Visiting Disneyland in 1956

Disneyland Dream (1956)

A friend of mine recently referred me to this incredible documentary film called "Disneyland Dream" and I'm thankful that he did. The video, which documents the Barstow family's 1956 trip from Connecticut to California, is an amazing time capsule from that time period. In 1956, the Barstow family entered a contest presented by Scotch tape in order to win the prize - a fully paid trip to Disneyland. The Barstow family won of course and captured their magical trip on film. Some of the sites that you can see in the video include their 1950s home in Connecticut, the Huntington Shertaton Hotel in Pasadena, Knott's Berry Farm when it actually looked more like a farm than a theme park, Southern California orange groves, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood and Vine, the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, Universal Studios Hollywood, Will Rogers's home, Catalina Island and a tour of the Disneyland theme park as it appeared back then.

The video is about 34 minutes long but worth taking the time to watch until the end if your a nostalgia or Disneyland buff. The video uses the film footage from 1956 with an added narration track that Robbins Barstow, the father, created in 1995. Some of my favorite things in the video are seeing the family wearing their Davy Crocket jackets or boarding a TWA airplane that holds 64 people. The family is also quite amusing and with the narration provided by Robbins, you feel like you're right there with him as he retells this memorable experience.

So when you have the time, take a moment to step back to 1956 as you watch Disneyland Dream. If the video doesn't play you can also see the video here: Disneyland Dream

Universal Studios Courthouse Square is Back!

Universal Studio Backlot Fire - Photo from NY Times

Courthouse Square, one of the few backlot facades of Universal Studios Hollywood has been rebuilt after a fire destroyed this section, among others, during a devastating fire on June 1, 2008. Above is a photo from the New York Times the day the fire burned. The fire was an accident caused by workers using a blowtorch on one a rooftop.

Universal Studios Backlot destroyed by fire.

Back to the Future, filmed at Courthouse Square

Courthouse Square has appeared in hundreds of films and television shows dating back to the 1940s. Some of the productions that have filmed here include To Kill a Mockingbird, Bye Bye Birdie, and The Nutty Professor, but probably one of the most famous films set in this locations is Back to the Future as seen in the photo above. It's this courthouse where lightning strikes the clock tower near the end of the film.

Universal Studios backlot being rebuilt.

On Thursday, Universal Studios reopened this section of their backlot, celebrating with a champagne toast and the USC Marching band which was an extra treat for the first visitors. Guests visiting Universal Studios can see the newly built backlot if they go on the park's famous studio tour.

Exciting news don't you think?

Chutes Park - Los Angeles Amusement Park

The Chutes, Los Angeles - Postcard

A couple weeks ago I took a trip down to Temecula, California for some wine tasting and antiquing and in one of the shops I found this great old postcard of The Chutes amusement park in Los Angeles. I have only seen a few images of the park before so I was excited to find an image of this little talked about extinct Los Angeles attraction for my own collection of images.

Chutes Park started as a trolley park in 1887. During the days of trolley cars in urban cities there would usually be some kind of recreational park at the end of the trolley line to attract riders during the weekends. These were places where people could come and picnic, watch concerts, see fireworks shows and other special events. The main attraction at Chutes Park was a flume type ride which dropped riders in boats from a 75 feet tower into a man made lake which you can see in the postcard above.

The Chutes Park was always growing, adding new attractions, including a theatre, miniature railroad, merry-go-round, seal pond, fishing pond, and even hot air balloon rides. In 1900 a baseball diamond was completed and it would be the home of a minor league baseball team called the Los Angeles Angels. Eventually the Angels would move from this location.

Over the years the Chutes Park would change owners and change names. It's also been known as Luna Park and Washington Park. I'm not exactly sure when this LA amusement park shutdown completely so if anyone knows I would love to hear your comments. I do know that many of the trolley parks suffered when the automobile gained popularity. Of course, by the 1930s there was also the Depression which didn't help business at amusement parks either.

Your thoughts?