Views From the River, September 1963
Here are a couple of photos taken from either the Mark Twain or the Columbia.
The Old Mill on Tom Sawyer Island was a popular photo subject, and it does look pretty neat. A few guests are waiting at the raft landing, but it must be a slow day at the park. For one thing, a Keel Boat is parked over on the far shore, although you can just see the mast of the other Keel Boat behind the bushes, sort of in the middle of the photo. 
Frontierland had at least two dead guys; the settler in front of the burning cabin, and this fellow, wrapped in a shroud of colorful blankets, and resting atop a wooden framework so that his spirit can ascend into the sky. Or something. If I ran Disneyland, I would have rigged this dummy to move once in a while so that it appeared as if he was placed there prematurely.
7 comments:
IT'S THE MUMMY!!! (I was singing that as I was typing it.)
Ha ha, I love the soundtrack to Mad Monster Party!
I'm not familiar enough to know the park's layout, so can someone guess what would be the backdrop for the family pic being taken in the first photo?
Bill in Denver
Hey Major, have you ever heard "Spike Jones in Stereo"? It was a favorite album when I was a kid. Check it out on Wikipedia. It’s all monster stuff.
@ Bill In Denver, Are you asking what would appear in the woman's camera as a backdrop of her family? Probably the Creole building that housed the Silver Banjo, later Aunt Jamima, now the "I don't know" Restaurant.
@ Major. I'm actually sorry this burial vignette was taken away. Things were less candy coated than they are today, and it was an interesting reminder that lives were shorter back then, and an interesting exposure to another culture that's completely absent now.
Thanks Katella Gate - I was curious what the lady in blue was probably seeing behind her friend as she composed that picture. I'm always impressed with the collective knowledge of the DL layout, and this proves again you folks are the best!
Bill in Denver
Bill, looks like Katella Gate answered your question before I got to it; and his answer is probably more accurate!
Katella, I know what you mean. I can just hear some exec worrying about the fact that mothers and children shouldn't be seeing dead bodies in Disneyland.
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