Sunday, December 09, 2012

Views From The Mark Twain, March 1959

The Mark Twain's elevated vantage point (assuming you head to the top level, as so many people do) and slow, smooth ride made picture-taking practically mandatory for those armed with a camera. 

A peaceful Indian Village sits beside the river, and the inhabitants are busy doing the daily chores that simply must be done. 


In a not-so-hidden cove, two meese ("meese" is the plural of "moose", as you know) talk about new TV shows for '59. Boy moose prefers the "Bonanza", "The Untouchables", and "Hawaiian Eye", while girl moose likes "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" "The Swamp Fox", and "The Twilight Zone". 


A bloodthirsty deer lurks in the shadows below while an unsuspecting mountain lion enjoys his last moments on the sunny warm rock above.


8 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

Poor mountain lion. I know that really happened because the mountain lion disappeared. Come to think of it, so did the rock.

Chuck said...

That elusive mountain-lion-and-rock-eating deer was the scourge of the Rivers of America for decades. Despite official press releases to the contrary, it was the real reason for Cascade Peak's demise after years of nibbling away at the base of the mountain.

Rich T. said...

Major, you bring up an important detail; the country's moose population is directly linked to the quality of popular television shows of the time. Unfortunately, both are at a serious low right now...

(Great pics, too!) :)

Anonymous said...

Rumor had it that the rock was actually a salt lick, causing the mountain lion to suffer from dangerously high blood pressure as a result of numerous "tastings" of the stone. The blood thirsty deer found the cat to be easy prey due to the hypertension and eventually refused to eat other animals that weren't appropriately seasoned.

Bill in Denver

Anonymous said...

Major, Major, Major... EVERYONE of a certain age surely remembers that meece, or more properly, meeces, is plural for mouse, not moose! As in, "I hates these meeces to pieces!" I have it on highest authority; The Hucklebery Hound Show. The plural for moose is mass [In Spanish, Mas] [what? you haven't heard of spanish mas?] But certainly if you ever had to share close quarters [monorail, skyway bucket, submarine, stagecoach, canoe] with this duo on their way from backstage, you too might rightly remark, "That's sure a MASS of Mooses!" We can only thank our lucky stars that mass[mooses, remember] never really took to some of the hotter, wetter, more southerly rides, such as PotC in the Blue Bayou, otherwise the plural, and your accent would have to change to, "That THERE is a MESS o' Mooses, boy!"
Don't get me started on the moosey origins of this upcoming holiday.
Or on the character Major Major Major Major from Joseph Heller's famousest novel.
Tarman out.

Anonymous said...

oops, that was me, Tarzman.

Anonymous said...

Major, isn't this mountain lion the same one whose picture you posted some time (years?) back, where the light fixture was visible pointing at him?

Or was it the same figure in a different location?

Anyway, the discussion then revolved around the lion being attacked by girl scouts.

JG

Major Pepperidge said...

TokyoMagic!, we need to protect the meek and frightened mountain lions!

Chuck, I think you've just written the synopsis to a great animated classic.

Rich T, I know that most TV stinks, but there are a lot of really good shows too! Homeland, Breaking Bad, Mad Men…. you just need to avoid the junk.

Bill, I think I saw the lion taking a nitro glycerine pill, so you might be right!

Tarzman, Mr. Jinx (the nemesis for Pixie and Dixie) is one of my favorite characters, in large part because of the voice work by Daws Butler!

JG, you might be right, I honestly don't remember - although I can say for sure that we have seen this lion before!