Thursday, March 04, 2021

Pirate Ship and Skull Rock, September 1968

I have two familiar (but nice) views as seen from the Skyway, scanned from some slightly-oversized slides that are lovely and clear.

Boy-howdy, this is about the prettiest picture of the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship I ever did see. I always have to point out those beautiful sails when they are unfurled, because there are many photos without them, and it makes a difference. I'm sure the didn't last long in the elements, and were expensive to replace.

From this vantage point the ship looks like an elaborate toy sitting in a miniature set. Anyway, it's nothing we haven't seen 300 times, but it sure looks great.


Continuing westward, our photographer turned and took this nice shot of Skull Rock. I wonder, if they built this today, would they leave the waterfalls out because those pumps use a lot of electricity, and that costs $$$? In the distance, the enormous (and fairly new) It's a Small World façade looms like a weird mirage.


53 comments:

"Lou and Sue" said...

These are GREAT pictures! I love 'em both!

Even Casey Junior makes an appearance in the 2nd shot.
And I like how that young man in the blue and orchid-color striped shirt is laying on his stomach (bottom right), looking into the pool of water - probably daydreaming. I notice the rest of his family color-coordinates with him quite nicely.

"Lou and Sue" said...

I also see that we get a pretty good glimpse of the Chicken of the Sea Mermaid, too, in the 2nd shot. I don't recall - does she have a name??

And, behind the it's a small world façade, what building do we see peeking over, on the left? Is that on Disney property? Just curious.

MIKE COZART said...

I can remembered so much of even my earliest visits to Disneyland ....but I have no memory of ever eating at the Jolly Roger nor ever going on the ship’s deck ..... as much as I like this area - I don’t think I ever spent much time there. I can recall going into the shop to look around ..... and many memories of cutting thru the cove and Skull Rock to use as a short cut and by pass the Fantasyland congestion around the Carousel etc.

Sue: that peaked building I believe to be the “roundhouse” where the monorails and Disneyland Railroad trains are kept and serviced. It’s still there today , and if you get onto the 5 South Freeway on Harbor and Katella , you get a perfect view of that building and in the evening with the lights on inside you can see which monorails are in there!

I’ve never heard of a name given to the Chicken of the Sea Mermaid. I was going to jokingly say her name is TINA TUNA ..... but I won’t be low-brow!! Lol!

Major : everytime you share an image of the Jolly Roger and Skull Rock Cove - makes me miss it even more.

Chuck said...

I love 'em both today, and I won't pick a favorite. In the first, the ship looks gorgeous with her sails unfurled, and you can see a corner of the little beach and JG's Rocks underneath the red Skyway bucket. In the second, you can see the entire waterfall system on Rabid Rock, some of it clearly intended to look best from the Skyway. Together, they give a great overview of this much-missed corner of Fantasyland.

Sue & Mike, that peaked building is the second, 3-bay monorail shed/maintenance facility, built around 1961. When it was still used for its original purpose, it was a separate structure from the railroad roundhouse (which was actually a rectangular building) located at the extreme NW corner of the Park. The current, combined roailroad/monorail roundhouse, built in 1965-66, is located on the other side of iasw.

The structure in today's photo lasted a long time as backstage storage or backshops, but was eventually torn down to make way for the show building for Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin. The original roundhouse lasted a lot longer, finally succumbing to Wookiee World construction just a few years ago.

MIKE COZART said...

Chuck : is was indeed sad - we got to watch the original 1955 Round House get demolished -it had been used as the cycle shop even up till the end. The two tracks were STILL visible on the machinist’s side - the pain and body finishing side still had the tracks , but were paved over for a smooth work surface. All disneyland vehicle repair and paint and body finishing was done in the 1955 roundhouse as soon as the train storage was relocated . Even park bench and trash can painting and maintainence was done there. Itself was a historic structure - even if it was simple corrugated steel . The far west end of the 1955 round house held the paint bake room for Fiberglas paint finishing - dumbos, bobsleds , big thunder ore cars etc. the bake room was relocated - but the structures perpendicular to the 1955 Roundhouse ( cycle shop) included the paint shop , a section of decorating , the sign shop and the mill shop - further down was facilities and engineering and the old blueprint room ( relocated to document control) - all original 1955-1960 Disneyland support structures - all torn down recently.

Stu29573 said...

What great shots! Somebody left the front door open on the Pirate Ship! That'll let in all those pesky Starfish and Seahorses!
The second shot is equally wonderful! Six Flags Over Texas tried building a Skull Island. Their skull looked...stupid.
Fun pics, Major!

Chuck said...

Oh, come on, Stu, it couldn't have been that bad.

Oh, wait - yes it was.

Chuck said...

Mike, thanks for that level of detail. I watched - aghast - on Google Earth as they tore that whole section out. At one point, the overhead imagery showed the construction zone, but the oblique imagery still showed the old buildings. I took screen grabs from north, south, east, and, um, oh, you know, the other cardinal point of the compass before that imagery came down so I'd have them for posterity.

JC Shannon said...

Wow! I love both of these shots. Skull Rock at night was a sight to behold. Spooky cool. For some reason, I am craving a tuna melt. Great peek at the Casey Train chugging up the hill. I am a big history nut, and I would love to poke around old structures and shops on the property. I bet that building is where they keep Major's private Mark I. Show me the fins, baby. Thanks Major.

K. Martinez said...

I agree. Both pics are equally great today! Skull Rock Cove was such a magical place to be and I loved picking up my tuna salad sandwich, beverage and strawberry Jello inside the Pirate Ship and bringing it to the back dining area. It's my most missed lost restaurant of Disneyland. Thanks, Major.

Major Pepperidge said...

Lou and Sue, yep, Casey Jr. snuck into photo #2, he’s just in the right spot. Good eye on the kid gazing into the water!

Lou and Sue, I’ve never heard the Chicken of the Sea mermaid having a name, though they might have an “in-house” name for her. I was going to answer your question about that building, but see that others have already done a much more thorough job of it!

Mike Cozart, same for me, my family never dined of the Pirate Ship, and we never so much as stepped foot in/on it either. Much to my amazement. Maybe there were lines out the door? I can’t imagine. Was there a shop inside the Pirate Ship?!! My #1 favorite memory of this area is when the skull’s eyes glowed green at night. I thought that was the coolest thing! Thanks for answering Sue’s question. And “Tina Tuna”, yeah, maybe not! I miss these features too, they were more important to the overall atmosphere of Fantasyland than the folks in 1983 knew.

Chuck, I have to admit, both of these are particularly pretty views; you can’t go wrong with either one of them. I love that little beach. JG will be glad to know that those rocks belong to him! And you make a good point, they clearly designed some of those upper waterfalls on Skull Rock to look good from above, which is pretty cool. Thank you for all of the information about the various roundhouses and monorail sheds! I didn’t know that the original roundhouse was still around until so recently.

Mike Cozart, oh man, I hate that. Yet another artifact of the 1950s torn down. It sounds like it was a very useful place, I wonder where they do all of that painting and repair now? A “paint bake room”, I need one of those. Thanks for all of the great information!

Stu29573, I’ll bet the folks working in the kitchen left that door ajar; imagine how hot it could get in there on a September day - and I’m sure there was no air conditioning. I’ve seen the Six Flags Over Texas skull, it’s not as cool as the Disneyland version, but hey, I’ll take any skull-shaped rocks.

Chuck, I find that skull to be pretty charming!

Chuck, you were smart to get those screen grabs. I didn’t know that Google Earth updated their views so regularly that you could actually get “in progress” shots like that.

Jonathan, I love a good tuna sandwich, though it always seems like adding melted cheese turns a healthy thing into something, well… less healthy. Delicious though. I’ve tried making the tunaburgers from the recipe that is floating around the Internet, they are good, though I like to add more lemon and Tobasco. Based on what Chuck and Mike said, I wonder if there are many old structures left to explore?

K. Martinez, I have to admit, other than the Blue Bayou, which was expensive, I can’t think of any other dining area (especially for a quick sandwhich) that was as beautiful. I wish I’d experienced it.

JG said...

Well, I left a long comment and Blogger crashed and destroyed it.

Chuck, thanks for naming those rocks after me. I appreciate it. Good memories there.

Sue, sounds like you got plenty of roundhouse info. Check out youtube for monorail ride video that will show the rail switch.

I promise to try a tuna melt since so many here like them. Tuna and cheese sounds weird to me though.

Thanks Major, great memories today.

JG

Anonymous said...

Any pictures of the Pirate Ship and Skull Rock are
always welcome & these are extra special.

I have to say that the Six Flags Skull has some serious
dental issues...

-DW

MRaymond said...

Wookie World !! Thanks for the laugh-out-loud moment of the day.

Melissa said...

Yo ho, yo ho, a tuna pie for me!
We've salads and sandwiches, Fritos and drinks,
Eat up, me hearties, yo ho!
But don't eat so much that the restaurant sinks,
Eat up, me hearties, yo ho!
Yo ho, yo ho, a tuna pie for me!

Anonymous said...

Yes Major...there were lines outside the ship on very busy days as we waited to place and receive our orders for those tuna sandwiches. I can remember standing on the deck and looking out over the teacups to this day...and of course standing behind Skull Falls on those hot afternoons to cool off in the mist. Probably smelled like the water after that but nobody seemed to care...we were ALL doing it! KS

DrGoat said...

Thanks Major. They certainly do bring up some great memories.
I loved the tuna salad fish sandwiches, but I wholeheartedly agree with you and J.G. about the cheese. There are only a few things to mix tuna with for a sandwich, and cheese isn't one of them. Even the thought of warm tuna casserole makes me a bit queasy.
Do miss that little corner of Disneyland. The pics of them demolishing the ship almost brought tears to my eyes.
Great comments, thanks for the laughs. A fine little ditty that is Melissa.
Thanks again Major and friends. I needed a laugh today. I got a Federal Jury summons yesterday, but they have a waiver for people 70 and older or if you have health issues. I've done my civic duty 5 or 6 times. That's enough for me. Going for that golden waiver.

Nanook said...

Major-
Considering the number of images preserved from this area in Disneyland, one would think we've seen them all. But these two are definite standouts-! I could spend the rest of the afternoon just looking deeper and deeper into each one.

Thanks, Major.

Major Pepperidge said...

JG, I’m sorry Blogger ruined your comment. If I leave long comments (such as my replies to everybody), I type them in a text program, and then copy/paste it into the comments section. At least if something goes wrong, I have the whole thing in a document, which can go into the trash afterwards. I need to watch that rail switch video too! I agree about tuna and cheese, it took me years to muster up the courage to try a tuna melt. I think I’m more of a tunaburger guy, personally.

DW, I don’t know whether to credit the photographer, the camera (with a good lens), or just dumb luck for making these two photos look so nice. Maybe a little of all three. Maybe if we all chip in, we can get some dentures for the Six Flags skull! Super white, big ones.

MRaymond, what happens in Wookie World stays in Wookie World.

Melissa, I’m if only the Pirate Ship was still around, they could use your song and pay you a million bucks for the privilege!

KS, it’s funny, in spite of the MANY photos that I have of the Pirate Ship, I don’t recall any that have a line going out the door. But of course I believe that it could get overwhelmed on a busy day. Standing in that cool, shady grotto getting misted by the waterfalls sounds like the best thing ever!

DrGoat, I finally had a tuna melt at my school cafeteria; it wasn’t bad, really, but I didn’t crave another one. But I love tuna noodle casserole! My mom used to make it, and put potato chips on the top (Ruffles) for some salty crunch. It was great, though I did not care for the olives that she put in it. I’d pick those out, much to the annoyance of my dad. Oh jeez, a jury summons; my brother just got one too! I think you have earned a break, tell them they can ruin somebody else’s day!

Nanook, I think part of the magic is that these are so clear and crisp, and they were taken on a bright sunny day. I agree, they are standouts compared to many similar photos.

DrGoat said...

Tuna/noodle casserole sounds OK, as long as it's not warm. Lots of Laura Scudder's potato chips if you please.

MIKE COZART said...

Major: “shop” was suppose to be “ship” - the interior were you would order your food. I remember running in there one time with a friend to see what was inside .... . I also don’t have any memories of people being out on the deck of the ship for some reason .... it’s possible I didn’t know you could go up there ..... . I got to go to Disneyland 2-3 times a year .... mostly it would be in their off season ... so maybe there were never enough people on it for me to notice . And in the early 80’s when I started photographing the park new fantasyland was getting underway so it’s possible the deck was already closed off then. We would ride the skyway to see the new construction and I tended to photograph that - the pictures from that time I do have of the Jolly Roger from the 1981-1982 show no guests on deck exploring- but a few sprinkles of people seated at the grotto tables - But the park is not crowded at all - which could be the explanation.

I have an original 1969 color board guide with a John Hench approval signature showing the colors for the mermaid - I’ll have to pull it out and see if any name is given to her .... I think it is for the mermaid on the aft of the ship’s carving and not the figure head.

Anonymous said...

Major, I will have to use your trick, I guess. I signed in, and then took a few minutes to add more comments. I guess it wants you to post quickly after sign-in.

Dr. Goat, I had a Federal Summons about 25 years ago, I had to live in Sacramento in a motel for a week. Only good thing was that I didn't get on a jury, and the state paid for the room and board. I ate pretty well at government expense.

Dr. Goat, as you probably know, there's a long standing taboo in Italian cooking about fish and cheese, not just tuna. I'm not Italian, but it makes sense to me. I cannot stand tuna casserole, probably the one thing I have asked my wife to not make while I am around (the kids loved it). But I love the Italian salad of white beans, onions, and tuna fish, so go figure.

Here is the link to the monorail video I mentioned earlier.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG0DodrAF_Q

The view of the switch is at about the 2.00 hour mark. I left this on in the background while working last week. Not every ride has exemplary video, but it's good enough for many rides. The video is bookmarked so you can find what you want easily. I wish I had the time and access to Disneyland so I could make up one like this for myself.

MRaymond, I think Tokyo deserves credit for the Wookie World cognomen. It's perfect.

JG

DrGoat said...

JG,
Both my parents came from northern Italy. I guess that's the reason for my opinion about tuna and cheese. Also agree about tuna casserole. Antipasto salad with tuna is yummy! Had a lot of that growing up.
Thanks for the link. I check out Freshbaked a few times a week. David has lots of great videos. He loves the Park. And it really shows. Good for him.

Chuck said...

Don`t give me too much credit, Major - I'm not quite sure anymore exactly where I saved those screen grabs. Probably on a computer somewhere. Maybe.

Melissa said...

I used to love me a patty melt, but I’ve never been tempted to try a tuna melt. Mom always made a separate tunaless casserole for my sister who’s allergic to seafood.

Stu29573 said...

I wish to share my personal tuna melt recipe.
Stu's Tuna Melt:
Take two pieces of sour dough bread and put 1/2 can of white tuna on one.
Put a 1/8 inch thick piece of sharp cheddar cheese on it and put the top bread on.
Grill in a skillet with LOTS of butter (1/4 to 1/2 stick).
Smoosh often and firmly with a spatula. Flip it and do the other side
When golden brown on both sides (and only about 1/2 inch thick) eat.
You will thank me.

"Lou and Sue" said...

Mike & Chuck: Thank you for the building info! Tina Tuna - hahahaha! Mike, when you get a chance, please do check to see if she was given a name and let us know.

JG: Something that I do, while typing up my comments, is to "highlight" and "copy" them after every several sentences that I type. Then, if something goes wrong (darn blogger), I just "paste" what I had copied and go from there. I have learned the hard way, believe me!

Melissa, I love your lyrics!

Stu, I will have to try your Tuna Melt, as I LOVE tuna melts and tuna casseroles.

I really enjoyed all the comments today from everyone - thank you!

Omnispace said...

I love the photos today - so colorful and you can catch a glimpse of the rock benches at the bottom of the second photo.

I remember climbing around on those upper decks but only when I was very young. After that our family didn't seem to have any interest in getting a snack there. Perhaps if they had offered some fresh ahi with a side of wasabi the ship would still be there today?

Tina Tuna - didn't she make a huge comeback in the mid 80's?

Chuck said...

Stu, when you cut the can of tuna in half, do you normally cut on the flat sides or on the round part?

Stu29573 said...

I cut the center out...

MIKE COZART said...

Actually , TINA TUNA was a character in FOOD ROCKS at the Land Pavilion inside EPCOT CENTER ....possible the first of the REALLY BAD Disney attractions like Monsters Comedy Floor , Stich’s Great Escape ........ ironically I think the same show writer worked on all three - thank god for all of us he recently “retired”

"Lou and Sue" said...

Mike, I forgot about Tina Tuna - you're right!
The "Land Pavilion" in Epcot was really all educational stuff - so I thought they did a good job of entertaining (good music), while teaching, with "Food Rocks." It was one of those "educational" shows that you see once, and that was enough. All the exhibits in that original Food Pavilion were educational and not necessarily "entertaining."

Mike, regarding "Stitch's Great Escape" - I never saw that - but I LOVED ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter and was sad to see it replaced by Stitch (even though Stitch is a cute character). It always amazed me that parents would not heed the signs to avoid taking their little kids into the Alien Encounter. While standing in line, I would even warn them, but they'd ignore the warnings, and their kids would be screaming in terror by the time they left that attraction. Stupid parents ruined that one. (Remember burnt Skippy and "Bon Voyaggggge"?)

MIKE COZART said...

Sue : Alien Encounter was fun . But it was one of those attractions most Disney guests didn’t understand - they were use to Disney Scary ( like Haunted Mansion type scary ) not terrifying . And people often got very upset in it - throwing up .... pissing their pants etc.

Similar to when Space Mountain opened in 1974 - people didn’t understand and expected it to be a gentle atmospheric ride around the planets and space ... and they ignored the warning thinking it was just for atmosphere - so WED added a pylon out front with astronauts in a space mountain rocket sled swooping down in a spiral to let guests know “THIS WILL HAPPEN TO YOU!!”

Alien Encounter also suffered from a incorrect set up when it opened - the first preshow featured comedian Phil Hartman doing the first demonstration with Skippy - the mood and setting was mostly humorous and comedic ... despite Skippy’s condition at the end . Then the start of the main transport chamber was also comedic then goes into SCARY - then FRIGHTENING .

It was later re- done to have more of an ominous - fear building set up and phil Hartman’s character and script was changed to a disturbing intent tone voiced by Tim Curry.

But to many of those first unknowning Alien Encounter guests they thought they were gonna see a “ carousel of progress / Dating Game Show musical comedy ...

"Lou and Sue" said...

Mike, I love your last comments! So True!
But I do feel sorry for the cast members who worked that attraction...from what you said - they had some messes to clean up!

I would love to hear from some more of the other Jr. Gorillas and their thoughts and experiences with it (Alien Encounter). Hopefully, more will check back here tomorrow and comment...

Melissa said...

Stitch’s Great Escape, Alien Encounter - I still miss Mission to Mars!

Dean Finder said...

Don't trash talk my beloved "Living with the Land" at EPCOT, Sue. It's possibly my favorite attraction there (also one of the last ones not significantly changed from opening day)
The original singing food show, Kitchen Kabaret, had some charm to it. Food Rocks was the 1990s update that lost the charm for cheap cultural references. It's not missed by anyone as far as I can tell.

Omnispace said...

Mike - Thanks for that info on Food Rocks. I had no idea that Tina Tuna was actually a bad-pun character in that show. Please don't tell me that she sang Proud Mary. And were rolling, rolling, rolling on the river...

"Lou and Sue" said...

Please don’t get me wrong, Dean, I enjoyed everything at the “Land” and went there a number of times, but it seems like so much of the “educational” stuff has fallen by the wayside, sadly, and not appreciated anymore.

Major Pepperidge said...

DrGoat… COLD tuna noodle casserole rather than hot? Man. Whatever floats your boat I guess! ;-)

Mike Cozart, oh, ha ha. There is a very real possibility that I did not know that there was even a restaurant inside the Pirate Ship. That was a long time ago though, so I can’t say for sure. I definitely did not know about the who grotto area behind the ship. It almost seems hard to believe that, as many times as I went to the park for a brief period of time, that I NEVER managed to wander back there. I think you must be right, you don’t recall folks being on the decks because you happened to be there on uncrowded days. I’d bet that busy days found folks crawling all over the ship! I’d love to see that John Hench color callout sheet if you can find it, for sure.

JG, since I am the blog administrator, I have never had problems with my own comments, but you are not the only person to have issues. Wow, a Federal summons! I’ve never had one of those, thank goodness. I did not know that Italians have a taboo against fish with cheese. Does that include shellfish, I wonder? Gosh, I loved tuna noodle casserole growing up. Haven’t had it in years, but it was one of my favorite things. Thank you for the link to the video, it’s neat!

DrGoat, I like tuna many different ways. My sister and her husband liked to cook thick tuna steaks on a red-hot cast iron pan on the grill, and added some sort of herb oil. So good!

Chuck, I know what you mean, I’ve saved so many photos and mp3s over the years, and feel like some of them have just vanished.

Melissa, oh man, I used to always order the patty melt when I went to a coffee shop with my grandma. There’s something about that rye bread.

Stu29573, I can tell that your recipe is good because it has plenty of butter! That gets it nice and golden and crispy. Many chefs say to use unsalted butter, but I like the saltiness on most things. Next time I go to the store I’ll have to get the fixins and make myself a tuna melt. Thanks!

Major Pepperidge said...

Lou and Sue, according to a 2014 article, the Chicken of the Sea mermaid was finally given a name in a contest; “Catalina”! Definitely an unusual moniker. I kind of like it, I think?

Omnispace, I still remember reading an issue of “Disney News” with an article about the Tuna Boat, and they gave a recipe for a simple tuna sandwich that made me hungry at the time. I probably still have the issue around somewhere! Fresh ahi with wasabi was probably not something most Americans would have wanted back in the day.

Chuck, I let my robot butler decide how it wants to do it.

Stu29573, that way you get the best part of the tuna! Throw away the rest of course.

Mike Cozart, I’m sure many people have fond memories of “Food Rocks”, but I remember watching a video of the show once, and thought that it was one I could miss if I ever visited EPCOT in person. Just not my thing I guess. I wonder who this mysterious writer was, and why did he manage to keep getting assignment after assignment?

Lou and Sue, I actually love entertainment that educates, though I’m not crazy about the word “edutainment” for some reason. I loved the old “True Life Adventures”, and things like that, when I was a kid. I would have totally been on board for a scary attraction like ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter. And as much as I like Stitch (in “Lilo and Stitch”), I’ve heard recordings of that show, and it sounds… not great.

Mike Cozart, I would love it if Disney tried to do a truly scary Haunted Mansion-type ride. Maybe not with that name, but if they ditched the humor, and went more for creepy scares… that would be so cool! Gosh, Space Mountain got so much publicity, it’s hard to imagine that people didn’t know what to expect. And YET… I am sure it is true. Folks expect everything at a Disney park to be suitable for three year-olds. I’m sure I’ve heard a recording of the Tim Curry version of Alien Encounter… I thought it was Kelsey Grammar! Shows what I know. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention.

Lou and Sue, oy vey, just the thought of having to regularly clean up bodily fluids… there isn’t enough money in the world!

Melissa, I would give anything to experience Mission to Mars again, I always loved the concept of the two screens, one at the bottom, and one at the top. Kind of brilliant.

Dean Finder, I know I have been guilty of saying unflattering things about some beloved attractions - such as the Country Bear Jamboree, which just never clicked with me. I wanted to like it, but just… didn’t. As for ANY original EPCOT attraction, I would have loved to have seen them as they were when they were new and everything was in working order.

TokyoMagic! said...

I'm late to the party, but what else can I add? Not much. I love these photos just as much as if they were pics of the Carousel of Progress or the Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland!

And yes, I like being irreverent and calling Disney's newest "land," Wookie World or Ewok Alley. But "Wookie World" seems to be the one that kind of, sort of caught on with a few people. I also like just calling it "Star Wars Land," ever since I was told that Disney management hates it when they hear someone call it that!

Melissa said...

Tatooinetown?

Chuck said...

Main Avenue, B.S.O.

TokyoMagic! said...

Melissa, can you can take the Tauntaun Trolley to Tatooinetown?

Chuck, or Main Avenue?

Anonymous said...

The pirate ship and the later-added Skull Rock were the very heart of Fantasyland to me. They were just so cool. I miss them.

Anonymous said...

Major, yes, as far as I know, in Italian food, shellfish are not served with cheese either. I don't pay much attention since shellfish are on my list of "cannot eat".

Have to say, though, Stu's recipe sounds enticing.

That Federal Summons was like regular jury duty on steroids, I was on call for a whole week, far from home, and sat in on several trials, but was not empaneled on any. When they found out my profession, every defense attorney rejected me. The best part though, I was not called again for jury duty for almost 20 years. I guess my name was tagged or something. I had to go two years ago here in the county court,so immunity wore off.

Reading the other comments makes me wish I had seen Epcot. It sounds like so much fun.

JG

Dean Finder said...

Sue - I know it's all in good fun :-)


Also, Tina Tuna isn't the worst parody in that show. I'd hand that title to "Pita Gabriel" (Peter Gabriel) who sings a parody of "Sledge Hammer" about grains called "High Fiber"

"Lou and Sue" said...

Dean:
;o)
Pita Gabriel was creepy looking too!

"Lou and Sue" said...

Regarding Federal Court jury duty, I cringed reading about it here...

In the early 1980s, before it was changed to 1 week, the Federal Court would assign you to a full month of jury duty (at least that's what they did to my husband). Since it happened to be a 31-day month, he was assigned for 5 full weeks. Upon arriving for his first day of duty, the judge announced that they were also picking a Grand Jury panel from his (my husband's) group -- and that meant a straight 18 months of jury duty with NO EXCEPTIONS. Thankfully, my husband wasn't picked for the Grand Jury, he just had to sit for a couple trials during the 5 week period. The worst part was that his employer did NOT pay him (or any of the employees) for the work days they missed. A measly $10 a day jury-pay barely covered his commute expenses for the long travel trip, to and fro. Eighteen months of Grand Jury Duty would've probably bankrupted us, as we were newly married and just starting out...

Major Pepperidge said...

Holy smokes! This post might have set a record for comments. I sure was surprised to look just now and see that so many more had been added since I last checked! So much fun.

Omnispace, I am embarrassed to admit that I didn’t even pick up on the “Tina Tuna”/“Tina Turner” thing. I guess I’m slow.

Lou and Sue, I’m sure Dean is furious! ;-) I agree, folks don’t like learnin’ so much anymore.

TokyoMagic!, I’m glad you liked these a lot! It seems that they were pretty popular, even more so than I expected. I love that you get a kick out of needling the Disney management. It’s probably even better when their anger is subtle. Bulging forehead veins, popping eyes, barely-disguised venom!

Melissa, OH NO.

Chuck, “B.S.O.”?? Bilateral Salipingo-Oophorectomy?

TokyoMagic!, The Tauntaun Trolley is now a static prop. Remember when there were supposed to be lots of street performers in “Galaxy’s Edge”, and then… there weren’t?

Anonymous, I agree with you; pre-Skull Rock, the Pirate Ship was nice, but was basically in a concrete swimming pool. When the beautiful lagoon and rocks (including skull-shaped rocks) were added, it turned into something really special.

JG, so I guess I am not supposed to dip my deep-fried shrimp into queso sauce? I feel so low-brow. I know that we are lucky, in a way, to be asked to do our civic duty, but that Federal Summons sounds like some sort of torture. Although, not getting called for jury duty for another 20 years almost makes it worth it!

Dean Finder, “Pita Gabriel”, oh man. Did they have to pay Peter a fee? I realize it is parody, but even so. If he allowed it, it shows that he had a sense of humor. I have seen a photo of Peter when he was in Genesis, with his “reverse mohawk”, at Disneyland, so maybe he was a fan of the park?

Lou and Sue, Now I have to look that up!

Lou and Sue, a full MONTH? It’s not like you have anything else going on in your life. Jeez! Holy smokes, your poor husband, he really went through an ordeal, even without being selected for the Grand Jury. Again, everyone should do their civic duty, but don’t make it seem like some sort of punishment!

THANKS for all the comments, everybody!

TokyoMagic! said...

Ugh! I remember that fish character from "Food Rocks" at EPCOT, even though I only saw the show once. She may have been named "Tina Tuna," but she was doing an impression of Cher, while singing a parody of "It's In His Kiss." Just dreadful! And she was lowered from the ceiling, a la Teddi Berra from Country Bear Jamboree....nothing original! It's too bad they felt the need to replace the classic "Kitchen Kabaret" show, with the pure dreck of "Food Rocks." They ruin everything, don't they?

Chuck said...

B.S.O. = Black Spire Outpost, the fictional (no - really!) setting of Galaxy's Edge.

TokyoMagic! said...

Oh, I forgot to comment on the B.S.O. comment by Chuck! Major, I didn't know what that was either. I did a Google search and got the same scary surgical definition that you came up with! Thanks for clearing that up, Chuck!

Major, I do remember all of the interactive street characters that were planned for Star Wars Land. I guess they decided that they didn't want to spend the money, which seems like that's always the case with them. And speaking of "Trolleys," did you read about that third "ride" that was supposed to go into the new land? It was going to be a "PeopleMover" type of ride, with guests riding on the backs of Banthas. It was also a victim of cutbacks. I just wish one of the cutbacks had been a decision to not build part of Star Wars Land on top of Walt's Frontierland. That land did not need to be THAT big!