I have a fairly large lot of slides from April, 1959. And that's great! But... at least 1/3 of the photos were taken while aboard the Jungle Cruise. Less great. As I've said before, I love the Jungle Cruise, but slides from that attraction are hard to get very excited about, since it was a boat on a rail - passengers saw the same things every time, with angles varying from "partly obstructed" to "pretty good".
All that being said, I do really like this first shot (possibly "POSTCARD WORTHY"?), with the original clean and tidy jungle launches (and those wonderful striped awnings), the loading dock, and those nice reflections in the water.
Say, look over there! It's the ruins of a well preserved sacred temple, slowly being swallowed by the jungle. You never know, there might be a some Burmese rubies laying around, let's go take a look-see!
Whoops! Three reptilian guardians appear from beneath the murky water. They've protected this temple from looters for centuries. The spider (she's hard to see, but she's there, yellow and black and definitely venomous) sits in her web. Sure, she might bite you, but to make matters worse, you might walk through her web. Yuck! I guess any loose rubies will just have to stay put.
Major-
ReplyDeleteOh yes - that first image is post card-worthy. And the other two aren't too bad, either.
Thanks, Major.
I really like that first photo. Something about the lighting (morning?), and clear as a bell. I think I'll wait for the blue-striped boat, it looks like Gilligan is at the helm of the red-striped one; and we know how that'll turn out. Looks like The Professor has also changed his mind about boarding Gilligan's ill-fated boat.
ReplyDeleteAnd, oh look, it's the 3 little crocs. The one in front must be the Practical Croc. The Piper Croc and the Fiddler Croc are of little use, dancing and singing all day.
Thanks for the nice, clear Jungle Cruise pics, Major.
There's also a cobra guarding the temple, in the second and third pics.
ReplyDeleteWe can see one or two....or maybe all three of those crocodiles, just beneath the surface of the water, in that second pic.
Thanks for these J.C. pics, Major!
- Tokyo Melba! (Peach or toast, take your pick!)
Note the seating area for the Plaza Pavillion in the background of the first photo. I’m not old enough to remember it, but it would have been a fun place to eat and watch the boats slide by as they returned from their adventures, some pristine like these, others riddled with spears and panicky guests, and still others full of festering corpses laid low by jungle disease. Good, clean family fun!
ReplyDeleteI guess it bears repeating....the first pic is the one. That rope lying on the boarding walkway is in the perfect position, just like the other one behind. Looks like a great day to jump in and take a ride.
ReplyDeleteJB, wonder if Practical croc makes a ticking sound.
TM, I bought a bunch of peach Empanadas at the farmers market yesterday, so I'm inclined to take peach, my favorite fruit.
Nice start to a Monday Major. Thanks.
We’ve said it before, but it may be true, the JC CM outfits must have changed every 6 months, you can hardly find two vintage pics where they are wearing the same togs. JB, you are right to be wary, unless you packed evening dress for your three-hour tour.
ReplyDeleteMajor, as JC pics go, these are the gold (or maybe ruby) standard.
No. 1 might be a guidebook intro, the others only just behind.
Spiders and cobras and crocs, oh my! I don’t want to be the guy who winds the crocodile alarm clock.
Dr. Goat that empanada sounds mighty good.
JG
It was my search for Jungle Cruise info that led me to GDB, so JC photos will always be dear to my heart. Thanks, Major!
ReplyDeleteNanook, while I often get weary of Jungle Cruise images, for some reason today’s examples still made me smile - especially that first one.
ReplyDeleteJB, I’m unsure as to what time of day that first one was taken… it sort of looks like the sun is in the west a bit, so it might be later than morning? Hard to say. it sure looks like there aren’t many guests waiting for the Jungle Cruise!
TokyoMagic!, ah yes, somehow I didn’t notice the cobra! Now I can picture its slow back and forth swaying in my mind. And I like that we can see the crocodiles beneath the water in photo #2; much like Nature’s Wonderland, I wonder what was the “trigger” that controlled when the crocs came up out of the water?
Chuck, I have thought the same thing whenever I see that Lanai Terrace seating - that’s the place to be when eating lunch. It would never get old. Also, when you have festering corpses, just feed them to the crocodiles. I learned that from Heloise.
DrGoat, I just love how tidy and clean and appealing that first photo is. Definitely an idealized jungle and boats that look like big toys, but still awesome. In theory I like the idea of grungier boats and a wilder jungle, but I miss the old ride. Maybe because I’m an old fart?
JG, it really is true, the Jungle Cruise costumes changed more than any other attraction; as you say, it’s hard to find two photos where they are the same. I wonder why? I guess the humidity and the flying leeches really took their toll on fabrics. I put guidebook photos right up there with postcards (in earlier guidebooks, sometimes they used the same photos)! I want those Burmese rubies, but spiders are yucky. Cobras are OK though!
Lou and Sue, I'm so glad you found GDB! You've been such a wonderful addition to the Junior Gorillas! :-)
ReplyDeleteJG, Those Empanadas are, or should I say were good. I ate the last one this morning.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad Sue found GDB too!
The JC costumes did change...in particular for the season. There was a summer and winter costume to begin with during my time. Wearing a T shirt and sandals which was done in the early years...imagine the injuries on that one with a wood dock...would not be ideal during the cold wet months. On thing I hated was wearing that ascot around my neck. Fortunately that was discarded about a year or two into my tenure...prior to that the foreman could tell us it was too hot...I recall when over 90 degrees... and it could be removed. What a relief...I got terrible skin rashes with it. I'd take it off once we entered the jungle and put it back on at Trader Sam. LOL Yep that first pic is postcard ready. Except those ropes are not coiled as they should have been...SOP! The animation was triggered...during my time... by strategically placed underwater photocells which would sense the front guide of the boat passing over them. That never seemed to fail. However, if you were not sufficiently behind the boat ahead of you, the animation would not reset. And yes, there were those rare trips when we'd 'accidentally' do that. KS
ReplyDeleteMajor- Nice photos today. Concerning the Jungle Cruise boats- I have a difficult time deciding which I prefer- the more recent weathered/realistic look or the early nostalgic pristine look. I definitely like the older wild look of the "jungle" & the more lifelike greenish brown water, than the well manicured landscape & blue green water of the present day "amusement park" appearance.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Cobras are OK, especially those from the 1960s, with either the 289 or 427 V8... ;)
-DW
Make sure you check out ‘Passport 2 Dreams’ new post added yesterday!
ReplyDeleteDrGoat, tell me you had at least one of those peach empanadas with vanilla ice cream!!
ReplyDeleteKS, having seasonal differences in costumes totally makes sense! People might not think 45 or 50 degrees is that cold (and I guess it isn’t, compared to -20) but it’s still unpleasant to be out in all day, particularly if you are not acclimated to those temperatures. Yes, open-toed sandals seem like a bad idea, I’m sure that’s not an option anymore. And an ascot… no thanks, ha ha! I wonder if the rule about coiling the ropes in a particular manner didn’t come along until after this photo was taken? Although you’d think that Admiral Joe Fowler would be a harda** about such things. Thanks for the fun comment!
DW, it’s all a matter of opinion, if you prefer the grungy look, I can’t tell you that you are wrong! Well I could, but it would make me a jerk. I do dislike the blue-green water, and prefer the old greenish murk of the old days. And I also preferred it when Schweitzer Falls was a real waterfall, and not a trickle!
Lou and Sue, I will definitely check it out!
Childhood memory of looking down from the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse and seeing a croc -- or was it three crocs? -- on the Jungle Cruise river. A cool sense of seeing something I shouldn't.
ReplyDeleteSaw the Jungle Cruise movie. Okay, but all too familiar if you've seen Pirates of the Caribbean and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Sometimes familiarity doesn't breed much of anything.
Tokyo, I'll stick with Peach Melba. Thin, dry, hard-as-rock toast doesn't have much appeal to me.
ReplyDeleteI looked for the underwater crocs before making my first comment; couldn't see 'em. But now that you mention it, I guess that's the big croc under the water there. I thought it was a reflection of that papyrus(?) plant.
Chuck, You do have a way of painting a vivid picture! (Good thing we don't have Smell-O-Vision.)
DrGoat, Only when Captain Hook is in the vicinity.
JG, having seen the TV series, I packed three!
Major, I think you're right about the afternoon sun. The light seems to be coming from behind the camera which would be west, yes? There are hardly any cast shadows in that pic. Maybe that's what gives it that 'little extra something'.
KS, thanks for more Jungle Cruise lore. It's always welcome.
Major, It was chocolate ice cream and it was very good. Didn't have any vanilla.
ReplyDeleteKS, thanks for the CM perspective, I love the inside scoop.
ReplyDeleteTM, dry toast for me, thanks.
JB, as long as you have white tie for dinner, we're good.
I prefer the new design "grungy" look for the boats, it's a good tie-in to the Indiana Jones ride and seems appropriate even for the "African Queen" look. I've seen the latest revisions in videos and those look perfectly appropriate and in context, they are even funny, and a little bit scary/threatening. If the monkeys did that to the last boat, they could do it to ours!
IMHO, JC is maybe the only opening day attraction that has been improved. I have to say that I haven't noticed the more manicured look that DW refers. Maybe I'm not paying attention.
Great post, Major, much appreciated.
JG
DBenson, you make a fun point about being able to see into other rides! Kind of a fun idea. And I thought that the Jungle Cruise movie was mess, with too much CGI business. And while I like The Rock and Emily Blunt, I felt like they had very little chemistry together.
ReplyDeleteJB, I don’t even know what peach melba is, but I admit that I think of melba toast, which I actually kind of liked when I was a kid. Not sure why. I also liked rye crisps. If today’s photos really are from April (as the date stamp implies) then the days would be getting longer, and the afternoon sun would probably plenty bright and clear. Also, when I adjust these for posting, I often have to guess at how warm or cool they should be, I may have gone too far mitigating the afternoon warmth.
DrGoat, huh, chocolate ice cream with peaches. Interesting!
JG, I can’t say I like dry toast much. Give me warm bread with butter, yum. I know that the grungy boats were changed due to the association with the Indiana Jones ride, but… I still love the original “toy” boats. I do think that in general the Jungle Cruise has improved over the years; we’ll have to see how the new changes will play. Fingers crossed.
JG- When the park 1st opened, I agree that the landscaping was pretty sparse, but once it had time to fill in, it looked pretty convincing as a jungle (especially with the vegetation growing all the way to the water). It was like this for several years, but at a certain point concrete/rock edging was added (along with the blue-green water) & that changed the look. That's what I meant about a more manicured appearance. Now it seems more like an amusement park (or someone's backyard waterfall & pond) than a theme park. This also is something that was done with Tom Sawyer Island (or what used to be Tom Sawyer Island...). ...just this person's opinion... ;)
ReplyDelete-DW
DW, thanks, I get it now.
ReplyDeleteI guess I just mentally block those concrete edges. I’ve always known it was fake and never cared. But I agree, having it all edged in does change the look and the old version was best.
JG