A Pair From the '60s
I often use Snoozer Sundays as an excuse to use up some of the bottom-drawer scans. Hey, there's always a few clinkers in every batch. But I have over 150 scans in my "ready to post" folder, and none of them are really that bad! Not the worst problem to have.
So instead I'm just going to choose two that are perfectly nice, but a little dull (the exact words my teacher put on my report card!). Both of these are from "sometime in the '60s".
Everyone knows that the original castle at Disneyland was built out of popsicle sticks and glue, but eventually Walt built this version that we all know and love. Made of genuine fiberglass, just like in ye olden days. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - in spite of the many MANY photos that I've shared of Sleeping Beauty Castle, I still love it. More than any other feature, it represents Disneyland, and is imbued with the entire history of the park (except for when it was just popsicle sticks and glue). So much history that you can smell it (the aroma is a combination of popcorn and churros)!
The Columbia's figurehead seems to be looking right at us as the square-rigged sailing ship glides toward us, driven by some mysterious power other than the wind. No sails are in evidence, which is a shame. The lanterns are still hanging from the ends of the yardarms, though. I wonder if the original Columbia (the one that circumnavigated the globe in 1790(ish) had parts of the ship painted that Wedgewood blue, or if that was a bit of artistic license?
31 comments:
Major-
That's quite the crowd assembled on the drawbridge-! What a perfect time to fool everyone and simply lower the portcullis, causing mass hysteria.
That is a lovely view of the Columbia, with Florence Henderson appearing to lock eyes with us, as she approaches...
Thanks, Major.
The roof dent is hiding in that first pic, and a turquoise Skyway gondola is attempting to do the same.
Major, "Sunday Is Funday!" I got that from a Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C episode, which was shown the other day on MeTV.
- Tokyo Muffins!
Major, most people think that the (black) chain railings at the edges of the drawbridge are to keep guests from falling into the moat. But we junior gorillas know that it's really there to keep the hoard of swans from attacking and devouring the unsuspecting guests. If two or three swans gang-up, they can pick your bones clean in less than a minute.
Unfortunately, it was discovered that a determined swan can get through that flimsy chain. After losing a couple dozen guests, the imagineers replaced the chain in recent years with a more substantial, wooden beam and chain railing. Hardly any guests have disappeared from the Happiest Place On Earth since then.
Nanook, is Florence singing "The hills are alive..." or "Here's a story, about a man named Brady."?
Tokyo Muffins! (Ha!), I saw that I couldn't see The Dent, either. Nor Fudgie. Even The Stain is rather weak here, as well. I guess those esoteric things are reserved for posts on days other than Sundays.
Thanks for the "perfectly nice" photos, Major.
@ JB-
Neither one. Instead she chose "A Rhyme & A Reason" from the ultimate clunker: Song of Norway; whose sole purpose, I think, was to make Paint Your Wagon actually look good.
Nanook & JB, I guess at this point, we'll have to wait a while for Florence to do her big musical number from, The Paul Lynde Halloween Special.
The last few castle photos on GDB have demonstrated why I hadn’t noticed the dent before - it’s a master of camouflage.
Which reminds me - why is camouflage spelled the way it is? It seems to me it would be more effective if it were spelled .
Hail Columbia!
JB, that may explain why the Park feels so much more crowded in recent (pre-COVID) years. Thanks for the warning that the hills are alive. I’ll stick to the prairies for safety. Might even find a little house there to settle in.
Nanook, it sounds like Song of Norway pulled off the impossible. And now I can’t get this out of my head.
TM!, The Paul Lynde Halloween Special was unknown to me before this morning. I’ve just read a little bit about it, and now I’m not sure I can wait a year to watch it!
Chuck, if you have not seen it before, then you should not wait even one more minute, before watching The Paul Lynde Halloween Special! The line-up of guest stars is incredible. And I forgot to mention that Florence Henderson's number is a disco version of an "old standard." If that doesn't get you to watch it then I don't know what will. In case you didn't know it yet, the entire show can be watched on YouTube. Here is the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCJ0D4pI0tI
That is quite a lot of people on the drawbridge...and not a lot of people elsewhere...maybe the other peoples don't know that you can get to the hub a few more ways. I avoided going through the castle at all costs...and it was far more enchanting passing Snow Whites Grotto, the wishing well, etc...and also afforded guests more photo ops. I guess it wasn't as "exciting" as going over that drawbridge. All those peoples look very very excited! Perhaps they just discovered the dent! Discontinuing swans because they are mean or "too much trouble" is just being lazy. The swans were relevant enough to build an entire D ticket RIDE in WDW, but let's just eliminate it all. Amnesia. Like it never even was. Enough on that. I was reading an article about the Pirates of the Caribbean (film), and the author needed to clarify that the ride actually was created decades before the money churning franchise. Can you believe that general public? Wouldn't you just know that? Apparently not. Amnesia. I did not make a conscious mental note about the blue on the Columbia until now. How interesting. Color choices were not taken lightly, so there had to be a rhyme/reason. Perhaps in the days of the "real" Columbia it was done as a camouflage scheme. Perhaps. And yes, there is Florence up front, straight off the set of Song of Norway. As a Norwegian, I had wished the picture would have done better all around...it certainly was very popular with my Norsk relatives. I was afraid to watch it as I knew, and could tell, that it was a giant stinker. A feeble attempt to recapture the feelings of the public after the "Sound of Music" mania. Edvard Greig (who's life is immortalized in the Song of Norway) loved a hotel near where my family is from, and composed his Opus 66 there, so my family was very very supportive of the film, and it brought tourists, which brought money....so all good. His home in Bergen has been a museum since 1928 and I visited when I was a wee lad and was quite impressed- it is a lovely place. Back to paints and smells: Churros and Popcorn. For some very odd reason I was quite resentful of the churros which was after my vending days. It didn't really scream DISNEYLAND to me...I suppose now it does to many. I love churros, but it seems more "county fair" than Disneyland. Like turkey legs, and ears of corn you eat with your hands, and fried dough. I suppose all of those things are now living well inside the berm and people are gobbling them up. I do enjoy a tasty hot churro myself. Next candle: Popcorn and Churro.
I did a pretty extensive history of the Columbia a few years ago. Preston Nirattisai contributed some of his thoughts about the real Columbia and her color scheme. He wrote,
"Disney's Columbia is mainly black and brown, with trim of red, blue, and gold. For the most, this is reasonably accurate to history, though the hull brown might be an attempt at recreating natural wood color. The original Columbia might have employed the same color scheme (plus natural wooden hull), but to a lesser extent.
Merchant ships used colors for two reasons. First, painting helps protect the wood from the environment. Second--and just as important--colors help these ships stand out from warships, which were painted in a very muted palette.
Although Disney's Columbia might have the correct colors, the colors are not used in all the correct places, so you would not see yards and spars painted blue in 1787. What's bothersome is the very liberal use of red, blue, and gold trim. These colors were very expensive in 1780s, and would have been used very sparingly to save cost."
That page of the article can be found here, with links to the other pages:
https://micechat.com/miceage/stevedegaetano/sd102308c.htm
JB, funny you should mention missing guests. Misbehaving guests were imprisoned in the Castle dungeons and forced to make Mickey Ear hats and churros. If you listen closely, you can hear their mournful cries coming up out of the Wishing Well. They just “tell” you that’s the actress from the film, but in reality…
I see the Drain is active, I’d love to know what was for, and if it still there now.
Bu, I always make a point of going through the castle twice, once through the center gate and once via Snow White’s Grotto, then often exiting through the Frontierland side. I can’t explain it.
I agree, I have a hard time associating churros and Disneyland. There were none in my youth, then you look away 20 years, and “bang”, churros are the National Food of the Park. And the Skyway was gone…
When I read the Columbia color questions, I was hoping Steve would respond. Thank you!
Great stuff, Major, perfect for Sunday!
JG
Nanook, that crowd on the bridge demonstrates the power of “swanmania”. It was like Beatlemania, only bigger! There’s just something about those swans. I didn’t notice Florence Henderson, but there she is!
TokyoMagic!, the reason that dent has survived so many years is due to its shy nature. “Sunday is Funday” sounds like a network slogan, because there are many UNfun things about Sunday. Like “Snoozer Sundays”. From now on I will call you Tokyo Muffins.
JB, it is always a good thing to learn new things, such as the true purpose of the chain railings. We should write a book, “The things Disney doesn’t want you to know!”. Thankfully I haven’t had many close encounters with swans, but Canada Geese are almost as bad. Swans mutated over the years until they were able to morph and pass through those chains, I’ve seen footage. It’s grainy (like that bigfoot film), but still too gruesome.
Nanook, my grandma used to get season tickets to the Shubert Theater, and I got to see things like “Pippin” and “Les Miserables”. But I also saw “Bells Are Ringing” with… Dean Jones and Florence Henderson!
TokyoMuffin!, what did she sing?!
Chuck, I see what you did there with . Some words are just spelled in a manner designed to baffle. How about that silent G in “diaphragm”? It’s just evil. Hmmm, I don’t know if a little house on the prairie sounds that safe, nobody talks about the giant prairie dogs that will pull you under as you walk past their burrow. That “Paint Your Wagon” parody reminds me of the days when I would seek out Simpsons musical numbers!
TokyoMuffin! (I promise I’ll stop now), sadly I’m going to have to watch “The Paul Lynde Halloween Special” later, because I have so many important and exciting things to do, but I’ll have to give it a look.
Bu, you have to admit that those side entrances to Fantasyland are not exactly obvious! Frequent visitors know about them of course. But I admit that I still like to walk through the castle arch, partly to hear Jiminy Cricket singing “When You Wish Upon a Star”, possibly my favorite Disney song. My guess is that the swans were removed because they could save a few hundred dollars a year. I’ve mentioned it before, but it makes me sad that we will never get a non-IP ride again, Iger just came out and said it. I think that one of the reasons that “Pirates” and the Haunted Mansion have endured is that they aren’t (or weren’t) tied to a move that everyone forgot about after three years. I think “Song of Norway” was one of the movies listed in “The Golden Turkey Awards”, which makes me want to see it. I have to admit that I like a nice warm churro, but I know what you mean, at first they seemed like they were from another planet. Now they have them everywhere, I split one with my nephew when we were at Magic Mountain. I think they have them at Knott’s too?
Steve DeGaetano, did you publish your Columbia history somewhere? I’d like to see it. When I bothered to think about it, I also figured that the brown/orange (?) was supposed to look like “wood”. I wonder if there are historic records that helped with the color choices for the Imagineers? Or maybe they just went with what looked good to them. The blue spars do seem pretty fanciful, but I like it! Maybe there was a sale at Ye Olde Paint Shoppe. I’ve heard that red was fairly common (that’s why barns were painted that color), not sure if they used iron oxide. I guess I can forgive the decorative nature of the Columbia because Walt wanted everything in his park to look new and beautiful, not covered in pitch and soot and seagull droppings (like my car). Oh, and there’s the link to the article! THANKS!
JG, I always assumed that missing guests became Pluto burgers (not sure there ever was a “Pluto burger”, but my brother and I always thought that’s what they were called). I’ve heard that park security can be tough, but I didn’t know they were that tough. If they’re down in that wishing well, maybe they can hand some of that money up to me. I think somebody theorized that the drain was for siphoning excess water from the drawbridge after its morning scrubbing, and that makes some kind of sense to me.
Nice castle pic, but I still don't see that dent everyone mentions. Thanks, Major.
@ TM!-
Thanks for the link but, I'm not so sure time has been good to The Paul Lynde Halloween Special. Variety shows were all but dead at this point, and this didn't help. Paul Lynde was definitely a treasure, but he will be remembered for his other appearances. Someone must'a known someone for all that KISS 'placement' on the special. Yes, it was fun seeing Billy Barty, Margaret Hamilton, Billie Hays and Florence Henderson - but those horrible, horrible variety show scripts - seemingly the 'inspiration' for all Oscar telecasts-! The idea, reading the cast list, and remembering the "highlights" is better than the actual experience.
@ Chuck-
Too bad the folks 'creating' Paint Your Wagon didn't watch The Simpsons-!
They might want to keep Florence away from that signal cannon. I still remember the grusome horror of "The Bradys Turn Pirate." Many a small coastal town felt the wrath of The Bunch!
The Paul Lynde special...."oh dear..." (that's all I got). Thanks for the link. I think. I may need to go wash my eyes out with soap now.
I love pictures of the castle from that angle, because it looks even more like a real castle.
It looks like Florence Henderson brought Greg and Bobby with her. A thought just struck me (and boy, did it hurt). I wonder if the Columbia Harbour House restaurant in the Magic Kingdom's Liberty Square was named as a nod to Disneyland's sailing ship. Thanks for the article link, Steve - I've got it bookmarked for later reading.
There's always some kind of comment on videos of less-than-gripping TV from the 1970's, to the tune of "Why did anybody watch this?" These young whippersnappers have no concept of what it was like to have, at most, three or four TV channels to choose from. We watched it because it was on, and the only alternative was turning off the TV and talking to your family.
Love these perfectly nice pics. Not the usual perspective makes for interesting photos.
Paint Your Wagon was on TCM (I think) last week. I decided I needed to punish myself for some weird reason so I watched about half of it. My absolute least favorite musical, putting it mildly.
Thanks for the pics Major and thanks Nanook for making PYW fresh in my mind again. I do think my penance may be complete for this month.
Ken, you can’t see the dent in today’s photo, but stay tuned, I have a special dent post just for you!
Nanook, I haven’t experienced the wonders of The Paul Lynde Halloween Special yet, but I can only imagine. Those scripted jokes really DO remind one of Oscar telecasts. I thought that variety shows went a few years (or more?) past 1976, but don’t really remember. It is kind of fun to see some of those old troupers (like the ones you mentioned), but they sure don’t appear to their best advantage with those creaky old jokes.
Stu29573, I think that Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” is about the Brady kids in Massachusetts!
Bu, all you need to do is watch an episode of “The Love Boat”, and your eyes will feel better.
Melissa, I have always assumed that the Columbia Harbor House was named as a tribute to the sailing ship in Disneyland, but… I don’t really know. I think I read recently that there had been plans to have a carbon copy of the Columbia on the river in the Magic Kingdom. It is true that “kids these days” don’t get how we could sit through some of that dreck, but I admit that I have sometimes had the same thought.
DrGoat, my mom piled all of her four kids into the station wagon to see “Paint Your Wagon” at the local drive-in, but I must have fallen asleep. All I really remember is the song, “They Call the Wind Maria”! All of those comfy sleeping bags in the back of the station wagon must have been too warm and inviting.
Major, are you saying the “g” in “ diaphragm” is supposed to be silent?
Oh boy… that explains much of my early life…
Melissa, yes, “because it was on…” accounts for a whole lot of what passed for entertainment then.
I’m watching Rockford Files, because my Dad loved it, it reminds of him. While I love the cars, the clothes, the interiors, the old LA scenery, and the phone booths, I am often mystified by what they called a plot. Seems like a feature of that era.
JG
Major: " I think that Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” is about the Brady kids in Massachusetts!"
I knew it! That explains so much! I always thought that Greg looked a bit 'froggy'.
@ DrGoat-
(I almost typed DrBoat-!) Penance... PENANCE, you say-! Who knew that 'Hollywood's anti-Christian bias' could produce such Christ-sanctioned results-! I think I need to watch more dreadful films to atone for my sins-! Let's see now... I've actually never seen Song of Norway or Paint Your Wagon, so I guess I should start there-? If future comments fail to materialize for awhile, you'll know the experience was too intense.
Major-
"Donnie & Marie" (1976-1979); "The Muppet Show" (1976-1981); and "Sha Na Na" (1977-1981) is kind of the "end of an era" for this format.
@ JG-
For all the reasons you mention plus, so much of the production was shot on-location - including the car chases - AND James Garner... the show can be intoxicating on many levels, even if the "stories" are a bit light in the plot department. Garner was clearly the draw (with Joe Santos a close second). The stories were kinda secondary, to the Rockford character itself. Sometime back in 2018, Netflix licensed both The Rockford Files and Murder, She Wrote. My jaw about fell on the floor when I decided to watch an episode of each, expecting to see the same dreadful-looking/sounding prints. But instead, the episodes I previewed were pristine, with exceptional color, and clean, high-fidelity tracks. (Sorry, Angela - I love you dearly, but oh that show...) On the other hand, The Rockford Files is a keeper. A little digging revealed that Mill Creek Entertainment licensed the entire Rockford Files series on Blu-ray, no less. I grabbed it up immediately. With the exception of the sixth, and final season - where the image seems to be 'a little less' than pristine - the balance of the episodes are wonderful-looking.
At least one Rockford episode was made from a recycled Maverick script.
I read somewhere (i think in Foxxy's new HM book) that they were originally going to have a Columbia at WDW, and, in fact, Liberty Square was supposed to be a coastal town (that was spared by The Brady Bunch). Therefore, The Columbia Harbor House (which is one of my favorite places to eat, by the way) was supposed to go with the attraction. In the end, the ship never made it, but the eatery did.
Let us not forget that Florence was also involved in "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour" at this time. Not necessarily a good thing, just a fact.
I remember watching the Tony Orlando and Dawn show, but I guess it went off in '76. And the Captain and Tennile's show did not last much longer, either.
Major, the "disco version of an old standard" is "That Old Black Magic."
I apologize if anyone watched that special, and wants that 50 minutes of their life back! For me, it's near 1970s perfection, and the only way it could have been better, is if they had added E.J. Peaker to the cast. I guess it's one of those "it's so bad, it's good" things, just like the Osmonds at Disneyland.
Churros! I also thought it was weird when Disneyland started selling churros. I had worked at Knott's Berry Farm for almost 8 years and churros were a big thing there (as were funnel cakes), so when Disney started selling them, it just seemed like they were copying Knott's. But then, I thought that very same thing when they built a "Log Ride" at Disneyland.
Did I hear someone say ‘funnel cakes’?!
Extra powdered sugar, please!!
@ TM-
Remember... Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.. Undoubtedly, that's why Disneyland started selling Churros, and the 'why' for Splash Mountain. (It kinda takes on a different meaning when the entire quote is used-!)
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour was one of my favorite variety shows. But I think that pre-dated the mid-to-late '70s by a couple of years.
The Carol Burnett Show started in the '60s but lasted until the time period being discussed here.
I think the Smothers Brothers Show was gone by the start of the '70s.
Major, I saw Bells Are Ringing with Florence Henderson & Dean Jones at the Muny in St Louis on that same 1979 tour. We had season tickets to a star-studded (or at least "familiar-actor-studded") summer that year - Ed Ames in Shenandoah; Ann Blyth in The Desert Song; Forrest Tucker in Ballroom; Arte Johnson, Hans Conried, and John Carradine in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum;and a drunk-on-stage Robert Goulet in Carousel. Plus I saw Marlin Perkins in the audience with our binoculars and took my little sister down to meet him and get his autograph. Great memories.
WRT a sailing ship at WDW, Mike Cozart has shared that the original plan was to build a carbon copy (although I'm sure the actual construction process would have been somewhat more complex) of the Columbia called the Lady Washington, but the brutal sun and daily rainshowers encountered once the Park was built and operating forced a change of plans and construction of a second steamboat.
Stu, I have Foxxy's HM book, but life has been so hectic of late I forgot all about it. Time to crack the digital cover and start reading. Thanks for the reminder!
Nanook,
Remember... Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness. Undoubtedly, that's why Disneyland started selling Churros, and the 'why' for Splash Mountain. (It kinda takes on a different meaning when the entire quote is used-!)
I don't think I had ever heard that full/complete quote...only the part up to the word, "flattery." You are right, it does take on a different meaning, when you hear the entire quote. And I heartily agree with it! For me, that really was the end for Disney, once they started copying other parks, like Knott's, Magic Mountain, and Universal.
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