Sunday, July 08, 2018

The Jungle Cruise, May 1966

It's time for more so-so photos from the Jungle Cruise! Happy Sunday, folks.

The Lost Safari was added in 1964 (along with the African Veldt), and all for the bad pun "I'm sure they'll get the point". But we love it! You'd expect some hyenas to be present when a meal might be imminent, but I have never noticed the antelope in the background. 


Ah, a classic scene of an ancient, crumbling idol, almost swallowed by the jungle. Who wouldn't love to find something like that, especially if he is guarding a rare jewel or some other riches? He is guarded by a trio of crocodiles that is adept in synchronized swimming. Just throw them some hot dogs, they'll be too busy to care about you. As for the spider in the web, a can of Raid should take care of him.


And finally, the great African elephant - or is it his mother in-law? Look at how lush and green that Anaheim jungle had become in just over a decade!


20 comments:

Nanook said...

Major-

What are the other lines-? "Bottoms up, fellas". "I'm sure the guy on the bottom will get the point in the end". "That rhino seems to be getting his point across". "That safari's in a tight spot. But that rhino seems more than willing to give them a lift". "I guess that guy on the bottom is feeling a little horny". "Well, you know what they say: safari, so good. So I guess we'll be moving on".

Amazon Belle, besides the 'Juan joke' - what have I missed-?

Thanks, Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

I certainly hope after the "Dwayne Johnson makeover" of the Jungle Cruise, that Marc Davis' Trapped Safari scene remains intact, just as it has for the last 50+ years. But I'm sure Kim Irvine or someone else in the company, will think it's a good idea to get rid of that classic scene and replace it with one where Dwayne Johnson is selling "a hen for a ten" or some other such malarkey. :-(

Melissa said...

LOLBUTTS

stu29573 said...

My favorite part of the Jungle Cruise isn't even at DL! I'm talking about the cave part, which, itself, was lifted from Six Flags Over Texas' La Salles' Riverboat. It was a fantastic time when 6FoT could inspire Disney...Now...not so much, sadly.

Kim Irvine was respondible for that horrendeous mess? If so, she should be fired immediately! (Cue her getting a promotion...)

Chuck said...

Those antelope are actually on break from Nature's Wonderland.

I for one can't wait for an animatronic or two of Dwayne Johnson and, if we're lucky, one of Paul Giamatti, too. They seem like such a natural, organic fit. It's exactly what Marc Davis would have done if he'd had the budget.

K. Martinez said...

Disney has run out of original ideas and it shows. It seems nothing they've added to the Disneyland Resort these days is of pure creation. It's all leveraged from commercial IPs. And Disney isn't just satisfied with creating new IP attractions, but also converting original attractions into IPs like Pirates of the Caribbean and now Jungle Cruise.

The Trapped Safari is one of the absolute classic scenes of the Jungle Cruise. Marc Davis was simply the best and I believe his contributions and style of humor to Disneyland is what made the Park such a wonderful experience. Thanks, Major.

JC Shannon said...

Great photos of a great Disney attraction. A true survivor of a earlier time. I have great memories of the corny spiel and all the passengers laughing out loud. Thanks to Major P. for sharing them.

Major Pepperidge said...

Nanook, do they seriously have a Jungle Cruise joke about the "guy on the bottom" getting horny?? I get that it's a pun, but yeesh! This is not your grandfather's Jungle Cruise.

TokyoMagic!, I wouldn't be surprised if they replace the hunter with The Rock. That way they can argue that it isn't that much of a change, and everyone loves The Rock, right? I hate to blame Kim Irvine for everything, my guess is that she is doing things at the behest of somebody else, and it's not like she can tell them "no". Maybe I'm wrong!

Melissa, butt's are always funny.

stu29573, "cave part"? I am mystified. Unless a cave thing has been added to the Jungle Cruise? More Kim Irvine defense... I doubt that these terrible ideas are her doing. And even if they fired her, it's not like they wouldn't just tell somebody else to do the same awful stuff.

Chuck, If they're going to have Dwayne Johnson, they also need Arte Johnson and Tor Johnson. Just my opinion.

K. Martinez, for now, the Jungle Cruise is still one of the few "pure" attractions without a tie to an IP. I know that in theory it is based on the old "True Life Adventures", but that is tenuous - and forgotten, mostly. I do sometimes wish that they would put their energies into new attractions rather than "updating" (ruining) old attractions.

Jonthan, I have memories of not being able to understand the skipper over the tinny PA system! I used to think that I'd laugh if I could decipher the voice coming out of those kazoo speakers. Apparently now they have improved them.

K. Martinez said...

Major, My only guess with stu29573's comment is that the Six Flags Over Texas "La Salle River Adventure" (river ride modeled after the Jungle Cruise) had a cave section where the walls parted and perhaps he's referencing WDW's Jungle Cruise which has an interior section inside the Cambodian temple. Just a guess.

Anonymous said...

Major..about hearing the skipper over the engine noise... To this day, I find myself enunciating on the speakerphone as if I had a JC mic in my hand. I'm a bit too loud. Old habit. KS

JC Shannon said...

Wow, I didn't think anyone remembered Tor Johnson! Don't forget Lyndon and Don Johnson, he would look great in his white coat and tee shirt rambling on to guests about butt jokes, and Lynden could hawk the Great Society. I always wondered, even in my youth, whether Katherine Hepburn ever donned a disguise and took the Jungle Cruise for just one more trip down the river. I'd like to think so.

K. Martinez said...

Major, I've heard Jungle Cruise skippers tell off-color/adult jokes from time to time so I'm sure Nanook's joke quote was probably spoken at one time or another. I do get a kick out of guest reaction when they go off script and slip in a racy joke. It's like "OMG, did he just say that?!".

JC Shannon, I remember pro-wrestler Tor Johnson. How could one forget his stellar performances in Ed Wood's "Bride of the Monster" and "Plan 9 From outer Space". As for Katherine Hepburn it is said that "The African Queen" influenced the Jungle Cruise.

Melissa said...

I love the indoor temple at WDW'sJungle Cruise! I'll never forget going through it for the first time and seeing the cobras' swaying shadows on the wall before the snakes themselves hove interview. And that scene takes on a whole new luster when you ride at night. Your eyes are already used to the darkness, so you can see more details.

stu29573 said...

That's it. On the 6 flags version you would come up to a waterfall and the skipper would start telling passengers how to get off the boat. Then the water would stop and the rocks would open and a treasure cave appeared. Cool stuff!

Dean Finder said...

I was on the WDW Jungle Cruise one time late at night with only adults on board. There were a few jokes from the skipper that were clearly not "appropriate for all audiences."

Major Pepperidge said...

K. Martinez, I knew that the Six Flags Over Texas ride had that treasure cave (perhaps because of one of your postcard articles?) but you must be right about stu29573 referring to WDW’s Jungle Cruise.

KS, I am hoping that you also shoot at imaginary hippos with a loaded cap gun! ;-)

Jonathan, Tor Johnson was our Lawrence Olivier, when you think about it. Now I wish there had been a show with Tor and Don Johnson. I’ll bet Lyndon would have appreciated a good butt joke, from what I’ve heard about the man. Maybe Katharine Hepburn was allowed to be the skipper! I’ll just pretend that it really happened.

K. Martinez, I am all for a good off-color joke, it’s just hard to believe that they would even acknowledge the word “horny” at Disneyland in any context! I don’t think I have personally heard anything too controversial, but there’s always next time. As for Tor Johnson, I once saw a photo, I think from an Abbot and Costello movie, and there was Tor, with a head of dark curly hair. You could hardly tell it was him!

Melissa, that sounds pretty neat, I can almost imagine it based on your description. I assume that was a Marc Davis concept?

stu29573, now I am almost certain that I have read a description of that before - I guess if Disneyland is going to “borrow” and idea, they might as well borrow the best ones!

Dean Finder, I am all for some jokes suitable for adults! It’s risky though, some people are uptight and would not appreciate them. I just heard that a small contigency of folks are shocked at the portrayal of cocktails in “Incredibles 2”. Yeesh.

Nanook said...

Major-

Why stop there... How about Howard Johnson-? Or Gabby Johnson-? Or Olsen and Johnson-? (Sorry, I couldn't resist).

Chuck said...

Masters & Johnson? I crossed that line, didn't I?

Anonymous said...

Major...I can say that I used those lines from Nanook. We always walked a fine line. But management was pretty cool back then. I got in trouble once and it wasn't even suggestive...just a comment on Trader Sam having a stiff elbow and that he was once a pitcher for the Dodgers during a very bad season. Go figure. It was someone from the Studio who just happened to be on my boat. KS

Matthew said...

Nanook - You got 'em all that I can remember. The only thing I could add would be the intro to the show scene. "Well, what do we have here? Looks like a native uprising."

As part of a training project I was able to find video of Marc Davis doing a lecture to WED in the very early 1980's about the Jungle Cruise and saying something like, I just want to the guy to be quite for a moment so that I could look at what was happening here and not be so distracted.

We attempted to re-train the skippers to slow down their boats and the spiel and allow the show scenes to speak for themselves and our narration to add, not distract, from the scene.

Finally, for those who really want to know... yes, we had an entirely different spiel for Grad Night boats without chaperones. But that is an entirely different story.

Always your pal,
Amazon Belle