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Calendar Section of the Los Angeles Times … Mini-Time Capsules of Our Lives…
March 10, 2023 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
I recently went hunting for the opening day events of Splash Mountain, Disneyland. Some of you may be aware of the current hubbub surrounding this attraction which was first created for Disneyland, and then added shortly thereafter in Disney World. Fans of this ride based on the 1946 Disney film, Song of the South. Knowing fans of Splash Mountain would be seeking related collectible mementos, I quickly headed to our archives to search for a Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times as close to the original opening date as possible to see if it contained a large ad and/or review.
For those who may be unaware, several times each week the Los Angeles Times would include a tabloid-size insert called “CALENDAR“, providing a phenomenal entertainment-heavy cultural overview of the day which included a blend of movie ads and reviews, stage productions and concerts, cuisine and art, and more. Now, decades later, those who peruse them never fail to have their memories and emotions stirred as they travel back in time through their pages.
Oh, and as far as this specific quest is concerned… Success! The July 16, 1989 Calendar section contained a double-page advertisement for this new Disneyland attraction. Feel free to click on the link above to explore a selection of the content found in this specific insert.
In case your interest has been piqued… Our inventory of Los Angeles Times runs from early 1976 through late 2006 and contains approximately 90% of the newspapers printed during this period. If you have interest in anything associated with the Hollywood/entertainment scene from this timespan, feel free to be in touch (info@rarenewspapers.com).
PS Does the cover of this particular edition really feature the world-famous Wolfgang Puck?
Love of History Takes Many Forms…
May 27, 2021 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
I firmly believe that a love of history in one area often seeps into many other areas as well – that it is possible to be completely enthralled with each battle of the Revolutionary War and Vintage Ads for Cream of Wheat or Firestone Tires at the same time. With this in mind, I put out the following “all call”…
Calling all Disney fans !!!!!
Those of us who are Disney lovers in any form and specifically Disney Park lovers may find the following interesting in light of the upheaval the Disney parks have faced over the last year+. On June 14, 1981, the Los Angles Times had the ad shown in the photo. Disneyland was beginning their shift from individual ride tickets to all-day passes. Later, they would move to annual passes which allowed locals to come and go at will, making Disneyland a part of their everyday life. What a memorable moment in Disney history for Disney Park fans.
Many Thanks to Give…
May 3, 2021 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
My family often jokes with me (maybe about me ) when they say, “she can use Disney World as an example for anything.” They aren’t wrong and have accurately pegged me as a bit of a Disney fanatic. I won’t bore you with all the reasons I have for loving this place but I will tell you how it came to mind today as I was perusing an issue published by Frederick Douglass. For those of you who have visited Disney World or more specifically Epcot, I hope you have experienced Spaceship Earth. I never tire of riding this attraction and hearing Dame Judy Dench recount mankind’s history of communication to me as I gaze at the vignettes on each side of my “time machine”. At one point, she is describing how, since the invention of papyrus, knowledge is able to be kept and shared more easily and so civilization advances more rapidly until …
“Rome falls, and the great Library of Alexandria in Egypt is burned. Much of our learning is destroyed—lost forever… or so we think. It turns out there are copies of some of these books in the libraries of the Middle East, being watched over by Arab and Jewish scholars. Call it the first backup system. The books are saved, and with them our dreams of the future.”
I get shivers every time I hear those words… so much knowledge… so much history… so many pages. Just now, as I pause to admire this precious Frederick Douglass paper lying on my desk, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all the people we, the collectors of historic newspapers, have to thank for watching over the issues that later end up in our hands. Precious treasures of knowledge and history handed off to us, if even for a moment, to guard for future generations.
The Eyes are the Windows to the Soul … But not for Adolph Hitler
March 25, 2021 by Laura Heilenman · Leave a Comment
Sometimes it is the little things that catch your eye and not the major content of a newspaper. Two weeks ago, as I was photographing an issue for our most recent catalog, a tiny article at the bottom of the front page gave me pause and has been on my mind ever since. What began as a write up for an adorable vintage Disney ad turned dark. The Eyes are the Window to the Soul … or so they say. During the end of July, 1939, 3 English girls traveled to Germany to perform a tap dance for Adolf Hitler. Upon their return, they reported how delightful he was and that they liked his eyes. This reporting took place one month before Hitler invaded Poland beginning WWII and only one year before the Nazis took their fight to the 3 girl’s homeland. Perhaps the eyes are the window to the soul however, the ability to read them is also necessary. Reports such as these may not be the reason we purchase an issue but, they do give us an unprecedented window into a culture and are often the more valuable treasure.
The Traveler… “Who’s the leader of the club…?”
December 19, 2016 by The Traveler · 2 Comments
Today’s journey took me to New York City by the way of The New York Times dated December 16, 1966. There on the front page I found the headline “Walt Disney, 65, Dies on Coast; Founded an Empire on a Mouse.” “Walt Disney, who built his whimsical cartoon world of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs into a $100-million-a-year entertainment empire; died in St. Joseph’s Hospital here this morning. He was 65 years old… Just before his last illness, Mr. Disney was supervising the construction of a new Disneyland in Florida…”
Oddly enough, Mr. Disney did not do any of the drawings of his famous Mickey Mouse.
~The Traveler