A trio for your Sunday reading, starting with a shot of the very young Plaza Inn. It had only been open a year at the time these photos were taken.

I am assuming this guest is posing with one of the hostesses. What a costume—looks like a cross between the Haunted Mansion and the Tahitian Terrace.



Over at the Tiki Room, Uti stands guard over the entrance and Juan (José's cousin) the Barker Bird is still greeting guests below—all is well!



Apparently the "traffic jams" this talking bird caused was the reason he was removed.



Last (and unfortunately least), here is a shot of the Swiss Family Robinson Tree exit area. This one might even be a hard sell for the signage geeks!



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Today is a one-shot batch; no long, drawn out week long series...just one group and it's over! The C.K. Holliday is the star of this photo; I always get excited when I am entering the park in the morning and see a train at the station. It's such a great feeling to think I might be able to take the first Grand Circle Tour of the day!

Zooming in, you can see that the souvenir books at the newstand were a mere 50¢!



In this somewhat-dark image, I'm not quite sure what the photographer was attempting to capture, other than an assortment of tables at The Plaza Inn. Note the beautiful ruby glass hurricane lamps. Can you imagine how long those would last on a table today?



Here's a better look at one of those Plaza Inn lamps; of course, it would be difficult to ignore the lady in the background wearing the hot pink jacket.



Notice how she matches the pink in this ornate bench perfectly? Yes, she looks more at home here in Fantasyland at Merlin's Magic Shop than at the Plaza Inn.



Naturally I have to zoom into that shop window for you! See anything you'd like to buy?



Today, this store is The Heraldry Shop. I think I like the merchandise from the 1960's much better!





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Walt is shown with the concept art for two of the improvements at Disneyland that were to be rolled out for the Tencennial. Since Disneyland was laughed at by the press when it was unveiled, Walt's 10 Year Anniversary was a sweet slice of humble pie for the naysayers. Or should I say cake instead? In celebration, the larger-than-life Tencennial cake was wheeled out in front of the castle for guests to see:





Here is the accompanying publicity text for the photo of Walt:

WALT DISNEY ANNOUNCES DISNEYLAND "TENCENNIAL" — A year-long celebration will mark Disneyland's tenth anniversary in 1965. Top new attraction for the year will be "Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln" to be installed in what is now Disneyland's Opera House. Here Walt Disney points to artists' conception of the Lincoln setting and the lobby of the new Plaza Inn Restaurant to be added for the decade year. Many special events are planned throughout the year.

Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln debuted on July 18, 1965, which is the actual 10 year anniversary of when Disneyland was open to the public, as opposed to the invitation only event on July 17, 1955. Here's a closeup of the art that Walt is pointing to:



A beautiful night shot of the Opera House about one month after Mr. Lincoln debuted there:



The other piece of art that Walt is showing is of the Plaza Inn, a restaurant located in Central Plaza. Previously titled the Red Wagon Inn, it was sponsored by Swift Premium Meats.



Here's what the menu looked like during the first month it opened:



The Plaza Inn is still in business, serving delicious crispy Fried Chicken and other guest favorites. Here's to may more years of celebration for Walt's Disneyland! Follow my Daveland updates on Twitter. See more vintage & current Disneyland photos at my regular website.

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Time to wrap up this 70’s series; first we have a shot of the horse pulling the Horse-Drawn Streetcar as it goes by the Tobacco Shop. Two views of what occurs AFTER the horse goes down Main Street...talk about job security!





At the end of Main Street, our photographer took this exterior view of the Plaza Inn:



The rest of the views in this series show Snow White and some of her Dwarf Entourage:











Yesterday, I had my first opportunity to see the new “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” show—and yes, it was worth the wait. Unlike the previous incarnation that attempted a few cutesie technological tricks (the buzzing fly in your ear), this one stays right on target as a tribute to Lincoln’s fight for freedom for all. The new animatronic is very smooth, and garnered a number of wows from the audience (it was interesting to hear the comments from guests as to whether it was real or not). Just to see him get up out of his chair is pretty damn impressive. Get your booty over to the park and check it out at the Opera House!



















See more vintage and current Disneyland photos at my website.

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