Here Are 18 Unique Facts About Disneyland

HARBOR BOULEVARD AND KATELLA AVENUE - On July 17, 1955, a place in the middle of orange groves right off the nearly new Santa Ana Freeway, which was then known as U.S. 101, would transform Orange County, and become apart of the landscape of Southern California. Just like the beaches, mountains, strip malls, freeways, Sig-Alerts, earthquakes, growing acceptance of public transportation, police pursuits and the iconic Los Angeles City Hall, Disneyland would and has become apart of Southern California. Whether you love or hate Disneyland, and there are plenty with strong feelings in both camps, you cannot deny the Mouse's influence in shaping Orange County and Southern California.


The long gone, but never forgotten Peoplemover at Tomorrowland inside Disneyland, circa 1967. Photograph used under a Creative Commons license. 

As July 17, 2015, approaches Disneyland will be celebrating its 60th Anniversary, and here are 18 unique facts about Disneyland, including some bits of information about Disneyland's creator, Walt Disney.

1 - Walt Disney Wanted To Build His Park In Burbank 

When Walt Disney had the idea to build his park he was thinking of something closer to his studios in Burbank. The park, which was originally called Mickey Mouse Park, was planned to be built along Riverside Drive.

So, why do plenty of us now have to make the drive down Interstate 5 to Anaheim rather than up the 5 to Burbank? Turns out Burbank officials really did not like the idea of a "carny atmosphere" in their city. Even though there has been some romanticizing of the early days of amusement parks many such places prior to Disneyland, and for a time after, were often seedy places run by shady people that often attracted seedy, shady people (take a look at The Pike in Long Beach). So, with carnivals and amusement parks having this kind of sordid reputation it is easy to understand why Burbank did not want this kind of place in their city.

2 - The Idea For A Place Like Disneyland Came From An Afternoon At Griffith Park

The story goes Walt Disney was spending the afternoon with his daughters at Griffith Park, and as they were riding the old Merry-Go-Round he noticed how parents had nothing to do. Mr. Disney, like the Burbank city officials, also noticed and observed just how bad these amusement parks really were. In an interview Mr. Disney once said, 

What this country really needs is an amusement park that families can take their children to. They've gotten so honky tonk [sic] with a lot of questionable characters running around, and they're not to safe. They're not well kept. I want to have a place that's as clean as anything could ever be, and all the people in [Disneyland] are first-class citizens, and treated like guests. 

Furthermore, according to a 1963 Canadian documentary Mr. Disney said, 

It came about when my daughters were very young and Saturday was always daddy’s day with the two daughters. So we’d start out and try to go someplace, you know, different things, and I’d take them to the merry-go-round and I took them different places and as I’d sit while they rode the merry-go-round and did all these things… sit on a bench, you know, eating peanuts. I felt that there should be something built, some kind of amusement enterprise built, where the parents and the children could have fun together. So that’s how Disneyland started.

Well, it took many years… it was a period of maybe 15 years developing. I started with many ideas, threw them away, started all over again. And eventually it evolved into what you see today at Disneyland. But it all started from a daddy with two daughters wondering where he could take them where he could have a little fun with them, too.

The very bench from Griffith Park is on display at Opera House on Main Street, U.S.A. at Disneyland with a plaque that reads, “The actual park bench from the Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round in Los Angeles where Walt Disney first dreamed of Disneyland."

3 - Walt Disney Did NOT Name Katella Ave. After His Daughters

Many Disneyana fans and cast members alike often pass along the story that Katella Ave. in Anaheim was named after Walt Disney's daughters, Kate and Ella. Well, it is just that, a story. The name Katella goes way back before Mr. Disney had anything to do with Anaheim, or even the Mouse in his mind.

John and Margaret Rea, and their daughters, named coincidentally Kate and Ella, moved to Anaheim in 1896, and Mr. Rea knew their walnut ranch needed a name, but he wanted a more interesting, memorable name than simply, Rea Ranch.

According to the October 1989 issue of Orange Coast Magazine, Mr. Rea came up with the name like this, 

One evening, the girls were out in the yard when their father called them to dinner. “Kate—Ella, supper!” he called. Suddenly he had an idea. “I have chosen the name,” he announced. “Katella.” The girls were delighted and a big sign went up at the entrance to the family’s land: Katella. 

It was kind of a neat name, and the Anaheim powers that be back then thought so, too. In the early 1900s a school was name Katella School, and by 1934 Katella Ave. came to be. 

4 - The Underground World Under Disneyland Does NOT Exist 

If you grew up in Southern California you probably heard a very popular legend about Disneyland, and that is under "The Happiest Place On Earth" is a complete underground world. Well, that is not true as there is no underground world under Disneyland. There are a couple small passage ways under Disneyland, and that is about it.

It is certainly possibly many people are confusing Disneyland with another Disney park. Walt Disney World, located in another Orange County across the country, does indeed have its own underground world, but only it is not underground. Rather, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom is built atop of a building that houses its underground complex, which, according to HiddenMickeys.org, "consists of 15 foot high walkways, meeting rooms, computer rooms, etc. with all having exposed utilities (it somewhat resembled a parking garage). "The tunnel complex originates from the castle and spreads out like spokes from a wheel to the other lands. In fact, the bottom two floors of the castle consists of the tunnel complex."

The ground in Florida is not stable enough to build an entire complex literally underground. 

5 - Walt Disney Being Buried At Disneyland Is NOT True 

There are a lot of strange rumors about Walt Disney's body, such as it is being frozen and one day he will be brought back to life. One of the more common myths is Mr. Disney is buried somewhere at Disneyland, but that is not true. Mr. Disney is not buried on the grounds of his creation in Anaheim or frozen at some mysterious lab, but is buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale. 

6 - Walt Disney Was NOT An Anti-Semitic 

Oy Vey! There have been a lot of wild, and down right hilarious allegations made about Mr. Disney, but one of the more serious rumors about Mr. Disney is he was not a fan of the Jewish people. That, gladly to say, is false. As Neil Gabler notes in his 2006 book, Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination, Mr. Disney really was not Anti-Semitic, and had plenty of Jewish people working for him. People who knew him and worked with him never really noticed any hints of Mr. Disney being Anti-Semitic. Furthermore, any Jewish people who worked for Mr. Disney were given Jewish holidays off. At the time what struck people as odd was the Walt Disney Studios were the only major studios not run by Jewish People. 

7 - Disney Did Not Own The Disneyland Hotel Until 1988 

The Disneyland Hotel has been apart of the Anaheim landscape nearly since the park's opening, but Disney did not own The Disneyland Hotel until 1988, because Mr. Disney did not have the money to build it. Mr. Disney knew the little citrus city of Anaheim was some ways away from The City of Angels and other population points, and he wanted visitors to his park to have a place to stay nearby. The problem was building Disneyland caused Mr. Disney to run out of money, and so he turned to some friends in show business for some financial backing.

Mr. Disney first turned to his friend Art Linkletter, but he declined as Mr. Linkletter did not have faith in Disneyland's success. Years later Mr. Linkletter would walk around the park saying, "and that's another million I missed out on."

So, Mr. Disney turned to another well connected friend to finance The Disneyland Hotel, Jack Wrather. Mr. Wrather liked what Mr. Disney was doing and provided the finance needed, but under the agreement the producer of Lassie would own the hotel on West Street across from Disneyland. It was under Mr. Wrather that The Disneyland Hotel saw its major expansions.

Some years later when Mr. Disney had the money to buyout Mr. Wrather's ownership of The Disneyland Hotel the film producer and oil millionaire refused to sell. That would be the case until the death of Mr. Wrather's wife, Bonita Granville, in 1988. Mr. Wrather passed away in 1984, two weeks after Michael Eisner took over Walt Disney Productions, and Mr. Wrather saw to it his wife would hold ownership of the hotel until she decides otherwise or dies. 

8 - One Of Disneyland's First Financial Backers Was ABC 

Today ABC/Disney is one of the world's largest media conglomerates, but in late 1953 Roy Disney met with the then fledgling American Broadcast Company, after meeting with CBS and NBC, to help finance this place called Disneyland. In 1954 ABC agreed to invested $500,000 in Disneyland, which resulted in ABC taking a 34.49 percent ownership and guaranteeing $4.5 million in bank loan, plus $5 million a year for a weekly television program for ABC produced by Walt Disney Productions.

This, of course, explains why the infamous opening day of Disneyland was aired on ABC, with much of the equipment being provided by KABC-TV.

In June 1960 Walt Disney Productions completed the purchase of ABC's share of the company for nearly $7.5 million. It would be the summer of 1995 that Disney would buy ABC from Capital Cities, and the Mouse and Alphabet would be reunited and live happily ever after. 

9 - The Original Name For Disneyland Was, Disneylandia 

Before Mickey Mouse Park and after Disneyland came the name, Disneylandia. Why the name change? Well, in 1954 ABC urged Mr. Disney to change the name from Disneylandia to Disneyland. Mr. Disney listened to ABC's advice, and changed the name. 

10 - The Gold Trimmings Outside Of It’s a Small World Are Made Of Real 22 Karat Gold 

According to Disneyland officials, "For weather durability and un-excelled beauty, 22 karat gold leaf was used for trim throughout the facade." Gold leaf, by the way, is real gold. 

11 - Walt Disney's Second Home Was In Anaheim 

It is unclear if Mr. Disney was ever officially counted by the United States Census Bureau as being an Anaheim resident, but when he was not riding the Little Engines in his Holmby Hills backyard, or at work over at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, he was spending a lot of time at his other home. His other home was his apartment atop of the Disneyland Fire Station on Main Street, U.S.A. in Anaheim. 

12 - The Matterhorn Has Many Records 

The Matterhorn is one of Disneyland's most iconic attractions, and when the ride opened in 1959 it broke many records. The Matterhorn was the first tubular steel track roller coaster in the world, and was the first roller coaster able to have multiple cars on the same track.

When The Matterhorn was finished it was the tallest structure in Orange County standing at 147 feet. As Orange County fell to suburbanization by the mid-1960s The Matterhorn would lose the title of being the tallest structure in Orange County. 

13 - The Reason For A Basketball Court Inside The Matterhorn Is So The Attraction Could Be Built... Is False 

A popular legend told over and over again is the reason Mr. Disney had a basketball court built inside The Matterhorn is the Anaheim building code at the time did not allow structures that tall unless it was a sports facility. The story goes is that upon learning what Anaheim's building code requires Mr. Disney told his construction workers to put a basketball court inside The Matterhorn, and now, just like that, it is a sports facility that satisfies the Anaheim building code.

The reality is Anaheim never had such a building code, and the basketball court was put in for The Matterhorn cast members to help pass the time during their breaks. 

14 - Cats Keep The Mouses Out Of Disneyland 

About 200 feral cats roam the Disneyland Resort keeping rodents out of the park. Sometimes if you know where to look you can see the cats. Mickey and Minnie Mouse do not seem to be bothered by the cats, and Pluto and Goofy do not ever seem to chase the cats out of the park. 

15 - Walt Disney Spent Time With Disneyland Guests 

Mr. Disney would walk around his creation and even would stand in line with the guests talking with them. Part of this was good public relations, but much of it had to do with Mr. Disney genuinely wanting to create the best place ever. Mr. Disney would walk around looking for problems or things to improve, and Mr. Disney always welcomed suggestions by his guests. 

16 - When Disneyland Opened In 1955 It Was Just One Dollar For Admission 

With admission fees today going into three-to-four digits, depending how many tickets, excuse me, Passports you are buying, it is amazing to think it was just one dollar for admission, and only 50-cents for children. Today, once inside Disneyland, it is very difficult to find anything for just a dollar. 

17 - What Does Disneyland And Knott's Berry Farm Have In Common? 

The founders were both named Walt, or Walter to be precise. Walt Disney and Walter Knott, besides having the same first name, were actually good friends. In fact, Mr. Disney invited Mr. Knott to the opening day of Disneyland.

18 - What Was Walt Disney's Biggest Regret When It Comes To Disneyland?

Mr. Disney's biggest regret about Disneyland was never being able to buy more land. Mr. Disney was barely able to make ends meet when building Disneyland, as evident by needing financial backers such as ABC and Mr. Wrather, and so buying more land was out of the question. Mr. Disney was not too happy when tourist traps and Las Vegas style motels began building around Disneyland, not to mention the tract-housing and general suburbanization of Orange County popping up around and at the edge the park. Ideally, Mr. Disney wanted Disneyland to be isolated from "The Real World," and he was unhappy that buildings from the outside could be seen from inside Disneyland.

By the time Mr. Disney could buy up more land much of the area around Disneyland in Anaheim had been bought and built upon by other developers.

Nine Random Facts About Lomita

PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY AND NARBONNE AVENUE - A couple miles west off The Harbor Freeway going westbound along P.C.H. you find yourself driving across a city tucked between the city of Los Angeles' Harbor City (or is it Harbor Gateway), The South Bay and The Palos Verdes Peninsula called, Lomita.


The train depot at The Lomita Railroad Museum. Has this train depot always been in Lomita? Read more to find out. Used under a GNU Free Documentation License.

Like many places across Southern California at first glance Lomita may seem like your typical Southern California suburb, but, like many places throughout Southern California, Lomita, this city of a little over 20,000 residents, has some interesting history and unique connections to some famous people.

If you woke up today thinking, "One day I would really like to know more about Lomita," well, your day has finally arrived, because it is with great pleasure to present you with nine interesting facts about Lomita, otherwise known as, "The Friendly City."

1 - Where Does The Name Come From?

The name itself, Lomita, derives from Spanish, meaning, little hills. Now, just who first officially named the area Lomita is up for debate, and makes for great debates at the Lomita Historical Society. According to Lomita resident and Lomita Historical Society member Brian C. Keith, 

One source claims Lomita was named by the early promoters of the district as they surveyed it from a hillside in Rancho Palos Verdes. Another source claims that "Lomita del Toro", or "little hills of the bull," appears on an early surveyor's map of Rancho San Pedro, just a few miles east of the present day city, implying that Lomita inherited its name from the local fauna.

2 - Torrance Is Kind Of To Blame For Lomita Becoming A City

If there is blame to be assigned how and why Lomita became a city then much of that blame is on the hands of the big South Bay city, Torrance. Lomita originally spanned about seven square miles in unincorporated Los Angeles County, but as Torrance was growing they incorporated more and more of what was considered Lomita. After the end of World War II much of Southern California saw a housing building boom, and Torrance wanted more incorporated city for its growing city. In what remained of then unincorporated Lomita there were plans to build dense housing and high-rise apartments. Lomita's then current residents really did not like this idea, because most of them preferred the "small town" feel and many Lomita residents associated large apartments with the "swinging" lifestyle. After a couple set backs, and fending off Torrance eating up the remains of Lomita, and perhaps using the nearby "Lakewood Plan" as a template on how to become a successful city, on June 30, 1964, Lomita became an incorporated city.

3 - Little Lomita Was Once A Big Farming Town

A little bit before World War II during the 1930s the little town of Lomita was a major supplier of vegetables in the late 1920s and throughout much of the 1930s. At one point Lomita had the unofficial name of, "Celery Capital of the World." At the time most residents of Lomita worked in farming related industries.

4 - Narbonne Avenue Is Named After...

Narbonne Ave. and Narbonne High School in Lomita is named after, Nathaniel A. Narbonne. A sheep rancher who came south from Sacramento in 1852 after trying his luck in "Gold Rush country" Mr. Narbonne acquired about 3,500 acres in 1882 in what is mostly modern day Lomita. Lomita was just a small part of the of Rancho San Pedro, which was granted by the Spanish Empire to Juan Jose Dominguez by King Carlos III of Spain in 1784. The Spanish land-grants by 1860 were facing many problems, including drought, too much rain (both of those seem to be a reoccurring theme in California) and tax issues, among other problems. What were the rancheros problems became Mr. Narbonne's gain.

Available records show Mr. Narbonne did not have much luck in the mountains outside Sacramento striking gold, as was the case with many people hoping for quick riches in The Golden State, but Mr. Narbonne did have luck with sheep and wheat. Coming into Southern California Mr. Narbonne worked with and soon teamed up General Phineas Banning in Wilmington growing wheat and raising sheep on Santa Catalina Island (which is not really "26 miles across the sea" as the song sings, but that story is for another time). With fortunes made in wheat and sheep across the sea Mr. Narbonne bought the land in 1882 that would many decades later become the city of Lomita.

5 - What Does Lomita Have To Do With Japan?

Established as a sister city in October 1981, Lomita became a sister city to Takaishi, Osaka, Japan.

6 - The Gumm Sisters Performed At The Lomita Theater

Located on Narbonne Ave. near 243rd Street was The Lomita Theater, and in 1935 a vaudevillian named Frank A. Gumm rented out theater to showcase the talent of his daughters, Mary Jane, Dorothy Virginia, and Judy. Judy Gumm would soon change her name to, Judy Garland.

7 - From Old Glamorous Hollywood To Old School Punk Rock

Lomita is generally considered to be apart of the South Bay, and a lot of punk rock bands came out of The South Bay, probably the most notable was Black Flag. There was another famous famous punk rock band to come out of the South Bay, and one of those bands came out of Lomita, which was, The Descendants. Lead singer Milo Aukerman was from Lomita, and him and his band-mates spent many days, and many nights, at his Lomita house practicing. Lomita's Mr. Aukerman soon went to college, and earned his doctorate in biology from University of California at San Diego.

8 - There Is A Train Museum In Lomita

It has been there since 1967, but it seems like a good many people do not know that there is a train Museum in Lomita, The Lomita Railroad Museum. Yes, there are a couple train museums in Southern California, The Orange Empire Railway Museum in Perris, and Travel Town at Griffith Park in L.A., but what makes this museum unique is it is purely, "dedicated to the proud era of the steam engine," according to the museum. The colorful replica depot and piped in sounds of the old steam engines give it a Disneyland sort of feel, but there is much to learn and explore. Future museum expansion plans are in the works, which would also be home to the Lomita Historical Society.

At first glance the train depot at the museum may look like a nicely restored train station that once served Lomita, but, prior to the museum being built, there never was a train depot in Lomita. You would be forgiven for mistaking Lomita had its own restored train depot as there are several similar restored and kept up train depots around Southern California. What looks like the old Lomita train depot was really a replica of the Boston & Maine's Greenwood Station in Wakefield, Massachusetts, and that depot in Wakefield was built before the turn of the century. Museum founder Irene Lewis, whose husband Martin Lewis developed and invented Little Engines, which are those little trains you can ride at Griffith Park on Sundays, was looking for authenticity when developing the museum and spent some time and research to figure out just the right building for the museum.

You should go to the museum, and when you decide to visit The Lomita Railroad Museum do know that it is open Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

9 - The Lomita Railroad Museum Is Still Looking For "The E Ticket"

The Little Engines developed by Martin Lewis became a good, successful business for the Lewis family, and one person Mr. Lewis sold some of his Little Engines to was one big rail fan, Walt Disney. Mr. Lewis and his Little Engines found their way onto Mr. Disney's Holmby Hills backyard. The man behind the Mouse soon became good friends with the Lewis family. Mr. Lewis past away in 1949, but Irene Lewis kept the Little Engines business going. Being such good friends with the Lewis family Mr. Disney gave Ms. Lewis a ticket to the opening day of Disneyland on, July 17, 1955.

The Lomita Railroad Museum is still looking for that ticket. If you have any information please contact the museum.

Those Freeways Named After Traffic Reporters

WHERE THE 101 AND 110 MEET IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES - Motoring rapidly across the freeways that make up the fabric of Southern California, or maybe moving slowly across the freeways due to a Sig-Alert, you have probably come across more than a few memorial signs on the side of the freeway. There may be a few memorial signs you have noticed and perhaps wondered just who are those people.


Coming up northbound on the 110 just before The Hollywood Freeway it is a slightly different view of the famous Four Level Interchange in Downtown L.A. in this public domain photograph.

Some of those people on the memorial signs along side the freeway were legendary broadcast traffic reporters warning us all about Sig-Alerts and what alternative routes to use to get back home.

Somehow it just seems appropriate that in Southern California portions of freeways would be named after traffic reporters, and, in no particular order, here are three very big names in the world of broadcast traffic reporters that very much earned their name on the freeway.

1 - The Bill Keene Memorial Interchange


Even way back then, as shown in this 1962 KNXT-TV advertisement with Bill Keene, the seven-day forecast was a big deal.

Sitting in traffic is never fun, and merging on an old interchange like the Four Level Interchange in Downtown L.A. can rattle some nerves. Sometimes you just need to have a little fun when the traffic is not all that fun to deal with, and Bill Keene was one who made traffic reports fun. Anybody with a decent enough voice can go on-the-air and say, "On the 110 northbound a ladder is blocking the number two lane just before the Four Level." In similar situations Mr. Keene would go on-air and say, “Watch out for rung way drivers ... Don’t worry, the highway patrol will be taking steps to remove that ladder.” If things got a little fishy on the freeway Mr. Keene would report that, "With the highway patrol on the scene, it's fish and chips," according to KNX radio's Jim Thornton in a 2000 interview with the Los Angeles Times. Mr Thornton, by the way, succeeded Keene.

Mr. Keene had a very long, rewarding career in L.A. broadcasting that began in 1957 at KNXT-TV, which, of course today after changing call-letters in 1984, is KCBS-TV.

While at KNXT Mr. Keene was one of the on-air people to help bring about the groundbreaking hour-long "Big News on 2" along with Jerry Dunphy and Ralph Story.

On KNXT Mr. Keene did the weather, but soon he would have his own variety shows on the CBS owned and operated station, "Keene at Noon," and "The Bill Keene Show."

Mr. Keene would stay with KNXT until a baffling massive management shakeup led to his, along with Mr. Jerry "From the desert to the sea to all of Southern California" Dunphy, being laid off.

Much like Mr. Dunphy, who would not be off the air for long, Mr. Keene quickly returned to television a couple blocks east on Sunset Boulevard at KTLA. Now Mr. Keene never totally left Columbia Square as he was doing traffic reports part-time on KNX while at KTLA. After his brief stint at KTLA it would be in 1976 that Mr. Keene began working full-time at KNX delivering his unique traffic reports. In the late 1980s as KCBS-TV began to expand their morning news program Mr. Keene would do televised traffic reports in the morning on Channel 2 along with his reports on KNX.

In 1992, Mr. Keene, who, by the way, served as a navigator in the Air Force during World War II, was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.


Coverage from KCAL-TV of Mr. Keene receiving his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

After many decades having made the commute a little more fun, or sometimes downright funny, Mr. Keene retired in 1993.

Mr. Keene passed away in April 2000.

In 2006 The California Department of Transportation, or, as we all simply know it, CalTrans, officially named the historic Four Level Interchange in Downtown L.A., where U.S. Route 101, Interstate 110 and State Route 110 meet, The Bill Keene Memorial Interchange in Mr. Keene's honor.

2 - The Mark Denis Melbourne Memorial Interchange 


A traffic reporter who knows his freeways. The guy with all the computers, maps and scanners around him is, Mark Denis at the KFI/KOST traffic center circa 1999. Used under a Creative Commons license.

Whether you are coming out of The Corona Crawl going into Anaheim and out to Long Beach, or getting ready to brave The Corona Crawl going into the Inland Empire, the sort of the unofficial western terminus of The Corona Crawl is where The Riverside Freeway meets The Costa Mesa Freeway, and that is named The Mark Denis Melbourne Interchange.

Mark Denis Melbourne was on Southern California radio for many years and went by the name, Mark Denis. Perhaps using his full name might have been a little too much for the jingle singers.

Many jingles across Southern California sang Mark Denis' name. Mr. Denis was on-the-air at KFXM and later top-40 rival KMEN in San Bernardino, and later came over to 1190 AM at KEZY in Anaheim. Mr. Denis also worked for the KGB. That is, rather, KGB-AM radio in San Diego. In the 1980s Mr. Denis had a chance to be on-the-air at the legendary KHJ-AM, which is where he started his legendary traffic reports during 93/KHJ's short lived "Car Radio" format. Being on "Car Radio, 93/KHJ" led the way for Mr. Denis being best known as the legendary traffic reporter on KFI and KOST, and Mr. Denis is best remembered as being one of the nicest guys in broadcasting.

In an industry where ego and personality clashes, along with very long, tiresome hours, are apart of job, many colleagues and contemporaries of Mr. Denis always spoke very fondly of Mr. Denis as he was a very nice guy to work with, and just an all around very nice guy.

Mr. Denis had many wonderful pieces of advice, and one he often said was, "Find a job you love, and you'll never have to work a day in your life."

He took his own advice to heart as Mr. Denis told Variety in 1996 as he celebrated his 35th year in Southern California broadcasting, "It's like going to the circus every day [...] When it comes to job satisfaction, I'm in the 90th percentile. Then there are days that it's even better than that."

Born in Glendale and raised in Compton it was at Compton Junior College where Mr. Denis announced the halftime show during football games, and it was from there he knew what he wanted to do with the rest of his life, and it is safe to say Mr. Denis never again worked a day in his life.


A memorial of Mr. Denis' life, which features photographs of his time at KMEN, KGB and KEZY, among other photographs.

During his time at KFI and KOST it is believed he broadcasted around 9,000 traffic reports a year.

If you rode the Disneyland Monorail in the mid-1980s or early 1990s as it left the Tomorrowland Station making its way across the vast (now long gone) parking lot to the Disneyland Hotel the narrator you heard was Mark Denis.


Unfortunately the audio is not all that great in this 1990 video of the Disneyland Monorail, but you can still make out Mark Denis' voice.

Mr. Denis passed away in 2000.

In January 2002 the California state senate introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution Number 50, which designated the SR-91 and SR-55 interchange as the Mark Denis Melbourne Memorial Interchange.

3 - The Paul Johnson Memorial Freeway 

"Buckle up, be careful out there." With that perfect baritone voice made perfect for broadcasting those were the wise words of longtime KNBC-TV and Metro Networks traffic reporter Paul Johnson.

Starting in 1988 Mr. Johnson was apart of KNBC's "Today In L.A." For a time in the mid-1990s Mr. Johnson began doing traffic reports for KNBC's afternoon newscasts.

What some people may not know about Mr. Johnson is well before he began reporting on Sig-Alerts, tie-ups and alternative routes, the Southern California traffic reporter was once an opera singer and stage performer.

In the 2007 movie "Mr. Woodcock," starring Billy Bob Thornton, Mr. Johnson makes an appearance as the announcer at the corn-eating contest.

An avid golfer Mr. Johnson used his skills on the course to hold and appear in charity tournaments to help disabled children.

Before Mr. Johnson passed away his wife, Nancy, told her husband that there is a push in Sacramento to have part of a freeway named after him. In a February 2011 interview with the Orange County Register Nancy Johnson said Paul's reaction to that was, "He looked at me, square in the face, and he said, 'Well, I'll be damned,' in that deep baritone voice, and we both just giggled and laughed."  

In 2010 state assembly speaker John A. Perez, D-Los Angeles, introduced the bill that put Mr. Johnson's name on the freeway a few days after he passed away, and it passed the Assembly and the Senate by unanimous votes and was signed into law in September 2010.

Now as you drive through Orange, perhaps on the way to Newport Beach, South Coast Plaza or John Wayne Airport, on SR-55 you are driving along The Paul Johnson Memorial Freeway.

Six Southern California Things We Will Never See Again

LOS ANGELES - As we get older many of us find ourselves looking back more often and wonder, "Remember when 'that' used to be there?" For plenty of us who grew up in Southern California there is surely becoming more of "that," which is no longer here anymore.

Why do we talk about these things and places of years gone by? Perhaps we talk about these long gone places as a way to reach back into our childhood and maybe remember a simpler time. Or, given the nature of L.A. and Southern California with so many people moving here, it is a way for native Southern Californians to connect with each other.

Whatever the case may be, here, in no particular order, are six places and things that will never been seen in Southern California again.

1- Thrifty Drug Store

♫Save a nickel, save a dime.
Save at Thrifty every time.
Save a dollar and much more,
at your Thrifty Drug Store!♫

It was called Thrifty Drug Store, but most of us just called it, "Thriftys," and its red and white oval-ish logo was unmistakable. 


Photograph of Thrifty Drug Store trailers taken circa 1983. Author unknown; used under a Creative Commons license.

Beginning in 1929 brothers Harry and Robert Borun opened up the first Thrifty Drug Store at 412 S. Broadway in downtown Los Angeles. Despite the depression and World War II the brothers opened up 100 Thrifty stores in the L.A. area by 1950. Accelerating in the post war Southern California suburban building boom just about every new major shopping center (and a lot of small shopping centers) in almost every city had a Thrifty. Thrifty grew to be as ubiquitous as palm trees and tract-housing developments.


Save up those Blue Chip Stamps for a cool little transistor radio. Late 1950s photograph of a Thrifty location somewhere in downtown Pomona (where The Glass House now stands). Author unknown.

Starting in the 1970s Thrifty went through various acquisitions, and at one point was even owned by a subsidiary of the Southern California Gas Co.


A very common view in post-war Southern California. Location of this Thrifty and date is unknown.

It would be 1996 and an acquisition by an East Coast corporation called Rite Aid that would soon make Thrifty a place that would live in our memory. Before those back East painted over our beloved red and white Thrifty logo ugly shades of corporate blue even the powers that be in the boardroom of Rite Aid realized Thrifty is very strongly ingrained in Southern California culture, and waited a couple years before fully converting all Thriftys' to Rite Aid. In fact, as late as 2000 there still were less than a handful of Thrifty and Thrifty Jr. locations, but, by the end of that year there would be no more Thrifty locations.

At the dawn of the new millennium Thrifty Drug Store was no more.

Today not all former Thrifty locations were totally painted shades of corporate blue. There still stands a few Rite Aid locations that never fully quite converted to the desires of the new corporate owner, and the look, and logo, of Thrifty can still be seen. 


Photograph of ground embedded Thrifty logo at a former location in Pomona. Used under Creative Commons.

Thrifty may be long gone, but we do not need our imagination to still enjoy Thrifty Ice Cream.


A 1981 Thrifty commercial, aired on KHJ-TV, showing and selling the goodness that is Thrifty Ice Cream.

"Thank you Thrifty."

2 - The Peoplemover

In 1967 "the new Tomorrowland" at Disneyland opened up, and one of its new featured attractions was a ride called, The Peoplemover.


For many this circa 1968 photograph is probably the Tomorrowland everybody remembers (and a good many wish the powers that be at Disney would bring back), bright, colorful and full of promise, with The Peoplemover riding above it. Author unknown; used under Creative Commons.

The Peoplemover was not designed to be a thrill ride, or make a Disney film come alive, but rather it was suppose to be a preview of transportation in the future. As the narrator said on The Peoplemover, and nearby Monorail, maybe one day you will see this in your town.

It was not exactly a ride that changed and shook up the theme park industry, but for many people The Peoplemover was really one of those rides, excuse me, "attractions," that seemingly everybody just simply liked.

Whether you were one just for "A" Ticket rides or "E" Ticket rides The Peoplemover just always seemed to be one of those "must ride" attractions when visiting Disneyland.


Going back to 1990 let us take a ride on The Peoplemover.

What was once new soon became old, at least according to Disneyland, which closed The Peoplemover in 1995 in preparation for designing and unveiling... a "new Tomorrowland" in 1998.

In 1998 the tracks of The Peoplemover would be replaced by the ill-fated Rocket Rods attraction, which, due to MANY mechanical issues did not last too long.

So now, perhaps not unlike some abandoned Pacific Electric railway tracks, The Peoplemover track remains unused and just there doing nothing.

That, no doubt, leads many to ask, will Disneyland ever bring back The Peoplemover? The answer right now, based on insider information, is NO. Why? As The Peoplemover track stands now it is currently not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Will Disney ever do something with The Peoplemover track? That remains to be seen, but, as of late, there are rumors going around amid Disneyland and theme park enthusiasts that Disney may (again, it is only rumors) create a Star Wars attraction using part or all of The Peoplemover track.

If it is any consolation, LAX plans to open a Peoplemover-like transit device, and so the narrator on The Peoplemover at Disneyland was sort of right after all.  

3 - Zody's 

In an era when "big-box stores" are frowned upon (or outright despise), particularly in certain Southern California neighborhoods, there is one long gone big-box store that holds a lot of sentimental value for anybody who grew up in Southern California, and that is a store called Zody's.

Early 1980s ad for Zody's. Used under Creative Commons.

Just about anybody age 30-plus will have some kind of memory about Zody's, and with good reason, because there was a time Zody's ruled Southern California. For a lot of us that was the first store we remembered going to as kids and perhaps that is the first place we remember family or friends of the family working.

At its height just about every sizable city in Southern California had a Zody's complete with its funky red-ish-to-orange-ish color-scheme and seemingly disorganized shelves. Zody's began life under The Orange Curtain in Garden Grove in 1960 and was so successful that they expanded to many locations in Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and even the Detroit area.


While Zody's certainly had a funky look in many of their stores Deborah Sussman designed the look of this downtown L.A. Zody's, which would mark the beginning of Ms. Sussman's unique L.A. design that would bring her Worldwide fame.

With national corporate chains and mergers of discount department stores becoming players in the already competitive Southern California discount retail market, along with a recession, by the late 1970s Zody's was having some financial problems staying relevant. Those problems did not find a way to work themselves out as Zody's parent company, HRT Industries, declared bankruptcy in November 1982, which HRT claimed its Zody's stores had abnormally weak sales and, ''were the primary cause of its financial problems.''

According to a 1982 New York Times article HRT said many Zody's were, "in lower-income areas where unemployment is extremely high and it cited the effects of the Mexican peso devaluation and its resultant effects on its border stores."

Undated newspaper ad circa mid-1960s ad for Zody's in The San Fernando Valley. Author of ad unknown. Used under Creative Commons. 

For a few years after declaring bankruptcy a handful of Zody's began closing and for the dozens that remained open there was uncertainty, from the employees to vendors (which included Circuit City who supplied Zody's electronic department) what the future would hold. Well, despite bringing over the President of May Co. to run Zody's in 1984, by March 1986 the worst fears came true as HRT decided, abruptly, to close Zody's for good, "due to adverse operating conditions and Zodys' failure to meet financial projections."

A 1977 holiday time television commercial for Zody's, but just remember before you do your Christmas shopping that 8-track player is not available at the downtown L.A. location. The Zody's in Montebello probably has them in stock.

Some of those funky designs of Zody's still exist, if you know where to look. If you go in the back of Albertsons in Montebello off the Pomona Freeway, which used to be a Zody's, you can still see the funky color scheme along the wall.

4 - Cal Worthington

What more can be said about Cal Worthington that has not already been said. For one, late night television is not quite the same without Cal. Cal's grandson (or is it his great-grandson?) has been filling in wearing the cowboy hat doing those late night ads, but it just will never be the same.

Here it is, in all its glory, the full Cal Worthington jingle.

Sure, Cal Worthington's car dealership in Long Beach will always be there, and that famous, forever misunderstood, jingle will be in our minds until our days come to an end, but Cal Worthington and his dog Spot is something that we will never see again. 

5 - The Broadway, May Co., Bullocks, and Robinsons

While New York had Macy's and Bloomingdale's, Chicago had Marshall Fields and Philadelphia had Wanamaker's, here in Southern California we had four department stores. Sometimes called, "The L.A. four department stores," these department stores were very unique to Southern California, and they all began in downtown L.A. As the baby boomers and "Gen X" know very well, these department stores very much were apart of the Southern California mall scene as typically, in major malls, at least two of "the L.A. four department stores" were the mall's anchor.

Here is what a typical post-war Broadway mall location looked liked. It is unclear what mall this is and when this photograph was taken. Used under Creative Commons.

In the era of the post-war shopping mall construction all four department stores had, at most of their locations, a unique style of architecture, which included dramatic entrances and a cathedral like setting.

A 1967 view of The Broadway and May Co. at The Inland Center Mall in San Bernardino. Used under Creative Commons. That freeway in the foreground went through its own name changes. When this photograph was taken the freeway was likely U.S. 395, then Interstate 15, then became I-15E and finally becoming I-215.

In the 1980s the four department stores became victims of a variety business problems, acquisitions and takeovers.

By the early 1990s such complex business decisions resulted in Southern California's own department stores, staples of the Southern California shopping scene, going away forever, and to be replaced with the names of New York department stores. Much like Thrifty the corporate powers that be did not see the need, and frankly, appreciate the value, to keep these legendary L.A. department store names, style and brand intact. 

By the mid-1990s, just like that, in a blink of an eye, something that was uniquely Southern California that many people grew up with was gone.

Not just The Broadway, but, The Broadway Valley seen in this late undated photograph of the Panorama City Mall. While the date of this photograph is unknown the late 1950s/early 1960s would be an educated guess, given the automobiles, and the fact this mall opened in 1955. Used under Creative Commons.

The last gasp of "the L.A. four department stores," Robinsons-May, closed in 2006 after being acquired by Macy's parent company.

When you walk into what has ever replaced these "L.A. four department stores" and listen closely you might still hear the chimes amid the muzak.

While we will never hear these chimes ring inside The Broadway all is not lost as these chimes still, in this hyper technology age, ring in a handful of the old department stores around the country.

6 - Licorice Pizza

For teenagers coming of age in the 1970s who were looking for that song they just heard on KMET, or maybe even KROQ, most probably went to Licorice Pizza to find the record. For many 1970s and 1980s teens Licorice Pizza was probably their first record store experience.

Serving up very good Licorice Pizza. It has never been clear who designed this famous logo. No copyright infringement intended.

Take a name from an old comedy sketch by 1960s folk singers Bud and Travis and you have a record store. Founder James Greenwood thought it was funny, and would make a good name for a record store, and so Mr. Greenwood opened this record store called Licorice Pizza in Long Beach in 1969.

Having trouble deciding whether to get your grandmother the latest Yoko Ono album for Christmas? Well, just tell your grandmother the clerk gave you "The Pizza Promise" and Yoko's work is of the best quality. That is what this 1982 Licorice Pizza ad claims. Author unknown; no copyright infringement intended.

Through the 1970s and into the early 1980s Licorice Pizza expanded rapidly and essentially became a regional chain record store in Southern California with 34 stores at its height.

This Licorice Pizza on The Sunset Strip certainly had an ear for music. Photo © Copyright 2001 Roger Meyers, All Rights Reserved

By the early 1980s Licorice Pizza went from beyond being a record store to getting into the highly lucrative video rental business. Now all you had to do is ask, "where is the Beta section?"

In March of 1986 Mr. Greenwood sold his Licorice Pizza empire to Record Bar Inc. of Durham, North Carolina. Then in April of that same year Minneapolis-based Musicland Group bought Record Bar Inc. for $13 million.

One reason Musicland wanted Licorice Pizza in their fold was their desire to get into the very lucrative Southern California video rental business.

During the sale of Licorice Pizza it was reported that Musicland would keep the Licorice Pizza name, but, as with the case of Thrifty, The Broadway (you get the idea), the name Licorice Pizza would quickly become a memory. Many Licorice Pizza locations during 1987 became either Musicland or Sam Goody.

With so many places unique to Southern California gone and taken over by corporate entities one wonders what the young kids today will be remembering 20 years from now?

A L.A. Vs NYC Listicle List

THE ONLY PLACE THAT REALLY MATTERS - For way too many decades now there has been much talk in comparing Los Angeles/Southern California to New York and the Tri-State area, or, depending how you look at it, comparing New York to L.A. If you have figured out what this website attempts to be about we gladly wear our bias on our sleeve, mind and heart.


A 1931 view of L.A. City Hall. Used under a Creative Commons license.
  
So, in what is a somewhat superficial fluff, filler, and maybe slightly thought provoking clickbait piece for your passing amusing enjoyment let us compare things and places, in no particular order, between L.A. and New York.

         L.A./Southern California Vs. New York

El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula - New Amsterdam

The Library Tower/U.S. Bank Tower - Freedom Tower/One World Trade Center

Griffith Park - Central Park

Deborah Sussman - Milton Glaser

Ronald Reagan Freeway - FDR Drive

L.A. County USC Medical Center - Bellevue Hospital Center

Cedars Sinai Medical Center - Mount Sinai Hospital

Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels - Saint Patrick's Cathedral

Getty House - Gracie Mansion

The Getty Center - The Metropolitan Museum of Art

MOCA - MoMA

Lakewood - Levittown

The Beach Boys - The Four Seasons

The Germs - The Ramones 

"Los Angeles" by X - "New York" by Nina Hagan

Al's Bar - CBGB's

The Masque - Max's Kansas City

Club Alabam - Cotton Club

Central Avenue - Lenox Avenue

213 - 212

Disneyland - Disney World (Yes, not in the New York area, but a lot of New Yorkers go there!)

Pacific Ocean Park - Freedomland

L.A. City Hall - Empire State Building

Hollywood - Broadway

Hollywood and Highland - Times Sqaure

West Hollywood - The Village

The Vincent Thomas Bridge - The Brooklyn Bridge

Freeways - Tollways

Arroyo Seco Parkway - Eastern Parkway

The 405 - The L-I-E

SigAlert - Traffic Delays

The Brown Family - The Cuomo Family

Charles Bukowski - Andy Warhol 

Bret Easton Ellis - Jay McInerney

1994 Northridge Earthquake - 2012 Superstorm Sandy

1992 L.A. Riots - 1863 Draft Riots

SWAT - ESU

Surrounded by hills and mountains - Surrounded by buildings

San Bernardino Mountains - The Poconos

Montecito - The Hamptons

Echo Park - Williamsburg

Boyle Heights - Red Hook

All Star Lanes Bowling Center - Brooklyn Bowl 

Central Library - The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building 

Pinks - Nathans

Canter's Deli - Katz's Deli

Pershing Square - Union Square

Richard Ramirez - David Berkowitz 

Orange County - Staten Island

Inland Empire - New Jersey

San Bernardino - Newark

San Fernando Valley - Nassau County, Long Island

Huntington Beach - Seaside Heights, New Jersey

LAX - JFK

Burbank Airport - LaGuardia Airport

Metrolink - Long Island Railroad, Metro-North and NJ Transit

Las Vegas - Atlantic City (Wait, does AC still have casinos?)

Pacific Ocean - Atlantic Ocean

Venice Beach - Coney Island

USC - NYU

Cal State L.A. - City University of New York

The Claremont Colleges - Columbia University

Scripps College - Sarah Lawrence College

Home of The Hell's Angels - Home of the fake Hell's Angels

Dodgers - Yankees

Angels - Mets

Wrigley Field - Ebbets Field

Hosted a World's Fair in 1918, known as the California Liberty Fair - Hosted two World's Fairs

Hosted two Olympics - Still trying to get the Olympics to come to town

Twin Towers - Rikers Island

Boss Radio 93/KHJ - 77/WABC

The Real Don Steele - Dan Ingram

Hunter Hancock - Alan Freed

Hal Fishman - Roger Grigsby

KCET - WNET

Staples Center - Madison Square Garden

2 a.m. - 4 a.m.

Santa Monica Bl roughly between Vine and La Brea - Off Broadway

Walt Disney - Woody Allen

East L.A. - Jackson Heights

Huell Howser - Huell Howser was briefly on New York television in the early 1980s 

In-N-Out - Lots of In-N-Out rip offs

Disneyland Measles Outbreak and What You Need To Know About Measles

ANAHEIM - Many young kids, and adults who are kids at heart, often wish they could take a piece of Disneyland home with them. Well, some people may be taking a piece of Disneyland home with them, and it is not very magical.

 

Photograph of young boy with measles rash. Author unknown. Shown for educational purposes only; no copyright infringement intended. Used under a Creative Commons license.

On Wednesday state health officials announced that a visitor to The Happiest Place on Earth had measles and likely transmitted it to 19 people, so far, who were visiting Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Park between December 15 and Dec. 20.

We use the words, "so far," because state health officials expect the number of measles cases to rise. 

Officials say 16 of the cases are in California, two are in Utah, and one is in Colorado. Most of the California cases are in Southern California with nine cases in Orange County.

Disneyland officials say no employees, excuse me, "cast members," have contracted measles and they say they are working with health officials to provide any necessary information.

Wait, What Happened?

It is believed that an infected guest with measles visiting The Disneyland Resort potentially infected a significant amount of people at The Happiest Place on Earth with measles, according to health officials.

First Off, Do Not Panic! 

While it is possible thousands of people have been exposed to measles it is very important to not panic and to put this illness in perspective.

It is very important to understand that if you have been vaccinated there is a very good chance you will NOT get measles. 

Also very important to understand that measles in the majority of cases is NOT a life threatening illness. For most people it is an illness that will pass in a couple weeks.

How Can You Get Measles?

According to the Center for Disease Control, measles is very infectious because it spreads through the air.

The CDC notes that, "measles virus can live for up to two hours on a surface or in an airspace where the infected person coughed or sneezed. If other people breathe the contaminated air or touch the infected surface, then touch their eyes, noses, or mouths, they can become infected. Measles is so contagious that if one person has it, 90% of the people close to that person who are not immune will also become infected."

That time of year at Disneyland is always very crowded, and it would be very simple to catch measles by standing in line next to someone who is infected. In fact, in a very crowded line, or very crowded walkway or store, several people at once can be exposed to measles.

Can Measles Be Prevented?

Yes, if you are vaccinated there is a extraordinarily good chance you will not catch measles, but there will always be a small number of people who can get infected despite being vaccinated. That chance of not getting measles when vaccinated is over 99-percent, according to the CDC. Many of the California measles cases were people who were not vaccinated.

What Are The Signs of Measles?

Signs of measles coming on include, runny nose, red eyes, cough and a high fever. 

What About A Rash?

According to the CDC, "Three to five days after symptoms begin, a rash breaks out. It usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet. Small raised bumps may also appear on top of the flat red spots. When the rash appears, a person’s fever may spike to more than 104° Fahrenheit."

How Long Does It Last?

Most measles cases last about two weeks.

What Medicine Treats Measles? 

Most measles can be treated by over-the-counter medication.

Bottom Line About Catching Measles

If you and/or your child have been vaccinated for measles chances are very good you will not be affected by measles.

However if you did visit The Disneyland Resort at or around this time do keep a "heads up" for symptoms.

If you do happen to catch measles it will not be very pleasant and there will be a lot of school and work missed, but in most cases it is not life threatening. Understand that most over-the-counter medications can be used to treat measles.

Colossus at Magic Mountain to be Firewood By The End of Summer

VALENCIA - If you have not heard the news, and the moose out front should have told you, Colossus roller coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain will be firewood by the end of the summer. 


Colossus in younger, happier days.

Okay, Colossus literally becoming firewood still needs to be verified, but what we can confirm is that Colossus, probably the most iconic attraction associated with Magic Mountain, will be closing down August 16.

There has been no reason given as to why the famed wooden roller coaster is closing down, nor what will replace it. 


Colossus under construction in this film footage from Cyclone Productions. 

If the Valencia park's crop of new roller coasters and attractions in the past few years is any indication signs would point to a new "extreme" ride replacing the coaster. 

Now there is some speculation on various amusement park sites that Colossus may not being going away completely and may possibly be "reused" as part of a new ride.

Colossus has been the go-to coaster for many advertisements, television shows and movies.

Probably the most memorable use of Colossus in film was its climatic use in National Lampoon's Vacation where Chevy Chase holds John Candy hostage after finding out, after a grueling cross-country drive across the country with the family, Wally World is closed.     

In an era when roller coasters did not have to be all that "extreme" Colossus was once the tallest wooden roller coaster in the world at 13 stories tall when it opened in 1978.

Things of course could always be worse, back in 2006 there was talk of Magic Mountain closing down in the name of condos being built.

So, you have until August 16 until another piece of your childhood is destroyed.

Before you go watch this: When it was a new thing here is the opening of Colossus as seen through 1978 L.A. broadcast media, featuring a lot of familiar faces from your childhood.


When Colossus was a shiny new thing on television.