Once again, lack of time and inspiration have prevented me from making something silly for April first. But that doesn't mean that today will be a waste of your time - far from it! GDB friend David W. has generously shared some wonderful photos from his time working at the park in 1979. These are all from the classic Submarine Voyage.
David did a great job restoring the color on these, especially this first example, with some of the Sub crew fellows working hard. Well, one of them is working hard, while the other appears to be listening to a baseball game on his transistor radio ("Steve Garvey just hit a double!"). These guys look like they are truly enjoying their jobs. Peoplemover alert!
Here's a rare view from inside one of the Subs, with another happy cast member waving at the camera. Not everyone is suited for a voyage beneath the polar ice caps, but this guy has seen it all.
This guy, on the other hand, has officially lost his marbles! The claustrophobia (and powdered eggs) have finally gotten to him, and he is desperately trying to claw his way out of the conning tower. He was hauled away on a stretcher, babbling about a sea serpent, the poor wretch.
Many thanks to David W. for sharing these very fun photos! He has more to come.
I love seeing people happy in their work.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great group of photos. Especially the interior shot of one of the subs. All these cast members look like they have a sense of humor which is probably needed considering the working conditions of being cramped standing up inside a tight space. Thanks for sharing these extra cool Disneyland photos with us, David W. Thanks for hosting, Major.
ReplyDeleteMajor- I need to add that these photos were shot by Tim L.- a friend from high school, who also worked there at the same time. He sent me copies of the pictures about couple months ago.
ReplyDeleteHere are some personal notes to go along with the photos. Of the 4 attractions that I worked on in Tomorrowland- I liked the Submarine Voyage the best. One of the main reasons was the uniform- some of it being actual navy surplus, including pea coats that you could get from wardrobe on cold nights. The interior shot reminds me that there was a platform right by the ladder, that you would stand on while looking out of the conning tower. On this platform, there was a bracket with a foot pedal (a "dead man's switch") that you had to depress in order for the sub to operate. One of the 1st items you were taught in training, was that a quarter placed between the pedal & bracket would allow you to sit comfortably up in the sail (conning tower). The last pic brings to mind the time when one of the cast members on the dock was trying to get the attention of guy in sub, by tapping on the porthole with his foot- he successfully knocked the plexiglass window inwards. The sub was consequently pulled off the main line & put in the storage area for repair. Fun times ;).
To put some names to the faces- that's Ed P. with the radio, Greg V. inside & Bob C. trying to get out.
Thanks Major for posting these & the funny comments to go along with them.
-DW (David W.)
These are great shots! I wonder if David, Tim, Ed, Greg, or Bob, knew Scott and Shelia from the River Belle Terrace? Wouldn't that be fun if they all swapped jobs, just for one day?
ReplyDeleteMajor, these photos remind me of the "I Love Lucy" episode, where the Ricardos and the Mertzes go to Florida and rent a small submersible. Lucy ends up piloting the submarine and of course, chaos ensues! Happy April Fool's Day, Major!
Thank you David W. and Major, for sharing these with us!
Great images ! ......... and with high tech sonar we can actually hear these cast members talk.....Major and David : thank you for sharing these with us!!
ReplyDeleteHow fun are these? You don't have to even think about it; the answer is "Pretty darn fun!" In '79 I would have been just slightly younger than these guys. What a dream job this would have been! That is, until you accidently launched a Polaris missile and blew Fudgie the Whale to Kingdom Come! Poor Fudgie.
ReplyDeleteA huge thank you to David and Tim!
So many sub interior details I'd totally forgotten that all come back - the ladder to the conning tower, the exposed cabling along the bulkhead, the hatch at the end of the row of seats under the spiral ladderway.
ReplyDeleteA workplace can be so much fun when you serve with the right crew.
Thanks DW, Tim L., and Major P.!
Thanks for sharing these great photos! The color restoration is brilliant, highlighting the morning sunlight caressing the waterfall rocks and Peoplemover! The golden hues look almost as edible as those powdered eggs!
ReplyDeleteThe interior shot is great in that there is no flash 'washout' for such an enclosed space. Man, that looks like a fun job!!
Now about the crew member and the powdered eggs. I guess having all those eggs in an enclosed space might result in all sorts of olfactorious (word?) faux pas'es.
Now, I'm listening to the soundtrack...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9HhGCqA9N8
Oh, does anyone know if the soundtrack underwent any changes during its time (1959-1998)?
ReplyDeleteThanks David. Very personal and also conjures up memories of climbing down into the sub back when I was a kid. Very exciting. I think the last trip under the sea was for us was in 2012.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun group. I envy you those times.
Thanks Major and David.
David W., Tim L. and Major: Thank you for these great pictures! This job had to be sooooo much fun - please share more stories. David, is that a side-view of you? If it is, please turn our way!
ReplyDeleteClyde, thanks for the youtube link. I just finished listening to it and now feel like I'm a kid, again, in Disneyland.
Great start to the day, even if it is April Fool's Day!
Melissa- I'll bet they were whistling, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Clyde. I'm listening right now! Dive!
ReplyDeleteGreat fun getting a glimpse of the comradery at the workplace, especially if your workplace is Disneyland! Thanks David W and Tim L.
Thanks, Major, for posting these.
zach
Thanks to David for sharing his personal photos with us today! Happy April Fool’s Day, everyone! Get out your magnifying glass!
ReplyDelete(The Other) David-
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing these great moments with us. It's so nice to see Disneyland from the 'other side' of the rope, and hope it was as much for you folks as it was for those of us luxuriating in the joy of sharing in walt's big dream.
Thanks to both David's for sharing.
Clyde, thanks for the link (I agree L&S, does take you back) and Andrew, thanks for the pics. Have you checked out
ReplyDeletehttps://adventurelandia.tumblr.com/? A neat place for some good Disney pics.
Thanks one and all.
Wow, this would have been a dream job for me!
ReplyDeleteDavid, Tim, Major P, thanks so much for sharing these, I sure loved the submarines, and cannot imagine why anyone would want to change them.
I am definitely listening to that soundtrack, thank you for the link, Clyde.
Really enjoying all the backstage shots, Major. A whole different perspective.
JG
Thanks for the link, DrGoat!
ReplyDeleteI did something with each of the pictures I linked - I wonder who will realize...
Nanook, maybe we should call them David 1 and David 2. What is it about piloting big machines, that fascinates me to this day? The first thing I thought of when I saw these most excellent pics, is I would really like to take the controls of that sub. Monorail or Mine Train engineer, sign me up! I will dine out on these the whole day. Hey Andrew, who is that handsome dude hiding from us? Thanks to the Dynamic Duo for todays awesome scans.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, my favorites are “sharing” and “Day”! Thanks for adding those!
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I just read your last comment and looked CLOSELY at the first photo you attached - how cool!!! Now I'll look CLOSELY at the others. THANK YOU!
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I found all of them! Boy, you did a GREAT job! Hahahaha regarding the train photo!! The Tomorrowland overview was the hardest!
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed that you found them all, Sue! They're some of my favorite GDB pictures. I guess it's not an April Fools' Day prank, but I wanted to post something fun.
ReplyDeleteBrings me back to those days. So many of us had fun working there...could be attractions, merchandise or even the overnight cleanup crew. You name it, it was magical indeed....and made even better when you knew that you had management backing you...and encouraging fun...within reason of course. Still we got away with so many antics. The loss of Ron Dominguez and Jim Cora this year...those who managed us then...makes these images bittersweet. I treasure the ones I have from those I worked with. KS
ReplyDelete@ Andrew-
ReplyDeleteI'm still struggling with a couple of the images. (It gives me something to live for-!) You prankster, you-! Thanks.
DrGoat, I'm a longtime follower of the adventurelandia tumblr, too! Lots of great stuff there.
ReplyDeleteMelissa, they really DO seem to be enjoying theselves!
ReplyDeleteK. Martinez, somehow I didn’t remember the sub interiors looking quite so minimal, but I guess I didn’t pay attention when I was a kid; I just headed right to my porthole and that was that! I wonder if some people actually did get too claustrophobic to work in the Subs?
DW, thanks for the additional information, and t hanks to Tim L. I have a vintage Submarine Voyage hat badge, and it looks virtually identical to real Navy badges, except for the added Disneyland “D” on top. I’m sure they were made by the same supplier. Interesting about the dead man’s switch. If you used a 50 cent piece, you would have been even MORE comfortable! Now I know that the conning tower windows were plexiglass, which I never thought about. Clearly the response to these photos shows how great they are!
TokyoMagic!, good old Scott and Shelia. When I think of all the good times! (Who are Scott and Shelia??). I remember that episode of I Love Lucy, when the sub goes too deep and implodes, killing everyone but Fred Mertz, who turns out to be indestructible.
Mike Cozart, I knew you would like these!
Stu29573, I was always jealous of the people who lived close enough to the park to work there when they were young. If my family had lived closer, I would have been there right around this same time (though, like you, I’m a few years younger). The mere thought of harm coming to Fudgie makes me sad.
Chuck, as soon as I saw that sub interior, I knew it would be neat for some of us; I remembered the ladder up to the conning tower, because a part of my criminal mind wanted to climb up and see what was up there! But my Navy dad would have had none of that nonsense.
Clyde Hughes, everyone knows that a diet high in powdered eggs usually leads to insanity. It’s a scientific fact! You make a good point, I’d expect a photo taken at close range inside the subs to look like an A-bomb had just gone off. I don’t want to even think about being trapped inside a sub with somebody having… issues. Thanks for that, ha ha!
Clyde Hughes, I believe that I have two slightly different spiels for the subs in my collection, presumably one is an update. It’s been a while since I’ve listened to them.
DrGoat, I can’t even remember the last time I rode the non-Nemo subs. Maybe in the 1990s I guess. In spite of its age, I loved it just as much as always.
Lou and Sue, for sure, I’d love to hear tons of stories from the Submarine crews! There must be a lot. And David provided a photo of himself during his time at Disneyland that I will share at a future date!
zach, Disney employees used to always whistle a merry tune.
ReplyDeletezach, I’ve read enough accounts of employee’s time at Disneyland in the 1960s, 1970s, and even the 1980s (our friend Huck) that I don’t know why anybody in Anaheim would have worked anyplace else!
Andrew, hmmm, interesting! It is embarrassing when one of the readers puts more effort into April Fools Day than the host. Thank you for what you did, it’s a nice tribute to some of the GDB regulars!
Nanook, I encourage any other former CMs to please share more of their personal photos and stories!!
DrGoat, I hope you looked extra-closely at some of the photos, particularly the first one. You might see something familiar!
JG, I know that the Subs were low-capacity, and apparently very expensive to operate, but they were so cool! I can’t help wishing I could have shown the original ride to my niece and nephew, but… no such luck.
Andrew, I have to admit that a couple of the photos has me stumped! But I’m going to keep looking.
Jonathan, what are you talking about? My name is Major Pepperidge! I have to admit that I have thought more about piloting the Monorail, Mine Train, or DLRR, but come on, who wouldn’t want to pilot a submarine?!
Lou and Sue, AHA, I finally saw the secret in “Day”!!
Lou and Sue, yes, you really do have to look closely. I’m still stumped on one or two. Or three.
Lou and Sue, man, I need to take more time to look. Once I’m done responding to comments!
Andrew, your idea is a great one, I wish I’d thought of it!!
KS, it’s funny, until our friend Huck joined us, I used to think that the only job I would want at the park would be as a ride operator on one of the cooler rides. But he has talked about how much fun he had as a sweeper, so now I think THAT would have been a good one too. The fact that he was free to go around and talk to lots of girls is a big part of the appeal, ha ha!
Nanook, ME TOO. Andrew did a good job!
Melissa, yes, that’s a very good Tumblr, I don’t know where the guy has the time to post so much stuff.
Sue- No, I'm not in any of the sub photos. The only picture (that I have seen) of me in my sub uniform is in this small cast picture from 1980.
ReplyDeletehttps://davelandblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/tomorrowland-cast-member-shot-1980.html
I'm in the back row (ground floor) with the other sub cast members (light blue shirts, wearing hats), almost dead center, 2 rows back from the lady supervisor in the dark dress, just to the right of the guy w/ glasses. I recall having to come to work early that day for the picture.
Clyde Hughes- About the soundtrack, I seem to recall some of the narration in the North Pole area was changed slightly at one time. I'm not sure of any other changes. Talking with my friend Tim- he said one of the guys that he worked with, knew the spiel so well, that he would turn the recording off & say the whole narration on the microphone.
I'm glad everyone is enjoying the pics.
-DW
@ Andrew-
ReplyDeleteI finally got them all. Whew-!
Nanook, you were in it twice, weren’t you?!
ReplyDeleteWell done, Andrew, although I have to call a minor foul on the "Day" image - that's actually called a "Mars light." :-)
ReplyDeleteStill playing "Where's Waldo?" on "sharing" and "Get."
Found 'em. Plus a pencil, a comb, and a chicken.
ReplyDeleteI think I found Fudgie the Whale, too! Did you?
ReplyDeleteThanks, David W., Tim L., Major and Andrew, for the fun day!
Andrew, please confirm: Is Nanook in that one, twice?? Sure looks like him.
Here's one more that I made with the others but forgot to include. My apologies!
ReplyDeleteI thought that the Knott's one was trickiest, Chuck. Good job to you (and Nanook)!
Thanks for the great quip on the "Mars light!" My mind instantly went to to the Century Flyer roller coaster train (made by National Amusement Device Co. of Dayton, OH), which had three headlights, including a Mars light. It's a dream of mine to see one operating again.
That would be a crazy coincidence if I accidentally put Nanook in a picture that already included him, but the picture is attributed to Mr. X in the original post.
ReplyDeleteDW, I will share the photo of you (with your permission) in a future blog post - I may have to do some more fiddling with the schedule so that we don’t have to wait months! I told Clyde that there are at least two different Sub spiels, but I’d have to go back and hear them to state what the differences are.
ReplyDeleteNanook, I finally did too!
Lou and Sue, I don’t think he is?
Chuck, jeez, I’ve read a bit about trains by now, and I don’t remember the term “Mars light” at all!
Chuck, I think the Knott’s photo gave me the most trouble.
Lou and Sue, I didn’t see Nanook twice, but could have easily missed something, I admit.
Andrew, aw, I’m glad you added the late addition! I agree, the Knott’s one gave me fits. The Tomorrowland postcard one was hard too, for me at least. Thanks again for the fun game!
Andrew, that is definitely a Mr. X photo.
I had thought the kid sitting in the boat was possibly a young Nanook that Andrew added...but it's just his doppelganger.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know why anybody in Anaheim would have worked anyplace else!
ReplyDeleteNot to mention Azusa and Cucamonga!
Major, the Knott's photo was hard for me, too. After I found it, I felt kind of stupid that I hadn't looked for that shape all along, although the location was pretty tricky.
ReplyDeleteHere's a Mars light in action.
@ Sue-
ReplyDeleteI can only find me once. (And the world breathes a collective sigh of relief-!)
Oh, Melissa-!
ReplyDeleteThere you are. [And Monstro has never looked lovelier-!]
Andrew, very clever! But difficult...for me, anyway. So far, I've only found Nanook, JG, Irene, Mike, and myself. Thanks for including me in the Knott's photo...it was the perfect choice!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to come back to these after I've had lunch. But if anyone wants to give me any tips on how to find the remaining Junior Gorillas, I won't complain.
Major, Scott and Shelia were in your post from two days ago. I thought it would be fun to see them both piloting a Submarine, while the Sub pilots whisked Krusteaz pancake batter and assembled Mickey Mouse pancakes.......just for one day.....and without any training!
Disneyland’s SUBMARINE VOYAGE has had four different soundtracks and technically a 5th done for the BLAST TO THE PAST seasonal events ( Monorail , DL RR , Peoplemover also featured special Blast to the Past soundtracks)
ReplyDeleteAll of the Sub Voyage tracks use a nearly identical main script for the actual ride . The same narrator is used for 1959 and early 60’s revisions. The second version has a emphasis on General Dynamics and General Atomics in three holding pen . A second narrator is used in 1967 for the third version . The 4th narrator and longest running version as well as most remembered is the one that was used from about 1974/75 till the attraction’s closing in the 90’s. The final version - slightly edited was featured on Disneyland Forever CD machines and the Disneyland 50th boxed cd set. The “nautical” concertina music that played behind the loading pen narration was actually recorded for Walt Disney World’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
The Blast to the Past Submarine Voyage narration used Ludwig Von Drake as a narrator.
Submarine Voyage - Finding NEMO was not included in the soundtrack count. There has only been one soundtrack for this version but technically TWO variations of most of the captain and crew were recorded ... so every other trip would feature a alternate variation of two possible narrations. I’m not 100% sure if this feature was used as I haven’t been on it enough consecutive times to notice the variation in use.
I cannot think of the actors name , but the one who narrowed the 79’s version is on TV from the 70’s all the time .... he often plays a criminal . And he narrates a famous UFO documentary too.
Andrew, got very busy at work so I'll have to check out the pics tomorrow. Something to look forward to. Anybody tell me how to zoom in without saving the photo and looking at it in Photoshop or the computer picture viewer?
ReplyDeleteThanks Andrew and everyone.
If you aren't getting the magnifying glass when you click on the image, DrGoat, you can hold the ctrl key while using the scroll wheel on the mouse.
ReplyDeleteAndrew: I found them all except in the last image of the Western Pacific F7 locomotive.....
ReplyDeleteWhew!! I was afraid I was gonna be in my “saloon girl” outfit. Thanks for the April Fools Day game search!
DrGoat, you can also zoom in by holding "Ctrl" and tapping the "+" key. Zoom back out with the "Ctrl" and "-" keys. Or just roll your chair back across the room.
ReplyDeleteMike, look in the locomotive's Mars light in the upper headlight casing.
I couldn’t even find myself!
ReplyDeleteLou and Sue, yes, it’s just a sort of lookalike!
ReplyDeleteMelissa, yes, those places too!
Chuck, yeah, once you see them, you can’t unsee them. Thanks for the link to the Mars light video; I think that the VIewliner’s headlight oscillated, so maybe it was a Mars light too?
Nanook, ha ha!
Nanook, I was very glad that Andrew added Melissa. She needed to be there!
TokyoMagic!, I’ve had so many lame ideas for April Fools images, that I’ve just not bothered working on them. I feel like out of the ones that I did, I truly like about four of them, with the first one (the Moonliner blasting off) still being my favorite.
Mike Cozart, FOUR different soundtracks, neat! There was a time when I searched for as many vintage Disneyland tracks as possible, and then at some point I just sort of stopped. I’m sure there are still wonderful things out there that I’ve never heard. The “Blast from the Past” sub spiel with Ludwig Von Drake sounds weird. I wonder if the DLRR spiel with Ludwig is also from the Blast to the Past? At this point (and after all these years) I’ve only been on the Nemo subs once - partly because my visits to Disneyland became less frequent as the daily crowds increased. It’s now been many years since my last trip! I wish I knew which actor you were referring to, but nothing is coming to mind.
DrGoat, if you are on a Mac, you can zoom in using command +. If you are on a PC, I’m afraid I am of no help!
Andrew, my problem wasn’t that the hidden images were small, but that they were so well camouflaged!
Mike Cozart, (spoilers!), look at the headlight!
Chuck, is it the same on PCs? I just wasn’t sure. And yeah, I should have said “Mars light”!
I'm late to the site today, but thanks for the fun pics, Major and David. And the fun game, Andrew! Hope no one was made an April Fool today!
ReplyDeleteYou know Major, your shot of the launching Moonliner was epic. Someone showed me this film. Great minds!
ReplyDeletehttps://youtu.be/hXLgLuGX0Io
Bwahahahahahaha I get it now, thanks Andrew!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great thing to do, thank you.
My portrait is an odd combination, but it is certainly on-point.
Thanks again very much!
JG
Andrew, okay....a day and a half later, I finally found all of the hidden pics. Two of them were giving me an extra hard time. Thanks for doing that...it was a fun game! And I like how you put me in a tree.....maybe because I once was a "tree"? Or maybe it was pure coincidence.
ReplyDeleteAndrew, I have finally found them all, great work!
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, there are easier to see on my iPad tablet, and easier to zoom too.
Cheers.
JG