Frontierland, 1970s
Let's take a look at a pair of wonderful Frontierland views from the early 1970s. Starting with this look at the Burning Settler's Cabin. There's the settler himself, in his Arrow shirt. He's taking a short siesta. Or maybe a long one. This seems to be pre-Energy Crisis, which began in 1973, because those flames are blazing fiercely. The woods on Tom Sawyer Island had matured to an impressive degree, it looks like a real wilderness.
Next is this very nice photo of three fishin' bears as seen from the rickety trestle bridge on the Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland. I've noticed that most of my pictures of these bears don't necessarily show them in full sunlight, so it's nice to know that the bears are warm and happy, with bellies full of trout. Seeing this tableau really makes me wish that we still had the MTTNW!
6 comments:
Major-
Ahhhh... the original Bear Country.
Thanks, Major.
Seems like we usually see the Burning Cabin scene from more of a ground level position. Here, we appear to be on the upper deck of the Mark Twain, looking down on Mr. Arrowshirt and his festively blazing cabin. During the energy crisis, didn't they use fake fire, a la PotC, with colored lights reflecting off plastic sheeting?
Nice, clear photo of da bears. Is that the 'back scratching' bear on the right edge? That would put the tree-climbing bear cubs out of frame to the right, right? I like the split pea soup-colored water, somehow it looks more like a real river.
Kinda weird to see Frontierland photos that weren't supplied by the Mysterious Benefactor. Thanks for the photos, Major.
Boomers will remember when True Live Adventures were a fairly big deal, migrating from theater screens to World of Color episodes, 16mm classroom films, comic book stories, and school library books with color photos. The critters viewed from the train were all drawn from various of features and featurettes. They were, in a way, Disney characters.
The infamous lemming footage, for which Disney's crew bought the little critters from locals and herded them over the edge, was actually rather mild in scope and scariness. Also, the narration debunked the suicide myth by reporting the lemmings would swim across narrow bodies of water, and most likely didn't grasp they'd hit something unswimmable. Still, a waterfall full of lemmings in Nature's Wonderland would have been Cool.
Funny, I remember that the Settler’s Cabin effects were changed because of “The Energy Crisis”, but I can’t recall how. Until this morning, I would have said the fire was just turned off, but now, JB has me thinking there was a temporary, yet unsatisfactory effect? At any rate, this pic is just how the Hard Facts were portrayed.
@DBenson, yes, True Life Adventures made real animals into Disney characters. Remember Nature’s Half-Acre, and a Day at Beetle Rock, which was my favorite because Beetle Rock was a real place in the Sierras near our home.
I just found my hardcover book of the TLA, with bear country, seals and other stories. I ordered it from the Scholastic Books flyer at school. It was unusual because it was hardback when most of those books were softcover. I’ve been re-reading it a bit at a time. It’s pretty scholarly for a kids book, true to the brand. Remember when Disney was more than just cartoon IP?
Thanks Major, I love those bears!
JG
Nanook, I really love the “True Life Adventure” themes of the old “Nature’s Wonderland” ride!
JB, hmm, I thought that we’d seen plenty of photos of the Burning Cabin from the top of the Mark Twain, but admit that I haven’t really been keeping track! I’m too busy watching “Housewives of Oxnard”. Yes, they used the “plastic and colored lights” fire effect for a short while, I think I only have a single photo of that. It didn’t really work that well, especially during the day. I like that green water too! It really reminds me of lakes and rivers full of glacial melt, which is often milky. I remember when I was in the Sierras, and I saw a number of small lakes, each was a different hue. Don’t you worry, there are lots of photos to come from the Mysterious Benefactor!
DBenson, it was always such a treat when teachers would bring out the film projector and show the class a True Life Adventure! I remember one (maybe “White Wilderness”?) that had polar bears, I think a pair of cubs tumbled down a snowy slope, and our teacher ran it backwards, which we all found hilarious. I’ve heard different stories about the famous lemming footage, though I don’t believe I’ve ever seen that TLA. I think the version I heard claimed that the filmmakers basically herded lemmings to the edge of some water and they leapt in out of fear. No idea if there is any truth to that.
JG, yes, as I said to JB, I have a single photo of the cabin when it used the same fire effect that is used on “Pirates”. I seem to recall that smoke machines also added some realism. Remember the beginning of the True Life Adventures, where an animated paintbrush would “paint” real scenes? I loved that! In fact I loved the music, the narration, the whole deal. I’m glad to know that there was a True Life Adventure book, and that it wasn’t just pictures!
I always enjoyed taking that trip across the trestle. Imagine how it felt for me sitting on the tender controlling the train with everyone behind. Day or night, it didn't matter. Pure tranquility from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the Park. And a main reason why I chose to stay on that side of the Park for almost my entire Operations experience. When I got my PPT C designation, I was assigned to the Autopia. I asked supervision for a transfer within 3 months and luckily made it back to stay. KS
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