Jungle Cruise, April 1959
Here are three more slide scans from April, 1965. There were many wonderful photos in this lot, but the photographer was particularly charmed by Adventureland and the Jungle Cruise. Was that a good thing? Or a bad thing?
Standing on a bridge that I believe spanned a waterway that connected to the Rivers of America, we can look down on two sinister crocodiles, basking in the sun. They're just sitting there, but crocodiles give me the willies. You just know they'll eat you if given half a chance.
Here's a scene of dancing natives, perhaps they were celebrating the capture and kill of a lion, hanging from a pole to our right. If you haven't tried lion McNuggets, you don't know what you're missing. Spicy mustard sauce, *chef's kiss*.
It wouldn't be a Jungle Cruise post without at least one photo of an elephant or a hippo. Those tusks are formidable, but it's those smaller teeth in the upper jaw that weird me out. How are they supposed to chew gum with those things?
23 comments:
Oh, Major...
Everyone knows those "smaller teeth in the upper jaw" specialize in breaking down truffles, poached pears and carpaccio scallops-!
Thanks, Major.
Those crocs look to be sitting a little high in the water. I think they have gas. Perhaps they swallowed the balloon vendor and are about to float away into the sky.
That's a pretty clear picture of the dancing natives. We rarely get to see their faces this well.
The hippo reminds me of that part of Steamboat Willie where (rubber hose) Mickey plays the teeth of a cow like a xylophone.
Nanook, don't forget passenger pâté.
Thanks for more Jungle Cruise goodness, Major.
- Jampacked Bag (Santa's bulging toy sack, loaded onto his sleigh.)
Hmmm. Re-reading my signature above, the meaning could be taken in a completely different direction.
Nanook and Jampacked, and don't forget "skipper scampi."
I didn't realize that hippos spray water out of their throats!
- Teeth (as in, two front) Magic!
JB is right - those crocs are sitting a bit high in the water. They need to take on more ballast or they run the risk of capsizing. I think we’ve found an obvious use for lost children here.
That picture kind of reminds me of visiting Magnolia Plantation just east of Charleston, SC. The gardens are gorgeous, with some picturesque bridges crossing waterways that connect to the Ashley River, which forms the eastern boundary of the Charleston peninsula. ‘Gators inhabit those waterways, and on a regular visit you’ll see several, floating motionless in the water with just their eyes and part of their snout sticking out of the water as they wait for unsuspecting fish, birds, or clueless tourists.
The last photo looks like an action wildlife shot. I like it.
JB, I really can’t blame Santa for stocking up on his annual visits. Boysenberries don’t grow well that far north.
I’m still recovering from Santa’s bulging Toy sack…that being said, the root systems in that Native shot look very interesting as well. Much more interesting than the Lion…which for authenticity probably should have been covered with flies. Those sticks are right out of Blair Witch Project. Is any of this still there? When I went to Africa in the early 90’s the Masai were not buddy buddy with the lions…they killed their cattle, which was/is their currency. There was always a war between conservationists and the tribes. The celebration depicted is not the McLion McNugget end of things, it’s probably more “we got rid of the poacher that eats our money.” If you are headed on Safari, Hippos are not to be toiled with…they are super aggressive and can amazingly run very very fast for having such a rotund appearance. They were the only animal our guide really went out of his way to emphasize that you should go go near, not no how, not no way. The other animals get super freaked out when they see humans out of a vehicle. Hippos will destroy you with one bite. Cute, but not cuddly.
In the first picture those crocs are riding so high because they're on the backs of hippos and coming in for a surprise attack. Many natives have been the victims of the ferocious Hippacroc!
You actually can see the guy's face well in picture two. I know that all of the natives were cast from the mold of one guy, but I can't remember his name and looking it up takes effort. Not gonna happen.
The third picture just reminds us that hippos are jerks.
Stu, you’re right. Those hippos are wearing their crocs.
Look at how detailed that hippo’s mouth is. Looks real.
Thanks, Major! Can never have too many JC pictures.
Stu, the model for the natives was Woody Strode, all 6'4" of him. He is very imposing in the movies "Spartacus", "Sergeant Rutledge", and "The Professionals". Speaking of tusks, we can see two of them on the left of the village photo, sounding off trumpet-like.
The crocs could function as water skis, for an impudent scamp like Peter Pan.
After years of riding Pirates of the Caribbean, I had a heart attack at an addition in the 90s: a gator( probably a JC castoff-croc) was added to the left of the boats as they glided through the Blue Bayou. Just below the surface of the water, eyes glowing... yes, I was a grownup, and for a moment I thought it was real.
Lion McNuggets are good for a snack, but they’re hardly a mane course.
Stefano, you truly ARE the most-observant Jr. Gorilla! I’m looking forward to seeing that gator, whenever I get back there, again.
Major, these are especially good JC pics, and this post proves the adage, “Come for the Pictures, Stay for the Comments.”
Stefano, thanks for the POC tip, I will look for that if I ever ride again.
JG
Make sure you see the Daveland blog post for today. The first picture has the best view of Fudgie the Whale.
Nanook, wow, you know more about hippos than David Attenborough!
JB, what’s worse than a gassy crocodile? I can’t think of anything. Now that the dancing natives will be gone, I’ll be glad to have some photos of them. I won’t really miss them that much, but I hope that they are replaced with something that isn’t lame. We’ll see! Haha, I’ve seen Steamboat Willie so many times that I can *hear* that xylophone music in my head. It’s driving me MAD. And I just realized that I have posted a lot of Jungle Cruise stuff lately, I need to cool it.
JB, ZOIKS.
TokyoMagic!, THAT’S NOT WATER. Skipper scampi? Hey, with enough garlic and melted butter I’ll try anything.
Chuck, Disneyland crocodiles eat a diet of macrobiotic, organic, and completely vegetarian fare. If you happened to have a Slim Jim in your pocket, I believe that the crocs would literally fly through the air to get it! Other than living in Georgia in my babyhood, I have no experience with that whole southern part of the US, and I’d love to go. My brother watches lots of YouTube fishing shows, and the guys often go to Florida looking for gar, bass, and peacock bass… some of the canals that they’ve boated on are SO full of alligators that it looks like a horror movie.
Bu, ha ha, let’s put a moratorium on the world “bulging”, shall we? Also “moist”. I’m pretty sure that the root system in that photo is probably from one of the walnut trees that used to grow on the Disneyland property. While I agree that there should be flies on that lion, they couldn’t make animatronic bugs that tiny! Cool that you’ve been to Africa; my mom and dad went many years ago and said it was incredible, and that it was hard to sleep because of the noise the lions made at night. Freaky! I hope to never get close enough to a wild hippo to worry about it.
Stu29573, I forgot about how crocs like to stand on the backs of submerged hippos, but now you’ve reminded me. I think I first saw it in a True Life Adventure film. One of the Disney TV shows actually has footage of the man being cast for the natives; I think I knew his name at one point too… talk about obscure Disneyland trivia!
Lou and Sue, OUCH! I agree, those hippos really do look real. Some of the lions and other critters are a bit janky sometimes, but the sculptors knocked it out of the park with the hippos.
Stefano, yes, I think I do remember reading that Woody Strode was used, and yet… when I think of that “Disneyland” TV show footage, I don’t picture Mr. Strode. He was in lots of John Ford movies, yes? Chances are good that my memory is faulty, of course. Now I want crocodile water skis. If you guys want to chip in to buy me a Christmas present…! Interesting about the gator added to POC, I was not aware of that.
Melissa, as I said to Sue… OUCH!
Lou and Sue, me too!
JB, it’s true, the comments are often better than the photos - even I have to admit it!
Lou and Sue, does he acknowledge Fudgie, or did you just see him? I’d love it if Fudgie became well known to all Disneyland fans.
Lou and Sue, you're not kidding! There's Fudgie, as clear as can be!!
And in the midst of all the frivolity...let's give thanks to the man who created it all..Walt Disney. He passed this day in 1966. I remember when I heard the news. Less than 3 years later I was living the dream he left behind for us...working the Park at 18 making sandwiches at Hills Bros. KS
KS, thanks for the reminder.
Fifty-five years ago today. Wow. Doesn't seem that long ago.
As a younger sibling whose older sibling has always looked out for me, it never fails to choke me up when I think about Roy delaying his own retirement to make sure Walt’s Florida project got built.
Teeth Magic!, (that sounds silly... perfect for GDB!) I saw the water shooting out of the hippo's throat as well, and couldn't imagine why that would be. I just assumed it was tumbling out as the hippo rose up from the depths to charge the boat.
Chuck, there seems to be a bit of a morbid theme running through today's comments, with the crocs feasting on: balloon vendors, passenger pâté, skipper scampi, and now; lost children!
Haha. It took me a while to figure out what the heck you were referring to: "Boysenberries? What's Chuck talking about?" I had to go back and re-read what I wrote... FINALLY, I got it!
Bu, sorry for evoking those images. ;-)
Stu, Finally, a reasonable explanation for those high-riding crocs! (It's obvious, now that I know.)
Sue, "That's so funny, I forgot to laugh!" ;-)
Melissa, See above.
Sue (again), Whoa! that IS a great picture of Fudgie! Funny how his tail catches the light differently than his body. Didn't those Imagineers know anything about whale anatomy? You would think that, since it's gonna be carved in stone, that they would get it right!
Major, thanks for the 'crocs flying through the air' image.
And sure, I'll chip in for your Christmas present. Here's my 2 cents: DON'T GO WATER SKIING ON CROCODILES!
JG, (I'm relaying this message from the Major): "it’s true, the comments are often better than the photos - even I have to admit it!" ;-) (I think I've used up my quota of winky faces for the day)
KS, Thanks for solemn reminder of Mr. Disney's passing. His birthday was just a few days ago as well.
JB, so...that wasn't the completely different direction you were alluding to?
Yes Chuck. Boysenberries. That's what I was alluding to.
JB, thanks! The Major is often distracted by his extensive correspondence as a secret foreign representative to organizations that are so secret, even they don't know they exist, so it's not a big deal that he occasionally confuses his anonymous comments with similar initials.
Sue, Daveland's post today took care of my Whale Deficiency.
Melissa, yes, that's devotion. And the poor man died only a year or so afterward. We and the World in General owe that family a lot. it's a pity that the moral midgets who have inherited that company won't measure up if they lived to be a thousand.
JG
JG, Maybe the Junior Gorillas are one of those secret organizations AND WE DON'T EVEN KNOW IT! (JB runs and puts on his tinfoil hat, which he always keeps at the ready.)
Post a Comment