Knott's Berry Farm, November 1972
It's time for another batch of Knott's scans from a batch of 1972 slides. See part one HERE.
First up is this nice look at Fiesta Village just a few years after it opened (which was in 1969) - the sun was down, it was getting dark, and the lights had come on. That's Linda on the little bridge, she might be singing a song about boysenberries.
Over at the Gold Trails Hotel, two people sit on the porch, ready to play requests - as long as the requests are on that list in front of them. "Can you play anything by Captain & Tennile?". "Sonny, they won't be famous for a few years! How about 'Goober Peas?'".
Ah, Goldie's Joint, a place where memories are made. It's apparently fun for the whole family, though you might not think so. The leg sticking out the window is driving me mad with passion! Meanwhile a young lady looks out the window to see if any likely customers are on their way.
The Calico Mine Train is a true work of art, as thrilling today as it was when it debuted in 1960. This attraction was a major advancement in what was offered at Knott's, and I personally have never experienced anything as wonderful. You can see two of the little mine trains if you look closely, and one of the large narrow-gauge locomotives is just peeking in to our right.
Details like the little side waterfalls and pieces of equipment predate Disneyland's "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad", though I believe that similar elements were used on amusement park rides dating back to the scenic railways from amusement parks of the 1900s.
asdfasdfasf
25 comments:
Oh my... I hope Linda is singing, otherwise, she looks like she is in terrible pain. The "Boysenberry Song" is a dreary ballad about a young berry picker who pricks her finger on a thorn. That would explain her pained expression..... or maybe Linda is possessed by demons.
It's a beautiful picture though; very moody with the warm orangey lights.
Ha! Goober Peas, nutritious and delicious! I remember hearing Burl Ives sing that song when I was in grade school. (On a record, not in person.) The old gent on the left is bored to death with no one making any song requests, so he's eating his fiddle. The stage coach is 3 days late. I guess that would explain why no one is making any requests.
Wow! The young lady in the window is in her skivvies! That's MUCH more risqué than a mere fully clothed leg sticking out of a window!
It looks like they placed that leg high enough so that no one could reach it from the stairs.
That's a nice shot of the Calico Mine Train. All the ladies are wearing pantsuits except one; guess she didn't get the memo.
In the last photo, interesting shapes can be seen in the rockwork. In front of the waterfall, we can see a raven and a skull glaring at each other.
I can't think of anything else to say, so "asdfasdfasf" to you too, Major. Oh, and thank you.
Great pics of Knotts today! Love the early Fiesta Village image. Now this area is going through a major redo this year along with a reimagining of Montezooma's Revenge.
"Calico Mine Ride" is my favorite attraction at Knott's Berry Farm. I still find the magic in that attraction. Wonderful attraction.
Disneyland's Mine Train didn't make it into the 21st century, but the Calico Mine Train did. So glad it's still around to enjoy.
Thanks, Major.
Major, you know by now that I love 1970s Knott's!
I don't know if I've ever seen that wooden structure on the island in Fiesta Village. Were they smoking hams in there? Shooting Old Yeller? The FILM, not the dog! There is a small donkey statue in front of the structure. At one point, there were three of these of various sizes....small, medium and large. I have a pic of my brother and I posing with them.
That's Fiddlin' Charlie Ware and Mamie, on the porch of the Gold Trails Hotel. Here's a pic that my dad took of them, about eight months later. They are in the exact same position, with the same suitcase. But Mamie's hat was a little poofy-er in the later pic. Maybe by then, she was teasing her hair into a big beehive.
Fiddlin' Charlie and Mamie - 1973
JB, I think the foot might have actually been "kicking" when this pic was taken, because when it was at rest, it hung straight down or touched the side of the building.
In the Calico Mine Ride pic, there is another structure that I don't remember ever seeing before. It's the little wooden structure to the far left. It looks like there is a sign hanging on the front of it with something listed as costing .50 cents. Maybe it was where you bought a ticket for the Burro Ride, which was located just to the left, along the side of the Mine Ride structure. Does that sign also have "Children" and "Adults" written on it?
Thanks for more vintage Knott's, Major!
That link doesn't seem to work. Try this one:
Fiddlin' Charlie Ware and Mamie 1973
Linda! Oh, how we have missed your moody mug. “The Boysenberry Song,” an integral part of the Great American Songbook. I think I like Deep Purple’s version best.
Every time I see the hidden periscope next to the leg on the side of Goldie’s Place I marvel at the low-tech genius of it all. As a kid, I knew that there was some sort of hidden microphone and speaker in the Jail, but I had no clue how Sad Eyed Joe could tell exactly what we were wearing or the precise moment that we walked up to his cell.
The Calico Mine Train, bringing you beautiful hydro-geological nonsense since 1960. Part of why we love it.
I love the juxtaposition of the full-sized narrow-gauge (an oxymoron if ever there was one) locomotive in the foreground and the tiny faux tank engine in the background. It reminds me of a pilot fish and a shark. Or maybe Grover Dill and Scut Farkus (Autocorrect does not like the word “Farkus;” it attempted to replace it with three different words before finally acquiescing to my unyielding keystrokes).
JB, I saw Burl Ives sing “Goober Peas” live and in person to a crowd of 35,000 Boy Scouts in 1981. I am not making this up. Scout’s honor.
And Linda may actually be in terrible pain. Some notes of “The Boysenberry Song” as originally written can be difficult for most people to sing comfortably. Or she may be passing a kidney stone. It’s remarkable how many people took vacation photos of loved ones at that precise moment.
TM!, I think that’s the old Indian Trading Post that used to be on the island. Check out this 1970 Knott’s map from Vintage Disneyland Tickets. Not that it seems to be gone by the 1973 iteration of the map (also courtesy VDT; celebrity endorsement not implied).
The lights on the Fiesta Village bridge makes me think of those sofa paintings that had recessed windows and streetlight or lanterns and they could be turned on to make moody or romantic night time scenes. When I was little I thought they were the most beautiful things . At a local furniture store I would beg my parents to buy us one … my mom thought they were gaudy and tacky ….but I thought they were so cool! I remember one that was a Spanish or Italian village that made me think of Pirates of the Caribbean … our neighbors had one of a small village with a waterwheel … but they never had it plugged in. A restaurant we used to go had ones of sailing ships and a stone tower that had flickering lights in the windows of the fortress and lanterns of the ships … another Pirates of the Caribbean feeling scenes. Apparently there were three main “art” dealers who distributed these illuminated paintings in the 60’s and 70’s. Now they can be pretty pricey as like everything these days .. there’s a collectors following.
The more I see photos of Knott's the more enchanted I am. I only have very few memories of Knott's as I was not an afficiando, and the park was basically verboten by the parents: except for the incoming "new" Stepfather, who's mother thought Knott's chicken dinner restaurant was the best restaurant in all of Southern California. This is the story where my grandmother confided in me that she found the chicken to be "SHOCKING" (said in English accent.) Onto the photos: I kind of like the photo of Ms. Rondstadt. Very moody with the high waters, and lighting effects. I love the Boysenberry Song, and when mine come into bloom I will have to do a serenade in my backyard to attract bees to pollinate them. I remember Mame as a bit more flashy and she seems to be missing sequins and big long cigarette holder. This must be the Mame sequel: "MAME at 85". Like the other TV series: "James at 16" starring Lance Kerwin. I did not see the mine train in true form, only in "Scary Farm" form when monsters and zombies shaked cans of pennies at you. All of the "animatronics" were covered with burlap bags so they were kind of just blobs that undulated. I am enjoying the map, and seeing Motts Miniatures: a stones throw from the preserving kitchen and original berry stand. Does any of this still exist? I must visit this park soon before heavy TRE sets in. Perhaps it has already. Thanks for the morning photos...or in Knott's lingo "FOTOZ" (probably) or PICHURES...
Actually, the picture of Linda is quite lovely- as is her rendition of the Boysenberry Song, which when sung in it's full version can run over three days long. From the pained expression we can tell we're on day two and a half...
Fiddlin' Charlie is just daring one more smart-alack to request Freebird. Just. One. More....
Ah, Goldies! A nice enough place, but the girls seem a little stiff.
I, too, am glad the Calico Mine is still with us! And, Chuck, we say those waterfalls are due to the "Cascade Peak Paradox." Water just spurts randomly out of rocks for no logical reason- but looks great doing it!
Great pix, Major!
Chuck, you’re not alone in marveling at the technology behind Sad-Eye Joe. I was also completely taken in.
Major, inflamed passions were what my mom would have fought to prevent if she had her way in eliminating Goldie’s.
I’m so glad Knotts still has the good sense to keep the Mine Train and it’s not painted pink & purple, nor gold leafed. The world will always need hokey rides like this, with no digital effects or laser beams.
The boysenberry song always brings tears to my eyes.
Thanks Major!
JG
JB, I have to admit that this is not the most flattering photo of Linda. She really does look like she’s moaning in agony. I think I know “Goober Peas” from the Burl Ives version too, though I’m not sure where I would have heard it. Maybe in school, just like you! I’m sure that job as “porch musicians” at Knott’s could be pretty boring at times, especially on uncrowded days. I believe that the kicking leg at Goldie’s usually had bloomers (or whatever) on, I don’t recall it being just a bare leg. A raven and a skull? Sure, I see them too! (Backs away slowly). I see that you’ve noticed “asdfasdfasf”, which is my way of saying hello to Carol Burnett’s grandmother.
K. Martinez, yes, that Fiesta Village picture is a real beauty, I wish I had more twilight photos of Knott’s and Disneyland. A reimagining of Montazooma’s Revenge? Why does that make me nervous? I agree, the Calico Mine Ride is the best ride at Knott’s, with the Log Ride coming in a close second.
TokyoMagic!, I do know that you love 1970s Knott’s (and other Knott’s too)! I didn’t notice that wooden structure until you pointed it out, since I am not familiar enough with the area to even know that whatever it is does not normally belong there. Smoked hams sounds likely! Fiddlin’ Charlie Ware and Mamie, I think they toured with Led Zeppelin on occasion. You’re right, it does look like the leg is in mid-kick, making this slide even more valuable! We’ve seen that little wooden structure in front of the Mine Ride before, in fact I remember somebody (I thought it was you) mentioning that it had just been removed (this was years ago at this point). I can’t recall if we could tell what the structure was for.
TokyoMagic!, Mamie is looking pretty hot!
Chuck, “The Boysenberry Song” has been covered by so many artists, it’s hard to pick a favorite. I might like the one by The Serendipity Singers. That periscope is pretty clever, though I remember my last visit to Knott’s (too long ago now), where teenage boys were asking Sad Eye Joe many rude questions. I guess it’s bound to happen. Autocorrect might not like the word “Farkus”, but I do! Wow, cool that you saw Burl Ives live. Did he smash his instruments at the end of the show? As for Linda, she’s so moody that it’s hard to “read” her. I get the feeling that she was not the most cheerful of ladies. I hope I’m wrong. Looking at that map (that you kindly linked to), I think maybe TokyoMagic! was right about the Burro Rides? Maybe I’m looking in the wrong part (as usual).
Mike Cozart, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen those “sofa paintings” that you described, and I would have loved them, since I am a sucker for anything that lights up or glows. I would have wanted one too! I wonder why your neighbors never plugged theirs in? Seems to make owning one pointless, since I would not think that they would be very magical otherwise. I’ll have to look on Google and see if I can find photos of some of those paintings!
Bu, you sound like Mr. X, who was not a fan of Knott’s Berry Farm. For him it was Disneyland or nothing. I grew up with both, and loved them both. The old “apples and oranges” thing. I’m very glad that I got to visit Knott’s a lot when I was a kid… it was closer to our house, and a lot less expensive. I assume that when you’re grandmother thought that Knott’s chicken was “shocking”, that she didn’t like it? I think you might be thinking of a different woman from Mamie! I like the idea of the animatronics being covered with burlap (for “Scary Farm”) in the laziest way possible. Almost funny? Mott’s Miniatures is long-gone, as TokyoMagic! recently told us.
Stu29573, yes, the Boysenberry Song is much like an Ent’s song. Three days is actually a fast version. Freebird on the fiddle, I want to hear it. Can you imagine if they ever tore out the Mine Ride? I’d be done with Knott’s forever.
JG, the funny thing about Goldie’s is that Walter Knott was a very conservative and pious man, and yet he was clearly more than OK with the “boarding house” being in his park. I assume he remembered seeing such places when he was in gold-boom towns? Pink and purple mine trains, say, that’s a great idea! Thanks for the suggestion!
Addendum: Montezooma's revenge...isn't that something that happens after street food in third world countries? A roller coaster may have similar effects...in reverse. I guess it DOES make sense.
@ MIKE-
There's no denying those "illuminated sofa paintings" were tacky to the highest order. On the other hand, there was something about them (as you wisely detailed) that made them very compelling. BUT... nothing can touch the "genius" of Thomas Kinkade - "Painter of Light" for creating the ne plus ultra of paintings 'adorned with radiant light'-! Yuck.
@ Bu-
"... she found the chicken to be "SHOCKING" (said in English accent.)"
[Did she say it with a 'proper' English accent, though-??]
Thanks, Major.
Hey, Linda! I can hear her swet song now:
Last night I had a date with Jerry.
He brought me a pint of boysenberries.
I couldn't fit them in my fridge,
And so I pushed him off this bridge.
He could not swim, the sorry dope.
He cried and cried, "Throw me a rope."
I looked down as the waves he fought,
And said, "My dear, I'd rather Knott."
Mamie kind of looks like Holly Hobbie's Grandma. And I'm sure the Dangling Leg Working Girl is related to the Dangling Leg Pirate from Disneyland.
These pictures are all lovely and dripping with atmosphere, but the reflection of the bridge in the water is particularly nice.
I get inflamed passions from time to time, too. I just smear a little ointment on 'em... (sorry)
Major, perhaps Linda was the inspiration for Moaning Myrtle in the Harry Potter stories/films.
The raven (just the head and neck) is to the left of the waterfall, looking sort of to the right. The skull (somewhat abstract) is just to the right of the waterfall, looking sort of to the left (at the raven). I'M NOT CRAZY!!!
Melissa, wow, I never made the connection between Goldie's dangling leg and the Pirate's leg before. I think you're probably right. The two Walts seemed to borrow each others ideas.
Major, Burl smashed his instruments after he bit the head off a bat and set his banjo on fire. That guy was off the chain.
And I think you're looking at the right part of the map...as long as you are looking at the part that says "Burro Ride Office." If you're looking at the part that says "Rest Rooms," then you aren't...although you could probably find Burl there dropping a lit cherry bomb down the loo. OFF THE CHAIN!
Melissa, that's my favorite fragment of "The Boysenberry Song," inexplicably omitted from the 19535 Leadbelly recording (but included in Burl Ives' 1949 release). I'm sure Jim, her brain surgeon and surfing husband, was proud of her. There's a reason she was renowned back home as "The Chickadee of Cheektowaga."
If you want to see Burl Ives "off the chain," make sure you watch "The Big Country." He won an academy award for his part, and it was well-deserved.
Fun day at Knott's, today, thank you Major and everyone!
CARLO OF HOLLYWOOD seems to be the biggest of the illuminated paintings … and man! Prices have really gone up on the Carlo ones!! You used to see them in various states of condition in the 200-500 area …. Now they seem to start at about 1,500!! I remember lots of harbor and bay nautical scenes and cities and villages … but I remembered a “Mississippi Riverboat” and a San Francisco cable car scene with the bay bridge in the distance . I’m not sure if they were all Carlo of Hollywood … it appears there were a few companies that made them… like I said a furniture store my family went to in the 70’s had them all over the walls … one room was like a display warehouse and hand a large grouping of them … and while my parents looked at furniture my sister and I would go around looking at the illuminated paintings on display. …. Another one I remember was a Paris cafe with a post kiosk and the Eiffel Tower in the distance …. Another detail I recall : they never had PEOPLE in the paintings … just buildings … ships, bridges and Spanish fortresses ….at nite .
But I loved seeing them as a kid and wanted our family to have have one!! Lol. I mentioned the paintings to my mom and sister and they remembered them … my mom said considering how upity I am now … I sure liked tacky things when I was a kid ! ( thanks mom!!)
The Big Country is good, but I always think of Burl Ives as Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.
Nanook, I’m glad that you, like me, agree that Thomas Kinkade was one of the greatest artists in Western Civilization. We are fortunate to have lived at the same time as such a genius. I will pay extra for one of this prints “touched by the master”!
Melissa, I feel like I should be able to figure out a tune for your lyrics, but I can’t. I need a hint! Mamie looks like Holly Hobbie’s GREAT Grandma. I love the thought of the dangling-leg pirate and the dangling-leg “showgirl” falling in love.
JB, there’s just something about the word “ointment”. I must use it as often as possible. I would never say you are crazy! Nobody hears the loud voices that I hear, for some reason, and I am as sane as a person could wish.
Chuck, I guess Burl Ives was the original Punk. He had a carriage bolt through his nose. I feel as if it would be OK to use the Burro Ride Office for rest rooms, and vice versa. Nobody can tell me what to do! “The Chickadee of Cheektowaga”, love it.
Lou and Sue, I’ve watched that movie! I like it a lot, and I love the score. It’s a little slow in parts, but when it gets going, it really gets going.
Mike Cozart, oh man, I have to look up Carlo of Hollywood. You know he’s good if he’s from Hollywood! Which somehow reminds me of when Andy Kaufman would wrestle in places such as Tennessee. He’d say he was “from Hollywood”, which would elicit the loudest catcalls and boos you ever heard. Gee, doesn’t everyone love Hollywood?? If I had a dream house with a “man cave” I would need some of those paintings, as well as a few lava lamps, some blacklights (and blacklight posters), one of those plasma light things… all of the lights!
Melissa, sadly I have not seen that movie about the poor cat.
Here’s a portal into the rabbit hole for you, Major. Just remember to grab the key on top of the little glass table before you follow the instructions on the bottle.
Be sure to look at all the pictures for the full effect.
"I feel like I should be able to figure out a tune for your lyrics, but I can’t. I need a hint!"
I didn't start out with a tune in mind, but as I got going I started to hear it to the tune of an old English folk song called "Died for Love." Died for boysenberries, more like!
Chuck, I had forgotten all about Jim the surfing brain surgeon!
Just keep out of the Burros' Rest Room. Unless you've got rubber boots and a shovel with you.
Chuck, thanks for the link to those maps. I saved those to my files...somewhere, way back when he originally posted them. But I hadn't looked at them for quiet a while.
Melissa, I LOVE your song!
I thought Thomas Kincade made jigsaw puzzles?
Major, I was the one who talked about the Mine Ride ticket boot being demolished. That's the little structure on the far right. I was talking about the little structure on the far left (partially blocked by rude people). And now looking at the map that Chuck provided the link to, it appears that it was the office and maybe the ticket boot, for the Burro Ride.
Here's my post from 2012, about the Calico Mine Ride ticket booth being demolished:
https://meettheworldinprogressland.blogspot.com/2012/01/knotts-update-part-1-totally-eighties.html
Chuck, thank you! Carlo seems to be more well-known than I imagined. The painting are cruder than I expected, and yet… they still have a neat look when lit up!
Chuck, I’m afraid that if I look at all the pictures I will vanish.
Melissa, oh gosh, “Died for Love”, that is not one of the old English folks songs that I know. Because I don’t know ANY! “Jim the surfing brain surgeon”, what the heck?
TokyoMagic!, yeah, I have scans of many of those old maps, but I’m not home today (and won’t be home until tomorrow evening), so they weren’t handy. I’m sure there are Thomas Kinkade jigsaw puzzles, coffee mugs, t-shirts… you name it. Thomas Kinkade adult diapers. OH, I was looking to the right and not the left (my usual left-right dyslexia). Now I see the one you mean! And thank you for the link to your post about the Mine Ride ticket booth, even though it makes me sad.
Post a Comment