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View Full Version : Looking for early memories of Disneyland (1955-1957)



Tigertail777
04-02-2005, 10:46 PM
Hey all, with the 50th coming up, I was wondering if anyone here had visited the park within the first two years of its operation? Do you have any special memories to share? I am looking for people to interview for a project. I would love to hear your stories.

jadeusa
04-03-2005, 08:04 AM
Hi... I was young and I remember a little... it seems to me that there was a glitch in that all the paving was not in...I remember my mom complaining about the dirt... Frontierland? I think I remember eating a tuna sandwhich and Fritos near the ship... mostly what I "remember" is what my dad told me later...anyway, I drove my dad crazy running like a little wild girl, and he had to carry me out to the parking lot that eve... I still run around all day, but my husband draws the line on carrying me to the car... In two weeks we will visit again... DL forever!

Rouxe1688
04-03-2005, 08:27 AM
I'm too young to have been there in the beginning of it all, but my Gramie went when it first opened. I remember her telling me the rivers of america (that's its name, right? brain fart) was just a big hole in the ground, no water yet. And my dad remembers riding the skyway through the matterhorn, said the view was crazy up there. too bad they got rid of it.

The Lovely Mrs. tod
04-03-2005, 09:25 AM
Ooops, wait a second...

tod
04-03-2005, 09:26 AM
Hey all, with the 50th coming up, I was wondering if anyone here had visited the park within the first two years of its operation? Do you have any special memories to share? I am looking for people to interview for a project. I would love to hear your stories.

PM me. I've been going there since the beginning.

--t

UncleGDogWord
04-03-2005, 02:05 PM
My Mom told me how in 55 or 56 got to take a Helicopter from I think either LAX or John Wayne right to the park. My Grandfather had purchased stock in Disney in 54 and was given the option of purchasing a direct Helicopter ride into the park for $150 from Disney due to the amount of stock he purchased. (Not sure on the exact price, but that is what my Mom said it was)

The four of them (Her father, mother, brother and herself) got to land at the Disneyland Helipad and they got to meet Walt himself. He was heading back to the studio and he came up to them and welcomed them and headed out in his little copter.

Wfoxx
04-03-2005, 02:22 PM
There's an old movie called "40 pounds of Trouble ". It had Tony Curtis and Suzane Plishette in it. It showed Disneyland back in its early days. If you can find it . It's really fun to watch.

bradk
04-03-2005, 02:25 PM
that helicopter story is a nice one. just out of curiosity, i found an inflation calculator on the web and ran $150 in 1955 through it... it's a little over $1000 today.

UncleGDogWord
04-03-2005, 02:42 PM
that helicopter story is a nice one. just out of curiosity, i found an inflation calculator on the web and ran $150 in 1955 through it... it's a little over $1000 today.

Sounds about right. I remember my Grandfather stating it was a one time and only a one time trip. I believe it also included park admission and 5 ticket books with discounted stay at a hotel. (Not sure if it was the Disneyland Hotel)

bradk
04-03-2005, 02:48 PM
i should hope so. to be honest, i'd think someone who could afford it and be willing to pay so much money for such a tiny trip probably invested so much money into the company that the trip should have been offered for free. sounds like a real thrill though. i can't honestly say i wouldn't spend the money myself if i had the opportunity (and the extra cash).

Tigertail777
04-03-2005, 05:00 PM
Thanks for the replies everyone! All of your stories, and your relatives stories of the early years sound very interesting. If anyone else has any, please speak up I would love to hear from you.

And let me ammend; if you have any vivid recollections of stories that any of relatives told you of the first early years of Disneyland, I would love to hear from you too!

And if there are any Cast Members from those early years, or memories of Cast Members I would especially like to hear from you. :D

Opus1guy
04-03-2005, 05:19 PM
My Mom told me how in 55 or 56 got to take a Helicopter from I think either LAX or John Wayne right to the park.

Aaaah. LAA. Los Angeles Airways. Remember them well! Flew many a flight from LAX to the Disneyland Hotel's Helipad and "TravelPort" on them. I saved one of my tickets and it has a 1964 fare of $58 one-way.

http://airlines.afriqonline.com/airlines/712.htm

I used to do a lot of VIP Meet & Greets at the Helipad for the company I worked for, as well.

If you were alive back then, you probably remember how LAA went out of business. In less than a one year period, 2 of these helicopters flying between LAX and Disneyland crashed and killed all on board (23 & 21 people respectively). The airline never really recovered from that.

Each one of these tragedies was HUGE, HUGE news back then. Especially when viewed in context with Disneyland visits by families with kids, which was supposed to be all happiness. If you're interested in reading about the crashes, there's this:

http://tafkac.org/disney/helicopter_crashes.html

So for me, many fond memories. But also some very sad ones too.

Crazy4DL
04-03-2005, 05:26 PM
So for me, many fond memories. But also some very sad ones too.

Very interesting reading. Thanks for sharing. I can where you would have fond and sad memories.

Maus
04-03-2005, 06:33 PM
My mom was a cast member in 1956. I remember the employee Christmas party that year. Each child was able to select a wrapped gift from a HUGE (to 3-year-old me) pile as we exited the park. I got a sterling silver Tinker Bell necklace that I still have. That was the start of my Disneyana collection!

wotruba-disney
04-03-2005, 08:59 PM
Iwas 14 in 1956, living in Bremerton, WA. My grandparents took me to the park and they stayed the morning, leaving me for the rest of the day. The three of us
went aboard the Mark Twain which I had seen on television. My grandpa Wes
said that he had checked out the paddle wheel and that is was fake. He said the skip was fake and couldn't move. When the MT pulled away from the dock, I
couldn't find grandpa Wes. He thought it was "trick photography."
I still remember riding the Autopia that day - imagine the thrill in a 14 year old boy's heart. I purchased one of the 1967 Autopia bodies a few years ago and built a new chassis with an electric motor, forward and reverse, headlites and tail lights - my grandchildren enjoy riding on the hood.

Disney Vault
04-03-2005, 09:38 PM
http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=37663&highlight=1956

In this thread someone posted a link to a really cool video of disneyland in 1956. It does an overview of each land and is very interesting.