Friday, August 27, 2021

A Vintage Disneyland Trip Report - August 1976

It's time for another vintage Disneyland trip report! 

Forty-five years ago this week, an elementary school friend of mine invited me to go with him and his family to Disneyland.  I have a fairly good memory about many parts of this visit.  I also saved both the park guidebook (which was handed out to guests when purchasing tickets), and the main gate entertainment guide (which was available to guests as they walked through the turnstiles).

This was the entertainment guide for the week of August 22nd - 28th, 1976.

The country was celebrating it's bicentennial, that year.  In honor of the milestone birthday, Disney created "America On Parade," which performed twice daily, starting in the Summer of 1975, and running through the Summer of 1976.  Incidentally, the nighttime performance of the parade resulted in a hiatus of the Main Street Electrical Parade, for the first time since it's debut in the Summer of 1972.


The entertainment listing mentions "Ragtime Rod," who had been playing piano at the Coke Corner on Main Street, for over 6 years at this point.  There is also a "Ragtime Ray" listed.  I have never heard of him before.  I have also never seen Rod Miller listed specifically by name, on an entertainment guide.  He was usually just listed as, "Coke Corner Pianist."

And this was the guidebook for that summer season.  The cover featured one of the parade units from "America On Parade."  I have scanned the entire guide, and will include it at the end of this post.

I shot a whole roll of film that day (12 exposures).  I've posted a pic of my childhood camera before, but I'm including it again, here.  The camera was a Kodak Instamatic X-15, and took a "126" size film cartridge.  It was a gift from my dad, for Christmas of 1974.  This trip was only the second time that I had taken my camera to Disneyland.  I have previously posted the very first photos I ever took at the park.  To see those, you can click here:  Easter Vacation 1975 - A Vintage Disneyland Trip Report.

Here are my photos, shown in the order that they were taken.  First up, we have the obligatory shot of the Castle.  We got to the park early in the morning, and I remember how it seemed very uncrowded, compared to all the other times I had been at the park.....especially for the summer season.


I remember running over to the Matterhorn, for the first attraction of the day.  The Matterhorn was still the park's only "thrill ride," and it would get a rather long line as the day went on.  It was also still kind of a "new" ride for me.  I had only been on it once before.  Note the solo mountain climber, nearing the Matterhorn's peak.  A bobsled can also be seen, crossing over the stone bridge just above the Monorail beam.

In this next picture, I am wearing my childhood Mickey Mouse watch.  Also, I made the mistake of standing behind that tree branch.  ;-)

The watch had been a Christmas gift from my mom, a couple years earlier.


This shot of Monstro shows how empty the park was, since I was able to take the picture without any people in the frame.

I remember going on most of the Fantasyland dark rides, that morning.  My friend's sister and brother-in-law did not go on Peter Pan's Flight with us.  She said that she would hold my camera for me, while we were on the ride.  Then as we were exiting the vehicle, she snapped this photo of us.

Next, we headed over to the Skyway......

This picture of Cinderella's Castle came out a little blurry.

However, I was pretty happy with this "artfully" angled shot of the Mad Tea Party.  We can see that the park was still not very crowded, but it would get more crowded as the day went on.

I remember being VERY excited to see Space Mountain under construction.  My brother and I had seen it listed for years as a future attraction, on our souvenir Disneyland "wall maps."  The finished product did look different than the artwork on the maps, and the name, "Spaceport & Rocket Flight," had also been changed.  I'm assuming that was a "placeholder" name, anyway.  I was also excited to see the construction, because Walt Disney World's version of the attraction had already opened, and I had watched Mike Douglas ride it on his afternoon talk show, the previous year.

We got off the Skyway and hit Tomorrowland, next.  I'm not sure why I didn't take any more photos of Tomorrowland, especially since it was always my favorite land.....at least up until 1998, WHEN THEY TOTALLY RUINED IT!  ;-)

Later in the day, we rode the Mine Train thru Nature's Wonderland.  I remember how nice the cool mist from the geysers of  "The Living Desert" felt, on a hot summer day.  Sadly, this would be my last time riding the attraction, since it closed just 5 months later (in January of 1977).

After exiting the Mine Train, I remember seeing this tableau of a stagecoach, parked in front of an extension of Rainbow Ridge, and liking it enough to want to snap a pic.  At the time, I did not realize that this Stagecoach was a vehicle from an extinct Disneyland attraction.  I also did not realize that these buildings had been the backdrop for the former Pack Mules attraction.  While I was aware of the Pack Mules during the time they existed at Disneyland, we somehow never rode them.  We always chose to ride the Mine Train, instead.

Next, we rode the Mark Twain around the Rivers of America.  Is it just me, or does the Friendly Indian Village look small here?

For the remainder of our visit, we went on many of the same attractions that my family always went on, such as Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and Country Bear Jamboree.  I also remember watching "America On Parade."  I really loved this parade.  It ranks right up there, as one of my all-time favorite parades.

This was the very first float in the parade.  Note the blue and white Small World Souvenir Stand, on the far right.

I remember at this point, my film was running out and I only had one more exposure left, so my last shot of the day was of "Betsy Ross" and her giant flag.  I wish I had been able to take more pics of this parade.

As for souvenirs that day, I bought this caricature of myself, at the Fantasyland Caricature Stand.  The stand was located directly behind me, as I was taking the photo, above.  I remember when the artist drew this, the last thing he included was the cliff that I was about to "go over."  My friend also had his caricature drawn.  The artist depicted him dunking a basketball through a hoop.  As he was finishing up, he drew a ladder underneath him, with him standing on the top step.  It seemed like the artists always added "the gags" to their drawings, at the last minute.

Here's a photo showing the Fantasyland Caricature Stand (from the blog, "Disney On Parole").  It was taken in 1979, but I'm including it because it's the best one I have seen out there on the internet.  In the photo, we can see that there are about 5 samples of framed caricatures, displayed on the counter.  A customer is standing in front of the counter, and turned to the side so the artist can see his profile.  The artist is seated behind the counter, and in between him and the customer, we can see the top of an overhead projector.  As the artists drew the caricatures, guests could watch the progress, projected onto that white screen behind them.

On our way out of the park, we stopped at the Candy Palace on Main Street.  Both the Candy Palace and the Castle Candy Shop used to sell these clear plastic cubes, filled with various kinds of candy.  Some of the plastic cubes came with a ceramic figurine of a Disney character, glued to the lid.

How about that price of $1.55 for five ounces of candy!

I have several of these plastic boxes, which I saved from different visits to the park.  I always bought the ones that were filled with the "Swiss Petite Fruits."  I even remember coming home with this same type of candy, after a childhood visit to Universal Studios.

I hope everyone enjoyed this time traveling visit back to 1976!

****BONUS****

Here is the Disneyland Guide from this trip, in it's entirety.

Note the message below, about Disneyland being closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, in the off season.  Disneyland did not start being open everyday, until the early eighties.

In the "General Information" below, I see that there are two references to Disneyland "employees," and two references to "Disneylanders."  I guess at this point, Disney was not yet calling their employees, "cast members."

I always loved the tiny graphics used in these guides, for each of the attractions:

The PeopleMover had been temporarily removed from the list of "D" attractions.  The construction of Space Mountain had forced it's closure.

Note, the location of the Fantasyland Caricature Stand, below.


The back cover had an ad for the re-release of Peter Pan, and two new "live-action" films, from Walt Disney Productions.


36 comments:

Melissa said...

Thanks for taking us along on the Bicentennial trip! It's almost too much to take in on one viewing.

That must be the Kite-Eating Tree's lesser-known cousin, the Head-Eating Tree!

I wonder if the Indian Village looks smaller because of the square Instamatic framing?

TokyoMagic! said...

Melissa.....ha, ha! Head-Eating Tree! Or like one of Morticia Addams' plants!

I was thinking the same thing, as far as that Indian Village shot, because part of it is cut off with a "square" shot. But it also seemed that the village did not go back as far as it used to....almost as if the trees were encroaching in on the village.

I'm so glad that you enjoyed this post. And thank you for commenting! :-)

Anonymous said...

This is a very nice post, TokyoMagic! I really enjoy when you do a vintage trip report.

Your picture of Sleeping Beauty Castle really captured the dented turret well - I'm not even kidding! (I found this image after an image search yesterday.)

In the guide, I found it interesting that the Cinema took a "B" Coupon this late in the game. I think using an image from America Sings to showcase Tomorrowland is a little odd. Of course, when I saw that picture I instantly thought of Splash Mountain!

TokyoMagic! said...

Andrew, thanks! And thanks also, for pointing out the dent in my Castle pic. I can totally see it! I was struggling to see it clearly in Major's pics, after it was pointed out. That pic that you provided a link to, looks "current" (based on the colors). So, can I assume that all these years later, the dent is still there? I can't believe that isn't something that they would have fixed, during one of the Castle's many refurbishments over the years.

Now that you've pointed it out, I'm a little surprised to see that the Main St. Cinema took a "B" coupon. I thought it took an "A" coupon. And when I see that the Fantasyland Theater took a "C" coupon, I now realize why my family never went in there! I only saw the interior once, and that was during an "orientation" meeting for parade cast members.

America Sings didn't really fit in Tomorrowland, other than the fact that it was presented in an "innovative" type of theater. I think the reason they were using it in the guide to represent Tomorrowland, is because it was still relatively new at that time. It was only 2 years old, and it was the park's newest "E" ticket attraction. I'm hoping that if they do follow through with the conversion of Splash Mountain, into a Princess and the Frog attraction, that they will keep all of the America Sings "critters" in there and just get rid of the three main characters that are specific to Song of the South.

"Lou and Sue" said...

TokyoMagic! I was in Disneyland just a few weeks before you, in '76. It truly does not feel like 45 years have passed.

You get an A+ on this trip report! I love everything you included - especially your own photos. And how cool(!) that you captured the dented turret! (And, thank you, Andrew, for that close-up shot of it!)

You also get an A+ on your Easter Vacation 1975 trip report - thanks for attaching that link. I really enjoyed that post, too!

Thank you, TM!

TokyoMagic! said...

Sue, I actually went one other time that summer, with another friend and his family. But I don't seem to have an entertainment guide from that visit, so I'm not sure of the exact week. Maybe we were there the same week or even the same day! I also did not take my camera to the park for that other visit.

I'm glad that you enjoyed this trip report, and also the one from 1975. I just now went back to look at that post, again. I forgot how bad those pics looked. I don't know why I wasn't able to do a better job of correcting the color on them...other than the fact that I don't have Photoshop. I see in the comments, that Major P. had offered to try to correct a couple for me. But I don't think I ever sent him any of the photos. D'OH!!!!!!!

"Lou and Sue" said...

Yeah, TM!, we sure could've been there the same day! I bet a number of us overlapped many times, especially with the past Disneyland employees who comment on your blog and Major's. I love the fact that a lot of my memorable Disneyland experiences were created by those terrific folks!

MIKE COZART said...

Chris as soon as you showed the empty plastic candy box I thought how I ALWAYS got the same little candies that looked like mini fruits!!! My memory is that it was marzipan - but you showed images of exactly what there were !! I don’t think I ever knew that was what they were called!!! But that was alway the candy I got at Disneyland . From KNOTT’s it was always candy that looked like rocks and at Santa’s Village it was always that translucent rock candy around the wooden sticks that came from Santas Candy Mine - where you pushed down on the dynamite plunger and after an explosion the candy cane sliding down a mine ore shoot ( like Casa Fe fritos)

America on Parade is my MOST favorite Disney parade ever!! I seriously can remember seeing it for the first time in the summer of 1976 - seriously like it was last week .. I don’t know why. I remember all the Space Mountain construction and the preview back lit panels and narration seen in the second level of the carousel theater ( before the super speed tunnel) everything about Space Mountain to me at that age seemed scary - the space background sounds and the serious tone of the voice narrating the “coming soon to Tomorrowland “ and just seeing something being built so high like the Matterhorn just felt scary. All the construction Imagineering art showed people traveling at weird angles and drops but no indication of track or rails and again it seemed like it was going to be so high.

But all my other memories of Disneyland during this time and the bicentennial was great! I even had Liberty Bell socks I remember wearing them to Disneyland that first summer of America on Parade!! That parade and celebration was a very big deal and I’m glad , as young as I was i was old enough to appreciate that time.

Fun post and tour to a Disneyland I miss very very much!

TokyoMagic! said...

Sue, I agree with you! My friends and I would always talk to the DL employees, if they weren't busy at that particular moment. And they were all so very nice and friendly. We used to ask them things about "future attractions," and also about what it was like working there. Now I wish I had taken pictures of some of those employees. The only photo that I can remember deliberately taking of a DL employee, is this one from my "America the Beautiful" post, in January of 2016:

https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xisMRj_5HFo/VfHT_rnaVhI/AAAAAAAALjA/DwctjYPrFco/s1600/1983%2B%25284%2529.jpg

TokyoMagic! said...

Mike, I think just once, I did get one of the plastic cubes filled with the individual pieces of the translucent rock candy. It kind of looked like rock salt. And I remember the candy that looked like little stones or rocks. They were kind of "marbled" and speckled. I think that was labeled as "Pebble Candy," wasn't it?

As for the "Swiss Petite Fruits," I'm not sure if that is what they were called, back in the day. I did a search for them, and that is the name that came up for them, today. You can still get them today. They are imported from Switzerland. I was tempted to order some, but they are a bit expensive....$28.95 for 2.5 lbs, on Amazon. I remember them being soft inside and the flavors including lemon, strawberry, banana, pear, orange, grape, and mango. It looks like today, they have added cherry, although that might have been an original flavor, and I'm just not remembering it.

I seem to remember always buying the boysenberry taffy, at the Knott's Candy Parlor. I never made it to Santa's Village, but that's pretty cool that they had a machine similar to the Frito Kid machine at DL. I didn't know that!

The summer of 1976 was about the time that I started paying more attention to details at Disneyland. It's also about the same time, that I was starting to go to the park multiple times in one year. I was still going with my family about once a year, but I started getting invited more and more, to go with my friends and their families. I also remember "America on Parade" very clearly. And I remember those rear-lit panels you mentioned, that were where Progress City had been located, along the PeopleMover route. Those also got me very excited about Space Mountain. Of course, at that age, it seemed like it took them forever to start building it....and forever to complete it.

JG said...

Amazing post Tokyo, thank you so much!

How lucky to have so many classic shots taken by your own hand.

It sounds like many of us were at the Park that summer, Sue. Too bad we didn’t know one another then. I sure remember that parade with the weird giant heads.

I remember the fruit candy too, but never tried any. I did have some of the pebble-appearing treats, and rock candy once at Calico.

Now that I have seen the dented turret, it cannot be unseen. Andrew thanks for pointing it out and for the follow up pic. Maybe the didn’t fix it for superstitious reasons? I know there is a Scottish whisky distillery that has a dent in the still that they won’t fix because they are afraid it change the taste of the whisky if they do.

Thank you too for the scanned guidebook and the entertainment roster. I want to hear Teddy Buckner during dinner at the French Market. I remember the Delta Ramblers very well. Dad loved Dixieland jazz.

JG

Nanook said...

TM!-
Thanks for re-kindling memories of this great parade, etc. I'm particularly-interested in seeing more images from this parade...Here's a photo showing the Fantasyland Caricature Stand (from "Disney On Parole").

Chuck said...

I was at Disneyland almost exactly two months later, which seems like such a short time and yet it was long enough that “America On Parade” had already been retired. Fortunately, I had seen that parade the previous January, so it still sticks in my mind. I know the People of America or whatever they were called freak some people out, but I have always found them charming (it’s those soulless fairies from SpectroMagic [shudder] that fuel my nightmares).

We can infer from the Entertainment Guide that the 1967 Tomorrowland Stage has already moved to Yesterland, being temporarily replaced by the Small World Stage while Space Mountain and a new stage are under construction. I have no recollection of ever hearing about the “Class of ‘27” evening show or the Sunday melodramas at the Golden Horseshoe.

I think the Friendly Indian Village looks smaller for several reasons. One is the square format that Melissa pointed out - there’s more “head space” and trees than we are used to seeing, de-emphasizing the teepees. Another is that I think you may have been on the top deck of the Twain, which puts you farther away and has you looking at a more downward angle. A third is that the X-15 has a fairly wide-angle lens, which will make things seem farther away. Finally, I think the deep shade behind the trees based on the sun angle is preventing the more open view that we normally see here.

Was there a photo of somebody having their portrait drawn? All I remember is seeing Alice waving at me and my heart going all a-flutter.

I have no idea how many hours I spent poring over our INA guides, but I know it was more than I ever spent playing with many of my most-treasured childhood toys. This is all burned into my memory so clearly; it’s like seeing a dear, old friend again after many, many years.

JG, if we had all known each other back then, I’m not sure we’d have hung out. I was seven and Mike Cozart was eight. And I’m not even sure Andrew’s parents were around yet. But I’m glad we’ve all managed to find each other now. Who’s up for a pickle and a game of checkers at the Market House?

Thanks, TM!

Anonymous said...

My dad was six, and my mom was less than a year old, Chuck...

"Lou and Sue" said...

And I was 16 then, so I’ll ‘babysit’ you kids, at the Park. We’ll have a blast!

JG said...

Lol, I’m older than all of you. But other Junior Gorillas are much older than me.

One of my social media friends used to say “beat your drum and your tribe will find you”, and I’m glad we have.

A pickle sounds good right now, Chuck. I had the same thought about the guide books, I read mine till they fell apart. I’m going to grab this one later.

Chuck said...

Andrew, I stand corrected. I could have played with your dad on the school playground and babysat your mom.

Sue, weird to think of you being the same age as my babysitters, but you’re right. My favorite babysitters were the ones who could speak intelligently about Disneyland, so you would have made the cut, although my parents - and yours - may not have appreciated you spiriting us away like that without adult supervision.

Which reminds me of an old joke: what’s the difference between the Army and the Boy Scouts?

The Boy Scouts have adult supervision.

JG, I love that quote. Thanks for sharing it.

Bu said...

A very full and diverse post! I don't know where to start...CANDY! I absolutely loved those little plastic boxes! It was a huge deal and gigantic luxury to have one from the Castle Shop...which I think is some kind of ADA entrance to the Castle walk through now...not sure. That shop had the clear multi colored rock candies (also known as PURE SUGAR) and they called them Diamonds from the Dwarves Mine...or something like that. I thought they were very very fancy and they did look like the diamonds from the mine! Those other candies I absolutely loved too! The mango ones were my favorite flavor...also those little bumpy orange/red ones- so delicious!!!! I would like some now please! That guidebook was my favorite size..when it got larger it got a bit difficult to navigate and collect without destroying it! What great and very specific info! I always liked that page where the ticket books are VERY clearly spelled out and explained. So perfect for those that may not speak English very well. Do they even do guidebooks anymore? I never stopped to watch that parade. I was not a parade guy in the 70's...that was the time when everyone was watching the parade, and the lines got shorter...so time to go on more rides! I was part of this gigantical dealio in 1976 that Disney produced for the LA Unified School District and a TV broadcast of it from the LA Colliseum. We all got to wear Disneyland Costumes, we had many rehearsals, and got to perform with a few celebrities of the day: Yes...my first acting gig was with none other than Arte Johnson. KC and the Sunshine Band performed...Evil Knievel did his thing...the whole shebang was a big deal...the music they used for the "acting" part of the show was from the "Lady America" Kids of the Kingdom show...all of that music was drilled into us and I still know it..verbatim 45 years later. I have photos of me in my costume (somewhere). They put me in a Main St. Merchandising costume since we were doing a "period piece". Who would have known that 5 years later I would be selling pickles in the same costume! The show was only aired once...possibly on July 4th...don't remember...and I was on the screen for seconds...which in the days before everyone was a star on the internet...that was a big deal. My acting teacher was weeping that day as she was so overcome with the excitement of it all. As usual, I was a little non-plussed about it all...it was hard to impress me. I WAS very impressed about how they (Disney) decorated and lit the Colliseum that night. We had only rehearsed on a bare green...or more aptly...dirt. So when the sets came in, and draperies, and new sod...it was quite a transformation. When we ran onto the "stage" (AKA the field) we were all seeing it for the first time and it was like the Wonka kids seeing Wonka-land for the first time...but the show had to go on and we had to "act"...which we did :) If anyone remembers this show or has any links to even bits of it, please give a shout! I SEE A DENT!

DrGoat said...

A belated thank you for this great effort of a post! I spend 20 minutes going through it and it was time well spent. I've still got a large tin pin with Mickey, Donald and Goofy marching with the flag with ribbons hanging off it from a trip that year.
You actually got a caricature drawing! How cool.
And an added bonus of Andrews link to that snapshot you took of the dent. Honestly, the first time I actually found it in a photo. I was looking in the wrong place all the time.
Thanks Tokyo. A great post I'm going to go through again later just for fun.

Dean Finder said...

That Betsy Ross in the parade makes me think of the Betsy Ross in the Schoolhouse Rock "Preamble" short. which I guess is Disney, too, now that ABC is part of it.

TokyoMagic! said...

JG, I agree with you. Now that I've seen the dent, I think I will always be looking for it. It's a little hard to believe that they wouldn't have just turned the roof around, so the dent was facing the other direction. And that's interesting about the Scottish distillery. Wasn't that the same reason Barbra Streisand supposedly didn't get her nose fixed? Not that her nose wouldn't taste the same, but wasn't she afraid that her voice might not sound the same?

Nanook, I'm glad that the parade pics brought back some good memories for you! As for "Disney On Parole," I should have mentioned that it's a now-defunct Disney blog, rather than a show or parade. However, at second glance, that caricature stand does almost looks like a parade float, going down the street.

Chuck, ha, ha! Don't get me started about "Light Magic"! Oh, wait....I forgot. I already did a post, where I ranted about that "street-craptacular." (Excuse my French!) I actually meant to point out the fact that the Small World Stage was mentioned in the entertainment guide. When I saw that listed, I did think of you!

I think your explanation about my pic of the Indian Village all makes sense, especially the part about the shade. I think there are some elements of the village, that might be hidden in the shadows.

I think we'd all have a blast hanging out together today, in vintage Disneyland. I hope whoever is working on that time machine, is making it big enough to fit all of us!

TokyoMagic! said...

Andrew, Sue, JG, and Chuck....I was eleven!

Bu, you are right about the Castle Candy Shop now being the ADA experience for the Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-thru:

https://meettheworldinprogressland.blogspot.com/2009/07/castle-candy-shoppe-revisited.html

And you just reminded me that those rock candy crystal did come in other colors. I was trying to remember some of the other candies that came in those cubes. I seem to remember some kind of small lemon drops, and maybe some small red hots?

No, they no longer make guidebooks. They just put out a map with some info on it, but it doesn't list as much information as the old INA guides. Also, the paper that they print the maps on now, is so thin and flimsy, compared to what it was 10 years ago or so. I'm sure it's a cheaper quality, which saves them money. I heard a rumor a while back, that they were wanting to eliminate those maps altogether, and just make everyone download the App for the park. Maybe now with their brand new App, they will eliminate the paper maps and make everyone pay $20 if they want to view a digital map on their phones. Of course, that would be for the black and white version. If you want it to be in color, that's an additional $10.

I would love to see you, Arte, KC, and Evel, together in a 1976 TV extravaganza! It must exist out there somewhere. Maybe it will eventually turn up on YouTube. Do you happen to remember the name of the special?

TokyoMagic! said...

DrGoat, thank you! I don't think I would have gotten my caricature drawn, if my friend wasn't doing it. I am glad that I did, because I never had it done again, anywhere else. I did have my silhouette done on Main St., but that was about 20 years later, as an adult. I'll have to post that, too! I wish I had bought one of those "America On Parade" buttons. I'm kind of surprised that I didn't, since I was already collecting buttons at that age.

Dean Finder, I remember that particular "School House Rock" segment! My favorites were, "Noun" (It's a person, place or thing!), "Interjection!" (Hurray, I'm for the other team!), and "Interplanet Janet" (She's a galaxy girl!)

Gee, Disney owns everything now, don't they?

JG said...

Tokyo, I hadn’t heard the Streisand nose story, but it makes sense. Eventually that distillery had to replace the dented still (they do wear out over time) and had the new one made with precisely the same size dent in the same spot. Taking no chances.

Knowing that dent was there in the tower would make me crazy, that’s why I wondered if it was a hallowed mistake, it seems easy to fix.

Yes, 30$ for a color map you can’t keep seems right. Eventually they will just eliminate the Park altogether and charge you to view old pictures on your phone.

JG

TokyoMagic! said...

JG, but did the new still "sound" the same as the original? ;-)

I do wonder sometimes, if Disney would ever just sell off the property for development. I remember a few years back, when Six Flags was talking about selling off Magic Mountain for residential development.

"Lou and Sue" said...

Bite your tongue, TM!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Tokyo, I very much doubt that Disney would sell any of the property of the Park.

Proximity to the Park is what makes all the land around it valuable. Without Disneyland, the main draw would be the Convention Center, and even for that, a big draw for conventions is to have the Park to bookend your trip or entertain the family while the conventioneers convene. Losing that would be a body blow to the CC, but it would survive.

They might unload one or more of the distant parking lots if it were possible to build bigger garages closer in, but hard to say.

JG

Stefano said...

TokyoMagic!, I had the same camera, and took Diz photos with it, now vanished. Many thanks for this post and for one from years back, in which you included an action snap of an original Snow White's Adventures witch (same camera?).

I can chime in with everyone else; I was at Disneyland with my sisters one month after you, September 24th. That was a Friday, two weeks into the school year, which we thought was best eased into by ditching for the Magic Kingdom.
I love those guide book attraction graphics also; you got the last edition of the originals, the Fall '76 Guide had the updated illustrations which I thought were less well done.

The Space Mountain progress was exciting, and so was the announced updates to the Jungle Cruise. We peered over the construction fence, surprised at how shallow the river bed is without water. I had a last ride thru Nature's Wonderland during Christmas '76; if I had known it would close days later, I would have returned with Instamatic and flash, 8mm camera with light mount, and a tape recorder.

A favorite memory of America on Parade: a man near me booed at the marching suffragettes, one of whom wagged a polite finger in admonishment.

TokyoMagic! said...

Sue and JG, I'm "half" kidding. But really nothing they do now will ever surprise me.....not after seeing the destruction they did to the park for Wookie World.

Stefano, that photo of the Witch (from Snow White's Adventures), was taken with my brother's Kodak camera. I forget the camera model, but it took the 110 size film cartridge.

It sounds like a lot of us were at the park, around the same time! I didn't realize that this guidebook was the last one with the original graphics. Thanks for pointing that out. My next visit to the park wasn't until after Space Mt. opened, and I know the guide books were also a different size by then.

I forgot about the updates to the Jungle Cruise. Do you remember when the Jungle Cruise reopened with those updates? I'm trying to remember when I saw them for the first time. I do remember an issue of Disney News Magazine that featured the updates.

Wow.....a man booed the suffragettes in the parade? You were witnessing an actual 1970s male chauvinist pig, in action! I wonder if it was Bobby Riggs?

K. Martinez said...

Who's that kid with his head hidden by the fake tree foliage? ;-)

I remember back in the 1970's always heading for the Matterhorn first for the same reason you did. It was the only thrill ride in the park and the line filled up fast. My first ride on the Matterhorn Bobsleds was in 1963.

My cousin and I used to ride the Mine Train and Pack Mules back-to-back every time we went there. Mine Train first, Pack Mules second. I don't know why, but we did.

"America on Parade" was my all-time favorite Disneyland/Walt Disney World parade second only to the "Main Street Electrical Parade". I actually liked both evenly.

I remember buying those plastic boxes of candy including the mini-fruits. I used to buy it at the Candy Palace along with giant thick peppermint sticks in a plastic wrapper with "Disneyland" printed on them. Great memories.

The INA Disneyland guides were the best in my opinion. I would pour over them for hours.

This is the Disneyland era I love most. Thanks for a wonderful post and with so much to look at. It brings up so many great memories.

TokyoMagic! said...

Ken, that foliage was real! ;-)

I have to say that "America On Parade" and the "Main Street Electrical Parade," are actually tied as my favorite DL parades, too.

I also remember buying those giant candy sticks at the Candy Palace. I always chose the lemon ones, for some reason. I also used to buy the large chocolate candy bars with pieces of Heath candy in them. They had images of the Disney characters "molded" into them. I posted a couple of those candy bar wrappers many years ago, along with a "Fudge Pie" wrapper. The fudge pies came in a little metal pie tin and were also sold at both the Candy Palace and the Castle Candy Shop.

I'm glad that this post brought up some good memories for you!

MRaymond said...

I'm late to this party. The Mine Train was always my favorite ride. I never rode a burro either but it's because an animal that big scared the crap out of me.

I do remember the little candy cubes, I would always get rock candy. My dad told me to get something I couldn't find anywhere else (except Knott's)

TokyoMagic! said...

MRaymond, you can never be too late to this party!

The Mine Train was one of my favorites, as well. While we never rode the mules/burros at Disneyland, my brother and I did ride them at Knott's, multiple times. We rode them when the loading area was located at the southern end of the Calico Mine Ride, and also after they moved them over to the Lagoon area, across the street.

Your dad gave you some good advice on how to choose your candy! My mom used to say something similar (sort of), when it came to ordering food in a restaurant. She would advise against getting something like a "tuna sandwich," because "you can have that at home!"

Anonymous said...

Wow. What a post. I likely was working that day as a CM. Yes, the summer season was busy...and yet your pictures show it to be much more tranquil than it is today. Having worked the MT, I can tell you it is greatly missed. And we operators enjoyed going beneath Big Thunder on hot summer days to enjoy the mist from it. Thanks for the time travel! KS

TokyoMagic! said...

KS, I wonder if our paths crossed that day? I also remember feeling the mist from Big Thunder Falls! Oh, if we could only go back in time, for real!

Anonymous said...

It certainly could have happened Tokyo Magic! KS