Mark Twain and Landing, July 1978
I am proud to present a whole heap of photos featuring the Mark Twain and its landing, courtesy of the Mysterious Benefactor. The date on all of these is "July, 1978".
Let's start out with this nice shot of the Twain, presumably having just returned from its journey around the Rivers of America. Folks from the top deck have mostly made their way down below, just waiting for the Cast Member to let them out.
Next is a series of four photos (there were more in the series that I left out because they were so similar), as the Mark Twain pulled in to gently bump against the dock.
I am kind of amazed to see how many trees there were throughout this busy section of Frontierland, even in 1978. Presumably many of those had to go when Fantasmic was hatched in 1992 - darn things blocked everyone's view.
We can see a group of guests waiting to get into the Golden Horseshoe for the next Revue. Incredibly, Wally Boag might still be onstage for that performance, since he returned from Walt Disney World in 1974 (he retired in 1982).
And finally, here's an unusual and lovely shot looking along the shore of the Rivers of America.
Thank you, Mysterious Benefactor!
31 comments:
Frontierland looks so green and beautiful in these pics. Thanks to Mysterious Benefactor and you, Major.
Interesting to see the Big Thunder Construction wall go almost right into the landing’s exit! Look at that guy heading towards the Columbia gangway stairs!!
Does that guest waiting to board have a bag of EXINWEST!!
Assuming the date on the scans you were given by the MB is accurate, I'm surprised at how little progress has been made towards the construction of Big Thunder's hoodos by July of 1978. The attraction would open just 14 months later. When I went to the MK in May of 1979, there was at least some structural steel in place on their Big Thunder worksite, and that was 16 months from opening (although now that I think about it, I don't think the hoodoos' outline was obvious yet).
Loving the tree-studded landscaping of the riverbank. I miss that a lot.
Major-
Yes, please... more trees on the riverbank-!
Thanks MB, and The Major.
These pics are very clear and sharp! Thanks Major and MB.
Photo 3 shows the fake cotton bales that always brought a chuckle from my Dad.
The last photo is really the best, loved this Disneyland and I’m so sad it’s lost.
JG
Lots of 70s fashion to see- halter tops, striped calf-high socks, rugby shirts, tank top, men's short shorts and Gilligan hiding in the back. I for one never tire of MT photos.
I miss that view in the last photo.
Thanks, Major and MB
Zach
Agreed on the gorgeous greenery! And I can practically smell the water (in a good way).
Today’s Vintage People Awards:
Picture #1: The two white-haired gents who appear to be dressed identically except for sock color. They’re like Thomson and Thompson from the Tintin comics!
Picture #2: Far left - Blue Babushka. Always a classic look.
Picture #4: The feller with the camera at the far right may be my favorite. The combination of belted plaid Grandpa shorts, flat cap, and “SUPER JOCK” tee shows a sense of style that transcends time and space. (And meaning.) If it turns out that my wonky peepers are misreading the t-shirt, I almost don’t want to know.
Many thanks to the dynamic duo of the MB and the Maj for today’s virtual vacation.
Zach, Gilligan is hiding from the Skipper. He doesn’t want to get hit over the head with his hat again.
Like most pictures from the 70's, I couldn't resist scanning for friends and family. No dice. I sure do miss the NOS shown in the last picture, lots of trees and no Fantasmic concrete.
I can tell you the view higher-up from the wheelhouse was always something I enjoyed. Remember looking down on the guests coming and going. And the view of that first bend around NO Square never grew old as well...of course I was looking for river traffic as well. That is a busy corner. KS
On second glance, I see that I missed another set of almost twins: the little girls in orange under the clock in the second picture, wearing different hats.
K. Martinez, I think the green appearance is partly because these slides already had a greenish cast, but… Frontierland still looks great!
Mike Cozart, I’ll bet that bag has the rarest and most expensive EXINWEST models!
Chuck, I can’t say for certain if the dates attributed to these slides are 100% accurate - most of them seem to be from July, 1978. As for construction of Big Thunder, I would imagine that they could achieve a lot in 14 months. I would think that the part that would take the longest would be the rock work and painting - the actual coaster probably went up relatively quickly. Just my theory!
Nanook, there are TONS of Mark Twain and Columbia photos, along with scenes along the river, so your wish will be granted!
JG, I always wondered why somebody would need to transport just a few bales of cotton, but I guess it could happen. Normally I would think that they’d ship bales on huge barges. Because I am such an expert! :-/
zach, yep, this is prime 1970s fashion right here! For better or worse. The short shorts (for men) are thankfully a thing of the past and I hope they’ll never come back, ha ha.
Melissa, you always have that special “twin vision”, you spot alike pairs even at a distance! “Super Jock” grandpa, ha ha. Who gave him that shirt? Or did he buy it for himself?? And yes, I’m sure it’s “Jock”!!!
Melissa, the Skipper never hit Gilligan very hard. Plus, sometimes Gilligan was so dumb that I would have gotten in line behind the Skipper to give him a whack with MY hat.
MRaymond, someday… SOMEDAY you’re gonna see somebody you know!
KS, I’ll bet that high-up view is something; I always go to the top level (the “Texas deck”?), and never understand the folks who stick to the lower decks (although those are shady).
And yet another! In #5, two little blond kids with their in matching yellow tank tops. I should just turn in my twinspotting badge.
Really nice pics. Just jump right in.
You're right, JG. That last one is really lovely.
Melissa, what about those 2 boys in the yellow tank tops (ugh) in the 5th photo, center. They look twinish.
Thanks so much Major and MB. Looked like a pretty good day (like any other back then).
PS I hear that Disney used this last year to refurbish the Disneyland Hotel. Right down to the carpet and artwork on the walls. Source said they went with a Mary Blair theme, which I hope is true.
@ DrGoat-
This is what I saw... "Corridor floorings now feature patterns inspired by the art of Mary Blair with graphic elements themed to the theme park land the tower is named after: Fantasyland, Adventureland, or Frontierland".
Sounds promising.
Excellent pics as always from the mysterious Mysterious Benefactor.
Scanning the crowds it looks like orange was the fashion craze of the late 70s.
I noticed the Rocky Horror Picture Show reference, Melissa!
WAY too many of my misspent youth's nights were spent in that theater...
WAAAAAY.
Chuck, Major and all : I think there is vertical construction - but in a case of “un-happy” accident , those trees are covering up any of it. Also since these photos are from Disneyland in house sources with the intention of being used for marketing and other possible publication purposes , I think the photographer is intentionally trying to avoid getting Big Thunder construction in the shots.
If Disney News or Vacationland wants to do an article on The Mark Twain of Disneyland for the Spring of 1980 issue, they don’t want big thunder construction showing up in the feature etc, etc.
Melissa, those girls might be in orange so that they would be easier to spot should they happen to wander off! That’s a trick my mom used.
Melissa again, those boys are definitely dressed exactly alike (except for their sneakers)!
DrGoat, it’s nice to be able to remember what Frontierland was like in the “more recent” years (still 40+ years ago now!) before all of the Fantasmic mess. I really wish they could have put that show somewhere else, but… there is no place else, I guess. I hadn’t heard about the Disneyland Hotel refurbishment, funny how Mary Blair’s designs and sensibilities are still relevant all these years after her passing. It’s still fun and happy in that mid-century way.
Nanook, have you seen photos of the Mary Blair “floorings” yet??
Grant, ah yes, orange, along with “harvest gold”, avocado green, and burgundy. All of the best colors! I do happen to like orange anything as a rule.
Stu29573, going back and reading all of Melissa’s comments, I still don’t see the Rocky Horror Picture Show reference. Then again, I’ve never watched that movie!
Mike Cozart, you make a good point, that photographer was clearly trying to get the prettiest photos for publication (or at least photos with people having a good time), and was not trying to record construction for historic purposes. It kills me when I have photos of the shores of Frontierland, and you can see a sliver of Haunted Mansion construction, but they didn’t want that ugly sight in their frame. ARGH!
Mike, that makes perfect sense. Thanks for your insight!
At first I thought "Super Jock" was wearing a frenchmen's cap. Oooh la la! Upon closer look, it's an upside-down salad bowl. Men, take note: He's alone. There's a reason.
DrGoat and Nanook, I'm glad to hear about the Mary Blair additions. I'll have to do some googling.
KS, I always enjoy your comments about your Disneyland work experiences. You had a lot of cool roles when you worked there. It must've been hard to leave Disneyland. The real work world is usually not as exciting, unfortunately.
Thanks, MB & MP, for the great photos!
DrGoat and Nanook : the Disneyland interior and “land” theming started in 2010 with the FRONTIERLAND tower - if you get a chance , step inside the tower’s lobby and view the 1/4” scale model of Big Thunder Mountain ( I was one of the model makers on that!) The ADVENTURELAND tower featured several cases of Jungle Cruise moquettes - these were newly made castings of the master kept in storage at WDI . An elephant had been damaged prior to being placed on display so it was sent back to WDI for some repairs - I actually left work early to deliver the repaired elephant since I lived in South OC. The ADVENTURELAND tower was completed about the same time Trader Sam’s had its opening . The FANTASYLAND tower was the last to be completed and does use a great deal of Mary Blair concept art as well as carpet featuring custom made “Blair “ patterns .... but all this stuff was completed prior to 2015.
In regards to the Big Thunder model , the hotel hoped to display the original 1978 1/4” model that was featured in many Disney publications - the famous one with Tony Baxter etc. that model does not survive - only pieces here and there ... so WDI said we can build one ! The idea was that it was suppose to look like the 1978 model - but none of it really does - the new model was made with all very current model making techniques and materials - the big thunder ore cars were digitally printed to save time and money - but it cost money to have the original fabrication drawings of the ore cars to be digitized .... so we were going to hand fabricate the locos ... but we used modified Bachman O narrow gauge Porter locomotives. We ended up with a full extra train so each person on the project got to keep a BTM ore car. And those model ore cars are IDENTICAL in every way to the original 1979 full size vehicles!!
Mike, I had no idea all that wonderful stuff was happening inside those hotels. But can anyone step inside - even if you're not staying there? Several years ago, when we tried to go inside the Grand Californian - we couldn't because we weren't staying there (we were staying at Paradise Pier). Thanks for sharing all that info. I hope to see some of your work on the BTM model, the next time we get out there!
Speaking of Disneyland Hotels, have you seen the prices? They jumped up, again!
Major, It's the line "Lost in time, lost in space and meaning."
Mike Cozart, thank you again for your amazing back stories!
We stayed in the Frontier Tower in 2015 and I spent quite some time admiring that model of BTRR. Now I know that was your work! Thank you for the information, and for the fine model. My family would wonder where I was, we would come staggering in after a long day at the Park, and they would get to the rooms, and where is Dad? Down in the lobby on his knee admiring the model. I think I took some pictures, will have to check for that.
JG
Lou and Sue.... Yes, it was nostalgic to leave. I finished my last trip on the JC in early June '77, was given my time card and a 'good-luck' from the foreman around 5pm that day. After checking-in my wardrobe I went back into the Park for the remainder of the evening...or at least much of it just enjoying the place one more time. Now, it was a different than others leaving because I was going to continue the ROP program there starting in September. So while I was not an employee anymore, I would still be 'working' in the Park. I left that job in March of '78.
Still, before I left Harbor House that Saturday evening, no longer a Disney CM, the new weekly time cards were in position. I found mine and walked out with it in my shirt pocket. Still have it. It's a bit faded and fragile now.
I love hearing “the rest of the story” from behind the scenes.
KS, thanks for sharing more! You really should write a book about your life and experiences at Disneyland. You truly are gifted in your writing skills, as you’re able to convey your heart and soul, in just a few sentences. You always leave us wanting to hear (read) more!
Lou and Sue... Ah shucks. Thanks. It's easy to talk about stuff you love(d). KS
If I had been in charge, I would have built the space for Fantastic! into DCA from its beginning. It would have attracted guests to the new park, and been a better aesthetic fit.
I suppose they didn’t want to wait to start the show until the new park was done being built, and I guess I can’t blame them. It would probably also have been expensive to tear down the infrastructure for it once it had been built in Disneyland. But it seems to me some things are worth spending money on in the long run. (That’s probably why I’m not in charge of anything.)
I wish you were in charge, Melissa!
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