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.

Vintage Mother's Day Cards & My Mom In Germany

Mother's Day is this Sunday, but just a heads-up before we get started today.  For those who follow this blog mostly for my theme park and/or Disney-related posts, I apologize for posting a little heavily lately on the vintage holiday items, greeting cards, and the "U.S. Army in Berlin" photos.  However, please check back next month, when I will have a post celebrating the 50th anniversary of the opening of Knott's Berry Farm's "Roaring 20s" area!  Thanks!

This first item is an antique postcard that I purchased thirty-six years ago, in Victoria, British Columbia.  I have previously posted antique Valentine's Day and Easter postcards, both from the same little shop.  And just like the details on those other postcards, the flowers and the lettering on this one are all embossed.  I guess technically, this wasn't a Mother's Day card, but it certainly could have been used as one.

The back has a July 24, 1909 postmark!  "Grant" sent this to his mother in Waterloo, Ontario, and wrote, "Dear Mother, We are having a fine time out here and intend to go fishing soon.  Kisses XXXXXX Grant."  (Last month, I posted an Easter postcard sent to Mr. John A. Harper, by his nephew.  This postcard was sent to Mrs. John A. Harper, by her son.  And again, after a little research, I discovered that John Harper was my 9th cousin, three times removed.  The great-great-great-etc. grandparent that we have in common, dates back to England in the 1500s!)

The next seven cards were all given to my mom.

This "groovy" one was from me.  It isn't dated, but it would be from the 1970s.

This card would be from several years earlier, and was also from me.  It was manufactured by "Paramount," and was from their "Paramount Pet" line of cards.

It was signed with my name at the bottom, but I could tell that it was done by an adult (my dad!) who was trying to make the writing look like it was done by a very small child.

The next two cards were from "Buzza Cardozo of Anaheim California," with this first one being from the company's "Needlepoint Card" line.  It was from my mom's sister.

And this is another card that was signed for me, by my dad.  The purple areas on this one are all flocked/fuzzy.

My dad wrote my age inside the card,  Wait....maybe I was a very advanced child, and was writing by the age of two!  ;-)

Here's an American Greetings card, done in the same style as that "Needlepoint" card.  This one was from my grandparents.

Seeing the color of ink inside, reminded me that my grandmother often kept a pen by her telephone, which wrote in purple ink!

This multi-page card was from my brother, and was manufactured by "Laurel Cards."

And my dad gave this "Rust Craft" card to my mom, on her very first Mother's Day.

The woman is "three-dimensional," like a page out of a "pop-up" book.  The cutout had to be pressed flat when I scanned the card, so that's why the paper is a little "rippled" at the bottom.

These next three cards were given to my grandmothers.

The first one is another card by "Buzza Cardozo of Anaheim, California."  Unfortunately, there is kind of a sad story that goes along with it.  The card was addressed to my great-grandmother.  (Not the one who brought her home-cooked fried chicken into Disneyland, but my other great-grandmother, who passed away when I was four.)  I recently discovered this among the other cards that my mom had saved, but the card's envelope was still sealed tight.  It had never been opened.  I looked up the date that my great-grandmother passed away, and it was just a few days after Mother's Day.  I don't remember whether or not she had been ill in the days leading up to her passing, but it was obvious that this card had never been opened, and that she never got to see it.

An adult had signed it for my brother and me.

Here's a "Gibson" card that was sent by my Dad, to his mom (in Maryland), in 1965.

And this card was sent by my mom, to her mom, while she was working for the U.S. Army in Berlin, in 1960.

This last card is from Germany, and was purchased by my dad while he was in the Army, and stationed in Berlin.  It's blank inside, but the sentiment on the front of the card translates to, "For Mother's Day Sincere Congratulations."  It was never used, but I'm guessing my dad had originally planned to give it to his mom.

Since I have gotten in the habit lately of sharing some of my mom and dad's Berlin photos, here are a few more, all featuring my mom.  These would be from either 1959 or 1960.

This one shows my mom, standing in front of the Brandenburg Gate.  That's East Berlin, just on the other side of the gate, and that sign on the left translates to, "Warning! - You Will Be Leaving West Berlin In 40 Meters!"  This was just a year or two before the Berlin Wall went up.  Those East Berlin buildings visible on the other side of the gate were all fake, just like the "backlot" of a movie studio.  It was to give the false impression that everything in East Berlin was modern and well-maintained, just like on the West Berlin side.  Driving a little further past those buildings however, revealed a completely different reality.

This appears to be a large roadside water pump, but I don't know specifically where it was located.  Oh, and I now have that basket/purse that my mom is carrying!

I'm also not sure where this was taken, but I'm going to guess that it was fairly close to my mom's apartment, in Berlin.

I believe this one was taken at a waterfront restaurant, along the Havel River, in Berlin.  My mom is on the left, and the lady in the middle was her friend and coworker, Dagmar Kunz (who we saw in last month's post).  I don't know the name of the other lady, but they all worked together in the All American Service Club, at McNair Barracks.

Here's a better look at the view from the restaurant's patio.  I merged two of my mom's photos for this image.

I really love these next two photos.  They were taken at McNair Barracks, by my dad.  I actually have a snippet of color movie footage (less than a minute long), showing my dad in his uniform, picking my mom up and placing her on this military vehicle.  Neither one of them had a movie camera back then, so it must have belonged to one of the other soldiers, and he must have cut that short piece of film off of the reel after developing it, and given it to my dad.

Happy Mother's Day, to all of the mom's out there!