Jay Mitchell operates the Fly-O-Plane at Playland at the Beach.
Photo taken March 6, 1949. Chronicle Archive
SF Chronicle pop culture critic Peter Hartlaub descended into the paper’s basement for another installment of his “Let’s Go to the Morgue!” archive series.
This time around, he went for the Playland file where he found some really great candids from the amusement park, which sat across from Ocean Beach on the Great Highway from 1920 until 1972.
I’ve included just a few of the pictures here that Hartlaub rediscovered. Visit SFGate.com to see the full article and photos, which also includes an old column from Herb Caen, describing his last visit the Playland right before it closed.
Great stuff.
Sarah B.
A view of Playland, taken September 1, 1949. Barney Peterson/Chronicle
The remains of Playland at the Beach, shortly after it was demolished.
Photo taken on November 24, 1972. Chronicle archive.