Disneyland Hotel History: Bonita's Scrapbook

[oldhotelguy]

I was fortunate enough again to have access to a storage vault owned by the Wrather family. The contents of the vault are just priceless, filled with many pieces of ephemera. Today, I want to start a thread called "Bonita's Scrapbook." These are primarily newspaper articles that were pasted into numerous scrapbooks through the years by Bonita Granville herself. These scrapbooks were filled with the events of her and her familes lives including her acting career, charitable functions, family happenings, trips and vacations, news and the Wrather's numerous business interests. The articles I will be sharing with you deal with one particular Wrather business.....you guessed it, the Disneyland Hotel. Part 1 deals with 1955 and the earliest mentions of the Disneyland Hotel.

Scrapbook Cover (in Bonita's own handwriting):










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Part 2 will feature the Disneyland Hotel's Grand Opening in 1956.

[Kevin Noty]

I love the MK guide lol

[oldhotelguy]

Just full of information isn't it?

[Mojave]

Thanks for the great research and photos!

And that MK Guide is truly amazing. A stick figure with lands attached to his head and a speeding train.

[Mr Wiggins]

Thank you Don for another great thread!

[oldhotelguy]

I really love the following articles. The Hotel's grand opening was a really special time in history and started something (little did they know at the time) really wonderful for the Walt Disney Company. Fortunately for Disney, they had Jack Wrather and partners develop and build the Disneyland Hotel. Wrather, like Wat Disney believed in a quality establishment and was strongly influenced by family participation. What could families do together to build memories and have fun? Jack Wrather did like making money but that was not his primary motivation in developing his various businesses. Creating possibilities for fun and enjoyment for entire families was the primary reason to go into a venture for Jack Wrather. Hope you like the following articles:



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[penguinsoda]

Wow... how wonderful that she kept all the clippings and pictures and kept them together in a scrapbook!! And even more wonderful that you have access and can share them with us!!! Its really incredible to see the history of the motel and Disneyland.

[oldhotelguy]

And there is much more!

[Disneymike]

That's fantastic! BTW - My wife bought your book Don when my wife and I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel Dec 1-5th. Great book! I have your first book as well. I talked to a lovely women who works in Fantasia sundries or whatever its called and she has been working at the hotel since 1971.

[oldhotelguy]

That's fantastic! BTW - My wife bought your book Don when my wife and I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel Dec 1-5th. Great book! I have your first book as well. I talked to a lovely women who works in Fantasia sundries or whatever its called and she has been working at the hotel since 1971.

Thanks so much for purchasing the book. There is a bellman who has been there since 1968 and few years ago, another who had been there since the beginning.

[Neverlandtink]

This is amazing stuff! Now why have I never heard of Helen Alvarez before today? I've always known about Jack and Bonita (in fact, I still call that building the "Bonita Building"), but where the heck did Helen come from? What ever happened to her?


Thanks a million for sharing!

[oldhotelguy]

This is amazing stuff! Now why have I never heard of Helen Alvarez before today? I've always known about Jack and Bonita (in fact, I still call that building the "Bonita Building"), but where the heck did Helen come from? What ever happened to her?


Thanks a million for sharing!

Helen Alvarez was an original partner with Jack Wrather in the Disneyland Hotel. The partnership was dissolved in August of 1958. Miss Alvarez just passed away less than two years ago in San Diego. I was fortunate enough to talk with her on the phone one time. Some of the earliest and rarest Disneyland Hotel artifacts list "Wrather-Alvarez Hotels" on the copyright. Helen had a fascinating background and history worthy of a post of its own.

[oldhotelguy]

This is interesting in that I had no idea there was a formal ceremnoy to welcome the Monorail to the Disneyland Hotel. It also tells me, there are pictures out there somewhere of this event. Pictures of the Wrathers with Walt Disney are always extra special. The first two pictures appear to be the same but they are from two different newspapers and have different captions.

For you 25 point bonus question.....can you spot the error in one of the pictures?



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Sure hope those scissors worked better than when the Monorail was first dedicated in 1959!!

[explodingboy]

Wow wow wow! Another great thread, oldhotelguy! Keep them coming!

[oldhotelguy]

Jack Wrather turned 50 in 1968 and the Wrather family celebrated at the Disneyland Hotel. Here are some momentos from that event which were also pasted into Bonita's scrapbook.