Jungle Cruise, November 1959
It's time for more photos from Lou and Sue! Both are from the Jungle Cruise, circa 1959.
First is this nice view of the load area for the Jungle Cruise; there's not much of a crowd, so you can ride it two or three times in a row! Baffle your skipper by saying the punchlines to his jokes before he can say them. Actually, 1959 might predate the humorous version of the cruise. There's the famous Phoenix palm that is still there today. On the upper level of the boathouse, you can see some sort of sun shade, probably there to protect the employees who worked up there late in the afternoon.
In this next photo, Lou pivoted to his left so that we can see the frightful masks on those spiky plants (any idea what those are?). The plants along the water's edge look like they've seen better days, maybe they died back a bit in the winter.
THANK YOU to Lou and Sue!
35 comments:
Major-
I love the 'men in the suits' disembarking form the boat. Are they with the FBI-? Those "frightful masks" were just the precursor to the Tiki Room. See what we could've had-??!!
Thanks to Lou & Sue for more gems.
I guess I've never really noticed that the thatched roof queue and the boathouse coexisted in the early years. For some reason, I always assumed that the queue used to only be in and around the old boathouse, like it is today with the newer version, and that the thatched roof queue came along after the boathouse was torn down.
And I'm still trying to get my bearings when viewing last Monday's photo of the Jungle Cruise entrance. We can see the same three spindly palm trees in both pics, but the Dominguez Palm is only showing in today's pic.
Those men's suits are getting all wrinkled, from running around Disneyland in them!
Thank you, Lou, Sue and Major!
1959 and the men, (KBG?), are not wearing hats. That's practically undressed in terms of mid century fashion etiquette. Instead of looking for moose and squirrel, they are looking for mouse and duck.
Will be back later today to comment more, but wanted to ask if anyone can identify what that one secret service man is carrying?? A Disneyland bag? A brochure? I don’t recognize it.
Actually, yelling out the punchlines in the pre-humorous version would be great! Nobody would have heard them yet and they'd think you were some sort of Henny Youngman or something! Albert Falls??? Priceless!!!
I seem to recall hearing that the humorous jungle cruise narration starting in 1965.
Spikyhendron Disneyana, I think. For the record, I have never worn a suit to DL.
As a kid I thought the Jungle Cruise was the best ever. Riding low to the water and jungle noises fired up my imagination.
Thanks Lou and Sue, and Major
zach
Lou & Sue. If that is a bag that agent is carrying, dollars to donuts there's a shrunken head in it. Or just maybe....
Do like those pics, always nice to see the Dominguez Palm.
Thanks Lou & Sue, always the best.
Thanks Major.
Love this early Jungle Cruise boathouse.
I always thought the humorous version started with the addition of the Marc Davis creations from 1962-1964 including the Elephant Bathing Pool, African Veldt and Trapped Safari. I thought I read somewhere that Marc Davis was called in to inject humor into the aging attraction.
Thanks Lou & Sue! Your pics are always a joy.
Gnome is right, I think I spy Natasha in the boat. Lou delivers more treats once again. Thanks Lou! Thanks Sue! I always thought it would be fun to camp out in various places in the park. The Jungle Cruise being a must do. Thanks Major.
I love the first photo with the original boathouse. Can somebody remind me why they removed it? The men in suits are obviously on a case - part of LA's Dragnet team.
Whoever painted those silly faces on the trees was a lot of fun at parties.
If we're going to speculate, I'm guessing that the folks in black (it looks like there are still more of them on the boat) are part of a funeral that just dumped their late friend's ashes into the DL version of the Nile -- and that little bag used to contain the ashes.
As for the palm trees, I'm guessing that they (somehow) inspired KISS's makeup 15 years later.
Have to agree with Ken on this one, as 1962 being around the time jokes began to be injected into the spiel.
Nanook, yes, I am sure the men in suits are Feds! They were looking for Russkies. I kind of wonder if Walt saw those trees with faces and wondered, “What if they could talk?”.
TokyoMagic!, I think I have at least one 1955 view from this angle, I wonder if the thatched roof queue part was there at that time? Maybe it was added when the Jungle Cruise proved to be popular, and guests were cooking out in the summer sun? I could see how some of the foreground trees and other objects (in last week’s 1960 photo) could have blocked the Dominguez Palm, that’s the only reason why it probably didn’t show up in that picture.
Gnometrek, maybe those were some of Khrushchev’s boys! It is a little odd to see a group of men in suits like that, unless they were Disney execs. But I don’t think Disney execs would look that rumpled.
Lou and Sue, he’s holding a 1959 souvenir guidebook!
Stu29573, I often find myself laughing extra loud on the Jungle Cruise because the rest of the people in the boat often sit there like dummies. I mean literally like mannequins. It makes me feel bad for the Skipper! “Albert Falls”? My favorite joke!
Mike Cozart, gosh, that late? Marc Davis’ sacred elephant bathing pool was added in 1962, I thought maybe the wisecracks started around then, since Marc was instrumental in adding humor to the ride. BUT… I really don’t know!
zach, You sure know your Latin names for plants! I can’t even imagine wearing a suit to Disneyland, UNLESS it was for an evening event like Grad Nite or Date Nite. And even then I’d rather be wearing jeans! I loved the Jungle Cruise too, the whole thing is such a rich experience.
DrGoat, I am trying to figure out why the KGB would need a shrunken head in a briefcase! The mind reels. Maybe the shrunken head was the true leader!
K. Martinez, aha! See my comment to Mike Cozart. Yes, it was Marc’s idea to add humor; it seems hard to believe that the ride was there for seven years before anybody made a crack about the “back side of water”, but I guess that’s the way it was.
Jonathan, Natasha wasn’t in the boat when the cruise began, how did she get there? With all of the changes at Disneyland, I’m glad that I’ve never heard a proposal on getting rid of the Jungle Cruise.
Omnispace, I’ve heard rumors that it was originally used as an observation tower to see if any Jungle Cruise boats stalled or got stranded, and then the trees got too big. But even if that was true, why not just leave the tower there as a break room or whatever? It kind of doesn’t make sense to me. Maybe there was another explanation. I think the faces on the trees might have been sort of like masks, applied to the trunks of those spiky trees - I’m almost sure somebody said that on this blog.
Thank you, Major, Lou and Sue! These are not only interesting but filled with historic value to boot.
I'm like Tokyo, the timing and co-existence of the boathouse and the thatch queue have been vague to me. I don't remember a second-floor observation post from childhood, but maybe it was there. I vividly remember the thatch roof, and the bamboo guardrails with leather lashings. The bamboo was polished to a high luster by all the visitors hands. All of these components are now plastic fabrications.
It's odd to see that view without the Swiss Tree in the background. Fascinating to know the Dominguez Palm is still there after all this time. I noticed it clearly on my last visit, still looking strong. I read once that it was scheduled to be removed in one of the later renovations, and someone realized at the last minute that this tree pre-dated Disneyland, and re-designed the boathouse queue again to save the tree. Don't know where I read that, but, true or not, I'm glad we have the old tree.
Those spiky trees are so odd looking. I have no idea what they might be, but the masks are a great addition. Wonder what they were, and why they were removed? Did the plants die, or did a re-design require their removal?
I notice that there is a wide channel between the spiky tree "mainland" and the boat load queue. Was there a track in this channel so boats could bypass the queue and go around for a second trip, or was the channel just there to make the jungle look remote?
Seems like I always remember a humorous script to this attraction, but I have only a ghost of a memory of the version before the Lost Safari. I remember laughing hard at that scene and knowing that it was new, so I know I rode the JC before it was added, or how would I know?
The suits are spies from another amusement park looking for tips on enhancing their attractions, sort of a Six Flags Смерть Шпионам. They have disposed of a traitor by selling his head to Trader Sam, "Two of His for One of Yours", which are in the bag.
JG
The guys in the suits are after Tony Curtis.
Yeah guys I’m checking into the history of the humorous Jungle Cruise skipper narration. Like I said I recall it starting later than Marc’s additions. At this time that kinda camp wasn’t over done .... so you have humor in the WED gags that didn’t need a double gag. This is how some attractions worked - like WORLD OF MOTION where you have the narrator’s descriptions contradicting the scene. But I seem to recall Imagineer David Mumford saying it took some time before the “camp” style narration developed. I have several variations of official jungle cruise scripts going back to 1968 .... and these were done as official narration script guides ... and variations for the scenes are given ... but one thing is most of them are not entirely 100% humor - they seem to avoid the “ three courses of desert “ scripts for jungle cruise have used in the last 25 years. I know a problem park operations had alt least since the early 70’s were skippers doing their own topical comedy narration that WED and Disneyland frowned upon. Especially when the jokes related to products or celebrities...... some of the most famous Jungle Cruise jokes now outdated to the passage of time .... examples like the skipper pointing out “the RARE Anhaueser Busch —— that can be identified by its BUDS” or the “Baboon Family .... there’s Pat ... there’s Debbie.....” etc etc .... these were not authorized scripts. Today Disney fans are use to and expect a 100% all- campy Jungle Cruise ..... but this has evolved over time and it wasn’t always that way.
I have a live recording from Imagineer Dave Mumford from 1968 or 1969 and a live spiel by a Jungle Cruise skipper-barker is being given to get guests attention for the attraction .... and all of it is serious sounding - despite that we know by this time humorous narration is well underway by this time.
Hopefully today I can get us a definitive answer.
@Mike Cozart - You are correct about Disney Supervision frowning on product and celebrity endorsements; however, in 1986 it didn't stop us. Regarding the Baboon Family, "There's Pat, Debbie, Daniel and their hairdresser... Vidal Baboon." Although I don't have time to read all the other comments, I can tell you one of my favorites. When leaving the dock, "We now enter the mouth of the Irrawaddy River of Burma. Burma is a small country in Southeast Asia, named after its' chief export... a type of shaving cream. (Quietly) Come outta your cave... with a Burma-Shave." There was usually one guy in the back who would laugh.
Always your pal,
Amazon Belle
Ok correction that live ticket booth JUNGLE CRUISE recording is 1955 so that throws that out.
Someone just reminded me the 1968 Tiki Room & Jungle Cruise record album uses some actual “Contemporary” park script narration recorded by Thurl Ravenscroft - a mix of some humor and serious. That album by-the-way has been re-issued and is currently available from Disney Music Emporium.
It appears some humor was used as early as the 1950’s but not like what your thinking : example when the boat nears the two giraffes feeding “ you can now say you’ve had a NODDING acquaintance with a giraffe” etc.
Some live recordings of Walt Disney World’s Jungle Cruise show a balance of humor and serious narration being used.
So it appears unofficial humor is being used by the early 60’s and the puns start to appear in official script options by the mid 60’s. But the style closest to what we know today seems to have really begun by the late 1970’s ... but even lighter than the heavy camp style today. And these seems to evolve depending on the Skipper and the era.
Walt Disney World live Jungle Cruise - 1972
I enjoy some of the humorous scripts, even the bread dough version, but IMHO the bombastic "Jingle Cruise" should be abandoned.
Not only is it ponderously un-funny, but not every attraction needs to have a holiday overlay.
Thanks for the continuing research Mike and Matthew.
JG
Mike, thanks for all that info. Grist for the mill.
JG, I seem to remember way back when the spiel had a little less humor. I think the jokes work better if used a little more sparingly than hitting you over the head with them. Such is the nature of the entertainment industry today.
Well so far the only definitive stuff we’ve been able to locate is a 1964 Jungle Cruise operators spiel guide. But no other earlier dates - so far. In 1964 there is indeed authorized humor in the skipper spiel - but interestingly it’s mostly in the loading /unloading of the boats and the departure and return of the boats. Most are still used today in some variation.
“Don’t worry if it’s a little crowded on the way out....there should be a lot more room on the way back”
“Turn around and waive to your friends back on the dock... you may never see them again”
“Now comes the most dangerous part or our journey .... the return to civilization and those California freeways!”
“If you feel your feet getting wet as you exit , you’re getting off the wrong side of the boat”
..... the Trader Sam and Schweitzer Falls name joke is there too ..... but no backside of water yet.
“If you look up into the trees you’ll get a glimpse of the lovely Hibiscus , and down by the water you can see the lovely Lowbiscus”
“If you want to take pictures of the elephants , go right ahead. They all have their trunks on!”
“Keep your hands inside as we pass those hungry alligators. They’re always looking for a hand out!”
..... the mention of a lost safari in the area ( Rino snd explorers in tree) but no jokes mentioned. No jokes about the native village or attack or the skull pile outrigger... no hippo jokes .... no jokes about .. no jokes of the rainforest “mist” from the monkeys above ..... no jokes about the African Veldt ......
“Whoever said you only go around once in life never worked on the Jungle Cruise”
JG, that boathouse was long-gone by the time I was old enough to be aware of such things. I feel like I waited for the ride in the main queue area and not that side thatch area, but who knows. I feel like I’ve seen enough pre-1960 photos that the absence of the Swiss Family Treehouse doesn’t feel that odd, but I definitely prefer views WITH it! I have seen photos of how they have actually modified a roof so that it goes around the Dominguez Palm… they’ve gotten pretty good at moving full-sized trees at Disneyland, I wonder if they are pretty certain that moving a palm tree of that age would probably kill it? I think there is some sort of disease that is killing Phoenix palms, I hope the arborists at the park are aware of it and being extra careful. Your questions about the track potentially bypassing the loading area are going to have to be answered by somebody smarter than me!
TokyoMagic!, why do they want his autograph?
Mike Cozart, thank you for doing so much research! I always figured that Wally Boag probably had a lot to do with those “groaners” that were used on the Jungle Cruise in those early years… it sure seems like his style of vaudeville humor. Mother in-law jokes and such! I kind of like the idea of the Skippers going “rogue” with their narration, as long as it isn’t offensive of course. But I can also understand why the park would want them to stick to a predictable script. There are some funny people who work on that ride, maybe they can add some welcome spice to what might otherwise be an overly-familiar script. Gosh, if the Jungle Cruise was still playing it serious by the late 1960s I would REALLY be amazed! Maybe it was sort of a “bait and switch”, people expected something dry and factual, and that made the jokes even funnier?
Matthew, I love that people were still making Burma Shave jokes in the 1980s! Those things are throwbacks to the ‘30s, though I think you can actually still buy Burma Shave. Probably belongs to the Colgate company now, or something.
Mike Cozart, wow a live 1955 Jungle Cruise recording?? That would be fascinating! I thought that the Thurl Ravenscroft-narrated record might predate the Tiki Room, could it have been rereleased? Thinking about the True Life Adventures (“Seal Island”), I believe that they also went from very serious to having corny gags added. That “nodding acquaintance” joke sounds like it is straight out of the 1960s. I can’t decide if I’d like to see the Jungle Cruise go back to something a little less campy… audiences would probably revolt.
JG, I wasn’t sure if they even did the Jingle Cruise during the last holiday season. I was sort of hoping that someone had decided it wasn’t worth the effort!
DrGoat, I kind of agree, that’s what I meant when I said I’d like it to be a little less camp. A nice balance of seriousness and silliness would be good. Just my opinion of course - folks probably expect it to be a never-ending series of one-liners now.
You know who else doesn’t wear a hat? Elvis!
Like the Major, I often find myself overcompensating for other riders’ lack of reaction to the jokes. Come on, people, what are you even doing here?
Of all the times I’ve ridden the Jungle Cruise, I’ve never heard that hibiscus/lowbiscus joke. That’s funny!
Mike, I definitely recall the freeway and Hibiscus lines from youth. The rest not sure.
Like Dr. Goat, I think the Lost Safari visual works better without a mention in the script. It's a classic Marc Davis sight gag, you get it in an instant and no set-up needed.
JG
@Mike Cozart - Great stuff... and fantastic research my friend!
@JG & @DrGoat - I wanted to ensure a blend of both humor and education. Thus Winston Hibler narrated True Life Adventure Films seem to have the perfect blend. You would probably love to know that we taught a Narrations Training class in the mid 80's and I had the pleasure of re-writing it in the early 90's. Probably two of the most important things we taught then were this.
First, we used Marc Davis' WED video where he says something to effect of, "I just want to tell the guy up front to be quiet for a moment so I can see what's going on." We tried to explain how Marc was an animator so just allow the show scene to speak for itself. Less is more!
Second, "A plays B, for C." Allow me to explain. "A" is the Skipper. "B" is the Jungle and "C" are the Guests or in this case the crew aboard your boat. The Skipper must play the Jungle for the Guests. When the Skipper tries to connect directly to the crew by telling a load of jokes... it only falls flat. "They waited in line to see the Jungle Cruise... not you!" we would tell new Skippers. So any time you try and become the show... you lose your Guests and complaints will soon follow.
Now this was obviously before the amount of Annual Passholders they have today (or a year ago today). Maybe Annual Passholders don't care about the Jungle anymore and they just want to hear jokes from their Skipper... but I don't think so.
Always your pal,
MAJOR: the 1955 JUNGLE CRUISE live recording isn’t of the ride itself , but of a cast member standing out front “barking” at guests to come ride the jungle rivers of the world !! “ you've read about it in Life Magazine ! You’ve seen it in TV!! ... now see it for yourself so you can tell your friends about it back home!!” “An exciting cruise down the Jungle Rivers of the world!!!”And then he describes things they will see. The whole thing is very abrasive by Disney standards later on ... but they were still figuring out what works.
Remember in 1955 few people had been on a Jungle River Cruise before.
I have a very strong memory of riding the Jungle Cruise shortly after the Trapped Safari was added - but couldn't swear if it was in 1962, or '63, or '64 - but the "getting the point" joke was very much a part of the narration.
I have a recording of our Jungle Cruise visit from September 11, 1981 (Walt was our guide - Matthew do you know him-?) and the narration was virtually 100% jokes - including the Boone Family joke.
Oh, man, the first one's a keeper. So much goodness here. Is that ladder-looking thing under the Jungle Cruise sign how you got up to the boathouse tower?
Speaking of that sign - I think it's fascinating that there's a sign on the river side of the building. It makes sense to put one on the street side, but the reasons for putting one on this side are a bit more subtle.
First, it makes sense from a theming perspective - in the world of the attraction, you are coming to a landing at the edge of a jungle outpost, and the name of the place is clearly marked so you know where you are, much like a station name on a railroad depot.
Second, it provides subliminal advertising for the attraction. It was visible from the eating area of what was then the Plaza Pavillion, beckoning guests to come on over and part with an "E" Coupon. It also would be prominently visible in any souvenir photograph, reminding guests of the name of that amazing attraction that they had to tell their friends and family not to miss on their next visit (although it doesn't explain hand-lettered captions on slides that read "Tropical Boat Ride, Disney Land, Los Angeles").
TM! & JG, you can't see the Dominguez Palm in the 1960 photo from Monday the 12th because it's out of frame to the left. I know what you mean about not being able to get your bearings - it took me a while last week to figure out what was going on in that photo and work out the spatial relationships.
There were actually two thatched-roof structures to the right of the boathouse as you faced it from the "street" (to the left from the load area). If you zoom in on the 1960 aerial, there's a structure at about 9:00 from the boathouse tower that goes back into the jungle from the Adventureland street with an addition that runs along the street from the NE corner of the main thatched structure. The point facing E that's just north of where the addition meets the main structure is directly behind the tiki in the 1960 photo; the ticket booth is located at the junction of the main structure and the addition.
The second thatched structure was along the water between the one described above and the boathouse, located at about 8:30 from the boathouse tower in the aerial photo. This is the thatched structure visible in today's photo. You can just see a corner of it in last Monday's photo at the extreme left of the frame, to the left of what I think is a Kodak Picture Spot sign and the pink, Mickey-eared balloon moored to the stroller.
Zach, I've never worn a suit to Disneyland, either, but I did wear a tuxedo once. Well, it was my mess dress, but that's really just a dark blue tuxedo with some extra military doodads on it to make you look more like Michael Jackson.
Mike, thanks so much for the script details, and thanks everyone else for sharing your memories. It's fascinating to see how the spiel has morphed over the years. By this point, I half expect to see the skipper juggling or wearing clown makeup.
JG, you can rest easy - I'm pretty sure there will be no Jingle Cruise at Disneyland this year.
And thanks, as always, to Lou & Sue!
I LOVE everyone's funny and interesting comments (and thank you for the nice comments for my dad)! I can never get enough of the skipper spiels and background JC info - thank you Matthew, Mike and all - please keep sharing more!
Mike, please help me to understand what you meant by
they seem to avoid the “ three courses of desert “ scripts for jungle cruise have used in the last 25 years
I'm curious...
Melissa, I must be "thick as a brick" because I didn't catch on to:
You know who else doesn’t wear a hat? Elvis!
Please explain, as I know it has to be something really witty...
That Dominguez Palm is gorgeous and puts that palm, next to it, to shame. Though, that other palm looks like a Vegas showgirl (no, I'm not drinking). Does anyone else see that?
Our big old spruce trees in our front and back yards are all starting to die from the bottom up. That 2nd photo does give me some fun ideas.
Thanks, Major and fellow Jr. Gorillas, for all of today's laughs - you're the best!
Sue
SUE: John Hench at WED/WDI said an attraction should be like a good meal .... you get an appetizer...... the main course ....... and a dessert ..... if you were given three desserts you’d get sick!! So all campy joke after joke is three courses of dessert ..... and it makes you sick!
Yes, now I understand. Thanks, Mike!
Chuck, thanks for additional exposition. I follow it and agree with your conclusions. I think I can make out the Palm in the 1960 aerial as well, although it is at the outside range of rendition.
Mike, thanks for that gem of wisdom from Mr. Hench. He is right, and it is that kind of insight and restraint that are missing from present-day imagineering, where the bludgeon is more frequently the tool than the feather.
JG
Post a Comment