Aug 28 - Disneyland for $4.95****

Monday, August 28, 1972 - Page 241

LOCATION: Anaheim; Newport Beach, California

Typical 1970s map of Disneyland. Previous maps had featured the Disneyland Hotel and its monorail station, but these were removed when Walt Disney Productions became disenchanted with the hotel's original owner, Wrather Corporation (wikipedia info).

(3:14:15 AM 8/30/1972)

Woke up around 10:00 A.M. Watched the "Disneyland Hotel Today" show on the T.V. until 11:00 or so. Went to the lobby to write a check and get five dollars so I could go to Disneyland. The check had Mom's name and address, and tho she and me share the same account, the hotel wouldn't cash it. She told me to go to a bank. I asked the girl at the parking lot entrance where the nearest bank was, and she told me it was on Harbor. I walked thru Disneyland's parking lot to get to Harbor, and walked to Katella. [This vast parking lot of yesteryear is now occupied by Disney California Adventure which opened on Feb 8, 2001]

The owner of the hotel, Texas oil millionaire Jack Wrather, died in 1984. Under CEO Michael Eisner, Walt Disney Productions bought the entire Wrather Corporation in 1989. Disney kept the hotel but sold Wrather's other assets which included the Queen Mary, the Spruce Goose, and the rights to the The Lone Ranger and Lassie TV series.

On Katella was the Ivanhoe, and since there was no bank in sight, I went to the Ivanhoe Motel, which will soon be managed by Laramée & Michael Sarason [my sister and brother-in-law]. Mike was at the hardware store, so I had to wait a few minutes for him to appear, and when he did I cashed the five dollar check. I walked back to the monorail debarkation area at the Disneyland Hotel and bought a 10-ticket book for $4.95, leaving me $3 that Mom had given me the night before.

A 15-Coupon Book from 1972 originally sold for $5.95. To see typical prices for attractions in the Summer of 1972, go here: ABCs of Disneyland Tickets

I took the monorail in, and stayed on it for a second ride which was illegal, but I thought it was justified since I got only half a ride, getting on at the hotel as I did. I wandered thru the new land that replaced the old "Indian Village" and I went to see the new "Country Bear Jamboree."

Country Bear Jamboree in the new Bear Country (now Critter Country). This Jamboree closed in 2001 to make room for The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh which opened on April 11, 2003.

I noticed many differences in the park since I was last there, which was 1 or 2 years ago. Before then, I had been there approximately, literally, 2 dozen times. Disneyland had been my hobby as a child. It was a pretty expensive hobby, and I eventually had to give it up, but I was the leading amateur authority on Disneyland for some time. Disneyland and I are about the same age [I was born on 7/17/1954, the precise day that Walt Disney officially broke ground to begin construction -- then Disneyland opened a year later on 7/17/1955].

This 4-minute silent film provides a great view of Disneyland as it was in 1972. You'll see the Skyway thru the Matterhorn that carried guests back-and-forth between Tomorrowland & Fantasyland.

The attraction was shutdown forever in November 1994 due to "technical problems." Or MAYBE it was because a guest "accidentally" fell from a gondola in April 1994, sustaining minor injuries from his 20-foot drop. So he sued Disney for $25,000, but later admitted he'd intentionally jumped from the ride. The lawsuit was dropped in 1996. Hey, dude, thanks for screwing it up for the rest of us!

I spent 4 1/2 hours there on Monday -- the day was hot and muggy, and I was wearing long underwear (the only clean underwear I had left) and I had to leave my jacket and cassette player in a locker but as I left, I forgot, so I had to sneak back in thru the gates to retrieve them.

Time was against me -- I left shortly after 4:30 (4:40, really) and I had to get to the Ivanhoe at 5:00 to get a ride from Mike. I made it there at 5:00, but he didn't leave until 5:30. He'd spent the day painting a room and I helped him clean up. We also carried some furniture into the storage room. He & Lara will be moving in permanently this week -- My timely arrival has precipitated my assistance in this endeavor. I don't think I used that word right. I don't care, I'm almost asleep.

Anyway, we drove to pick up Lara at work -- she thought I was Chunk [my older brother, Chuck] when she first saw me. That's odd. We all then drove to their house to pick up some stuff to take to the trailer. Then we drove to Eyesore Park [actually Bayshore Park, my home in Newport Beach]. Hadn't been there for SIXTY whole (or almost whole) days. Mike and I played badmitten for a while. We hit it back and forth 78 times without making a mistake. That's as far as we'd ever gotten. We all ate dinner since Mom, luckily, had made a roast. Yum yum. Hadn't eaten since dinner on the 737 yesterday (had a few snacks in Disneyland however).

The place looked different. There's a big color TV set instead of the old B&W one, the whole place has a carpet all over the floor, and the furniture is all rearranged. After dinner Mom had to leave to play bridge, Lara rinsed off the dishes and straightened the place out while Mike & I played badmitten in the dark. They eventually left at around ten.

NOTE FROM THE FUTURE: My daughter Elora became a Disneyland employee (cast member) in July 2008. She recommended me, so I applied and was hired in July 2009 as a Food Service Worker for the River Belle Terrace restaurant that straddles Frontierland & Adventureland. Mickey Mouse was my new boss, and he was the BEST EVER because he never spoke. It was the ultimate dream job -- I could go to DL (DisneyLand) or DCA (Disney California Adventure) for FREE whenever I wanted and I could go thru all those doors that say CAST MEMBERS ONLY. But I had to quit in March 2010 for full-time employment that would actually pay our bills.

TOMORROW: A SoCal hurricane