Disney World Opens - Life Magazine October 1971

Disney World Opens from Life Magazine - October 15, 1971. This is the last and best of the three early Walt Disney World magazine articles I have to post prior to my upcoming trip to the Magic Kingdom. Check out the other two here:


Take a LOOK at Disneyworld - April 4, 1971

Boys Life – July 1973







In one month I will be at the “other park” in Florida for the very first time. To be honest, I am ambivalent about the going. The more I read online about the current condition of the “Florida” property the less exciting it seems. Therefore, I am open to any and all suggestions regarding how a “Socal” guy can have fun in Florida. (Email me at: Vintagedisneylandtickets@gmail.com)

Now on to the article. This one is seven pages long; I’ll keep quiet and let you read all the pages uninterrupted. Be sure to check out the two page aerial photo. It’s taken from an odd angle and with a super wide fish-eye type lens. This place is disorienting enough for me, but the aerial photo gives me weird dreams.












Don’t forget to give me some hints for Florida, so far the “Mickey Mouse Revue” looks like the best thing going, but I missed that by a few decades.

Now for some vintage ads, I just love these, I hope you enjoy them as well.

Oh boy, lets buy a Pinto? “It was alleged that the car's design allowed its fuel tank to be easily damaged in the event of a rear-end collision which sometimes resulted in deadly fires and explosions.” In reality the number of fire related deaths from those early Pintos (over 2 million built) was 27, about the same as any other car of the period. Actually, it’s kind of cute.






Now this is more my size. I once owned a 73 Lincoln Mark IV (similar underneath to this T-Bird) it had those early anti-lock brakes (Sure-Track) and they worked rather well.






Can’t ignore the GM folks, this is the last year before the ugly bumper laws made the front ends look awful!






Moving away from the ads for a moment and for the sports fans, here is a great vintage article about George Allen joining the Redskins after being with the Rams. The “RamSkins” Interesting that his Redskins would loose to Florida (that seasons' undefeated Miami Dolphins) in Superbowl XII (1973) 14 to 7.







Back for two more ads. How about a couple of vices?

Let’s start with some alcohol. Ah yes Seagram's 7 Crown, what a lively looking bunch of folks, look how neat and organized everything is. When my friends and I hang around all day and drink whisky on the rocks in tall glasses, we aren’t quite as well behaved…






***Disclaimer – Cigarettes are gross and they will kill you, don’t do it!*** That said, “The Lady has Taste” Eve cigarettes will always have and odd and disjointed place in my mind, as a 6 year old, these ads really had an profound impact on my little brain. “Smoke Pretty”, Well “Lady”, you’ll look “pretty” in that open casket!





Preview: A couple of fun days coming up on the blog; Tomorrow come celebrate American’s 200th anniversary with a Vintage America on Parade preview ticket (plus laugh along with me at my attempt to scan some related and faded commercial slides) and for Friday, a different type of “200th” celebration!

Santa Fe & Disneyland R.R. - Part 4

If you missed the other three parts to the Santa Fe & Disneyland R.R. posts, you can view them here (link)

Today we take a close look at this neat little pamphlet for the “New Circle Route around Disneyland”. It was printed by “Walt Disney Productions” but it sure looks like advertising for the Santa Fe too!

This little pamphlet (measuring just 3” by 5” when folded) is not dated. I would place it around 1956.






The Disneyland map looks exactly like the one on the record “Walt Disney takes you to Disneyland” (link) that is from 1956. The Tomorrowland Lake has one of those “Air boats” that they never produced and I can see why! If I was ever to collect attraction posters, I would consider the poster with the Airboats as the holy-grail, has anyone ever seen one in person?






Fun comparison of Disneyland’s two trains with the newer Santa Fe trains. I like the train drawings.






Super map inside showing all the routes of the Santa Fe. This opens up to 10” by 12”.






The back has mailing information. I guess you could mail these to friend for only a 2¢ stamp!






A Commemorative Keepsake, this ticket was for the Lilly Belle Rededication Ceremony February 15, 2006. I have seen tickets from the 1970’s for the Lilly Belle and they do look like this, except they were real!






Fun Facts on the back.






Lastly, from the “Cast Exclusive Series” of trading type cards, this card was printed for the Ward Kimball #5 which joined the other four trains also on February 15, 2006.

Knott's Berry Farm Complimentary Ticket Book - 1970?

Welcome to "Knott's Berry Farm Monday's" here at the blog. This undated Knott’s ticket book is full and unused, I suppose it’s still good today, but that’s something we may never know because I’m keeping this one!

The attraction map on the inside of the back cover would place this around 1970, odd since Globe tickets were in used already at Knott’s and these are not Globe Paper, more on that later. Our 1960’s Cowboy on the admission ticket sure looks happy to be at Knott’s!






The welcome message is nice, even if the concept was blatantly stolen from the Disneyland ticket books.






The tickets in this book are all good for any attraction. Dad with his pipe, perpetually ready to have “family fun”. Is that Whittles at the controls of the train, maybe dad shouldn’t be smiling.






The typical legal messages are on the back. Check out the paper itself, it’s from “Dillingham Ticket Co., L.A.”. Hmmm, Globe’s competition maybe? I like the water marking on this paper; it reminds me of the old “insurance” currency from the “Game of Life” which of course is whole heartily endorsed by Art Linkletter.







The Map from inside of the back cover. This map looks exactly like the map in the February 1970 ticket book (Knott’s “A” ticket post link).






The back of the ticket book is an odd mix. It’s definitely the “old” style with the family and the train, but it’s called “Bonanza Fun Book” which would place this more around 1971, but the 1971-73 “Bonanza Fun Books” I have all contain Globe tickets, so this must be a “transition” piece. Yes I lose sleep on these issues....







And because this post truly does have a cadaverous pallor, here is some Color! This tri-fold brochure is from December 1968. It claims 200 acres of fun; the same brochure in June of 1972 will claim 150 acres of fun, where did the 50 acres go?










Ok, so since you asked, here is the June 1972 brochure. While the front and backs are very similar (except for the loss of 50 acres), the inside portion is very different with mostly newer photos (THE DUKE!) and a little reused text from the 1968 brochure.

Bonus Sunday

From Wednesday's post (link) here is the complete 1985 "Your Souvenir Guide" to Disneyland. This Guide is in mint condition, someone must have picked this one up on the way out of the park.

Disneyland Guide Book 1985 (1st edition) - 12mb

Well folks, it's June and besides weddings, it's GRAD NITE month! I hope you are ready to see plenty of Grad Nite tickets and goodies this month!

Grad Party '78, This isn't really a Grad Nite, since it's a daytime event for June 8th 1978. Mickey and Goofy look pretty "thrilled". This ticket is punched void, so don't try and copy it and time travel back to used it.







Just a little souvenir oddity. From one of those great wood burning sets (I bet gents over 40 know the smell as soon as I mentioned it) this one is from 1955 I would guess, the graphics on the box are great, way too big to scan. Progressland, notice it says entrance to "Disneyland Park"....

The Disney Look - 1977

Please look in the mirror, yes you... Do you have "The Disney Look"? I sure don't, I failed the beard and moustache part!

From 1977, enjoy....













Come back tomorrow for Bonus Sunday...

Space Mountain 1977 & TV Guide 1957

Two completely unrelated items in today’s post, other than they are both follow up’s of posts from last week.

Up first today, let’s continue to celebrate Space Mountain’s 31st anniversary from last weeks post (link). It’s the Retail Clerks Family Party at Disneyland, October 16, 1977. “The most incredible attraction in 22 years”.





The back of the flyer states it’s “Just for You”.





Also continuing on last weeks TV Guide post (Why Disney Changed his Mind about TV) and as a special favor for my friend Richard over at the Viewliner Ltd. blog, here is the complete January 19-25, 1957 TV Guide.


Complete TV Guide / January 19-25, 1957 (97MB)



Here are a few select pages from the TV Guide, starting with a badly worn cover with a great picture of a young Jerry Lewis.






Disney’s “Our Friend the Atom” premiered on TV this week and TV Guide did an nice job of covering it.






From the day of the broadcast, Wednesday January 23rd, TV Guide did a “Close-up” style 2/3 page mention of the show.






Disney appears to have also bought a full page ad, just in case you missed the one on the previous page!






And more of my favorite TV Teletype’s. Notice by 1957 "Hollywood" is listed in the front of the guide and "New York" is in the back, opposite of the 1954 TV Guide.







Looks like RCA did get the price of a Color TV down to $495 by 1957, does that cowboy seem excited or what?