Thursday, November 23, 2017

Two From February, 1961

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

I don't have any Thanksgiving-themed photos to share on this holiday, but I do have two very nice Disneyland pictures (circa 1961) that will hopefully give you your fix for the day before the tryptophan kicks in.

Here's a postcard-worthy shot of the Jungle Cruise loading dock, with the "Nile Princess" and the "Yangtze Lotus" in the foreground (though the Yangtze Lotus is out of commission). As usual, I love the colorful striped canopies - I don't know if that look is authentic (they do look a bit like big toys, admittedly) - but I don't care. Major Pepperidge only cares about Major Pepperidge! Sorry, the holidays always leave me stressed out. 

In the distance, diners can be seen on the Pavillion Lanai.

I can't explain it, but this photo appeals to me so much!


You'd think I might be weary of photos of the Matterhorn, but au contraire, mon frère! For instance, I like this photo a lot. The mountain looks very massive and imposing - notice how the snow level is very high and how dark the rock color is; later on they added more snow and lightened the color of the rocks, perhaps for more of an "aerial perspective" effect. 

Anyway, ya gots yer Skyway buckets in awesome colors, and that sky is something special. A single bobsled is just visible in the lower right, so... 10 extra points to Gryffindor.


(I'm still out of town, but leave a comment if you are so inclined!)

6 comments:

  1. Major-

    No need to apologize for the appealing nature of the first photo. It does make one want to immediately run for Adventureland, and queue-up for "... that thrilling jungle river boat ride - one of Walt Disney's greatest achievements-!".

    But it's the second photo - of the Matterhorn - that truly is a 'feast' for the eyes, (while we feast on other delectables today). The size of the mountain, the natural amount of snow, the dark rock coloring, the two deep, warm-toned Skyway buckets - all set-off against an absolutely perfect sky - combine to make an image worthy of celebration for any occasion.

    Thanks, Major & a Happy Thanksgiving to all.

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  2. In that first pic, there is a girl on the dock wearing an olive green dress with an orange bow tied around her waist. Her large white color reminds me of the lace one that Bobby Driscoll so proudly wore in Song of the South

    Happy Thanksgiving to you, Major...and to everyone!!!

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  3. Chuck5:56 AM

    Happy Thanksgiving! Safe travels and pleasing digestion to one and all!

    Operational question that maybe KS, Amazon Belle, or someone else can answer - with the JC boats running on an underwater track, how did they get non-operational boats to that outer dock? I'm assuming there was some kind of switching mechanism similar to the subs or the RoA's big-decks, but I'm curious as to how it operates.

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  4. Both of these pics are postcard worthy. I like that the three different colors (red, blue and green) of the jungle launch striped canopies are present in the Jungle Cruise image. Thanks, Major!

    Happy Thanksgiving, to all!

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  5. Anonymous10:57 AM

    Hi Chuck. Yes, there are switches which, once thrown, allowed up to 3 boats to be moved to/from the 'spur' or, for that matter into the back 'storage' area behind the Terrace. I find the first picture to be remarkable in that I was wondering how long the original boats were kept in use. These look like the very same ones (with a few modifications) that I was operating in the 70s. Happy Thanksgiving all! KS

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  6. Anonymous3:14 PM

    Only in Disneyland can you pull off having a mountain with two glaring holes in them with skylifts going through them. Such a pity that the skylifts are not longer there in either park. Would have proven useful with keeping foot traffic under control.

    On the plus, WDW is getting a new large scale version for Epcot and Hollywood Studios.

    Anyway, Happy Turkey Day, everybody. Fittingly enough, my folks and I actually had Thanksgiving dinner at Disney World. Now that's how you spend the holiday! :D

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