River Scenes, August 1966
Sunday. Snoozers. GO!
I wish I had a big artificial (but realistic) river to frolic in. I'd get into so many amusing shenanigans with my pals Brace Face and Knuckles! But eventually I would save a beautiful damsel as she was being attacked by ducks, and she would fall in love with me of course. How could she resist? Then the locals would ask me to be Sheriff or Mayor or something. Maybe both!
My first order of business as Sheriff-Mayor would be to line the shore with plenty of cast-iron benches. I don't want my constituents to ever have sore feet. I'd also invent soft-serve ice cream machines and make sure that everybody had one. Who's in the mood for a root beer float?
20 comments:
Major-
Looks like a busy day over there in Frontierland. Does anyone know what each of the four "cameos" represent on the seatbacks of those benches-?
Thanks, Major.
Major, In the first pic, with that tilt to the right, all the water is gonna slosh out of the riverbed and flood the Mark Twain loading dock. The girls on the left, in the foreground are already staggering forward uncontrollably!
It IS a rather nice photo though. And I enjoyed your daydream with Brace Face, Knuckles, and the damsel in distress. (Blasted ducks! They're picking up bad habits from the swans!)
And we see the right tilt in the 2nd photo, too. The photographer must've had a heavy shutter trigger finger.
- Jingerbread Boyz (North Pole elf band. They were popular around Y2K; a one-hit wonder. Their big song, "You Can't Catch Me!" was #2 on the Elfworld Chart for 5 weeks straight. Their fans chased after them but the Boyz ran away, taunting them with, "Run, run! Go play with your toys. You can't catch us, we're the Jingerbread Boyz!" The Boyz thought they were being very clever by running into a cave to escape their fans. They were eaten by a Kodiak bear. The End.)
The first pic shows an empty raft docked at the original "Tom's Landing." The second pic shows a raft approaching (or leaving) the new "Tom's Landing." I guess after the "relocation," they no longer had a name for the old landing, while Huck's Landing continued to be designated as Huck's Landing, on maps? It's all so confusing.
J. Boyz, I hope they all had gumdrop buttons on their shirts!
- Tokyo Monsters' (Holiday)!
That cast iron bench in New Orleans Square is a 19th century reproduction that had been produced by various manufacturers over the decades . Georgian Arts , Charleston Gardens have sold very high quality copies of the original and a cheaper version in recent years ( a copy of the reproduction) has come out of Mexico - the real bench like Disneyland’s has four oval “backrests” .... the cameo figures are the “four graces of the seasons” .... in Europe Depicted as ladies .... in colonial America and 19th Century America depicted as agricultural Children.
The cheap Mexican copy usually features only 3 back rests leaving off the fourth season.
The high quality official reproduction Disneyland once used tends to sell in the 7k to 8k range. Usually sold in black , green or white depending on what the modern trend is. But if you have a staff shop , it can be any color you want!!
At first I thought the Twain had a case of "Loading List," but then I noticed the whole world had it. I can almost see the photographer squeezing the heck out of that shutter release. Of course, they may have been a pirate with an ill fitted peg leg.
JB, that's the first time I ever wanted to see a movie version of a commentor name, if only to see those Ginger Punks (yeah, I said it!) get eaten!
How nice to see a fenceless Rivers of America. I suppose in the "olden days" there wasn't even a curb which is even more authentically charming. Those guests seem happy and smiling. I suppose in '66 they had just come from...hmmm...where? coming from that direction? The Indian Trading Post? Possibly. That was a SUPER cool shop, and I loved the grass roof. Maybe they had just ridden a canoe. Who knows. The rope and "go away green" fence stick/post thingys were still there in my day in a lot of places. I'm sure it was so much easier for the landscapers to do their work without the encumbrance of a metal fence. I remember those impatiens beds...it's interesting to note that many of the floral choices would endure. At some point in the year those went to begonias...(I think)...and those benches were/are HEAVY. I didn't have to move them back then...but later in life I would have to..and that old time, cast iron, antique stuff is so incredibly weighty. Were people stronger back then? Probably. A Thunder Mountain-less landscape is nice to see as well. I have my opinions...I always thought it was a wee too orange when it appeared in the late 70's...the ride was fun, but I more enjoyed the miniature little town that Natures Wonderland left behind than any of the other effects like falling rocks and whatnot. I didn't understand the fossil ribcage at the end either or why you "splashed" into water, which you actually didn't- it's not like the Matterhorn where the water slows down the bobsled...I was such a weird critical kid. These photos made me very happy this morning...I can smell that Westside smell...which is a smell...kind of pine/magnolia blossoms/river water/fried fritters/ hot asphalt covers in "slurry"...a specific, unspecific smell for those ex-Disneylanders you probably know what I am talking about..I am also hearing the scrape of the sweepers dust pans, and a more peaceful less assaulting openess that you don't get in the other lands. How very nice :) A perfect snoozer.
The nicest thing I can say about ducks is, at least they ain't geese.
Peaceful morning on the River.
The River was better without the fence. I wonder if there was a specific incident that brought the fences?
JB, that’s an epic tale. I’m guessing Kodiak bears were only visible from Picture Spots and so went unobserved.
Mike C, thanks for the info on the benches, very seasonal.
Major, we can tell the Rivers are shallow since the water only comes up to the duck's belly.
You should train the ducks to play drums and have a whole backup band for the Jingerbread Boyz.
JG
@ MIKE-
Thanks for the info on the benches. (Four seasons are so overrated-!)
Nanook, I am pretty sure that the cameos represented each of The Beatles. My favorite was Ringo.
JB, my photos tend to list to the right, no matter how hard I try to remain level. Maybe I should stop carrying thousands of dollars in gold in my right pocket? Ducks do pick up bad habits from swans, but they will never be as evil. I am impressed to learn that you were in a boy band (Bu thought that I was in one, but sadly it never happened), I’ll bet you spent all your money on hair gel and parachute pants.
TokyoMagic!, I am assuming that Frontierland and New Orleans Square construction had something to do with why they moved “Tom’s Landing” only a few steps from the old location. Just a guess of course. So many landings! But no bars, like on the mainland (the “hat bar”, “space bar”, and so on). I suppose the old landing just became a sort of “neutral zone” that didn’t deserve a name.
Mike Cozart, somehow I knew that you would know all about those benches! If only they had been painted with Ditzler products ;-). I have seen cast iron benches for sale on eBay that claim to be from Disneyland, but as you mentioned, they were not exclusive to the park. We’ve seen photos of the benches over in Fantasyland, where they were painted in many beautiful colors, maybe if one of those came up for auction I would at least feel a bit more sure that it was a Disneyland bench. Thanks Mike.
Stu29573, while the photos are definitely tilted, I do think that the Mark Twain might be listing just a little? I always press on the camera shutter extra hard in the hopes that my photo will be that much better. It never works. And now I want to see a movie with the “Ginger Punks” getting eaten too!
Bu, I always manage to fall into the River, so I am glad that there is a fence there. I hope they also put up plexiglass barriers between guests and the water, because what if a flying fish hits somebody in the face? IT COULD HAPPEN. It’s anyone’s guess as to where those girls had been just before the photo was taken, but I’m going to say that they just ate. That’s when I’m happiest. I just found a good photo of the Trading Post with the sod roof, but you won’t see it for many many months. Sure, the landscaper’s jobs are harder now, but that’s why they get paid $250,000 a year. I remember watching cast members moving wooden benches around just before a parade, so that they formed barriers where they didn’t want guests to walk or stand. It didn’t work that well, people would just clamber over them, only to get a stern talking-to. I’m not sure I understood the dinosaur skeleton either, but I will never be upset about “too many dinosaur skeletons”. The aromas you cited remind me of how much I loved the smell of my grandparent’s backyard. Eucalyptus trees, asphalt, orange blossoms, grass, and some sort of oily weed killer that my grandpa sprayed. It was heavenly!
Melissa, that is definitely “damning with faint praise”!
JG, here’s an idea. Jet Skis on the river. Guests could rent them for $25 per ride, and we could theme them so that they look like they are built out of old weathered wood and rusty nails. Brilliant, right? And there can be one Darth Vader Jet Ski for an extra upcharge. Man, this theme park stuff is so easy. You make a good point about the shallow river, sometimes I don’t see the obvious stuff.
I have been reading your posts for a long time, now time to jump in. Did that kid in the first post step thru the plants to lean against the lamp post or is he waiting for the Mark Twain to come by and board without a ticket.
Jim A (pleased to make you acquaintance!), I think that kid froze his tongue to the lamppost on a triple dog dare and he’s now waiting for the fire department and the cops to come rescue him. He later grew up to found the Jean Shepherd Fan Club.
Nanook, don’t be hating on the Four Seasons. They could sing circles around the Gingerbread Boyz any day.
Excuse me - “Jingerbread Boyz.”
Jim A, I'm glad you joined us! Hope to hear more from you.
"I hope they also put up plexiglass barriers between guests and the water, because what if a flying fish hits somebody in the face? IT COULD HAPPEN."
Major, see HERE!
Tokyo Monster's!, Funny you should mention that. Just as the Kodiak was beginning on the last of the Jingerbread Boyz, the doomed elf said, "Not the gumdrop buttons!" So sad.
Stu, I'm opting for your ill-fitted pegleg theory.
That movie wouldn't have a third act, since, you know, the stars get eaten at the end of act two. There would be no feel-good scenes where the band re-unites and goes on their Comeback Tour... Hey, maybe the Kodiak bear could play the roles of the Jingerbread Boyz! They can do anything with CGI, right?
Bu, I think all us "weird critical kids" ended up here at GDB.
JG, haha, I get it- "Kodiak"/"Kodak". Nyuk, nyuk.
Drummers are a dime-a-dozen, ask Pete Best.
Major, about being in a boy band (Ha!), you don't know the half of it. One of the band members, I won't say who, insisted on having only red and green m&ms in our hotel rooms. He would stuff his elfen pockets with them, which turned out to be a bonus for the Kodiak bear. Hey! If I got eaten, how am I writing this?
Jim A, welcome! (Jim B, here. Hence "JB"). I never would have seen that kid against the lamppost if you hadn't pointed him out. He blends in so well, like go-away green.
Chuck, it's a good thing you made that spelling correction. Me and the Boyz were getting pretty miffed... oh wait, we were eaten... never mind.
Sue, I've seen those jumping fish on TV. So crazy!
- Jingerbread Boyz (NOT Gingerbread Boyz!)
Jim A, welcome!
I did not see that kid in the first pic till you pointed him out. He’s definitely out of the approved area.
Maybe he escaped from the pirates and swam (or walked) across the river to freedom, only to be blocked by all these cast iron benches.
Major, I would totally ride a Darth Vader jet ski, but the up charge would probably be a lot more than $25.
JG
JG, I think the Major was talking in 1966 dollars. That would be $213.42 in 2021. Still, that would be a bargain for a magical, er, Force-enhanced experience at a Disney Park today.
Say…check out the groovy pants on the mostly-obscured blonde on the left side of the first picture. Not sure how I missed that before. Of course, I missed Flick with his tongue stuck to the lamp-post until Jim A pointed hm out, so I shouldn’t be surprised. My senses must be off today. Time to go find a radioactive spider…
Nanook, if elected President I will pass a law so that America will only have THREE season, saving time and calories.
Jim A, welcome! Hmmm, there IS somebody pretty close to the water, but I can’t tell if it’s a kid or not. It’s possible that, due to the angle, there could be a walkway or some other accessible spot right there, but I admit that it looks fishy. Better to taze him and ask questions later.
Chuck, Flick HAD to do the triple dog dare, but he paid the price. At least he didn’t feed a bear a marshmallow held in his mouth like I did. I don’t know about the Four Seasons, but I do know about eleven herbs and spices.
Chuck, I didn’t want to correct your spelling, but I’m glad you saw the error of your ways.
Lou and Sue, I’ve seen similar footage, those horrible carp, yikes. Amazing how humans never learn about what a bad idea it can be to introduce species to a new environment.
JB, I heard an interview with that guy” in the band who insisted on the red and green M&Ms, and he said that they only put that in the rider of their contract to see if the client was truly attending to details. Do I believe it? The jury is out.” Also I used to work with “that guy’s” sister years ago!
JB, I was thinking that there used to be a raft landing right around there, and it was possible that the guy was just standing there waiting for the next raft. Who knows. I love the idea of Jet Skis tearing up the Rivers of America, hopefully blasting music from boom boxes too.
Chuck, you’re right, I had not adjusted for inflation. You not only have to pay $215 (might as well round up), but you have to pay for the $50 “Wet Disney Plus” app.
Chuck, I feel like 1966 is pretty early for far-out pants like those striped ones, that girl was ahead of her time.
Three seasons? What would I do without my two weeks of autumn and spring every year? It gives me just enough time to get out and put away my summer and winter clothes.
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