A Pair From the mid-1960's
Here are two so-so photos from the 1960's (they are undated, but some others show the square Skyway buckets, so that's a least a bit of a clue).
Marc Davis cooked up this classic "Lost Safari" scene, added in 1964, and it has remained largely unchanged for over 50 years. As a kid I loved the laughing hyenas.
Here's a pretty shot of the Mark Twain... I was trying to figure out where the photographer was standing, and I am guessing that he/she was on Tom Sawyer Island. What do you think?
9 comments:
Major-
"I'm sure he'll get the point".
I'll let the experts chime-in on the Twain's location, but it certainly is a great view.
Thanks, Major.
I believe you are right about the Mark Twain photo. The ripples in the water just off of the shore on the far right probably indicate that Cascade Peak was just out of the shot and to the right of those trees.
How did the people on the lower level of the Mark Twain not trip over those chains and fall into the water?
I agree w/TM! - I think this was shot from the elevation between the suspension bridge and the barrel bridge, about where the round inset of the prairie dogs is in this picture: http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/415544/7312883/1276382393597/Imagineering-Disney_Natures-Wonderland_map-2.jpg?token=vIM%2FDCEL1dfP3Q5xcHFqIo0bTWA%3D.
I also agree about those unsafe chains. Why doesn't the Twain have an over-the-shoulder restraint system, or at least require all passengers to don a lifejacket? The whole thing is an epic maritime disaster that's 60 years overdue.
I love Marc Davis' work on the Jungle Cruise. His humorous and playful scenes add immensely to this attraction and I don't think the Jungle Cruise would've endured as long without it. A total classic! Thanks Major.
Good one of the Mark Twain: you get a nice look at the boiler flues angling up towards the stacks. Of course at this late hour its location has been pegged, but in the shadows on the far right you can make just out the tracks of some mine train ride thingy.
I agree with KM regarding Mark Davis' influence on the attraction. The tone of the ride is much different with the funny vignettes added. (I'm counting the non-blogging gorilla's camp in that category.)
Nanook, after 50 years, he still hasn’t gotten the point!
TokyoMagic!, I didn’t notice the ripples in the water, but I think you might be right about Cascade Peak being just out of frame to our right. Isn’t it funny how that little chain barrier was perfectly adequate for decades? Unfortunately there are also plenty of litigious people out there who are probably looking for a way to sue Disney, so in a way the park almost HAS to overdo safety stuff.
Chuck, I was thinking that the photo might have been taken a bit further north of that location, but there isn’t much to go on. It would have to be from an area where the public was allowed, of course, so maybe it really was where you suggest. I like your lifejacket idea. Why not lifeboats too? We don’t need another “Titanic”-like disaster. I bring my own SCUBA gear.
K. Martinez, I wonder how beloved the Jungle Cruise would be all these years later if it didn’t have the humor? It might just be considered an old-fashioned bore.
Patrick Devlin, I didn’t appreciate the beauty of the Mark Twain until I was an adult. As a kid I just liked boat rides! If you’ve ever heard the Jungle Cruise album narrated by Thurl Ravenscroft, you get a feel for what the attraction was like before the funny stuff. I still like it, but the park needed the extra added pizzaz of humor.
Patrick D., those aren't really "flues," but simply the exhaust vents coated in thick insulation (asbestos, most likely *cough*) heading to the exhaust stacks.
You know, looking at the engine and boiler layout again, I'm not so worried about the people up front needing life jackets. If the Twain decides to make like the Sultana, those folks don't have much of a chance anyway.
Holy smokes you people crack me up! =D One last observation about the Mark Twain... the chains we see people resting their feet on are the lower ones... there is an upper set of chains, about waist high, and hardly visible in this photo.
During my days I only know of two overboard incidents. The first being one of my very best friends, Noel Cox, who on his last day before heading off to school to study animation, made a delightful speech and then jumped in from the bow of the ship after Park hours.
The second was, what we later found out to be, a poor attempt at "suicide" believe it or not. A guest in his late 40's decided to end it all by jumping overboard (feet first... he didn't really want to get hurt after all) and landed in 5 feet of water just a little further back from this photo. He crawled out of the river by the Friendly Indian Village and was chased down by two more of my best friends, David Carpenter and Jimm Vest. The radio calls were quite humorous...
Base to All Channels; "We have an out of bounder. Man jumped from the Mark Twain and is swimming toward the the Friendly Indian Village.
Security Officer in the Field; "What doe he look like? Do you have a description?"
Dave Carpenter; "Look for a man who is dripping wet."
Always your pal,
Amazon Belle
Post a Comment