Defunctland: The History of Beverly Park Kiddieland

[Music] by the 1940s the jobs female employees held at Walt Disney Productions had diversified much had changed since the early years at the company when women worked almost exclusively in secretarial roles or in the ink and paint Department now women could be found everywhere from the story department to animation one role at the studio that was dominated by women was story research these employees were tasked with scouring literature and other sources searching for inspiration for animated adaptations in 1948 as many women hope to be hired by Disney Studios one was quitting Bernice Bradley had worked at the studio for nearly a decade at the time of her resignation she led the story research department her departure came as a surprise to Walt Disney himself but Walt's confusion soon turned to fascination when he learned that the reason she was quitting was to help her husband run his new business Bernice's husband had recently purchased an amusement park and Walt had to see it for himself [Music] in 1934 Los Angeles native David Bradley graduated from college Bradley had a knack for mechanical engineering and at the young age of 15 he rebuilt a 1923 Ford despite this after college Bradley was expected to go straight into investments as his father had but as a fer mentioned he was 1934 so Bradley was keeping his options open by chance he would meet a rising musician saxophonist Freddy Martin Martin would ask Bradley to be his manager and Bradley would jump on the opportunity Martin and Bradley toured for five years spreading music in the martin manor Bradley would leave Martin's band in the late 30s to work for a radio station in San Francisco while there he would befriend a man named Donald Kaye who also had experience managing bands the two shared a dream of owning their own Ballroom where big bands could play and people could dance the stint at the radio station would not last long as the station was soon sold Bradley moved back to Los Angeles where he would have the opportunity to attend a party at Walt Disney Studios not that party just a party at the gathering Bradley would meet the head of story research Bernice and the two began dating two years after meeting the couple would be wet around the same time Bradley put his mechanical skills to work by taking a job with Lockheed Martin to assist in the war effort he still dreamed of his Ballroom but unfortunately the big band scene was on its way out still Bradley was interested in operating some type of entertainment venue and whether he knew it or not he was a triple threat his talent and experience in the areas of business entertainment and mechanics made him the perfect candidate for the amusement park industry and it was not long before an opportunity presented itself in 1942 William Meyer a San Diego carnival rides superintendent moved to Palo Alto and open a small carnival on the corner of Firestone Boulevard and Compton purchasing both adult and kiddie rides from the San Diego manufacturer Meyer had plans to take his carnival around the city and maybe even the state unfortunately the United States soon implemented gas rationing to assist in the war effort which crushed Meyers dreams of a traveling carnival trapped on the first spot of the tour he made the best of the situation and turned his carnival into a neighborhood park to a surprise the adult rides performed poorly and it was difficult to consistently attract older crowds the kiddy rides on the other hand were a massive us with kids coming back again and again as their parents sat on benches watching them play Mayer pivoted completely to this kittyland model at the time kiddie land was a catch-all term typically designating a small amusement park featuring rides designed for children similar to other catch-all park names such as Luna Park indicating a Coney Island type park an electric park denoting a park featuring a light display kiddie land would end up being the title of multiple amusement parks around the country Maier went to work building more kiddy rides for his Park because apparently everyone was qualified to build amusement rides in the 40s in 1943 Elden frock a rodeo producer joined Myer as a partner and Harry Sucher senior a show producer and ride operator and a son Harry Sucher jr. brought some of their entertainment to the park Sucher would soon take over the operation of Meyers kiddie land and its twelve kiddie rides cyka renamed the park to sucrose kittyland while frock and meyer formed frock and meyer combined shows and opened another kiddie land on a pot of fairgrounds on Beverly Boulevard Meyer and frocks Beverly Park sometimes labelled Beverly Park kiddie land or Beverly Park the children's amusement Center opened in 1943 with 18 kiddie rides the second park proved to be even more popular than the first the location was perfect as large events in the nearby area would often gravitate crowds toured the park frock and mire added four more kiddie rides over 1943 and 1944 and the park soon brought in 30,000 visitors a week the duo's time at the park was short-lived on August 22nd 1944 Elden frock suffered a heart attack and died he was younger than 50 years old this left Maier to run Beverly Park alone which he would do for less than a year before putting it up for sale this is when David Bradley along with his former radio station co-worker Donald K made an offer it wouldn't be cheap and Bradley later said that in order to buy the park he had to quote mortgage his soul despite the price Bradley was excited at the opportunity and on May 26th 1945 the sale was announced Meyer transitioned to ride manufacturing and Bradley and Kay signed with Meyer to build a small roller coaster for the part one of the first moves Bradley made was solving an issue that the park had since its opening outside of the park a tall oil well sat near the street the pump was owned by the local oil company that owned the land at the park least in its placement was out of Bradley's control at the same time it was an eyesore of an icon for the kiddie park Bradley believed that there was a better use for it he reached out to the oil company and asked their permission to decorate it they agreed and Bradley adorned the device with metal and paint dressing it like a cricket whose antenna jaw and wings moved with the mechanisms of the pump he also added green lights for eyes this type of creativity and ingenuity established Bradley as a force and outdoor entertainment within just a few years of him owning the park Beverly Park continued to be a success attracting over half a million visitors in the first year of Bradley's ownership on some popular days the park would attract 30,000 guests the cricket icon would help draw children and their parents into the park but it also proved troublesome for one very drunk man after a late-night run-in with the Cricut the local sergeant called Bradley to inform him of the man's encounter he explained quote we've got a guy down here who claims that last night he was bitten by a 10-foot long cricket outside your amusement park he says he stepped off the street into the shadows to have a snort out of a bottle he was carrying and if the fantastic critter jumped out at him ripped his coat and chased him down an alley just want your confirmation haha that you don't keep monster crickets around where they might bite innocent citizens passing by on the public street Bradley replied quote sounds like my cricket alright but I'm sure he didn't chase our thirsty friend down the alley you see the insect is really an oil well pump on the street side of my park the fellow probably let his coat get caught in the machinery some way better tell him to contact the oil company that owns the thing if he feels he has a claim because it isn't my well but I wish it were mine it pumped 75 barrels of oil a day [Music] Bradley expressed interest in putting a roof over the entire park to protect it from the elements while ambitious the idea was not impossible as the plot Beverly parks out on was only 200 feet by 200 feet it would double in size in just a few years and the roofing idea was abandoned beverly parks attractions cycled through the park frequently and the amusement Center most often contain 12 attractions in the early days of the park this included a merry-go-round a trolley a boat ride a ferris wheel a horse and cart two auto rides two airplane rides a rocket ride H airplane and a coaster designed by Bradley himself in the first year Bradley owned Kitty land he experimented with new ride types including a boat ride and more notably a small portable kiddie coaster he created a small model using marbles before building the full ride which he would name the Little Dipper there were multiple wooden coasters named the Big Dipper which in turn created a kiddy class of coasters that would be named Little Dippers bradley's would be one of the first it was made of steel long before the material became common and coasters and some sources state that Bradley's creation was the first portable kiddie coaster in the world the coaster could hold three cars at a time and reach speeds of 15 miles an hour Bradley would transport the Little Dipper out of the park to carnivals and other events and when it was not rented it was entertaining at Beverly Park the coaster proved to be so popular that Bradley was motivated to create more and sell them to carnival companies and other parks and on October 16th and 1946 it was announced at the Allan Herschell company a ride manufacturer that at the time only built merry-go-rounds and an auto ride entered an agreement with Bradley to build and distribute both his designs for his Little Dipper and his boat ride that same year Bradley bought out kay share becoming the sole owner of the park while still we've seen the land from the oil company Bradley was not content with his park being a mere fairground and made an effort to keep the park clean safe and unique as often as he could he added figures of cartoon animals near or in his rides in 1946 he added a miniature steam train ride that circled the park and even passed by a small western town the ride was created by amusement park designer bud Hurlbut a mutual friend of Bradley and Harry Sucher Beverly Park operated only in the afternoons on weekdays opening at 2:00 and closing at 6:00 on Sundays he extended the hours to close at 8:00 integral to Beverly Park success was Bradley's focus on the parks relationship with the neighborhood Bradley allowed charities to hold events at the park opening up the gates for free admission and not policing whether the kids coming in were part of a cause or not Bradley also kept a birthday book full of the birth dates of the frequent visitors that lived in the neighborhood on their birthday he would send the children a balloon and a card the efforts paid off and the neighborhood embraced Bradley and the park given its location near Beverly Hills it constantly attracted the stars of the day and it was believed that Bradley's ledger in which guests would sign their names as they entered the grounds would be worth a significant amount of money given the amount of famous autographs it contained have you had lunch the best lunch in town is only two minutes away here if you like hotdogs miss West you're in the very heart of the Wiener belt two-mile-long huh coming right up and the whole schmear for the lady - the whole schmear good also in 1946 a group of caged animals were put up on display at the park these included babe the elephant Suzy the California black bear and Tony the African lion with the increasing responsibilities and required attention Bradley lived at a house next to the park and had a machine shop near the parking lot by 1948 Bradley had paid his debt and was profiting off of the park Bradley's wife Bernice who had assisted her husband with the park while also working at Walt Disney Productions decided to work at Beverly Park full-time after learning of her departure in favor of the park Walt wanted to see Kitty land for himself the film producer had been looking into the possibility of some sort of amusement park venture and had been casually researching and discussing some ideas with his closest collaborators Walt would not visit the park just once instead he became a frequent visitor taking his daughter Sharon and Diane to play at the park on Sundays while he gathered information what was curious about every aspect of the park and he bombarded Bradley with questions about design logistics guest relations and more Bradley was happy to answer Walt's questions and the two developed a friendship Bradley would share some of his key philosophies with Walt and they would stick Bradley explained that quote an appealing ride must tie together participation of the customer make the customer feel comfortable and still be an adventurer he also noted that the fun of being a kid is quote getting away with something and that the park and its rides need to simulate that experience in a controlled and safe way Walt also took notice of Bradley's use of photo opportunities in which Bradley designated certain sections of the park for photo taking one piece of advice that Walt would not take was Bradley's belief that a themed ride needs to make the guests feel classy or look good that it is better to have them ride elegant horses or airplanes than circus animals Walt would not direct his questions at Bradley alone he would also approach the children of the park asking them what rides they liked best why they liked them and what attractions they would want to see from 1948 into the early 50s Beverly Park was a focus group for Walt and any plans he was considering for his entrance into amusement parks for Bradley Beverly Park was a testing ground for his new rides but with some of the attractions becoming staples he looked for a new place to try as this led him to open a second park in the San Fernando Valley named Babcock Park as part of the valley market town shopping center Bradley would transition his ride testing to the new park and continue to focus on the guest experience at Beverly Park still attractions frequently cycled through Beverly Park both due to the parks limited space for new rides and Bradley's creativity and ambition one unique offering that was added to Beverly Park was moons ville a space themed funhouse with a slide in 1950 Bradley started offering birthday party packages to encourage larger parties to come to Beverly Park this proved to be lucrative with some parties reaching up to sixty kits the package included a tee ride tickets for $5 as well as an event space birthday cake balloons and party favors this same year the caged animals were removed from the park and ironically around the same time 11 ancient circus wagons were added the wagons owned by the United tent and awning company were sitting unused on an old lot but the land had been sold and the company was going to destroy the wagons Bradley intervened and placed the wagons in the park these beautiful features would draw the attention of Hollywood major films were shot at the park while other productions rented the wagons Beverly parks operating hours were extended and on Sundays the park would open at 10:00 a.m. Monday would be the only day the park would be closed in 1951 while already operating to parks and designing rides Bradley never afraid to take on another project became manager of Virginia Park in Long Beach replacing H a pop Ludwig who had operated the park for 15 years this position would only last a year as Virginia park would be bought out by the Long Beach amusement company in 1952 Bradley's ride designs continue to be popular with 26 Little Dippers constructed by 1953 also in 1953 Moonville was swapped out in favor of what would become another park staple the haunted castle this spooky dark ride featured terrifying figures and even a few animated creatures the attraction included cobwebs in the dark most likely string hung from the ceiling that would touch guests as they passed and jump scares galore a microphone system was implemented so that Bradley or another employee could voice an evil witch character and the rides finale had headlights meant to resemble a train appearing out of the darkness while sirens blared all of these being standard gags for this caliber of dark ride these gags might seem fun and harmless but as anyone that has written a dark write of this type and period can attest to zipping through pitch-black darkness with be more than a loose seatbelt if you're lucky feeling cobwebs and having horns lights and figures appear out of nowhere is one of the greatest simulated terrors created by humanity while on modern dark rides one knows for certain that all of the cobwebs bats rats and human figures are planned gags in the old funhouse dark rides there was a legitimate possibility that there were real cobwebs bats rats and humans lurking in the darkness the children braving the haunted castle at Beverly Park rather nestled into their parents arms crying or laughing hysterically by the end in 1958 the miniature steam train was replaced with the old 99 train ride a design of Bradley's in which children could ride in individual train cars around the same track used for the previous ride more theming was also added to the western town making use of these theming additions was the Suri ride a horse and cart ride that would whip guests around a track in the western section of the park in 1959 Beverly Park experienced its first and only reported major accident hydraulics on the helicopter ride failed sending one of the cars into the ground the passengers were a mother and her son and to make matters worse the mother was pregnant luckily neither of them nor the unborn baby was seriously harmed but she sued Bradley who would then go on to sue the company that built the hydraulic system nearby Beverly Park was Beverly Ponyland a pony track that had also moved on to land owned by the Beverly oil company around the same time that Bradley purchased his part this resulted in some guests making their Sundays a two Park affair writing Bradley's rides at Beverly Park kiddie land before taking a pony ride at Beverly Pony land the 1970s eyes spiked and divorce rates around the country as changes to the law made divorce easier and faster and changing cultural norms remove some of the stigma surrounding it California and particular sihyun divorce rates and the split custody of children was a topic of debate in many cases the mother was given custody of her children and the father was given a visitation day or two each week in the case of a single day it was most commonly Sunday this is relevant to Beverly Park since many divorced dads in the neighborhood either not knowing what else to do with their child or wanting to spoil them in the short time they had ended up spending their visitation day at Bradley's amusement Center this was not just a few incidents and much more than merely a trend it was a full-blown daddy epidemic at kittyland one guest succinctly exclaimed this is divorce land Bradley himself admitted this is very much a daddy park in LA Times piece did an entire feature on the divorce dads of the park and the quotes they gathered from the Pops watching their tots is depressing to say the least one dad said quote one nice part of the divorce is that I have the kids for the day another noted it's funny most of the same divorced fathers I see in the market or around town during the week are here on Sunday it's difficult to find a place to bring the kids one dad explained quote I'm a better pal this way when we hang out we have as much fun as we can and try to understand each other it's pretty hard trying to be a father the best way is to be an example it's hard for my generation and when questioned by a reporter one dad eloquently stated quote don't use my name while another acknowledged this is a good place to pick up women even Bradley the king of divorce land would separate from his wife Bernice in 1970 he would remarry in 1971 with his second wife Jerry taking over Beverly's duties at the park in 1973 Bradley's ride manufacturing business was as busy as it had ever been and Bradley was labeled as the father of the modern carousel for his fiberglass animal figures that he would integrate into his merry-go-rounds quickly becoming the standard for the ride this also helped preserve many antique figures that would have otherwise been lost to history as more amusement parks opened throughout California and the country Bradley's time was consistently split between Beverly Park and his manufacturing business both fortunately and unfortunately he would not have to choose one or the other because the choice would be made for him in 1974 the beverly oil company who Bradley had been leasing land from since the mid 1940s informed him that they were raising the price of the lease and we're going to expand their drilling in the immediate area around Beverly Park having one well was an eyesore but having multiple was a deal breaker for the appearance and guest oriented amusement park manager so 29 years after purchasing Beverly Park Bradley shut its gates he signed you the front claimed that it was merely closed for renovation most likely as Bradley searched for another owner but Beverly Park would never reopen the carnival rides many of which Bradley had built himself were scattered to the four winds finding their way into different carnivals fairs and amusement parks the Little Dipper model found at the park for over two decades ended up at Six Flags Magic Mountain where it would be named the clown coaster then the wily coyote coaster big Goliath jr. then Percy's railway before 2011 when it was given its current name magic flier Bradley had already sold all of the vintage circus wagons to Disney for use in various productions and projects the oil company's expansion your Beverly Park would be short-lived and in 1982 less than a decade after Beverly parks closure a shopping district named the Beverly Center was constructed where the amusement park used to be much to the dismay of the surrounding neighborhood Beverly pony land had held on throughout the 70s even as Beverly Park closed but the Beverly Center would force the pony tracks closure as well in 1979 the modern shopping center still stands today atop the ground previously held by the family owned amusement centers where children would have their birthday parties where celebrities would brave carnival rides with their kids and where dads would take their children on their visitation day hoping to make the most of their time with their little ones the closing of Beverly Park was far from the end of Bradley's career in amusement parks he had his hands full designing and manufacturing children's rides throughout the rest of the 70s and into the early 80s in 1987 Bradley sold his manufacturing company his rides and his designs to chance industries the same company that had merged with the Allan Herschell company in 1970 and had thus acquired a few of Bradley's initial designs Bradley would pass the year after the sale at the age of 76 he would be remembered as one of the most prominent amusement park ride designers of all time not only whereas carousel coaster and kiddie ride designs a revolutionary and prolific but his introspective and attentive nature toward the guests of his parks would provide the foundation for many entertainment moguls that followed him when Bradley purchased Beverly Park in the mid 40s he stated his goal was to quote bring life and laughs to people after the death and destruction of the war and there is no doubt that he'd accomplished that in the minds and hearts of the families visiting Beverly Park and still there is more to David Bradley's legacy and amusement and theme parks a major notable work that has yet to be mentioned for a 1950 Bradley received an invitation from his acquaintance Walt Disney to come to a studio in Burbank Bradley had already toured Walt's around Beverly Park countless times but it was now Walt's turn to show something to Bradley when Bradley arrived while revealed to him his plans for his own amusement park a heavily themed immersive experience to be called Mickey Mouse Park and he wanted Bradley's help and Bradlee never afraid to take on another project obliged [Music] dear son writing you this letter in hopes that you might feel a little bit better that your mom and I split ways handsome things might get much worse but please know they always be my first on Saturdays and some Sundays and I can't believe I was three stoplights from seeing you every other but I was late the cahairn as a I gave you to your mother you and me always be best friends and I know just where we'll go when I get you next week go to kittyland you and me I kidding man we'll have such a good time together make sure to tell your mom about us I'm Matt kittyland my son and Mia Kiddieland the ideal setting for my lack of parenting skills

Channel: Defunctland

Views: 652,210

Keywords: defunctland, kevin perjurer, theme park, extinct, abandoned, defunct, history, disney, disneyland, disney world, previous, attractions, on ride, lights on, beverly park, kiddieland, la amusement park, los angeles amusement park, los angeles history, beverly hills history, disneyland history, disneyland inspiration, david bradley, roller coaster history, amusement park history, kiddieland history, beverly park history, defunct los angeles amusement parks

Id: UTCFhKqjZms

Length: 22min 34sec (1354 seconds)

Published: Wed Feb 26 2020