Disneyland Gold Passes

The Disneyland Gold Pass was issued to a select few families, business associates, investors and friends of Walt and Roy Disney. Today, I have posted some unique items from my collection detailing the receipt and gratitude Jack Wrather and family had for these Gold Passes. The last one signed by Walt was the 1966 card and by Roy was the 1971 card. Walt did find time to let it be known he wanted the Wrather family to have a 1967 pass however he was unable to sign them. I believe the letter I have posted was written by Walt Disney's secretary and it did occur after Walt's passing. With all Walt had on his mind and being very sick, he still remembered his friend and business partner Jack Wrather. To me, that shows just how special the bond was between Walt and Jack.

Please also visit my website http://www.magicalhotel.com/. I would be more than happy to personally sign and personalize your copy. Purchasing the book helps us to be able to document more on the history of the Disneyland Hotel and make available even more news and information on the Hotel's rich history. Buy your copy today! There are limited copies left.

1958 Letter from Walt Disney - This 1958 letter announces the issuance of the Wrather families 1959 Gold Passes to Disneyland Park. Walt issued his first pass to the Wrather family in 1956 and they receive passes to this very day.

1959 Disneyland Gold Pass - signed by Walt Disney and issued to the Wrather family.

1966 Letter from Walt Disney's Office - I believe this letter is from Walt Disney's personal secretary letting Jack and family know that Walt wanted them to have their 1967 Gold Passes to Disneyland. This was determined just prior to Walt's passing prior to Walt entering the hospital for the last time.

Letter to Roy Disney 1969 - Jack would write to Roy Disney expressing thanks for the Gold Card to Disneyland. He would also state just how much his family enjoyed these gifts.

Disneyland Gold Cards

Walt Disney would personally deliver these Gold Cards to the Wrather family at the Disneyland Hotel and they were all personally signed by him. Chris Wrather told me an interesting story about his mother, Bonita Granville Wrather. When she was in final negotiations to sell the Hotel, she asked Mr. Eisner if the family could retain the rights to Gold Cards for life. Mr. Eisner happily agreed. The deal was then completed.

1956 Gold Card - Issued by Walt Disney to the Wrather family

1959 Gold Card

1960 Gold Card

1965 Gold Card - Just a year before Mr. Disney passed away.

1966 Gold Card - This would be the last that Walt Disney would sign for the Wrather family.

Disneyland Hotel Golf Course

Posted a couple of golf shots today. Will post some more shortly as well as details with facts and figures.

http://www.magicalhotel.com/

Overhead View - The golf course was adjacent to the first tower building and the original guest room structures.

The Disneyland Hotel golf course.

Dave Smith, Walt Disney Company Archivist to Retire

Dave Smith, Chief Archivist at the Walt Disney Company has announced his retirement after 40 years with the company. His retirement will coincide with his 70th birthday in October of this year. I personally want to wish Dave well in his retirement and also acknowledge the many times he has helped me out with research and clarification on Disneyland Hotel related questions. Dave has always responded to my enquiries which have greatly improved the content of this blog as well as the Disneyland Hotel book and addendums to the book. Dave built the Archives from scratch to what it is today. For those of us lucky enough to have visited the Archives, his work is evident in the structure and content of the materials located there. My visit there was most productive and Dave helped me immensely. We wish you the best of luck with sincere hopes for a wonderful retirement. You will be sorely missed and I am hoping you will still have a hand in the happenings at the Archives. I am sure the department will be left in good hands. Here is to a job well done Dave and God bless!

Dave at His Desk - From my visit to the Archives

Studio Archives - Here is a picture from my visit to the Disney Archives in Burbank, California. I am often told that I am the fourth handsomest in this picture.

Hotel Book First Addendum Now Available

An electronic version is now available of the first addendum to our book "The Disneyland Hotel: The Early Years 1954-1988." This work features original text and photographs plus all new information and many more photographs. The first issue covers 1954 until the day before opening day, October 4th, 1955. With all the new information received, the story of the Disneyland Hotel can now be told with many more facts and details. Please let us know if you are interested in a copy.

http://www.magicalhotel.com

First Addendum Front Cover

Inside Front Cover

BonitaTower Meeting Rooms

Interior photographs are always tougher to find of the Disneyland Hotel. Today, I am posting some interior shots of the meeting facilities at the brand-new Bonita Tower in 1978. The Hotel boasted it could accomodate groups of just about any size. Some of the settings had wonderful views of the surrounding areas.

Please write if you are interested in the first addendum which is now available in an e-copy version. http://www.magicalhotel.com/

The Disneyland Hotel had rooms of varying sizes for group meetings. Here is a smaller room located in the new Bonita Tower.

Bonita Tower Meeting Room - You could hear the sounds of the waterfalls from this meeting room which opened in 1978. Beautiful setting!

This was when the Bonita Tower first opened in 1978.

Room Interiors of the Late 70's

Tonight I am adding some interior shots of the various rooms at the Disneyland Hotel around 1978. This was when the Bonita Tower had just opened and the Hotel now boasted over 1400 rooms which was the largest amount of rooms ever advertised at the Disneyland Hotel. This is right around the first time I ever stayed at the Disneyland Hotel and I remember it well.

In case you haven't noticed, the Disneyland Hotel is undergoing some pretty big changes these days. Soon, the only way to remember or see how it used to be will be right here on this blog or on my website http://www.magicalhotel.com/. Even better yet, get a copy of our book on the history of the Hotel which you can order online from the website.

I will be posting brochure deviations coming up. When you think you have two of the same brochure, watch out....you just may have two different versions with only slight deviations and one of them might be quite rare.

This would have been a mid-priced suite in the Marina Tower.....around $200 a night.

Interior view of a Tower Suite in the late 70's. These rooms rented for between $125 - $300 and this particular suite looks like one of the larger ones.

A typical room interior in the late 70's.

A late 70's look inside a Tower Room.

Coffee Shop Interior - This is a repeat of this picture previously posted however, this has a much wider angle and shows more detail. This restauarant would become the Monorail Cafe in 1986.

1987 Magazine Advertisement

This was just prior to the transfer of ownership of the Hotel to the Walt Disney Company

Publicity Shot

Papeete Beach from a late 80's publicity packet on the Disneyland Hotel

Walt Disney and Jack Wrather

Did some digging and I did manage to find another picture of Walt Disney and Jack Wrather together. While this is obviously at the same event (official Grand Opening/August 1956) it nevertheless is a different photo. It was taken just before or just after the previous picture posted in this blog. I would still love to see any others of the two together.