'Where is it?' is the question

Going through some old family photo album sheets over the weekend, this popped out and I quickly grabbed it. I scanned it and blew it up trying to find out whom, what and where.

Whom? I don’t believe any of the people in the photo are family members, so I can’t figure out why this was in with our family’s photos. The old man isn’t around anymore to elaborate and he never owned an Instamatic camera. (Nor did he ever visit a Fotomat!) Those are definitely TIKI’s next to a waterfall under an A Frame, so I’ve got the ‘what’ handled.

So it’s that burning question ‘where is it?’ that I know someone here on TC has the answer to, right? I'd like to move it to the correct link.
Thanks!

[ Edited by: A Frame 2012-01-17 12:46 ]

Look at the awe on the kid's faces. (well, all you can see is the back of their heads, but imagine the awe) Those could be some current TC member for all we know!

Aloha,

Dunno, but tried to clean it up a bit in photoshop to see if I could read the sign...

No luck. Mainland for sure.

Waikiki Tiki; Art, History, and Photographs.
Available now from Bess Press Hawaii.

[ Edited by: Phillip Roberts 2012-01-16 20:07 ]

Could it be the Japanese Deer Park? circa 1960s

my wife and i visited the deer park (buena park,ca)on dates several times in the late 60's. the pic looks vaguely familiar cept for the tikis. my wife reminded me of the long gone "green area" housed within one of the buildings at hancock park/la brea tar pits. i do recall railings and stairs much like those in the picture but again -i do not recall the tikis. too many years and rums have passed.

I remember the koi ponds and Tikis at the Deer Park, but also for me was a long time ago....

I don't think that's JDP, at least not in its first incarnation.

Possibly it was the short lived (and Tiki-themed) Enchanted Village which lasted all of 1 year after JDP shut down in 1976 (when all the deer got sick).

On 2012-01-16 18:32, A Frame wrote:

...I don’t believe any of the people in the photo are family members, so I can’t figure out why this was in with our family’s photos. The old man isn’t around anymore elaborate and he never owned an Instamatic camera...

Also A-Frame, you crazy Tiki nut !!...

You stumble across a "family" photo of an unidentified woman with a bunch of kids and your first reaction is "Where are those Tikis from ??". :D

Bob and Leroy at O.A., or Chris Jepsen would be a good address to inquire about this photo.

John-O, that Enchanted Village blog is priceless with all these ex-employees chiming in! A guard, a PR-director, someone who sang on the theme song record...

"....i used to work there. I worked in 2 shows, the musical with the horses and adam and eve. I was a hunter and a gorilla threw me off the top of the treehouse, then a swamp monster would eat me.."

"...i worked at enchanted village as a young girl i was about 7 or 8 i danced in the hawaiian show there this was a fun time was able to go on all the rides i have great memories of the park..."

"...I remember the Creature from the Black Lagoon - scared the crap out of my sister and I, but also remember feeling sorry for it because it had to live in the lagoon and couldn't live normally..."

This is the best one:

"I worked at Enchanted Village the summer of 1977. I started out at the front gate taking tickets in a pink sari. After a few weeks I climbed the corporate ladder all the way up to llama walker. :>) How many people can say that? (three that I know of - my co-workers Cindy and Sue, and me). We had to groom Marc the llama in the morning, blow up balloons, and then walk him around the park, selling balloons. Marc was not overly cooperative - he would spit and try to stomp on our feet. In hindsight, can't say as I blame him...
I remember a nice guy name Daryl who worked there - he wrote the Noah Show (a musical at the park that featured Noah and plenty of animals, as you might guess). Daryl did various other high-level stuff around the park. It was very much a mom-and-pops operation. There was a German tiger trainer and a cute young guy named Ridge who was one of the elephant trainers. Ridge also starred in one of the shows where he was stranded on a desert island with a bunch of animals in nothing but a loin cloth. I have pictures of that show but don't know how to post them here."

Naomi remembers Deer Park...and being traumatized by watching a Geisha beat the crap out of a little deer with a paper umbrella after the deer had bit some kid while feeding it. :lol:

Here is what I would think was the "Lagoon" stage (but it's obviously an outdoor space):

I see that mom and the kids are on the walkway in front of a three story structure. It also appears that they are under an a frame. The picture was made in Nov. 73.

ETR

I see that the foreground Tiki looks like home-made, possibly paper mache, like it was part of the flower arrangement - strangely reminding me of the recent Rose Bowl float.

The one in the middle, in the back, is a typical palm log, but not very intricately carved.

The one on the left has this strange bluish-grey tone, which leads me to believe it's made from yet another material.

And Mr. Noname is right, the early date on the photo precludes that this would be Enchanted Village.

Just going by the plants (and assuming the weather can effect them), the palm in the foreground (right) looks like a chamaedorea species which could grow in So Cal or Hawaii, the flowers on the other hand only look good (outside) in Hawaii unless they were in pots (and moved in from a green house) or part of a floral arrangement. Where ever it is, it's intense.

There is a waterfall behind the tikis just below the railing of the third floor and a brown sign (on a white awning?) on the far left.

Where is that damn Esper machine again!

Thanks everyone! My first thought was Disneyland because of the Tiki on the right and the fact that my older brother worked there for over 10 years, November of '73 being around the middle of that period. I showed it to him right after I saw it and he didn't have a clue as to the location of the 'where'.

In looking at it again, those stairs stand out. They must lead up to something or somewhere...

On 2012-01-17 13:19, A Frame wrote:
In looking at it again, those stairs stand out. They must lead up to something or somewhere...

Maybe it was taken in front of THIS apartment building:

..which still stands, just around the corner from Pann's in Inglewood.

No, it's NOT the place....But it IS a good example of another two-stairs-over-a-waterfall concept in a Polynesian edifice. Once, before being de-tikied, this place might have looked more like A-frame's photo.

Didn't Marineland have an Aframe overlooking a garden area & pond?

I'm gonna say Busch Gardens in Van Nuys, the timeline is right, the ducks and everything being under one one roof is right.

That's all I have for now but I'm going with it.

I lived right accoss the street from Busch Gardens in the early 60s
I do not remember an Aframe like this, there (But that does not mean there was not one)
What year did Busch Gardens close? was it open in 73? pictures anyone?

Busch Gardens closed in Dec. 1977, We moved to Lake Elsinore before the park expansion in 66
I do remember a Water Ski show and small lake and the monorail being built, but no Tiki or Aframe at that time
a Japanese Village was built a little later.

According to this it was open 1966-1979ish and from what I can tell it was the least photographed amusement park in history. :lol:

Edited for the wrong close date. 1977 seems kinda early but I'm not arguing or anything. The Seventies did seem to take forever to get through.

So 1966-1977 was the time line.

[ Edited by: Bora Boris 2012-01-17 16:13 ]

Someone actually recreated the whole park in 3D here, sorry to say no Aframe or Lily Ponds

http://www.sebar.com/rct3/bgvn.html

I just turned my nose up to a big Busch Gardens brochure I most certainly would have picked it up if there was anything remotely cool in it. My family went once a year and I don't remember anything awe inspiring (like Knott's or Disneyland) about the place, it had a Jungle Cruise, the Clydesdale's would majestically roll out and make a lot of racket, the monorail would take you into the production part of the factory so you could see the wonder of beer production. I seem to recall hearing they used the "gardens" portion in the Three Musketeers 1948, the scene with Gene Kelly jumping around.

Bosko

It officially reopened on January 5, 1977 as a bird sanctuary, and boasted "1500 birds of some 180 different species
then closed in 1979.

Edited for wrong info....

[ Edited by: Chuck Tatum is Tiki 2012-01-17 16:31 ]

I've sent the picture to someone who may know what it is but in the meantime...

I am liking Bora Boris's guess. Here is an aerial photo of Busch Gardens.

There are several potential A-Frame structures that could be...

This seems the most likely with the Polynesian hut in front of it.

A few other candidates.

DC

So far those are the large buildings that housed the entrance to the rides, Such as the Busch Pavilion.

I used to live where the red dot is, right next door to a then in training Mark Spitz.

[ Edited by: Chuck Tatum is Tiki 2012-01-17 17:24 ]

On 2012-01-17 16:45, Bora Boris wrote:
I've sent the picture to someone who may know what it is but in the meantime...

That could very well be it. The steepest pitch of the roof could lend to the interior a frame. The description of the building's purpose is a great clue too.
Erik

On 2012-01-17 16:45, Bora Boris wrote:
I've sent the picture to someone who may know what it is but in the meantime...

Boris, That's the play area added in 1975
here is a closeup....

Here is another view of the interior, it housed Bumper Cars.

Maybe Tiki bumper cars?

Sadly none of this matches your photo, Aframe
we need to keep looking...

Stupid bumper cars!

Gee Boris I don't recall the fashion being so bad and our heads being so large?
What are we looking at?

Bosko

It's a 3D recreation of Busch Gardens, Bosko
Kinda like "CSI: Tiki Central"

On 2012-01-18 12:43, TIKIBOSKO wrote:
Gee Boris I don't recall the fashion being so bad and our heads being so large?
What are we looking at?

Bosko

A "Lot's of time on his hands" guy recreated the park digitally ~ http://www.sebar.com/rct3/bgvn.html

That's what we're looking at.

Way to spoil any fond memories...bleah! to that look. Reminds me a little bit of the LEGO re-enactment of the rooftop scene from "I am Cuba" - but that's way funnier! (at least to the "I am Cuba" fanatic such as myself)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfO6okjs0cg

http://laist.com/2009/07/18/laistory_busch_gardens_in_van_nuys.php

On 2012-01-18 13:59, bigbrotiki wrote:
Way to spoil any fond memories...bleah! to that look. Reminds me a little bit of the LEGO re-enactment of the rooftop scene from "I am Cuba" - but that's way funnier! (at least to the "I am Cuba" fanatic such as myself)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfO6okjs0cg

But the LEGO re-enactment of "Die Hard",Now that's a Christmas movie.