Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Family Circle Magazine - December 1958 + a Bonus

Welcome to Magazine Monday. Today is a special Holiday edition of Magazine Monday (presented on Tuesday) that includes a fun alternate look at a vintage magazine that features Disneyland.

From December 1958 we’ve got Family Circle Magazine. This issue features the tale of “A Christmas Adventure in Disneyland”. The Disneyland story covers eleven pages and has poems and song lyrics accompanying it.






As you can see my copy of this Magazine is not only old and faded, but appears to have some decent water damage as well. And naturally the Disneyland article has the worse damage!






Rather than present dull, faded, stained pages, I just so happen to have the same story as told via a 1958 Disneyland Record. This grand LP included a full size booklet in between the covers and has held up remarkably well for 51 years.






The inside cover describes what’s on the record.






How about listening to the record as you follow along reading the story? I recorded each side of the LP, the files are below. No video this time, I discovered you get much better sound quality when you connect the stereo directly to the computer. That said, this record is 51 years old and has its share of pops & scratches.

The narration is a bit annoying, with the worse Mr. Toad impression I’ve ever heard. However, the record is fun to listen to. You MUST check out the song “Jingle Bones” at 10:30 on side one, classic late ‘50’s Disney at its best.



Adventure Christmas Adventure in Disneyland - Side 1 (9mb)


Adventure Christmas Adventure in Disneyland - Side 2 (7mb)



The 11 pages of the story are below. They are posted without interruption, my only comments are; WOW – amazing artwork and Gee- what a neat story. Merry Christmas!


























Some of the other “Story Teller” series of Disneyland Records available in 1958. I have few of these, most are fairly rare including this one.







Now back to the magazine. These sets of pages represent all things Christmas in 1958. Each of these five articles is spread over two pages. I did a decent job of stitching them together but you will notice color variations on each of the two pages. It appears to have been printed that way or half the pages faded more than the other half.

A hearthside supper for your tree-trimmers.






A cheery welcome – check out that snack cart, yummy!






This marvelous buffet includes a “Chicken-cranberry Mold” yuck…






Cooky fantasies to charm children” Those cookies mounted on the wall are not for human consumption, I know this for a fact…






Sugar Dandies indeed!






"Stockings to treasure” – paging Kevin Kidney.






How about some vintage holiday time advertisements? Up first a classy lady for Pepsi, nice hat – especially created by Sally Victor for Pepsi.






This lady must be related to Barbara Billingsly?






Bake a “Mystery Fruitcake” from Betty Crocker. Aren’t all Fruitcakes mysteries?






No shrink, no waste” precooked sausage from Disneyland sponsor Swift Meats.






More Christmas cookies with recipes, this time from Ceresota Flour (unbleached – naturally white). Have you ever heard of “Ceresota Flour”, I sure haven’t.






Mazola was way ahead of the health food curve, promoting corn oil as more heather than regular oil (lard).





I hope you enjoyed this little Christmas treat.

7 comments:

Daveland said...

Tim - What a fantastic post! Except for the Chicken Cranberry Mold Salad, of course—however, you can sign me up for a mystery fruitcake though!

TokyoMagic! said...

Oh no....I don't have time to listen to this before leaving for work, darn it! LOVE that Christmas tree shaped rocket!

Major Pepperidge said...

I think that ALL women in the 50's were related to Barbara Billingsly! Those are some beautiful illustrations - very interesting that they were used in the magazine, and that record that I've never seen before! Great stuff as always.

The Viewliner Limited said...

Posts don't get any better than this. This stuff is the greatest. Thanks Tim.

Dave said...

Wonderful post, Tim - thanks! I always enjoy the other (non-Disneyland) info you include on these. It gives a great feel for that classic era!

Angela said...

I came across your post while looking for information about the Christmas Adventure in Disneyland record. I had it as a kid and now my 4-year-old son loves it. We never had the booklet so this is a real treat. I agree, the Mr. Toad impression is horrible, and Jingle Bones is by far the best song. Thanks for preserving and sharing this memory!

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A glimpse into mid-20th century family life, filled with seasonal recipes, lifestyle tips, and holiday-themed content. "December 1958" marks a time of nostalgia, capturing the warmth and traditions of that era, making it a significant snapshot of history and culture.