Here are two fun RANDOS for you today, starting with this particularly pretty photo of Skull Rock, from an image marked "November 1961". The photographer must have had a decent camera, this picture is very sharp and clear, and the warm late-afternoon lighting is not only pleasing to the eye, but it enhances the details. Skull Rock had debuted in December, 1960 - just under a year before, and the trees and plants still look newly-planted.
This next one (dated "July 1958") was a fun find; I'm wondering how many of you recognize actor Andy Devine? He's greeting a fan in Adventureland. He had a long career as a character actor in many films and TV shows, and was best-known for his scratchy voice.
Just for yucks, I'll highlight some of Andy's better-known films. Here he is in 1937's "A Star is Born", starring Frederic March and Janet Gaynor.
Next, a cast photo from John Ford's 1939 classic, "Stagecoach".
In 1962, Andy was in another John Ford masterpiece, "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance".
Some of you might remember him in "The Twilight Zone", as tall-tale-teller Somerset Frisby in the episode titled, "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby". Ol' Archimedes Frisby!
Another highlight from Andy's career is the 1962 epic western, "How the West Was Won", in CINERAMA.
That first photo is fantastic! I love it — Skully at his best!
ReplyDeleteI’ve seen Andy Devine in movies and on TV—but did not know his name. Thank you, Major, for introducing him to us. What a fun picture to find! (I bet his smoking did not help his “scratchy voice.”)
Kingman, AZ still holds an annual parade for Andy Devine!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.explorekingman.com/event-andy-devine-days-parade-2025-09-27/
Thank You Major!
You're continuing with your postings of beautiful, colorful pictures. :-) Everything about this image is exceptional. I love the bluish tint to the waterfalls. The clarity and lighting almost make the image look like model train scenery, with moss and lichen for vegetation. Of course, I'm saving this one!
ReplyDeleteYep, I know (of) Andy Devine... and his scratchy voice! He's holding a cigarette in his hand... maybe that's where his scratchy voice came from.
Sue, depends on what one's definition of "help" is. As I noted above, the cigarette is probably the reason for his scratchy voice, which was his trademark.
Randos sometimes produce the best photos! Thanks, Major.
Major-
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to start a Friday... Skull Rock... looking all shiny and new-!
What a fun image with Andy Devine in Adventureland. He was always an enjoyable actor on-screen - as seen in the color image from A Star is Born, (1937), with the home video Blu-ray copies providing disappointing color, only hinting at the original, [somewhat] muted original Technicolor images. (The original nitrate IB prints were quite lovely, this 'frame grab' lacking that original brilliance). And you bookend the series of images with one from the final Cinerama production. A fitting tribute, indeed.
Thanks, Major.
What a wonderful photo of Skull Rock. It should not have been removed, gosh darn it!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the 1937 version of "A Star Is Born"! I originally saw it in a college film class, "Cinema as Literature." I didn't care for the Judy Garland version, and I never saw the Babs version. I did like the Gaga version, but not as much as the original!
It looks like Andy Devine is standing in front of General Lee's Gifts. That's a new one to me! How did General Lee fit into Adventureland? Am I missing something? That space later became the Adventureland "Big Game Shooting Gallery" (in 1962) Today, it is indoor dining space for the Bengal Barbecue. In between, it served as expanded shop space for the Adventureland Bazaar.....I think it had it's own separate shop name, but I can't remember what that was now. I remember that space carrying a lot of Indiana Jones themed merchandise after the Indiana Jones Adventure opened.
Thanks for the Randos, Major!
Rando does not equal dull. This week has had a fine run of excellent photos and today is no exception.
ReplyDeleteEveryone’s favorite drooling skull, his gaze fixed on the infinite horizon like his cousin the Sphinx, imagines a giant tuna fish sandwich with an apple tart.
And Andy Devine! Of all the celebrities to see in the Park, he is one of the least expected. Did you get this on purpose? Or was it just mixed in with a box of other things?
In any case, thank you and have a good weekend, Major.
JG
Lou and Sue, I feel like Andy Devine is one of those guys who I grew up seeing in so many things, I’m not sure when I learned his name, but it was a long time ago! I believe the story about how he got his scratchy voice is something about him getting hit in the throat. But I’m sure he smoked PLENTY (you noticed the butt in his hand of course). What a weird habit.
ReplyDeletewalterworld, wow! How many people even know Andy today? I guess a lot of them in Kingman!
JB, it won’t last forever! In fact there will be Snoozles on Sunday, so be prepared. If I was home today, I would try to do a “tilt shift” thing to see if I could really make it look like a tiny model. Meanwhile, I hold a cigarette all the time, and I have the voice of an angel. You know that, times being what they were, that Andy Devine probably smoked since he was a teenager. It was just the thing for everybody to do.
Nanook, for 1937, that Technicolor looks pretty good to me, based on that one still. I’ve never seen that version of “A Star Is Born”, but I’m sure it *looked* good if nothing else.
TokyoMagic!, I agree, the removal of Skull Rock was a tremendous blunder. I’ve never seen the Judy Garland or Babs version of ASIB, though the Garland version is supposed to be legendary. I always assumed that the “General Lee” name was sort of a joke, as if the shop was run by an Asian man with the last name “Lee”, and somebody called him “General”. At least that’s the story I’ve had in my head! Thanks for the info about the space where General Lee’s used to be.
JG, you commented while I was commenting! I wish they’d put giant eyeballs in Skull Rock so they could move around and “look” at people. That would be cool! And then when they removed him, they could give me one of the eyeballs. The Andy Devine slide was on eBay, and I was pretty sure that nobody else would know who he was - I was the only bidder.
ReplyDeleteThe Skull Rock photo is really a nice one, and it does have that miniature-ish look. Has no one mentioned Andy Devine's Disney role that I know him best for, Friar Tuck in the animated Robin Hood? "That's the poor box!" I'd like to buy a nice straw hat at General Lee's. Thanks, Major!
ReplyDeleteMajor- Yes, the first photo of Skull Rock is a great view and worth keeping in the reference files.
ReplyDeleteI definitely remember Andy Devine. In the mid 1960s, I went to Knott's with my parents & some friends visiting from out of state. Andy Devine was featured at the Covered Wagon Camp show. I don't remember what went on during the show, but I do remember all of us getting to meet him after the show.
-DW
Andy Devine started in silents. Legend: His voice would blow out early recording systems, so it looked like his career was over. Then somebody realized they could use his girth to conceal a bulky microphone. He'd have nonspeaking parts where he moved around the set to keep the mike close to the talking actors. When the tech improved enough to capture his voice he got speaking parts again.
ReplyDeleteBoomers should remember "Andy's Gang", a strange show where he interacted with a live cat and hamster (trussed up in costumes and doing skits) and a mischievous rubber puppet named Froggy (later a pop culture fixation of Zippy the Pinhead). Where other shows had cartoons, he had odd live action stories of Indians and such.
He was the voice of Friar Tuck in Disney's animated "Robin Hood" -- any other Disney connections?
Has no one mentioned Andy Devine's Disney role that I know him best for, Friar Tuck in the animated Robin Hood?
ReplyDeleteKathy, thanks for pointing that out! Of course that's him! I didn't realize Friar Tuck was "that guy" because I didn't know the actor by name until today's GDB post. But I was aware of his presence in certain movies and TV shows. DBenson, I see that you mentioned that little factoid, too. That's a good question about whether or not he did anything else for Disney. To quote the Major....."If only there was some way for us to look it up." ;-)