Friday, August 15, 2008

An Assortment from 1956

Today I've got three beauties from 1956 for you!

Howabout this shot of the "Nile Princess" embarking on its trip through the mysterious Jungle? After only a year, the foliage has filled in nicely, giving a pretty convincing feeling of rainforesty goodness. The areas of bright sunlight contrasted with the deep shadows, along with the misty river, give this photo a great mood!


The jungle might have filled in, but Frontierland was still pretty raw in '56. Nevertheless, this is a nice photo of Gullywhumper, framed by the ornate ironwork of the bandstand that used to grace the shore of the river. Tom Sawyer Island is obviously open for business.


If I had a nickel for every photo I've seen of the Pirate Ship, I'd have... well... a lot of nickels! But this one is mercifully different, a nice detail looking up at the (heh-heh) poop deck ("the aftermost and highest deck of a ship"). I'm sure many people were drawn to that high vantage point, the same way King Kong was drawn to the top of the Empire State Building. Let's hope that a squadron of biplanes didn't seal this lad's fate in the same way as Kong's! Look at that complex arrangement of ropes, adding to the authentic feel of this fantasy ship.

2 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

True beauties, Major! Hey, the people in that first photo are all facing forward! They aren't looking back. They aren't waving goodbye to civilization. Maybe they already did it...or maybe the skippers weren't making everyone do that back in 1956.

I NEVER get tired of seeing photos of the pirate ship, Major. Have I mentioned that I think Disney never should have.....oh, never mind!

Anonymous said...

That Major is the best pic I've ever seen for evoking the feel of the Jungle Cruise as I remember it. Oo - can you feel the motor vibrating the boat, hear its purring and feel that old Adventureland vibe in the air? Mmme too.

Rainforesty goodness!! hehe

Yessir peeps swarm that poop deck like flies on ah...

Gullywhumper! You can see old Mike Fink's pop gun proudly and un-PC-ly mounted at the fore. This pic not so much though it's fun for other reasons, but it is surprising how frontier river some of the early shots can look. The rustic colors on this one are great!