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Coordinates: 34°04′30″N 118°22′37″W / 34.075°N 118.377°W / 34.075; -118.377
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.

Beverly Park
Map
“KiddielandPark(nowadays)”
“The ‘Kiddieland’ that Inspired Walt Disney” [1]
LocationLos Angeles, California, United States
Coordinates34°04′30″N 118°22′37″W / 34.075°N 118.377°W / 34.075; -118.377
StatusDefunct
Opened1943
Closed1974
OwnerDavid Bradley
General managerBud Benner
ThemeChild Attractions
SloganThe greatest children's amusement center on earth[2]
Operating seasonWeekends and Holidays
Area400 by 200 feet
Attractions
Total12


Beverly Park was an Amusement Park located in Los Angeles, California, at the corner of Beverly Boulevard and La Cienega.[3] Owned and operated by David Bradley from 1943 to 1974, it was considered an important source of attractions for children during the 1950s[4], but also an important inspiration for Walt Disney who, deeply inspired by Bradley, later founded Disneyland.[3]
Beverly Park was very well known by several Hollywood stars [5] and Beverly Hills divorced fathers who used to take their children there to enjoy the atmosphere, the rides and the cotton candy.[1]
The new concept of “Kiddieland” was born after World War II, as the Amusement Park industry expanded due to the post-war economic situation and the baby boom that occurred from the end of the Second World War until the 1960s. During the 1950s, both the employment rate and social welfare in the surrounding area improved, allowing people to divert their thoughts from the recent wars and shift them towards a new lifestyle, based on innovation and pleasure.[6]
The “Kiddieland” phenomenon was not a franchise in its original sense, but a general noun identifying Amusement Parks specifically designed for children. Rodondo Beach, West Los Angeles, Woodland Hills and Westchester were among the locations in Los Angeles County where Kiddielands were built. This area of this Kiddieland in particular has welcomed a significant amount of residents and visitors, therefore the Amusement Park found great success in its heyday.[7]

Location and Access

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Beverly Park Kiddieland, CA

Beverly Park was located in the city of Beverly Hills, in Los Angeles County, California, USA. It was located in a rural area suitable for attractions and rides for children,[1] near the largest drugstore of the world.[8] Beverly Park was also located near Ponyland at 8536 Beverly Boulevard, which was owned and operated by Leo "Pat" Murphy[9] and his wife, Viva Murphy.[1]

History

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From the opening

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Beverly Park was located in West Lost Angeles and opened in 1943. It included twelve child-sized rides (including roller coasters and fun houses), as well as several restaurants, places dedicated to animals, food stands and candy shops.[1]
In the 1940s, this location in Los Angeles was called Tinker Town.[7] It was later purchased by an amusement ride manufacturing company named Bradley & Kaye Amusement Co., based in Long Beach, California, which established Beverly Park. At first, the land was leased by Bradley and Kaye from the Beverly Oil Company.[1] It originally featured some abandoned rides (a Carousel, Dodgem bumper cars and a Ferris Wheel)[10] acquired from a bankrupt carnival owned by Frock & Meyer Amusement Company.[2] These were restored by Bradley and incorporated into the new park. The company started producing and selling rides and accessories to the Allan Herschell Company, after the signing of an agreement in 1948. This agreement terminated in 1986, when the company was purchased by Chance Rides[11]. Meanwhile, one of the co-owners, Don Kaye, decided to abandon the project in 1946 to devote himself to the music industry, leaving Bradley to manage the Park alone. Despite this change, the company maintained its original name.[12]
David Bradley was born in California on May 11, 1911.[2] Even though he studied Economics at Dartmouth College, he had always been interested in engineering and subsequently developed this passion.[1] During World War II, he worked at Lockheed Aircraft Company as a toolmaker before he started creating ideas to amuse his sister's children and became an Amusement ride inventor.[2]
Although Bradley had no experience in the Amusement area management, he decided to develop the enterprise and within three years he became the official owner of the Park by paying off his obligations. His philosophy required that Beverly Park should be immaculate and that customers should feel safe and comfortable on all rides.[9] The Park was designed to enable children to feel important and to take care of a delightful experience for its visitors. In order to keep the visitors' attention and improve further on the atmosphere, he also decorated many of his attractions with special murals, flowers, and tunnels so guests always had something interesting to look at and explore.[13] He was also named manager of Virginia Park, in Long Beach.[8]
Bradley's family helped him in running Beverly Park. His wife Bernice, whom he met at the Walt Disney Studio, worked in the Park's box office and focused on collecting resources to make the Park memorable for everyone.[2] The two had two adopted twins, John and Laura.[8] Bernice's brother, Bud Benner, was Beverly Park's general manager. He also worked with Bradley to restore and create innovative rides.[1]
After Bradley had established his business in Los Angeles, he created another Amusement Park in the San Fernando Valley which was used as a testing ground to study the impact of newly developed rides and their likelihood of success once installed in Beverly Park.[2]

One of the frequent visitors of Beverly Park “Kiddieland” was Walt Disney himself. He used to bring his children there, ask them what they loved about the attractions and talk with David Bradley about the Amusement Park industry and its development. The two started working together soon after, when Disney hired Bradley as a consultant for 5 years, from 1950 to 1955.[7] Bradley visited Europe to take pictures of interesting rides in Amusement Parks.[9] This is when Bradley got the idea to, and convinced Disney to build the famous Main Street. [9] Starting from 1955, he returned focusing solely on operating Beverly Park, but not before leaving his footprint in Anaheim's brand new recreation area, the soon to be Disneyland.[13]
Colorful carousel horses made the three-quarter acre park easy to be noticed, as well as the letters "B", "E", "V". The ticket offices were located at the entrance, where visitors could pay 15 cents for each ticket, or 3$ for 30 tickets. [10]

Off-the-clock, Beverly Park was also a popular spot for busy movie star parents, hoping to cram some "quality time" (and perhaps a good photo opportunity) into their busy schedules. Many Hollywood film stars of the 1940s, '50s and '60s, including Carol Burnett, Errol Flynn, Lana Turner, Norm Crosby, Kirk Douglas and Dan Duryea, used to enjoy the Park's attractions with their children. [5] Even famous musicians such as John Lennon, and Sonny & Cher used to bring their children and families there.[14] Many Hollywood stars are pictured on the book's Facebook page.[15]

In Beverly Park's heyday, Bradley had the ambition and was developing plans to cover the entirety of Beverly Park by having it roofed, so that the Park could stay open during bad weather such as rain or snow. This ambition never came to fruition due to the closing of the Park.[2]

To the closure

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At the end of the 1950's, the Amusement Parks industry peaked, then started declining due to urban decay, suburban growth and the creation and rapid growth of new sources of distraction, such as television.[6] Because of this precarious and ongoing situation, Beverly Park closed twenty years later, specifically in 1974, due to a range of factors. These included the ever-increasing rent, the increased amount of oil that was drilled near the Park and Bradley's stress related to managing the venture.[1]
In addition to these factors, Bradley and Kaye Manufacturing Plant in Long Beach caused Bradley's attention to shift from the Park to his growing business specialized in renovating, creating and selling carousel animals.[7] After Beverly Park closed, he continued to build and launch new and more modern rides.[9]
One of the most famous rides restored by Bradley was the 1916 C.W. Parker Carousel which appeared in other Amusement Parks throughout South California such as Ocean Park Pier and Looff Hippodrome on the Santa Monica Pier.[1]
After closure, the sign "closed for renovations" was hung up on the chained gate that used to be the entrance to Beverly Park. Some of the rides within the Park remained on the premises after closure.[1]
While Beverly Park was officially closed in 1974, Ponyland stayed open until 1979. The two locations were both replaced by the Beverly Center. [1]
If the Park wouldn't had closed, Bradley said he would have liked to roof the entire property, in order to be able to manage the Park even during rainy days.[2] Some features of Beverly Park can be found in Disneyland. For example, the idea of taking a family photo based on a specific theme was invented and spread by David Bradley himself and afterwards reused by Walt Disney. [14] The latter also followed Bradley's suggestion in creating rides whose height was not frightening nor discouraging. This has been one of the many factors that have made Walt Disney's concept successful. [13]

Amenities

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Restaurants and Food Stands

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Beverly Park contained a range of restaurants as Tiny Naylor's drive-in restaurant, (themed on the space-age The Jetsons 1960s TV series, with roller-skating waitresses) and a Tiki restaurant.[16]
In addition to these, there were also food stands selling popcorn, hot dogs, cotton candy and peanuts. Beverly Park’s snacks were packed in striped paper bags, which made them easily recognizable. This not only added to the overall feel and atmosphere in the Park, but also made bags that people brought out of the park recognizable to the general public.[10]

Rides

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Beverly Park was originally characterized by twelve rides. Each of them was based on its own particular theme[14] and they were:

Number Ride Description
1 Carousels (two sizes available) Beverly Park’s carousel was a rotating ride which included animal-shaped seats. Its technical name was Parker Carousel. [17]
2 Ferris wheel The Ferris Wheel was one of the abandoned rides left by a carnival before David Bradley purchased the Park. The seats of the ride were built using benches and railings to keep the kids from falling. [10] [17]
3 Dodgem Bumper cars Dodgem bumper cars allowed kids to drive small electric cars protected by bumpers that they could drive against each other. [10]
4 Funhouse Beverly Park's funhouses were the Haunted Castle and Moons-ville. [10]
5 Little Dipper Miniature and portable roller coaster designed for children. It was first designed for Beverly Park, but soon after, the Little Dipper was also distributed to other amusement parks. [10]
6 Merry-go-round A rotating ride, similar to the carousel. [10]
7 Motorama Car ride designed for older kids who had the possibility to "drive" and steer their cars along a roadway. [10]
8 The Helicopter Ride This ride was characterized by helicopter-shaped seats that moved in a circular motion. [7] It was invented by Bradley and commercialised by Allan Herschell Company.[18]
9 "U Fly It" whirly birds [10] A carousel where you can fly like a whirlybird.[19]
10 Tilt-A-Whirl The Tilt-A-Whirl ride rotates on a horizontal plane. [10]
11 Buggy The Whale This ride is similar to a carousel, but the seats are whale-shaped and additionally, it moves up and down. [10]
12 Tooner-Ville electric trolley This electric ride had one seat and by inserting coins, it moved and shook. It is very similar to modern electric cars or horses. [10]

Fun houses changed depending on the period. Moons-ville and the Haunted Castle were well known and appreciated among the visiting children.[10] In particular, the Haunted Castle ride became famous after the Park closed, when a film crew shooting there discovered that one of the props was a real corpse.[20]
During the thirty years of existence of the Amusement Park, old rides were modified or sold, while new rides were created and implemented in the Park.[7] For example, the Little Dipper was sold after many years to other engineers, whereas decorative animals including "Tony the African Lion" and "Susy the California Black Bear" were exhibited in Circus wagons.[10]

"Birthday Book"

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David Bradley was not only an innovator in engineering, but also in community welfare. This was not only characterized by the fact that he did not discourage gate crashers, but also by his creation of what is known as the "Birthday Book". This was a book containing as many birth dates of children living within the area of the Park as he could obtain. In doing so, he made it possible to send each of them a balloon and a greeting card on their birthdays,[2] which were often celebrated at the Park itself. For example: Bunker Spreckels, son of Kay Williams, celebrated his third birthday there.
Many other famous people took advantage of this possibility: Van Johnson, Loretta Young, Charles Correll, Burt Lancaster, Alice Faye and Phil Harris hosted parties at the Park,[8] during which they could enjoy the rides, balloons, clown cakes, favors and refreshments offered by Bradley.[7]

"Guest Book"

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In addition to the Birthday book, Bradley created a Guest Book which contains the signatures of many famous people who were regular clients of the Park. Among them, there were Glen Ford, Charles Boyer,Bob Hutton, Robert Walker, Mary Pickford, Paul Henreid, Ann Rutherford, Ingrid Bergman, Judy Garland, Charles Chaplin, Oona O'Neil, Cleatus Caldwell, Norman Taurog, Kay Kyser, Jack Carson, Ken Murray, Joan Bennett, Walter Wanger, Franchot Tone, Brian Donlevy, Roy Rogers, Margaret O’Brien, John Garfield and many others. This guest book was not only a fun way for visitors to see which celebrities had visited the Park, but it also contributed to the reputation of the park.[2]

The Kiddieland Site in the Present Day

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Beverly Center, seen from the South

The original site of Beverly Park is now the location of the Beverly Center Shopping Mall and of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center[5] which can be found between San Vicente Boulevard, La Cienega Boulevard, Beverly Boulevard, and Third Street.[21]. The Park site was originally occupied by underground oil wells which can still be found now underneath the modern buildings [10].
The Tiny Naylor's drive-in and the Tiki restaurant included in Beverly Park's amenities are now replaced by a yogurt shop and a video store.[16]

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Books

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Beverly Park has been widely referenced in popular fiction, including books by

Jay Jennings is a film producer and author. Born in USA, he used to visit Beverly Park frequently when he was a child[14]. His experiences, findings and thoughts on the park are collected in his book, which is entirely focused on the Park and on its history and it includes a wide range of photographs[4]. Jennings is currently working on a documentary about Beverly Park[14].

Movies

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Many films were partially directed at Beverly Park, such as:

"Something Wicked This Way Comes (film)", produced by Walt Disney Productions and released in 1982, also required Bradley's help in providing the carousel used in the film. [12] It was directed by Jack Clayton and starred by Jason Robards and Jonathan Pryce.

Remembering Beverly Park

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During the last twenty years of the Park's operations, from 1954 to 1974, the site was filled with up to 30,000 visitors on a single weekend. Beverly Park's popularity is still widely remembered by many Los Angeles area citizens who used to enjoy its rides.[24] During the fall of 2020, the City of West Hollywood's Art Division presented "Remembering Beverly Park", an exhibition shown at the West Hollywood Library. The event meant to bring the memory of Beverly Park to life by displaying photographs taken from Jay Jennings' book dedicated to the Amusement Park: "Beverly Park: The ‘Kiddieland’ that inspired Walt Disney".[25]

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See Also

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  • Kiddieland Amusement Park
  • Beverly Center
  • Jay Jennings
  • Walt Disney
  • Disneyland
  • Carousels
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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Meares, Hadley (2013). "Beverly Park and Ponyland: The 'Kiddieland' that Inspired Walt Disney". KCET. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Rhodes, Douglas (March 27, 1948). "Dave Bradley, H'w'd Park On, Started at top Stayed There". The Billboard: 50–105. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  3. ^ a b Jennings, Jay (2018). Beverly Park: the Kiddieland That Inspired Walt Disney. Independently Published. ISBN 1731213662. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b Avila, Pamela (2019-02-23). "Vintage Images of L.A. Kiddieland Beverly Park Bring a Bygone Era to Life". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
  5. ^ a b c d Rasmussen, Cecilia (1993). "L.A. Scene, The City Then and Now". Whimsicalwill. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  6. ^ a b Braun, Michael. "The economic impact of theme parks on regions" (PDF). Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Taylor, Lisa Hallett (2021). Lost Amusement Parks of Southern California: The Postwar Years. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781467106917. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d e Abbott, Sam. "Beverly Park Caters to Movieland Trade". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d e f Korkis, Jim. "Fifteen Inspirations for Disneyland - Part Two". Mouseplanet. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Dave Bradley's Beverly Park". The "E" Ticket: 30-33. 2001. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  11. ^ Michelson, Harry. "Bradley & Kaye Amusement Company". Amusement Parkives. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Bastrup, Richard; Ferrin, Richard. "Bradley & Kaye" (PDF). Amusement Park Journal: 3–7. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  13. ^ a b c "5 Theme Parks that Forever Changed Walt's Disneyland". Theme Park Tourist. 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d e Trinh, Jean (2015). "Photos: The Beverly Grove Theme Park That Inspired Walt Disney". LAIST. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  15. ^ Painter • •, Alysia Gray. "Remembering "LA's Kiddieland"". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  16. ^ a b Susina, Jan (2002). "The Rebirth of the Postmodern Flaneur: Notes on the Postmodern Landscape of Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat". Marvels & Tales. 16 (2): 188-200. Retrieved 17 October 2021.
  17. ^ a b "Beverly Park". rcdb. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  18. ^ "Patent Issued To Inventor Of Helicopter". The Billboard: 53. April 11, 1960. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  19. ^ "U-Fly-It (Aerolite 103)". ByDanJohnson.com. Retrieved 2021-11-10.
  20. ^ Kings, Coaster (2014-02-15). "Beverly Park". Coaster Kings. Retrieved 2021-11-04.
  21. ^ Gray Painter, Alysia. "Remembering "LA's Kiddieland"". NBC Los Angeles. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  22. ^ Hartman, J.Allan; Goffman, Barb; Cozine, Herschel (2015). Flash and Bang: A Short Mystery Fiction Society Anthology (1st ed.). Untreed Reads Publishing. p. 174. ISBN 9781611878257.
  23. ^ Kudler, Adrian Glick (2015-11-12). "LA's strange and wonderful lost amusement parks". Curbed LA. Retrieved 2021-10-25.
  24. ^ Spectrum News Staff. "Remembering Beverly Park and Ponyland - The SoCal Scene". Spectrumnews1. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Remembering Beverly Park". City of West Hollywood. Retrieved 19 October 2021.

Category:Amusement park attractions Category:Amusement park articles Category:Southern California Category:Amusement parks in California Category:West Hollywood, California

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