someone, gets bonus points for knowing that the Good Time Theater was formerly the John Wayne Theater, AND for including that information in the labeling of the slide!  I wonder what the "Pepsi Cola Presents Pop Your Buttons" show was all about?  Maybe that's what happened to you after eating too much day-old popcorn, and then drinking a Pepsi Cola!

Flash Cadillac & The Continental Kids were also performing in the theater.  I do remember them appearing at Knott's, even though I never actually saw their show.  They were a retro rock 'n' roll band, who had made an appearance earlier that year in an episode of Happy Days, as "Johnny Fish & the Fins."  They had also appeared two years earlier in the film, "American Graffiti," as "Herby & the Heartbeats."

"View Looking Out Toward Old Train from Entrance to Berry Tales - Knott's Berry Farm"

Now, maybe someone should get points taken off, for changing the correct spelling of "Bear-y" to "Berry."  Oh, well....no biggie, I guess.  This photo was taken from the upper-level of the queue for the Knott's Bear-y Tales attraction.  To the left of the Charleston Circle fountain, we can see the "ride operations" office for the Roaring 20's area.  The office was built on "stilts," and employees accessed it via that spiral staircase just to the right of it (which is mostly obstructed by that palm tree).

"View Near General Store - Ghost Town - Knott's Berry Farm"

This last photo was taken on Market Street, in the Ghost Town section of the park.  This row of buildings housed the General Store, the Pitchur Gallery, and the Covered Wagon Show.  Note the cowboy sitting on top of the barrels.

The General Store is still standing today, and it doesn't look too different than it did in 1975, even though quite a bit of the wood on the facade has been replaced over the years, along with some alterations to the faux "second story."

For a few years after the Roaring 20's area opened, a copy of the "Good Time Gazette" was given out to guests as they entered the park.  This is the copy that my family received, when we visited Knott's the very same month as Ralph, Florence, and Al.  Maybe we were all there on the same day!

The front page featured articles on the park's entertainment, and also what was new at Knott's.  Roger Miller was performing that day.  The article about him mentions that he was the songwriter, and narrator for Disney's recent animated film, "Robin Hood."  That film had actually been released almost 2 years earlier, in November of 1973.

The third article was highlighting Knott's brand new dark ride, "Knott's Bear-y Tales."  I remember even as a kid, I was surprised to see that Knott's had built a "Disney-style" dark ride with an "Omnimover" system!

The back page included a listing of all the park entertainment.  So apparently, the "Peps-Cola Presents Pop Your Buttons" show was a "Roaring 20's Revue."  They sure had a lot of street entertainment in the new Roaring 20's area.  There was a Ragtime/Jazz piano player outside of the Hollywood Beanery restaurant, as well as saxophone players and slapstick comedy "on the streets."  I wonder when they got rid of all those entertainers?  They weren't around seven years later, when I was hired to work at the park.

The inside of the "Good Time Gazette" included a map of the park.

We will end this post with a postcard, which I bought during that same August 1975 visit.  Notice how the Sky Jump/Sky Cabin tower isn't present in the background (or on the map above).  As I mentioned earlier, the Roaring 20's "Airfield" section was not added until the following year.

Happy 50th anniversary, to Knott's Roaring 20's....or what's left of it, anyway!  :-/

Oh, by the way.....if Ralph, Florence, and Al look familiar to you, it's because we have seen them previously over on Gorillas Don't Blog.  By pure coincidence, Major Pepperidge had purchased a "lot" of the family's Disneyland slides, and has already shared them with us in the following posts: Scarce Interiors, June 1963; A Pair From June 22, 1965; Views From June 22, 1965; Muffler Man At The Disneyland Hotel; Mules Of Mirth, June 12, 1973; and A Few More From June 12, 1973.

Knott's Halloween Haunt (Knott's Scary Farm) - 1980s

Well, it's Fall...and that means it's time for Knott's Berry Farm's annual "Halloween Haunt" event (a.k.a., Knott's Scary Farm).

I clipped this advertisement out of the October 5, 1980 issue of The Los Angeles Times.  Back then, Knott's Halloween Haunt was held for only 6 nights (two three-day weekends).  Unfortunately, I did not go to the event that year.

I didn't actually go to one of Knott's Halloween Haunt nights until 1982, which was also my first year of working at Knott's.  Normally, we could go into the park on our days off, by just showing our employee I.D. at the exit gate.  However, we weren't allowed into the park for the Haunt events, unless we were working those nights.  They did offer us a discount on a ticket, but only for the first night of the event.  Since I had always wanted to go to Knott's for one of their "Halloween Haunts," I bought discounted tickets for myself and my friends.

This is the map for 1982, which was Knott's "10th Annual Halloween Haunt."  That year, the event was held for only five nights!

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark was appearing at Knott's for the very first time.  The only thing I remember about her "Ghoul Revue" is, that she sang her song, "3-D TV," which she had debuted on her television show ("Movie Macabre") in May of that same year.  And she also sang a parody of Toni Basil's, "Mickey," which had been released in January of that year, and would go on to become the number one song on "Billboard's Hot 100" list (the week of December 11th).  Elvira's version, "Frankie," was about Frankenstein's monster, of course.

Also in 1982, there were only two walk-through mazes; "The Terrifying Trail Of Jack The Ripper," and "The Mysterious Corridors."  The map did have "Knott's Scary Tales" listed as a "maze," but that was actually a "ride-through," in the space normally occupied by the "Knott's Bear-y Tales" attraction.  The Calico Mine Ride and the Log Ride were also transformed into "scary" rides that year, but for some reason, they weren't mentioning that anywhere on the map.  One other thing that I remember about that night is, that the band performing at Fiesta Plaza ("X-Caliber"), was singing a cover of the song, "Don't You Want Me," by Human League.  That song had been the number one song on "Billboard's Hot 100" list for three weeks in row (in July of that same year).

The 1983 Halloween Haunt was my second year of working at Knott's, and I was still working at the same location for which I had been hired, the Cable Car Kitchen.  The Cable Car Kitchen was divided into three sections; an ice cream parlor, a fast food section, and a buffet line.  The fast food section was unofficially known as "Center," because it was in the middle of the building, between the buffet and the ice cream parlor.  Over the years, this section has been renamed, Simply Grand Foods, Viva La Coasters, Pink's Hot Dogs, and finally back to Cable Car Kitchen.  It was even a temporary location for Mrs. Knott's Chicken To Go, while the Chicken Dinner Restaurant was being remodeled in 2016.

These first four photos from 1983, were taken behind the food service counter of "Center."  That year, our theme for the entire building was "pirates" and the Flying Dutchman ghost ship.

Every year, top management expected the employees of all the food locations, to choose their own themes and decorate their own workplaces themselves, both inside and out.  And they expected employees to volunteer their own time to do this.  Employees were not paid for this time.  (And some people assume that Knott's must have been a wonderful place to work, under the ownership of The Knott Family!)  Not everyone had to volunteer, but someone had to, otherwise your location would not get decorated and that was unacceptable.  The park's decorating department, which put up the decorations everywhere else in the park, were not supposed to help us out in any way, with the exception of giving us unlimited access to "spider web" material (cheesecloth).

The employees were also expected to provide their own costumes.  Legally, they couldn't really force everyone to do this, but it was STRONGLY suggested by management, and you did feel the pressure to do so.

Funny, I still remember the first and last names of every single employee in this photo:

Here are a few interesting factoids about the people in this next photo....the employee on the far left had a boyfriend, who volunteered to do everyone's makeup that year.  A few years later, she ended up dating and eventually marrying, one of the park's top Vice Presidents.  And at some point after this photo was taken, the employee on the far right, ended up "stealing" the boyfriend of the employee who she is "choking."  That's just some 41 year-old Knott's employee gossip, for anyone who is interested!

One end of Cable Car Kitchen's fast food counter was partitioned off with a glass wall and door, and designated as "The Sandwich Shop."  (I had been told by an older manager, that this section had been a doughnut shop at one point.)  After the Knott's Lagoon area closed in January of 1983, the snow cone and cotton candy machines from the Lagoon's little food stand were moved over to the Sandwich Shop, and the space was renamed, "The Depot."  This photo was taken in "The Depot."  You can see that the employees in this photo are actually sitting on the cutting board/food prep counter, where the  sandwiches were made.  How unsanitary!

There was some bad "photo composition" taking place that year!  I had cut off the head of the guy in the photo above, and then someone cut off my head in this next shot.  This one was taken in the Cable Car Kitchen's Ice Cream Parlor.  Note the price of an ice cream cone, back in 1983.  It was only .65 cents for a single scoop, and $1.20 for a double scoop!  Someone who worked in our location, took the time to hand paint temporary menu boards for the entire building, just so they would fit in with that year's theme.....and it was done "off the clock," so they didn't get paid one single penny to do it!

Just above that wooden railing and to the right, was this display of a skeleton "at the helm of a ship."  Once again, this was created by employees who worked in our building.  By the way....in a pinch, a double eyepatch works just as well as a white oval!

I had purchased my feathered pirate hat in Disneyland's Pieces of Eight Shop, just a few weeks earlier.  I originally wore "skull" makeup for the very first weekend of the Halloween Haunt, but it caused my skin to break out, so I decided to forego the makeup for the following weekend.  I wish I had gotten a photo of myself with the makeup!

Incidentally, 1983 was the year that a Halloween Haunt guest jumped to his death, from the top of the 20-story high "Sky Jump" attraction.  The guest was 18 year-old Donald Day, of Glen Avon, California.  I was working that night, but the Cable Car Kitchen was completely on the opposite side of the property as the Sky Jump.  Still, it didn't take very long for the news to reach us.  Sadly, some of the guests in that area didn't believe that it was real, and thought it was just another one of the park's many forms of scary entertainment.

Starting in 1985, we were given "Haunt" buttons that were exclusive to employees.  They did not sell any of these earlier Haunt buttons to guests.  Unfortunately, we weren't given Haunt buttons for the first three years that I worked at Knott's ('82, '83, and '84).

This first one is undated, but it is from 1985:

The 1986 button:

1987:

1988:

Going back to that newspaper ad from 1980.....I ended up using that artwork for a project at school.

In my ceramics class, one of our assignments was to make a ceramic "box."  Since we were working on this project in the month of October, I decided to give mine a Halloween theme.

I eliminated the "halo" from above the jack-o-lantern representing "Jubilation" night at the park.

And I eliminated the cowboy hat from the one representing Knott's "Country Music" night.  I had given him a "stem" on top of his head, but it got chipped off before it was time to "glaze" the piece.

A very safe and happy Halloween to all.....and to all a good fright!

More Vintage Disneyland Ads & "Loose Ends" from Previous Posts (Knott's & Magic Mt., Too!) - Part 2

It's time for some more "loose ends"!  Loose ends are items relating to subjects, which I have already posted about in the past.

First up, is this "Pinocchio" record from my childhood.  I had originally thought about including this in my Walt Disney's Pinocchio "mega post" from last year.  However, I chose not to at the time, just because it wasn't "Disney's" version of Pinocchio.  I have since changed my mind, and it has now been added to that post.  The company that made this was "Cricket Records."  We had quite a few other children's records from this same company.  The record sleeve not only includes their logo/mascot in the upper left corner, but they were also able to incorporate him into the artwork, as "Jiminy Cricket."  I tried doing a search for the artist, Evon Hartmann, but nothing came up.

Next, we have this 1981 Disneyland ad, which was attempting to recruit people for jobs at the park.  "Immediate openings" were available.  This is the same year that I was hired for the park's Christmas parade.  The ad has now been added to my "I Was A Teenage Christmas Tree at Disneyland" post.

This 1979 ad was for the now defunct May Co. department stores.  A robot "inspired by" V.I.N.CENT from the Disney film, "The Black Hole," was going to be appearing at select May Co. locations.

I wish the text in the middle of the ad was a little more legible, but the dark background makes it difficult to read.  I'm going to attempt to transcribe the text:  "You could win this (one?) for your own.  V.I.N.CENT (Vital Information Necessary Central) is the star of the Walt Disney Productions science-fiction thriller "The Black Hole," opening December 21st at a theater (near you?) This limited edition V.I.N.CENT clone valued at $1,000, stands 3 feet high, not including the base.  He plays games, tells jokes, answers true, false, and multiple choice questions, and even plays cassette tapes.  And he could become a member of your family.  Just fill out the coupon in this ad, and bring it to the Children's Department of the May Company near you.  Then bring the kids to meet our V.I.N.CENT clone in person at the following stores."

I wonder who won this $1,000 "clone" of V.I.N.CENT, and if they still own it, today?  This ad has now been added to my Disney's "The Black Hole" (Mega Post!) post.

In November of 1984, some of the original Mouseketeers were appearing at Disneyland, as part of a month-long celebration for Mickey Mouse's birthday.  Pictured in the then-current publicity photo are, Bobby Burgess, Sherry Alberoni, Lonnie Burr, Sharon Baird, Cubby O'Brien, Tommy Cole, Don Grady, Darlene Gillespie, and Bonnie Lynn Fields.  I have now added this to my Mickey's Month at Disneyland post, where you can see the 1983 version of that free "Mouscercise" headband.  That year, the headbands were given to everyone entering the park.  One year later, they were apparently only given to children 12 and under.

I meant to include this Los Angeles Times review of Disneyland's Light Magic, in my "What Were They Thinking - Light Magic at Disneyland" post, from 2017.  When I originally read this unfavorable review, 27 years ago, I felt that my personal thoughts on the monstrosity that replaced the Main Street Electrical Parade, had been completely validated.  I didn't crop out the movie listings below the article, because I thought it might be interesting to see some of the films that were being released at that time.

This image of a Canon® shopping bag has now been added to my "Disney's Sam the Eagle & the 1984 Olympic Games" post.  The bag was given to me at the Consumers store, where I bought my very first 35 mm camera, back in 1985.  The Olympics were over, but the store was still using these themed merchandise bags for purchases of Canon products.

I posted this photo of the camera previously, along with the very first Disneyland photos I ever took with it.

And speaking of the Olympics....the 1984 Winter Games had been held in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia.  That summer, Six Flags Magic Mountain opened their new "Sarajevo Bobsled" ride.  This advertisement and the following article, appeared in a Los Angeles Times advertising supplement.

I rode the Sarajevo Bobsled the summer that it debuted.  I remember it being a fun ride, but I was surprised that it was gone by the next time I visited the park.  It only lasted two summer seasons, and was then dismantled and moved to Six Flags Over Texas, where it opened as "Avalanche Bobsled."  It is still standing today, but now operates under the name "La Vibora" (The Viper).

For a comparison of what Knott's was doing that same summer of '84, here''s an advertisement and article from the same Los Angeles Times summer supplement.  Knott's was beating Disney to the punch, by unveiling their new teenage nightclub, "Studio K," one full year before Disney opened "Videopolis."  And Lucy's line about how "People can meet us in person......" was referring to the fact that the Charlie Brown and Lucy "walk-around" characters were making their debut that summer of '84.  When Camp Snoopy opened the previous summer, Snoopy was the only costumed Peanuts character at Knott's.

And Knott's was introducing the 8th edition of their summer ice spectacular, "Snoopy's Quest For The Gold," starring Olympic Silver Medalist, Dianne de Leeuw.

This ad from the summer 1984 issue of Vacationland magazine, depicts Snoopy dressed in athletic wear and donning three "Olympic" medals.  However, the Olympic themed ice show is not mentioned.

I've recently come across additional issues of the Knott's Berry Farm employee newsletter, The Berry Vine, from 1983.  These are related to Camp Snoopy, but are all dated prior to the opening of the new area.  These have now been added to my "Camp Snoopy - 40th Anniversary (Mega Post!)",  from June of 2023.

This first one is dated February 18, 1983.  The cover article is about the official press release by Knott's, announcing the addition of Camp Snoopy to the park.  It mentions how Snoopy had already been at Knott's since May of 1982, but only on a trial basis.  Knott's was now entering into a long-term contract with Snoopy's creator, Charles M. Schulz.

This next issue is dated March 11, 1983 and is about the construction of Camp Snoopy's scale model.  The model was on display just inside the park entrance, during the construction of Camp Snoopy.  It was built by Rick Bastrup and Richard Ferrin, of R & R Creative Amusement Design Inc.  Richard Ferrin had previously worked for Disney, and we recently saw a photo of him performing as a clown, in the 1981 version of Disneyland's Fantasy On Parade.

This cover article from May 20, 1983, is about the new "Grizzly Creek Lodge" restaurant in Camp Snoopy, and it's menu items.

There was an article in that same issue, about the filming of the first Camp Snoopy television commercial.  I posted the commercial in my Camp Snoopy post from last year.  The plot revolves around a family of four.  The kids dream about going to Camp Snoopy before it ever opens.  They rudely awaken their parents, to tell them about the "trip" they took to Knott's and all the things they did.  The dad tells them that they are seriously mental, and that there is no way that they could have visited Camp Snoopy, since it hasn't even opened yet.  The mom is played by Lucy Lee Flippin, who played Eliza Jane Wilder, the school teacher on "Little House On The Prairie," from 1979-1982.

I pointed this out in my original Campy Snoopy post, and it's also mentioned in the article....the commercial was filmed before construction on Camp Snoopy was completed.  For the shot of the "Cordelia K." steamboat (pictured above), the boat was lifted by a crane, and placed on the pond next to Jungle Island.  Even though the boat was originally intended to be relocated from the Knott's Lagoon area to Camp Snoopy (along with a new boat, the "Walter K."), she never made the move.  I have always wondered what happened to that plan.

I hope everyone enjoyed these additional "loose ends"!