Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Frontierland, May 1966

Here are three more scans from a batch dated "May, 1966" - all from Frontierland this time. 

There's Polly, elegant as always. I'm sure she's just holding that cigarette for somebody else, she would never smoke (unless it would somehow save the life of an orphan). Zeke Jr., the bartender, is getting some fresh air in between performances at the Golden Horseshoe. Or maybe he's just heard "Bill Bailey" too many times.


It's the Davy Crockett Frontier Arcade! Not many people know that Davy had the high score in "Centipede", "Asteroids", and "Space Invaders". His frontier pal Georgie Russell was #1 in Ms. Pac Man, which earned Davy's respect. At some point there really was a small shooting gallery in the back of this building, as well as a spot where you could have your photo taken with Davy and Georgie (wax mannequins). 


And lastly, here's a pretty picture of the shores of Tom Sawyer Island, abloom with hundreds of yellow flowers (any guesses as to what they are?). Castle Rock looks like a termite mound - I see some termites! Quick, get the Raid! (I was going to say, "Quick, Henry, the Flit!", but figured that reference was too obscure).


For you Dr. Seuss fans....



21 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

Awww, I really like Polly, for some reason. I hope she quit smoking at some point and is still with us today.

I believe that sign next to the Arcade read, "Bonekraft." I want to say that I've read about that shop before, but I just did a search on your blog and no posts came up that included that word.

Melissa said...

Oh, it's a jolly holiday with Polly,
Polly makes your heart so bright,
Wheb the day is gray and melancholy,
Polly bums a smoke and light!
Oh, happiness is wafting all around her,
Our holiday goes off without a hitch!
With Polly by your side, you're full of pride,
Although your lungs are full of pesticide,
Oh, it's a jolly holiday with Polly,
No wonder Polly'd rather fight than switch!

Davy, Davy Crockett,
Git the all-time high score!

JC Shannon said...

Bonekraft, sounds like a death metal band. Polly looks like she is posing for a magazine, perhaps Babushka Weekly. I have never noticed it, but it does look a little like a termite mound, at least from this angle. Remember the metal pump contraption needed to spray Flit and other insectacides? My mom used to use it on ants. Great shots today Major, thanks.

JC Shannon said...

Good one Mellissa, I suddenly have the urge to pop into a pavement picture.

DrGoat said...

Hung out at the shooting gallery quite a bit back then, until the lure of other lands became irresistible. Got to wear my coonskin cap legitimately. Here's a link to stuff from the park with a little bit of a better view of the Bonecraft shop, which I couldn't find anything about either.
https://matterhorn1959.blogspot.com/2015/09/davy-crockett-arcade-frontierland.html
Thanks Major

zach said...

Zeke may be the Queen's body guard, dressed to fit in.

I remember spending a good amount of time in the Arcade when the guns shot a projectile of some sort. BBs?

For some reason my family never went to the Revue. I was an adult before I experienced Wally and the gang.

Melissa, you crack me up!

Thanks for the fun photos today!

dz

Tom said...

Now I'm going to re-examine that photo and see if Polly has a shiner.

Anonymous said...

Zeke is standing in front of the entrance since the show is full.

Polly is striking quite the pose, she could easily be the Babushka of the Month. Somewhere, an orphan rejoices.

I don't remember a shooting gallery in the DC Arcade, the one I recall was across the promenade, and the guns there did shoot BB's once upon a time. There is an anonymous poster who once worked in the shooting galleries, he had some interesting observations. Hope he chimes in here. I loved the shooting galleries and always visit the remaining one.

This row of shops always bored me, a Pendleton store, are you serious? Who comes to Disneyland to buy a blanket? Still better than the "coffee-cup-keyring-stuffed-animal" tripe they sell there now. I suppose light sabers will be next.

I think the yellow flowers are iris. Really a striking picture, can't recall having seen these all in bloom like this before, although the plants are in all the TSI pics.

@Tokyo and Dr. Goat, the BoneKraft name sure seems familiar, but I'm sure I never heard of it in my Disneyland era, only on these later blogs. But that's all I know, just the name, which as Jonathan observes, is very Metal.

Major, it appears nothing is too obscure for your readers at GDB, no matter what it is, someone reading will have at least heard of it, even if we can't identify it. Thanks for the great Flit ad. I do recall the reference, although the product pre-dates me.

JG

Anonymous said...

Here is a link to Daveland where the nephew of the BoneKraft shop owner, Richard Swensen explains the goods sold there >>

https://davelandblog.blogspot.com/2007/10/bonekraft.html

Would have loved to see this place.

JG

dennis said...

Looks like Dr. Seuss drew that Flit ad.

Dennis- Levittown, Long Island, NY

Nanook said...

@ Melissa-

I can't understand why Polly wasn't part of the Tareyton ad campaign. She's a natural.

Melissa said...

I just realized Polly's going to see Wally. What will they doodle all the day?

Matthew said...

I remember the shooting gallery inside the Davy Crockett Frontier Arcade. You shot at a bear that would be down on all fours and pulled along a small track. The bear had a red light on both sides of it and unlike the Big Game Shooting Gallery (or The Safari Shooting Gallery or Big Game Safari) and the Frontierland Shootin' Arcade, this one shot light.

The bear was pulled along a track in front of "trees" and then would turn and move behind the trees where sharp shooters might be able to "hit" it between the trunks of the trees... and then the bear would turn again and be out in the open.

When you shot the bear it stood up and growled and another red light was visible on it's abdomen/chest. When it stood up you could get off another shot and the bear would stay in that position (standing). If you missed the bear would come back down on all fours but now traveling the opposite direction.

Interesting fact I discovered recently while rummaging around in some old Disney training materials looking for something to use on a project I'm doing for Hoag Hospital... Disney owned "MacGlashan Enterprises" with 15 employees. Located at 1641 South Sinclair, MacGlashan Enterprises specialized in designing and manufacturing a wide variety of custom-made shooting galleries for amusement centers all over the country. they also designed and manufactured a line of custom-crafted popcorn wagons for Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and other amusement facilities.

They must have manufactured this shooting gallery inside the Davy Crockett Frontier Arcade.

Always your pal,
Amazon Belle

Source; The Walt Disney Cast. Vol. 1, No. 1 / Winter 1972. Editor: Paul Kledzik, Disneyland.

Matthew said...

Found this...
https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1977-disneyland-line-shooting-gallery-1865781891

Always your pal,

Major Pepperidge said...

TokyoMagic!, those were still the days when so many people smoked! I still remember when my parents would have “company”, and the house would reek of smoke. I’ve heard of the Bonekraft store, but I don’t really know what it was. Scrimshaw and other carved artworks? Knives?

Melissa, now I am imagining Polly with one of those fake black eyes that people had in the old Tareyton ads! Davy Crockett, won him a (stuffed) bear when he was only three!

Jonathan, Bonekraft would be a pretty good name for a band! I can almost hear their horrible screeching. My grandma and grandpa (in Minnesota) had a basement full of cool stuff, and they had one of those pump bug sprayers. It was always empty by the time we discovered it though.

Jonathan II, let me know how that goes!

DrGoat, I have this half memory of owning a coonskin cap, though it might have belonged to my older brother. It was pretty ratty. I almost wonder if it didn’t have to do with the “Daniel Boone” TV show rather than Davy Crockett?

David Zacher, the Queen’s body guard? Huh?? What queen? Where am I? Why am I so dizzy? I think those old shooting gallery guns fired lead pellets.

Tom, oops, see my comment to Melissa!

JG, now that I read your comment about Zeke, I wonder if they stopped letting people in to the Golden Horseshoe once the show began? In a way I would hope so - ya gotta see the whole thing. There was definitely a shooting gallery (small) in the back of the Crockett Arcade. The collection of photos from the Mysterious Benefactor has a few pictures of the other Frontierland shooting gallery - they’re not beautiful, but interesting due to their scarcity. I would love to find a vintage Pendleton shirt with a Disneyland label inside the collar! There have been some on eBay, but it seems that men were much tinier back then - there’s nothing even approaching a size for a tall-ish person.

JG, funny, I thought that Daveland had something about the Bonekraft shop, but when I went to his web site (not the blog) I didn’t see a listing for “Bonekraft”.

dennis, he did! I even made a note of it.

Nanook, more Tareyton fun! Great minds think alike.

Melissa, listen, this is a family blog, and such language will not be tolerated here!

Anonymous said...

@Matthew (Amazon Belle), now that you describe the target action of that shooting gallery, I definitely remember shooting at one like that. The bear would stand up and roar, and you could shoot at a target on his stomach. If you hit it, he would stay standing and you could shoot again and again to rack up the score.

But maybe since Disney manufactured them, maybe the one I saw was at another amusement park?

Thanks for that memory!

@Major, I googled BoneKraft Disneyland and came up with that link. Dave has a nice clear snapshot of the window, and the nephew of the BoneKraft operator commented on it.

Re: Zeke, I'm going by his body language (Thou Shall Not Pass) and the sign on the wall saying "Sorry Full House" and the spinning wheel gives the next show time. Also the Exit door is not guarded. So I infer that no guests are allowed to enter during the show, but can leave if they choose.

My parents had strong negative responses to a saloon revue, I'm not sure that they didn't know this wasn't a real bar. I didn't see the Revue until I was in high school and went with my friends. I saw Wally Boag once, and so can rest easy.

JG

DrGoat said...

I remember the coonskin caps vividly. I had a brownish one and my sister had a white one. And yes, they got ratty fairly quickly. The fur started to fall out and away they went.
The arcade guns did shoot BB's. At least that's what I remember from those long ago days.

Nanook said...

@ Melissa-

Oh gosh, oh golly - you're so funny-! You are definitely GDB's little treasure-!

zach said...

I thought the woman on Zeke's bench looks like the Queen. Zeke... body guard? No?

dz

Anonymous said...

JG...Matthew pretty much covered the DC gallery for you. As for the 'real' galleries, they shot lead pellets that were considerably larger than BBs. BBs would have hardly left an impression on the targets...let alone get them to fall. I miss them as a visitor, but less so as one who manned them 40 hours a week in the summer (only one summer fortunately...but it got me to "C' status :)). KS

Anonymous said...

@KS, thank you! I remember your comments in another thread.

JG