Mark Twain and Captain Mike, 1978
I'm continuing to share the deluge of 1978 slide scans featuring the Mark Twain, courtesy of the Mysterious Benefactor!
This first one is sort of a continuation from the last MB post (on July 12th), which had similar shots as seen from the bow of the Twain, as people rested on their little wire chairs and soaked in the sunshine. There's the "Hussong's Cantina" guy to the right.
And there he is, Captain Mike, as big as life! You can tell from these photos that the Cap'n excelled at making people feel welcome - a skill that I do not possess. I make people remember that they left their stove on, and they have to rush home ASAP. Mike's smile seems so genuine, how could anybody resist? I can almost hear his hearty voice and feel his warm, calloused handshake.
I think this is a neat angle on Fowler's Harbor, with the Columbia sleeping there (as usual). Everything looks so green.
It looks like Mike might have a story to tell to that lady, I hope it is G-rated. You know sailors. The Hungry Bear restaurant is behind him, one of my favorite places to dine if I can get a seat on the top level right next to the water (which I usually can).
Captain Mike knows that children are our future, and he needs to start training the next generation of experienced steamboat captains. What an honor to wear the captain's hat!
Captain Mike says, "Don't be a fool, stay in school". Good advice! Also, don't do drugs; it has something to do with frying eggs, but I forget what exactly. And another thing, don't play with blasting caps. Does anybody else remember PSAs telling kids to not play with blasting caps?! They mostly made me wish I could get my hands on some. Also, where does a kid buy some throwing stars?
The Captain has made that kid very happy, and what could be better than that? I wish I'd been lucky enough to meet the Cap'n, I hope he knew how much joy he brought to people.
Many thanks to the Mysterious Benefactor!
18 comments:
Is that a microphone on the far left side of the fourth photo? Could they have also been filming this, in addition to taking these publicity pics?
These are all great! I love seeing pics of Captain Mike. Thanks, Major, and thanks M.B.
Wait till that little boy returns home and tells all the stories and songs To his parents and friends that Captain Mike taught him!! ..... “Singapore Sally“ , ”Rudder-leg Lilly” ....”Pointe Cape Kate and the rusty anchor”.... “The Crosseyed Mermaid” .....; that kid will be the Hit of the playground!! ..... some stories haven’t been told since Captain Mike sailed the Bora-Bora Belle!!
I could do with a spin around Tom Sawyer Island with Captain Mike about now. Or the Captain and Tennille. Not terribly particular this morning. Just want to get away from here for 15 minutes or so.
Your throwing star throw-away reminds me of friends in junior high who would buy them and other martial arts paraphernalia like nunchucks through the mail from photocopied “catalogs” that also discreetly sold things you couldn’t get at your local K-mart like starter pistols and portable face massagers. Of course, none of these guys had any formal martial arts training beyond watching Kung fu movies Sunday afternoons on the USA Network, but that didn’t stop them.
I have one particularly vivid memory of a friend who was showing off his nunchuck skills in his bedroom one day, passing them forwards and backwards over his right shoulder. He then went to switch hands, disrupted the pendular motion of the ‘chucks, miscalculated, and smacked himself right in the face with one of the wooden handles. The impact was hard enough that I felt it; he had a welt on his chin and cheek for a day or so. Too bad he hadn’t thought to buy one of those face massagers.
@ TM!-
Yes, in images 3 & 4, we can spy a microphone. I suppose it could be a ‘professional’ model, but it appears to be a “pro-sumer” unit.
That second image is a real beauty-! (I wonder if the ‘Ol Captain ever ‘surprised’ guests with a ‘buzzer’ concealed in his hand when shaking their hands-?) Now that would be a real thrill-!
Thanks, Major.
Nanook, I missed the microphone in the third pic. When you say "pro-sumer," does that mean it probably just belongs to a guest?
Maybe it was a "Mr. Microphone," and as the Mark Twain cruised past the diners at the Hungry Bear Restaurant, the person holding it said, "Hey babe, we'll be back to pick you up, later!"
@ TM!-
My definition of 'pro-sumer' would be something that 'looks' like a professional microphone (those having specific pick-up characteristics; build quality; ruggedness; etc.). The pro-sumer version probably sounds fine for many applications, but if really put to the test, might leave some recording situations 'wanting', and may not hold-up to constant use without some part failing. And the price, of course, reflects those short-cuts.
And why stop with "Mr. Microphone", let's go all the way to the great SCTV 'version': "Mr. Boom Microphone"... CHECK THIS OUT
Nanook, thanks for the explanation on the microphone. Now I'm still wondering who was trying to record Captain Mike!
That sketch was great. I had never seen that before. And I guess I forgot that the original line was, "Hey good looking......" and not "Hey babe......" After watching that sketch, I had to look for the original commercial. And I did find it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqIrzkPDtrk
Wonderful group of photos. Looks like Mike is telling the sordid tale of the one eyed sailor in the third pic.
Chuck, fortunately, we were just older enough by the time Kung fu movies and TV shows hit the scene. I don't even want to think about the self-inflicted injuries we would have caused ourselves in the 60s. I do remember faithfully watching Kung Fu with David Carradine, but other things happening in life at the age of 22 kept us from that fate.
Love the close up and personal nature of the photos. Thanks Mysterious Benefactor, great pics.
That is one lucky kid. I hope he remembers that rare time, now that he's nearing 50 or so.
Thank you Major.
Riding in the nose cone of the Mark Twain and riding on the foredeck of the Monorail are two Disney experiences I have never had.
Wait, what… ?
I don’t remember Captain Mike at all, but he knows how to work the room.
Major, didn’t you say these MB pics were for publicity purposes? Might account for the microphone?
Thanks very much to you both. I’m off to check my oven.
JG
The Hungry Bear restaurant was a respite from the crazy of Coke Terrace! The 1st day of Disney University training you got to dine there on the company dime with all of your new compadres. The guys on the canoes went by, and since this meal was a familiar sight to them (people eating at Hungry Bear in fancy dress up clothes) they waved their hands about saying "IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO TURN BACK!!! ESCAPE WHILE THERE IS STILL TIME!!!" Those kooky canoe guys! We all had a giggle. One University Leader had a particular disdain for the interaction, but the rest of us laughed. Captain Mike: Something odd is going on there with Capn' Mike...besides my OCD going off about that vest being unbuttoned, and his hair rapidly approaching illegal length limits (I know, shoot me)...that must have been some press thing: "Go out and talk to people while the camera follows you, and we video tape it." I did some of those, and forcibly interacting with Guests felt super odd, (and looks and photographs odd.) I always seemed to have a computer/robotic smile/expression on my face...because.. it was forced and robotic and might as well been computer generated :) Ha! Publicity would pick out random people from the crowd to use...I think they gave them comps for their trouble and for their images to be used in perpetuity. I forget. In any case, my day today in NYC could use a very peaceful trip around Tom Sawyers Island. Thanks Major for taking me back virtually.
@ TM!-
As long as we're talking about Mr. Microphone, may as well come full circle and share, for those who haven't already heard the news, Ron Popeil passed-away today at age 86. He was the 'inventor' of such household mainstays as the Veg-O-Matic, the Inside-the-Shell Egg Scrambler, the Showtime Rotisserie & BBQ, the Ronco Electric Food Dehydrator, Popeil’s Pasta & Sausage Maker, the Pocket Fisherman, the Bedazzler, etc. And of course, Mr. Microphone-! Truly a sad day, indeed.
Ah, peaceful views of The Mighty River!
Captain Mike seems nice...Maybe too nice...Nice guy or Soviet spy- your call.
Speaking of throwing stars, in high school someone figured out that if you sharpened the edge of a metal roofing disk (that the nails were pounded through when putting on a new roof) you could throw them and stick them into drywall. In the brand new school that had just opened. We got busted...er...that person got busted. The principal was NOT amused.
I remember catalogs that advertised real black powder guns that you could order. I never did, but I was tempted!
So sorry to hear about Ron Popeil passing away. He was a big part of our childhood TV days. I clearly remember Ron Popeil's "The Buttoneer" being advertised a lot.
Remember this SNL spoof? SEE HERE!
Great you-are-there pictures today - thank you MB & MP!
Capt. Mike knew how to charm a snake...and when to scold it. He played the 'room' and the role perfectly. Based upon the quality of the pictures, my immediate impression was a professional shoot. That's not to say, as you have have shown in earlier pictures, the Captain being a bit larger in life roaming the dock and on the ship. Professional or not...his enthusiasm for the job and guests was always an 'on-stage' experience. KS
Nanook, I had not heard about Ron Popeil's passing. I don't own any of his gadgets, but I remember the commercials for all of them. "But wait, there's more!"
I believe the Mysterious Benefactor was a pro. Just check out his many other photos on GDB. We are lucky he decided to share his beautiful photos with us. Thanks MB!
I think the Cap'n is singing "Whale of a Tale" from "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". That would be a nice Disney tie-in.
Ron Popeil can't be dead. He still has to invent the technology to keep human heads alive in glass jars, as foretold from the year 3000 in Futurama.
In that second shop, Captain Mike looks like he's going to give you a handshake with his right and a punch in the face with his left! The old one-two!
I did get a bit misty over the passing of Mr. Popeil. We had several of his handy devices around the house when I was growing up. The Cap Snaffler, the Smokeless Ashtray, the Giant Food Dehydrator... my favorite was the machine that cut the tops off beer bottles and made them into drinking glasses. And more than one Ronco Record graced our turntable.
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