Monday, January 25, 2021

Two From Frontierland, May 1975

Here's a somewhat blown-out photo taken along the Rivers of America, with the Tom Sawyer Island's old grist mill, gristing gristily. The Mark Twain goes chugga-chugga around the bend. Meanwhile, two young folks are not having fun. Not at all. The boy looks like he's open to changing his mind, but that girl wishes she was with her friends in Huntington Beach, listening to Elton's John's "Philadelphia Freedom" while working on her tan. Why must she suffer so?


Hey, you can't be sad while aboard the Nature's Wonderland RR, can you? And yet, I'll bet if we could see the girl's face, it would look just like it does in photo #1. Geysers are one of nature's wonders, formed by the snores of thousands of prairie dogs, but she doesn't care. She's going to miss "The Bionic Woman" and "Laverne and Shirley", and when all the kids at school talk about those shows, she'll feel left out.


 I just thought I'd mention that Don Ballard, knower of all things Disneyland Hotel related, has put up his first new post on his BLOG in four years! Hopefully it is the first of many.


EXTRA! EXTRA! GDB friend David Whitford used his Photoshop skills to add grins to the two glum youths. I love the results, sort of creepy and hilarious together. Thanks, David!

30 comments:

TokyoMagic! said...

Even though we only see a sliver of the guy's face in the second pic, he seems to be thinking, "Hubba-hubba!" Hopefully, that girl's day was a little happier, after she rode through Nature's Wonderland with "Mr. Smitten."

JC Shannon said...

Aside from Wednesday and Pugsley, these are great shots. They don't seem to realize, the Old Mill and the Mine Train will be gone in a few years. They say youth is wasted on the young, but Glum and Glummer are wasting it at Disneyland, for gosh sakes. Now I have Philadelphia Freedom stuck in my head. I guess it's better than the theme from Laverne and Shirley. Thanks Major.

TokyoMagic! said...

I forgot to mention that as long as Sis gets home by mid-January of 1976, she'll be able to watch the debuts of both The Bionic Woman and Laverne and Shirley! ;-)

Of course all three of those characters were introduced on other TV shows (The Six Million Dollar Man and Happy Days, respectively) in 1975.

DrGoat said...

JC, you hit the nail on the head with Wednesday and Pugsley. Man, what a couple of sourpusses. Could you photoshop a smile on those mugs, Major? It is a beautiful backdrop though.
I don't know why they are so glum. They also have the Carol Burnett Show to go home to.
Off topic, I caught up on a few Ernie Kovaks Shows this weekend. Thinking of changing my name to Percy Dovetonsils. Man, that show took me back. My parents really liked it so we had to watch it too.
Thanks Major. Nice shot of the mill.

Major Pepperidge said...

TokyoMagic!, I’m sure that guy was thinking, “Don’t stare! Don’t stare! How do I get her to notice me?” Maybe that girl was laughing on the *inside*?

Jonathan, I really do have to wonder if that girl got home and said, “I had fun!”, or if she was as miserable as she appears. I wish there were a few other pictures of her so we could see if she smiled in ANY of them. Hey, I like “Philadelphia Freedom”! Elton had some catchy songs in his day.

TokyoMagic!, man, I had a crush on Lindsay Wagner (aka “Jaime Sommers” - I thought it was “Jamie” until I looked it up. And I didn’t remember that the show ran for three seasons, I thought it had a very short run.

DrGoat, I could use an Instagram filter that pastes big cartoony grins on faces! I saw a video that did that for people coming up an escalator, it was pretty funny. The Carol Burnett Show is on Amazon Prime, I believe! I keep meaning to watch some episodes, and then I forget. Ernie Kovaks, that guy was ahead of his time, I’ve only seen clips of his shows, but they are hilarious.

JG said...

I’m with dr goat, Major. Work some photo magic on these mutts, they are harshing my buzz.

JG

MRaymond said...

I've seen that look before. It's the "Mom, do we have to take ANOTHER picture? Put the Instamatic away already."

Nanook said...

@ Dr. Goat-
Why waste The Major's time 'livening things up', when he could just as easily Photoshop-in OUR FRIEND who wins the award for looking most-glum at The Happiest Place On Earth®. That would be much-more fun-! (I wonder if that geyser is Ol' Unfaithful-?)


Thanks, Major.

Anonymous said...

Although, to be fair, I have pictures of both of my kids in various places on vacations with similar faces, and they have said afterwards they had a great time and couldn't remember why they looked so grumpy.

Nanook, that youngster really looks like he doesn't want his picture made.

JG

"Lou and Sue" said...

These glum kids are making me laugh! That young gal would look beautiful if she smiled!

I think one of our Jr. Gorillas just told them what was going to happen to TSI and the River, in the distant future. You’d look glum, too.

Anonymous said...

I guess they wanted to go to Knott's Berry Farm! KS

Nanook said...

@Lou & Sue-
You may just've hit the nail on the head... In a mere 17 years, kids, this portion of the RoA will be "re-profiled" to make way for a nighttime spectacular involving water and fireworks... pleasing many, but pissing-off other guests who felt the ends did not justify the means, on so many levels - the least of which is the intense gridlock-! And then in another 44 years......

"Lou and Sue" said...

AHA!! It was you, Nanook!

DrGoat said...

Good lord Nanook, you're right. Even those flowering plants look sad. Water those plants, please! That gorgeous vehicle behind him has a hard time getting through the angst.
Fun comments, thanks everyone.

Melissa said...

”Tom Sawyer Island's old grist mill, gristing gristily.”

Grim gristly ghost come out to grind your grain!

My sister, cousin, and I used to play Six Million Dollar Man/Bionic Woman all the time. My sister got to be Jaime and my boy cousin was Steve, which left me to be good old Oscar Goldman. But they would never let me give orders because I was the youngest, so I spent all my time behind a desk making phone calls to Senators to get funding for my special projects. I’m surprised I didn’t grow up to be a lobbyist or something.

These glum kids probably have toothaches from too many candy apples.

"Lou and Sue" said...

USA Today article (on Yahoo): Disney World, Disneyland to update Jungle Cruise...

Major Pepperidge said...

JG, don’t let it get you down! I’ve had photos taken of me, and I look like I’m having a terrible time, when in fact I was actually having fun.

MRaymond, you could be right, although they don’t appear in any of the other slides that I own. Maybe dad used three rolls of film!

Nanook, somehow THAT kid looks especially uninterested in the fact that he is standing next to the Viewliner. Doesn’t he know how cool that was? He’s just mad that he’s missing the “Our Gang” repeats on channel 5.

JG, yes, when a camera catches you in micro-moments, you can’t be expected to be smiling ALL the time. However, these kids are posing, so you’d think they would at least try to look happy.

Lou and Sue, yeah, she’s pretty, but based on this photo, looks like she would just be annoyed with me all the time. Like everybody else who has to spend time around me! Imagine hearing about Disneyland 2020 during your 1975 visit; it would be hard to even imagine. What, the parking lot is now another amusement park??

KS, if so, then I forgive them!

Nanook, the concept of Fantasmic! is a good one, it’s just a shame that all of Frontierland (and beyond) suffers from the love of 20,000 locals every night. I guess I can’t really blame Disney, they probably had no clue that the show would be this popular or last this long.

Lou and Sue, it’s ALWAYS Nanook.

DrGoat, I guess even an artificial desert is going to suffer during SoCal’s hotter months. I wonder if they have to hand water all that stuff??

Melissa, I was right at the age where we would pretend to be running fast by running in slow-motion, and of course we would make that “bionic” sound: “Tch-tch-tch-tch-tch-tch!”. Must be appropriately echoey. You had to be Oscar? No fun! I’d rather be the bionic bigfoot! At least you had the imagination to run with it (phone calls to Senators, ha ha).

Lou and Sue, OH NOOOOO...

Anonymous said...

Major, I just saw the update, this is brilliant work, thanks to you and to David Whitford!

I have been watching Carol Burnett on Amazon streaming for some time now, I think I am in season 2. The parts that remain are as good as we remember, but the streaming shows are only 30 min. long because most of the special guest parts are stripped out. Not sure why this is so, unless the performances are under some more complicated copyright issues.

But we do get Carol Channing, Jonathan Winters, and several other brilliant guests. Tim Conway has been on a couple, but he was still doing Rango during the season I am currently viewing, so he will come on as permanent cast eventually.

The 30 minute length is perfect backdrop to clean up the kitchen with something light and frothy playing in the background.

JG

TokyoMagic! said...

David W., great job on the photoshopping! The girl looks pretty natural. The boy is the one who looks a little creepy, to me. He's reminding me of a certain Zuni fetish doll from a certain made-for-television movie. And this pic would have been taken just two months after that movie made it's TV debut.

"Lou and Sue" said...

The gal sure looks prettier, thanks to David & Major! But the boy is starting to push his dentures out of his mouth - just like my grandpa used to do when he wanted to freak-out us grandkids.

DrGoat said...

TM, you're right about Trilogy of Terror. I always wondered why they called that little maniac a Zuni fetish doll. Just doesn't fit with what the Zuni culture was about, but hey, it works so why question it. Lou & Sue, The kid also reminds me of Despicable Me 2. The evil minions. They must have gotten that idea from Trilogy of Terror.
JG, If I want to laugh, all I have to do is put in a few Tim Conway and Harvey Korman (and everyone on that show) skits on a DVD set I bought a while back. Priceless.

Nanook said...

@ Sue-
From the article in the L.A. Times, the updating 'sounds' pretty harmless, and ultimately kinda fun. The proof will be in the pudding, however...

After seeing David's handiwork, I'm going to go out and purchase a spare 'toothy grin'. (Watch out, ladies-!)

Melissa said...

Let’s just say Dan Curtis’s ideas of cultural sensitivity were, um, “of his time.”

"Lou and Sue" said...

BTW, I LOVE Philadelphia Freedom!

Nanook, with that terrific "lady killer" smile you already have, you don't need to purchase a 'toothy grin.' See HERE!

Nanook said...

@ Sue-
Yes, I'm unchanged-!

"Lou and Sue" said...

I just spotted this Disneyland slide on eBay, and it also needs a little help from David Whitford: See HERE!

TokyoMagic! said...

Sue, gee...the entire family looks miserably unhappy. And $111.75 for one slide??? That ebay seller must be totally cuckoo for cocoa puffs!

"Lou and Sue" said...

TokyoMagic! And that father is subconsciously showing his feelings through hand gestures, I think.

TokyoMagic! said...

Sue, WHOA! I didn't even notice that! And little Mary is taking note. She's looking at her father's hand and thinking, "Hmmmmmm, I'm going to try out that gesture with my pre-school teacher on Monday morning!"

Major Pepperidge said...

JG, I know, isn’t that hilarious? I once had a friend who sent me a cute photo of her two kids, but one of the kids was in mid-blink, and she asked me to try to fix it. I told her there was no way it would ever look right, but she asked me to try. Believe me, I did my best, but that cute little boy looked like an alien from another world! Bummer that the guest performers were deleted from those Carol Burnett episodes, I’m sure that it was rights issues. Still, sounds like fun.

TokyoMagic!, ha ha, yes, the boy looks like he wants to eat us. Zuni fetish doll? Is that from “I Love Lucy”? JOKING! Wow, good research, I hope these kids watched that movie, I saw it as a kid and have never forgotten it.

Lou and Sue, ha ha, I saw a video of an old man driving by some people in a convertible, and he pushed his top plate out to make a funny face - but the wind pulled his dentures out. I wonder if they were crushed by a following car?

DrGoat, my guess is that they just liked the sound of “Zuni fetish doll”, though I guess a little racism is probably mixed in there too. I have such great memories of The Carol Burnett Show, that was one that my mom and siblings watched whenever it was on. We absolutely loved it!

Nanook, yes, I am totally OK with the removal of the natives, I just hope they find suitable gags (presumably all animal based) that aren’t lame. Where does one buy a spare toothy grin? Zody’s?

Melissa, it’s true, and while that doesn’t make it OK, it helps to put it into context at least.

Lou and Sue, hey, I grew up with a mom who loved Elton John, so we listened to those early albums constantly. I still love so many of those songs. I don’t care if people think it’s uncool! Hey, I like the Ramones too. Ha ha, I love that photo of baby Nanook, he shoulda been on TV.

Nanook, when I met you a few years ago, I was surprised that you were wearing that same hat with the feather in it! ;-)

Lou and Sue, I CANNOT believe that this seller expects to get over $100 for that slide. It’s a good image, but… come on!

TokyoMagic!, it drives me crazy when I see eBay sellers asking $19.99 for a slide that has turned deep pink, and it’s not even a rare view. Folks think Disneyland collectors will buy anything!

Lou and Sue, YIKES!

TokyoMagic!, it’s surprising what kids will pick up on. I remember my brother-in-law referring to a woman as a “beeyatch”, and my niece immediately asked, “What’s a beeyatch??”. He said, “A silly person”, which I guess was an OK answer.