The 1959 Event ~ Hosted by
Ape Pen Publishing & Carlene Thie
On June 14, 1959, Walt Disney dedicated three Disneyland Attractions for the first and last time in Disneyland history would three Disneyland attractions be dedicated on the very same day.
On June 14, 1959, having already established a great relationship with Walt Disney. Orange County Photographer Mell Kilpatrick was given unlimited access to Disneyland's three Attractions; Disneyland's Matterhorn, Monorail & Submarine . Mell Kilpatrick was the perfect guy to get the perfect angle. As one of Orange County’s best-known cameramen, he covered Disneyland in every possible manner by air and on foot from 1954 to 1962.
Mell Kilpatrick's style was so unique, that it captured Walt Disney attention. A friendship-business relationship began between the two of them. Walt Disney staff developing their photographs of Disneyland in Mell Kilpatrick's darkroom, and Mell Kilpatrick having unlimited access to Disneyland. Which Walt Disney granted Mell Kilpatrick all the rights to all his photographs taken of Disneyland until his death in 1962.
Even today Mell Kilpatrick images are widely used in telling Disneyland historical path and can still be seen in the Disneyland Park.Mell vintage images are some of the most visible in the Disneyland Park history to this day.
On June 14, 2009, ; sadly Disneyland had no officially celebration for one of Walt Disney favorite executions and most dearly loved attractions.
On June 6th ~ Ape Pen Publishing / The 1313 Club was the only one to celebrate these three attractions with ; The Original 1955 Anaheim City Manager Keith Murdoch, Original Land owner Ron Dominguez, one of the Original Disney Legends who helped in the planning of all three attractions Disney Legend Bob Gurr(You can hear Bob Gurrs story on the Monorail, Matterhorn & Submarine Construction) and Disney Animatronic Designer Garner Holt.
We even video taped this historical day having one of the only living Disney Legends left who designed the Disneyland Monorail Matterhorn & Submarine ride each of these attraction , honoring Walt Disney & his legacy.
Disney Legend Bob Gurr, Garner Holt & Carlene Thie at
The Disneyland Monorail
Disneyland
1959 Event Poster
apx 8x10
$6.00
Disneyland / Collectors -1959 Event Ticket - $6.00
1959 Disney Event ...
Celebrating Disneylands 50th Anniversary of the Matterhorn, Submaries and Monrail with Disney Legend Bob Gurr
On June 6th, 2009 Disney Legend Bob Gurr, Garner Holt and many other 1313 Club members celbrated at Disneyland the 50th Anniversary of the three attractions : The Monorail, The Matterhorn & The Submarines.
Disney Legend Bob Gurr at The Disneyland Submarines
Disney Legend Bob Gurr &
Garner Holt inside Disneyland's Bobsleds
Disneyland 1959
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*In 1959 one of the most fantastic construction marvels of all time: The building of a 5 1/2 million, 11 acre addition of amazing attractions.
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* A 14 1/2 story Disneyland Matterhorn
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* The Submarine Voyage
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* The Nations first (Disneyland's) Monorail
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* Four new multi-level Disneyland Autopia Cars
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* Two new lakes, which guest will take motorboat cruises.
FUN Disneyland FACTS
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*In 1980 the lagoon was drained , and a 35 foot long by 12 feet wide by four feet hole was discovered and repaired. An estimated 40,000 gallons of water each day was lost from the Motor Boat Cruise and Submarine ride.
*The lagoon refill takes 6.5 million gallons of water, which takes 5 to 7 days to clean.~
*On Tuesday, September 8th, 1998 (9pm-11pm) Disneyland cast members took the final undersea voyage aboard the submarines.
* On June 11, 2007, the New Opening of Finding Nemo opens, 3 days shy for the Original Opening of June 14, 1959.
* The Matterhorn was thought off when Walt Disney had come back from making trips from Switzerland in 1953 and the filming of "The Third Man on the Mountain" in 1958.
* Disney Legend & Designer of the Matterhorn, stated in his video done by Ape Pen Publishing that the rails of the Matterhorn were created before the blueprints of the Matterhorn.
*The top of the Matterhorn has a small one basket ball court.
Ape Pen Products
Ape Pen Products
Disney Legend Bob Gurr
Imagineer Bob Gurr has always been a man on the move. And, for nearly 40 years, he helped move many a happy Disney theme park guest aboard vehicles and ride conveyances of his own design. As he’s often quipped, “If it moves on wheels at Disneyland, I probably designed it.”
And he certainly has. Bob has developed more than 100 designs for attractions ranging from Autopia and Matterhorn Bobsleds to the Disneyland and Walt Disney World Monorails, and more.
Born in Los Angeles on October 25, 1931, young Bob was fascinated with tools, mechanical devices, and cars. He often crawled through a hole in the fence of nearby Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale to sneak into the cockpits of idle transport airplanes, while at school he decorated his test papers with sketches of automobiles.
Later, he attended Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles on a General Motors scholarship, where he studied industrial design. Upon graduation in 1952, he was hired by Ford Motor Company, but soon purchased a rubber stamp marked “R.H. Gurr Industrial Design” and went into business for himself.
Soon after, WED Enterprises, today known as Walt Disney Imagineering, hired Bob to consult on the design of miniature cars for Autopia. Walt Disney was so impressed with Bob’s knowledge and skill that he invited him to join the Imagineering family, which then was solely dedicated to the design and construction of Disneyland.
Over the next nearly four decades, Bob worked transportation magic developing the memorable Flying Saucers attraction in Tomorrowland, the antique cars and double-decker buses of Main Street, U.S.A., Ford Motor Company’s Magic Skyway, which premiered at the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair, and more. Bob also helped design the mechanical workings of Disney’s first Audio-Animatronics® human figure, Abraham Lincoln, featured in Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
In 1981, Bob retired early from Imagineering to launch GurrDesign, Inc., and, three years later, joined creative forces with two former Imagineers to form Sequoia Creative, Inc. The firm, which specialized in “leisure-time spectaculars” and “fantastical beasts” developed King Kong and Conan’s Serpent for Universal Studios, Hollywood.
Garner Holt
An Animated Background
Garner Holt's company has literally grown up together. Garner, founded Garner Holt Productions in 1977, when he was still in high school. I’ve gone from my parents’ garage—with his mother acting as secretary!—to a giant production facility, studio and mockup space where he operate today with the help of nearly a hundred talented employees.
GHP is his playground. It's a combination of a cutting-edge technology workshop and an artistic inventor's lab. As a result, being here is different from any other work environment. It's like a giant toy factory, and every day is something different. Because our mission here is to inform, educate, and entertain, I believe our work and our creations have a lasting impact on our audience.
This company is his main focus, his pride and joy, and, if can, he will brag a little, his most unique and talented group in the world. Garner Holt has built nearly 500 Chuck E. Cheese animatronic shows for restaurants all over the planet. He was the first outside company to create an animatronic character for a classic Disney attraction--they now have more than 400 figures in Disney parks throughout the world. In their more than three decades of work, Holt Productions has built more animatronics and other unusual and amazing creations than any organization on the planet.
Garner's expertise in the design and production of quality animatronics is unsurpassed. In fact, Garner has built more figures than any other animatronics company in history. That experience and expertise is why close to 70% of their work comes from repeat clients in some of the most high-profile attractions and destinations in the world. Hlt Productions provide exceptional products for a fair price. Big or small, all of their clients know that GHP provides the very best figures, ride and show elements, and other creative creations available anywhere.
I know they will continue to bring smiles, thrills, scares, and wonder to attraction guests world wide.