Sternwheeler
It's time for another bunch of publicity photos featuring the MARK TWAIN, courtesy of the Mysterious Benefactor!
This one is fascinating, the Twain is absolutely PACKED. With cast members? And the Disneyland Band is there, along with some Disney characters. I wonder what the occasion was? There is no solid date on this particular slide, so it's impossible to even hazard an educated guess.
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Oh boy, the Mark Twain at night, one of the prettiest sights you'll see at Disneyland.
Same view, only during the bright sunshine. The hoodoos of Big Thunder appear so rarely on GDB that it's a little weird to see them, even after all these years.
What can I say about a view that we've all seen a thousand times?! It's still pretty, but... my brain is empty. Or emptier than usual?
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This close-up is kind of fun. Match the people to the previous picture! Hello, Mr. Pale Yellow Shirt. Hello, Mr. Blue Hat.
There are still SO MANY Mark Twain scans! Many thanks to the Mysterious Benefactor!
21 comments:
What....1 a.m., and no comments yet? What gives? My guess is that the first photo was taken during the filming of Disneyland's 25 Anniversary/Family Reunion Commercial.
Happy Mark Twain Day, to all who celebrate. Thank you Major and M.B.!
Yep, looks like I was right. Here's that commercial, and right next to the gate on the lower level of the Mark Twain, we have from left to right, Goofy, Pluto, a Pig, and Br'er Bear, with Dumbo directly above them, just like in that first photo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8tggxiNn5U
I would still love to find a version of this commercial that includes all of the lyrics of the song, without the announcer's voice over.
I was not in this commercial shoot, but I certainly remember the commercial: thanks TM! The Mark Twain is sprinkled with employees in costume: look closely. I know the two ODV employees in their yellows on the "top shelf" Tina and Mike. They were both leads: probably opening the park that morning and got rodeo'd into this shoot. "we don't care if you are in costume! Get over there!" We don't have enough people!" (this was common) There's another vendor on level two next to a Tomorrowland employee. On the bow are two employees from The Walt Disney Story. Clearly, when you look at the commercial: it didn't matter if you are were in costume or not: it's a blip. The Mark Twain is very pretty at night: for sure. At the other park on the east coast the sister ship did not go out at night (?) No one on the dock to explain it... Nor does the train operate (too close to the fireworks launch.) (?) Night was the BEST time to go on the Mark Twain! So serene. Guests don't look like this anymore. But I suppose THESE guests look nothing like the guests a decade prior: and so on and so on. I don't see any Mickey ears: it seems like this is a thing now: the headband types anyway. I like the Roy Williams version better: it's better for us guys who are challenged in the hair dept. What's red shirt girl doing in the wheelhouse? If this was a publicity photo: she kind of ruins it. Maybe a secretary from offices a few paces away in ADV/FRT? If you are going to be discreet: red is not the color. Just sayin'. Thanks MB and MJ'r.
TokyoMagic!, Nanook and JB are sick of GDB! That first photo sure looks like it was shot during a commercial. I don’t celebrate Mark Twain Day, but am respectful to those who do.
TokyoMagic!, awesome! Wow, I’m impressed, a link and everything, very cool! They should have made that lady carrying her kid wait, there’s no excuse for being late. In fact they should have pulled the Mark Twain away from the dock (REALLY FAST) at the last second so that they both fell into the river. That’ll learn ‘em.
Bu, you should have starred in the commercial! In fact it should have only been a little bit about Disneyland and mostly been about you. Cool that you recognize some people. I would think that they would have *preferred* that Tina and Mike were in costume, since there was already the Disneyland Band and many costumed characters. Wow, I did not know that the steamboat (I forget, is there more than one?) does not go out at night. “Fantasmic!” has usually been the reason here, but my understanding is that they do their version of “Fantasmic!” somewhere other than the Rivers of America. When they run the Twain at night, I always take the opportunity to ride it, as you said, it is the best. The girl in red (in the pilot house) must have been somebody’s girlfriend. I didn’t even notice her until you pointed her out.
I don’t recall the commercial but any Disneyland photo with people recognizable enough to name is a fine photo.
Mark Twain Day should be a National holiday, with decorations and fireworks. We can all pretend to have his typewriter.
Thanks Major, Tokyo & Bu for the enhancements. I’ll watch that video later on my big screen.
JG
The cast laden Mark Twain used for Disneyland’s 25th were also used in early Tokyo Disneyland preview brochures and marketing material used during the pre-opening period.
TOKYO MAGIC : that 25th anniversary song was very popular … there was a special edition MAIN STREET ELECTRICAL PARADE souvenir picture disc released for the promotion … it featured the mood synthesizers and featured renditions of that 25th anniversary tune and mostly Disneyland attraction based Themed mansion , pirates, small world , tiki room etc … and some none attraction Disney tunes .. ANYWAY …. Despite the tunes in the record were done ELECTRICAL PARADE style … they were not featured in the actual parade ( or were there from a single 25th float ??) and guests complained so the record was put outta production and the regular Electrical Parade picture disc was offered again . Collectors used to argue that the WDW ELECTRICAL WATER PAGENT record or the GE PROGRESSLAND record were the rarest of the attraction/park based records but it really has to be that short run DISNEYLAND 25th electrical parade picture disc ( BTW - the album art is I. No way different than the 1977 and on releases of the parade picture disc … only the track listing and actual record content.
Still I search ….
OMG … I have that song in my head all morning :
“Join hands at Disneyland and join the jubilee and we’ll be one big happy family!!!…”
The Forty Poses of the Mark Twain! My, she was yar. There are a lot of pictures of her, but I never get tired of them. I've got one of my own somewhere.
I prefer the ear hats over the headbands myself; the headbands pinch my noggin.
Always love pics of the Mark Twain Riverboat. Thanks, Major.
TokyoMagic!, maybe you would like this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GQ0b_IxmD8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1IRDX-ohPs
Bu is correct, the Liberty Belle at WDW shuts down at sunset, or at least it did when I was there last week. Fantasmic runs in is own stadium, so there's no operational reason it cannot, I assume it's cost savings that most visitors don't miss too much. I vaugely remember it running at night years ago. Then they had a Tiana meet and greet dessert (upcharge) cruise just after sunset when that movie was the big thing. I don't think they have run any post-sunset cruises since then.
Sorry for the late comment- IT WASN'T MY FAULT!
For once, Hungry Hungry Blogger did NOT eat my comment. Nope, I lost my Xfinicky internet (and cable) connection last night just as Major's post was scheduled to publish. It was restored sometime this morning. I blame Putin.
I really got excited when I saw the "Sternwheeler" title of today's post! Not the Mark Twain? Another sternwheeler perhaps? Alas. But then I saw that wonderful first photo and I got all excited again! The beautiful lighting, the color, the DL Band, costumed characters, and all the people! Except Bu. Bu blew it. This coulda been his one chance at immortality. :-p
Wow, that 25th Anniversary photo of the uber-loaded Mark Twain is a beauty! No wonder they have used it for brochures and such.
The paired, day and night photos of the Twain are also beautiful.
And Happy Mark Twain Day to Tokyo! Apparently, you're the only one who celebrates it; but as long as it makes you happy... you keep being you! ;-D
These really are nice MT photos, Major. Thanks.
JG, there is something kind of fun about seeing the Mark Twain absolutely packed with guests (or in this case, employees), even though I would not want to ride it with such a crowd. It feels “jubilant” (good word!).
Mike Cozart, you mean they used the Anaheim Disneyland photos for Tokyo Disneyland? That seems a little weird, if so. I mean, you do get a different demographic of visitor in Japan. Maybe the photos were printed so small that it wasn’t evident. I think I had a GE Progressland record at one point, I had no idea that it was considered to be rare. Oh well, it’s long gone at this point, I doubt I got very much for it on eBay.
Mike Cozart, it’s all TokyoMagic’s! fault!
Melissa, the only yar I know is Tasha. And I haven’t worn Mouse Ears since I was around 3 years old, so I don’t have an informed opinion on the optimal version.
K. Martinez, man, everything is on YouTube!
Dean Finder, I would be kind of bothered if they stopped running the Liberty Belle at night just to save money. Unless guests just didn’t ride it after the sun set? Still, the Magic Kingdom is full of people, just run the dang boat at night!
JB, my guess is that an international spy accidentally cut your internet cable, when they meant to cut your neighbor’s cable (yes, they are spies). I didn’t say “Mark Twain” in the title because I try to mix it up a little after nearly 18 years. “They’ll figure it out!”. Somehow seeing Dumbo aboard the Mark Twain makes me smile, you don’t see the little elephant around very often, except maybe in parades.
"My, she was yar" is a line from the 1940 movie The Philadelphia Story. Cary Grant's and Katharine Hepburn's characters say it a few times in fond remembrance of the boat they sailed on when they were first married. "Yar" is old-timey sailor slang; it means she's a well-designed and well-built craft.
Major: all Disney parks have used existing real images for pre opening brochures , manuals and posters to represent other parks still under construction . Those 1980 mark Twain shots at Disneyland easily can be used as the mark Twain at Tokyo disgrylsgd since its opening is 3 years away. Very very common. Even the two packs of souvenir postcards sold at Tokyo Disneyland preview center are of Disneyland and Walt Disney World attractions except for one concept painting of works Bazaar and a model image . Almost all the preview center booklets and promotional guides for EURO DISNEYLAND used photo shoots at Walt Disney World with model guests with Euro Disneyland balloons and shopping bags …. These were published several years before Euro Disneyland opened.
This used to happen with merchandise too … a WDW image is used for Disneyland or vice versa .
In a similar vein to photos of one park in initial publicity for another, there are two versions of the EPCOT Center book, a pre-opening one with photos of the pavilion models and a post-opening one with the model photos replaced with photos of the real things.
Dean Finder! We missed seeing you at your birthday party on GDB, last week! I saved a MM ear for you.
Sue
"Mark Twain Day should be a National holiday, with decorations and fireworks. We can all pretend to have his typewriter."
JG, LOL!
Dean, a dessert cruise sounds nice!
Did they ever have a 'dessert ride' on either the DL or WDW train? I think I read something about it, but maybe it was just someone's suggestion??
I don't recall ever seeing Dumbo walking around the park. He's adorable!
Riding on the Mark Twain with friends is fun, especially at night! These are great pictures...thanks, MB.
Thanks, Major.
Sue : I’ve mentioned on here before about two times a desert train was proposed for The Disneyland Railroad. The first version was going to use refurbished passenger coaches from the retired ones in 1974. These have long since been traded off to other groups . The idea was that in the evening the train would be brought on to the mainline and load passengers who had previously purchased a ticket. Desert and coffee would be served as the train made several “grand circle “ tours of Disneyland . There was also to be strolling entertainment like the kind once offered at WDW’s Crystal Palace ….. a small string quartet … an accordion player etc. this was in the mid 1990’s.
In recent years when the Club 33 Expansion extended over The French Market there was a proposal for the Lilly Belle being re-themed from a RR presidential parlor coach , to a jazzband’s traveling car. With prop stacks of instruments etc. however this was going to be used to transport Club 33 Guests from Main Street directly to a stop in New Orleans Square - directly in front of the Club 33 French Market location. There was a revised version that offered the Lilly Belle as an after dinner cocktail car for a few trips around the park . The proposal shows the Lilly Belle being renamed “ PARLOR CAR #33”
Pretty much all versions of this idea met with the same problems slowing down or impededing the regular railroad’s operations or having to meet all kinds of food service regulations.
I forgot : the full NEW name of The Lilly Belle was Car #33 “ The Belle of Orleans”
Thank you, Mike! At least I now know that I didn’t just ‘dream that.’
Mike, did you ever work for Disney?
;op
Thanks for the reminder, Sue. I went back to that post and read all of the greetings there.
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