First up, "Fortnight" Magazine, from November 17, 1954. "California's Own Magazine".
Each realm is a “Land” of its own; Adventure Land, Tomorrow Land, etc. “Pirates” in Frontier Land, it will never happen.
“A Paddle Wheel river boat (capacity of 300)” I always heard they didn’t figure out the “capacity” until after the park opened and the Mark Twain almost capsized?
“Passengers can identify the places they are passing; Mt. Vernon, New Orleans, Mobile.”? “Drink root beer at Paul Bunyan’s Bar”. Looks like there were some changes to the plan after this was written.
And now a couple articles. Back when Sears was king of retail. If you’re into vintage stores, check out Pleasant Family Shopping blog (link), I visit there daily.
Trains buffs take note of this article; The Slim Princess, soon to end, “California’s only remaining narrow gauge line”.
Couldn't you just image that engine at Disneyland?
For some color, here’s a great ad for Old Sunny Brook Brand whisky. That looks just like me and my friends when we go camping: coffee, whiskey, a large ax and fishing poles, ah the good life.
Park Lane, seems a little pricey to me. Well, its does have touch plate wiring and a radio controlled garage door, I’m sold.
If you live in a hot climate, I believe there is still some truth to this. Nothing beats commercial air conditioning when its 114 outside.
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From August 1955 it’s Fortnight. Now a "Magazine of the Pacific Coast”.
Three whole pages of luscious black and white were used to “review” that new "Disneyland" place, and well, they really aren’t so nice. Read it for yourself and see if you hear a certain “tone” “undoubtedly the crowds would drop off and there would be price adjustments” they were half right!
All of these photos on the following two pages are new to me, having only seen them here. I wish they were in color and better quality, but still fun to look at. That stagecoach running thru the “mud hole” looks completely unfamiliar to me, anyone else?
No American car ads in this magazine, I guess those cars weren’t for people of the “Pacific Coast”? Fun little Triumph TR2, over 100mph and 35 mpg! Hey, it's not parked on the Pacific Coast!!!
This kitchen looks very familiar. My “Cinderella” model 1958 track house has pretty much the same kitchen.
Non-stop coast to coast in style! A DC-7 cruises at 355mph, that’s about 8 hours, a huge improvement of the old way!
Check out the prices of the “Gracious Living” homes!
Vintage Marineland ad, it opened in 1954.
The back cover with some great 50’s artwork demonstrating how wonderful France was to visit, “Meet a King”.
3 comments:
Now this was a very interesting Magazine. The cover shows the "Territorial Enterprise", which was the newspaper for Virgina City, NV (Think Bonanza). It certainly looks like the cover photo could have been taken there...
The "Chaos in Disneyland" is awful. Not because it makes for unpleasant reading, but because the reporter is just so happy to bring you bad news and shortsighted "insights". It's the kind of thing Hedda Hopper would write about a starlette of whom she didn't approve.
The blurb ends on a note of cowardliness, after spending several paragraphs of tell you what's wrong a D-land, it covers all the bases and predicts success. So if the Park makes it for fails, either way, the "Fortnight" called it right.
BTW, My Dad owned a TR3, and we drove cross country in it when we left NYC to come live in CA back in 1961.
Yeah, that "Chaos in Disneyland" article is pretty darn negative, but that's what makes it kind of interesting. This is from before they got some of the kinks worked out, and perhaps a lot of people felt the same way?
"Fortnight" is a nice example of a bygone era when magazines could afford to publish long, in-depth articles. Very cool.
And thanks for the props, Tim! This site is definitely one of my daily "must-sees" as well.
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