USC's library has posted an archive of photos from the early days of Disneyland. Included is this shot of the giant squid "ride" from the original Tomorrowland. When Disneyland opened in 1955, they ran out of money and filled Tomorrowland with corporate exhibits (Dairy Farmers of America present the Cow of the Future! The Kaiser Aluminium Hall of Fame!) and the capper was an "exhibit" of the giant squid prop from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, with a little person inside who made the tentacles wave around (the squid prop later ended up in Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space).
(Thanks, Debbie!)
Update: Tim sez, "With regard to that shot of the giant squid, I was 10 years old when I went through the "20,000 Leagues" show at Disneyland in July, 1959. (I met Walt the same day!) That photograph is just the tip of the iceberg. The exhibit was a walk-through of the sets from the movie, and was one of the coolest things in the park. As you probably know, the Nautilus (designed by the great Harper Goff, who worked on movies and the theme parks until his demise in the 1990s, and was one of the "Firehouse Five" dixieland jazz group with other studio guys, and who hung around with Jack Webb!) has attained a cult status. And for the kids lucky enough to have strolled through the actual sets (like George Lucas), it stands out among early Disneyland memories. One interesting little note: The elaborate pipe organ that Capt. Nemo plays in the film is still at Disneyland. It's in the 'ballroom' scene in the Haunted Mansion, repainted white. Early, nearly-unfinished Disneyland was the coolest place, where a boy's or girls's imagination filled in the blanks, in the empty, dusty spaces that Walt and his artists had not yet built anything upon. Today, there's not an inch of unassigned real estate in Disneyland. Too bad."
Update 2: Coop sez, "The Ed Wood movie featuring a giant, non-moving squid was his 1955 epic 'Bride Of The Monster'!
"I'd always heard it was stolen from Republic studios, as noted on the Wikipedia page for the film. Also, the film was made in 1955, and Disneyland also opened in 1955, so it seems unlikely, unless maybe the squid was in the 'Bride Of The Monster' FIRST, then migrated to Disneyland. (A better story, that!)" — I stand corrected!
