Columbia Details, 1979
Among the 1000+ scans that the Mysterious Benefactor graciously shared with me are many MANY photos of Frontierland's Columbia sailing ship. Every angle, and many details... often multiple photos of the same details! So it was up to me to select what I think are the best images from the bunch to share with you. In this case I chose 7 scans out of a batch of 21 - with more to go.
Here's an ant's-eye view looking up at some of the spars and rigging and... whatever that platform is. Not a crow's nest, surely? My theory is that they needed a raised platform for eating oniony sandwiches so that the smell wouldn't bother the other crew members, but I could be wrong.
The one time I was aboard the Columbia, somebody fired off a cannon (I forget why), making most of the passengers jump six inches in the air. That's why they did it, I'm convinced... just so the CMs could have a laugh!
This one is just to give you an idea of what you were missing out on... it's the same cannon as the previous photo, but the composition is a bit different. The green trees made the previous image a winner.
As you can tell, some of these scans had a color cast - in this case rather on the cyan side of things. I adjusted it somewhat, but never could get it to look perfect. Still, I like the ropes, pulleys, chains, and other stuff.
Here's a slightly different angle, from a scan that went very dark for some reason. Everything looks kind of ominous - it's a place where nobody speaks and laughter hasn't been heard for 100 years.
More deets!
And finally (for today), a nice J.J. Abrams shot - plenty of lens flare! The Columbia's figurehead looks bravely forward no matter what obstacles we'll face in this unexplored land.
Thanks to the Mysterious Benefactor, as always!
21 comments:
The 2nd image, with the green trees, IS better (like you said). But the treeless 3rd image allows us to pretend that the ship is actually at sea. Maybe that's what your Mysterious Benefactor had in mind?
4th image: Looking at this, and some of the other photos, where was the MB standing to get these angles? Maybe the Columbia was in Fowler's Harbor and he was just standing on the wharf next to the ship. Or maybe he was on one of the other Disneyland water craft?
Photo #5 seems to show that the MB was indeed on a wharf/dock of some kind.
The 6th image evokes the excitement of the open seas even though we can see only a small portion of the ship.
In #7, the magenta flare on the right makes a nice, balancing counterpoint for the colorful flares on the left.
Thanks to the Mysterious Benefactor and Major P. for this detailed and dramatic look at Disneyland's sailing ship.
In the fifth photo....is there a "duck ruckus" taking place way out on the water, or is that someone in a wetsuit, riding a jet ski?
The first and sixth pics are nice. I always thought for HalloweenTime that the Columbia would make a great "ghost ship" at night.
Thanks, MB and Major.
My, she was yar.
Major, many thanks are due to the MB for these pics, and to you for bringing them to us, or us to them, or something, anyway, what was I saying…
JB, I think that, judging from the Riverfront views and the “duck ruckus”, most, if not all, of these pics are taken from the boarding quay, not Fowler’s Harbor. Prolonged Guest access to this location is difficult since the crew hurries you during loading. But it is possible to get some good closeups from Fowler’s now that the walkway has been opened.
Major, the last time I rode, in 2015, the cannon schtick was “ to warn off pirates”… but a bow gun mounted on the railing was used.
I hope Disney has had enough JJ Abrams for one lifetime, I certainly have.
JG
Melissa,.....everything a boat should be. Until she develops dry rot!
Major, by the way....that was not from I.L.L.! I was just responding to Melissa's quote from "The Philadelphia Story." Now, if I had said something about scraping the barnacles off her hull, that would be from I.L.L.!
I actually like the 5th picture best, which is weird because usually anything with a cannon wins.
I read somewhere that ol' JJ actually digitally adds lens flair to his films, which strikes me as weird because much of my life has been spent avoiding it. Maybe next someone will think fogged film is "artistic."
Major-
Ah… details, details. Very nice.
Thanks to the M B.
JB, well, I DO like to pretend that I’m at sea! That gives me an excuse to call everyone “matey”, which they love of course. Just a note, the MB did not take these photos, he worked for Disney and part of his job was to scan thousands of slides that were taken for publicity purposes, some going all the way back to the 1950s. For some reason the project only got as far as Frontierland (sadly), and the MB generously offered to share the scans with me… and with YOU! Pretty nice, huh? I’m all of today’s photos were taken from the load dock, with that one being taken out at the very end. Glad you liked these!
TokyoMagic!, this is a family blog, and I don’t want any duck ruckuses. Think of the children!
K. Martinez, you are so right, I’d love it if they made the Columbia a “haunted ship”! With plenty of fog on the river for atmosphere.
Melissa, don’t talk with your mouth full!
JG, yes I agree, though I was not fancy and did not use the word “quay”. My brain still wants to pronounce it “kway” even though I know that’s incorrect. Stupid brain! I’ll bet that in 1978 it would not have been that hard to walk out to that end of the dock (I mean quay!), especially on a slow day. Cast member: “Knock yourself out!”. And yes, I do think it was a bow gun, and not the large cannon, so much for my memories. JJ seems like a nice man, but story is not his strong suit.
TokyoMagic!, I personally like a little dry rot. Call me crazy.
TokyoMagic!, I did not even consider that anything was from “ILL”; even though I have revealed that I am secretly in love with Vivian Vance. I think the last time I saw “The Philadelphia Story” was in the early 80s, and I was disappointed that it wasn’t about cream cheese at all.
Stu29573, you would be shocked at how many photos I omitted that were tiny variations of that view. A little more to the left, a little more to the right, a bit more “up”, a bit more “down”… you get the idea! JJ definitely digs lens flare, I think it reminds him of some special effects shots in Spielberg movies (“Close Encounters”, and even “Jaws”). I’m sure you know that Photoshop has a function where you can add lens flare to photos! It looks pretty authentic.
Nanook, that’s where the Devil can be found!
One thing about the Columbia was that it wasn't built on the cheap. Spending many an hour on the ship, I had a chance to see for myself the quality of the construction...especially below decks. Could it be built today? Sure. Would it? Probably not due to the cost and consideration for maintenance and being low capacity. But fortunately it was done when it could be done with an eye of keeping it for many years. Like a B-52, it may be there for 100 years.
I was thinking that during a slow day, I would have allowed a guest to take shots from the dock as was done here. Nothing unusual about that to me.
Yep, we fired a cannon going by Fort Wilderness in respect to Old Glory on each trip. It was a small cannon that could be manually mounted on the rail. We used shotgun shell-like blanks sufficiently loud enough to get everyone's attention. Would move guests away a few feet away before firing. When the cannon was not in use, Capt. Mike would expect us to ring out the time on the ship's bell...and to make sure we were accurate while also calling out the time. Such fun! KS
KS, I would love to have been able to look at the quality of the Columbia construction up close. Maybe they used fancy joinery in places! I love a good dovetail. I agree, a ride like this would not be approved due to the cost versus the relative low capacity. Thank goodness we already have it! Thanks for the info about the small cannon, I had no idea that it used blanks that resembled shotgun shells, very interesting! I love that Captain Mike was so deeply invested in his role, I'm sure that his enthusiasm inspired the other CMs as well.
Major...Oh he left an indelible impression upon many of us...and we think of him fondly. He could be cantankerous if you didn't follow instruction, but was a wonderful pussycat if you did. He had a very interesting life beyond Disneyland that I didn't fully know or appreciate at the time. He was, indeed, the Captain...and played the role well. He should have a window of his own as far as I am concerned. KS
In the mid 90s when Disneyland was testing the waters with a after hours Halloween event the sailing ship Columbia was indeed used as a ghost ship and a great deal of fog was pumped into the New Orleans Square, River Bend area. It was spooky and ethereal to experience. These early Halloween after hour events also used the horse drawn Surreys and the hose and chemical Fire Wagon along Main Street USA. There was also a Hay Wagon for guests.
A friend and I would wait backstage after work and wait till the festivities started to check things out as has not purchased tickets. It was interesting during this time as Disneyland wanted to do a after hours Fall - Halloween ticketed event , but was conscious NOT to copy or compete with neighboring Knott’s Berry Farms’s long established Halloween Haunt.
All these images from Disneyland’s Marketing slides of Frontierland from Mysterious Benefactor are pretty amazing ...... imagine the treasures in the Tomorrowland slide sets!!!! .... oh well , at least we have the pleasure of seeing FRONTIERLAND!
Thanks MAJOR & MB!!!
Major, Soooo, I guess you're now Cap'n Pepperidge? (Aaarrr!)
About the MB: Ah. I either didn't know that, or I forgot about it... probably the latter. Come to think of it, it does sound familiar. I think you did tell us that back when you first introduced the MB.
So, we don't know who took all these photos? Some official Disney photog, no doubt?
Tokyo, the "duck ruckus" is indeed ducks. Some unfortunate guest got too close to the water bank and the swan-like instincts of the mallards kicked in. A swarm ensued and, within seconds... nuthin' but bones.
JG & Major, I always want to pronounce it that way as well. It sure doesn't look like 'kee'. It reminds me of something I read many years ago about spelling 'fish' as 'ghoti'. Take the 'gh' from rough, the 'o' from women, and the 'ti' from nation. Put them all together and you get 'fish'. Silly language we have, huh. But fun!
KS, as always, thank you for sharing your experiences.
Mike, also, thank you for sharing. BTW, exactly where (location-wise) were you working at that time, where you could just hang around for those cool festivities? Did you take any pictures?
JB, regarding the 'fish' thing...I recall something in one of my 'Jack and Jill' magazines, from in the 60s, where they showed you how "GHOST" is pronounced "FISH." Similar to what you mentioned. But, for the life of me, I can't remember what word they used where "ST" is pronounced "SH." Maybe someone out there can think of the word. [Nanook?]
Major, I like the last shot because of the lens flare. Some added be-dazzling is nice. Thanks, MB & MP!
Sue: The Disney Gallery but on those Halloween Party nites we were in management training classes so we were in business attire and hand back at the Inn Between , or talk to friends over at security or near the “Center” which was being used fir scheduling then , but still had a lounge in the entry area. No ..... no photos . Taking pictures was a bigger deal then .... no cel phone cameras .... I fact there were very few cel phones period then. The camera I had wasn’t something that could easily be hidden then.... no would it have taken good night shots without special film. When DCA was under construction we went to the water being turned on to Grizzly Falls over at grizzly river rapids ... we had vests and hard hats on and we were all talking photographs!! We were all covered with a white powdery dust - as the water flowed into the fake waterfall troughs , it disturbed small particles of construction debris and dust , pelting all us viewers. After taking pictures - we walked around the DCA construction site .... taking pictures ..... I had one or two pictures left on the roll after our tour and a eager security lady admonished is and confiscated our film rolls. We were told the film would be developed and security would keep anything they felt necessary and we could retrieve any non backstage images. ( I wonder if I would have been charged for the developing!??)
Now for New Tomorrowland..... that was another story. I was accepted in a Imagineering Designers workshop then an internship .... and I took hundreds and hundreds of New Tomorrowland demolition and construction - Ives posted many at my TOMORROWLOUGE blog. Many make people cry!
A duckus ruckus...I like it. I never saw one in person. The Westside was so wonderfully well done...not to say that the other lands weren't...perhaps it is the naturalism. Would the Columbia be built today? I highly doubt it. That is a lot of rigging and detail that not only needs big brains to build it, but lots of brains and fingers and $$$ to maintain it. What if they added another vessel to the River? Don't think that day will come so we probably shouldn't waste too much time speculating. Too expensive with no ROI and no IP. I do remember that cannon going off...and guests jumping out of their skin. When Disney took over the Queen Mary in Long Beach, they blasted that horn at a few points during the day. That is a LOUD horn...and you didn't see it coming. At least the cannon had some fanfare in front of it so you could plug your ears. I'm wondering what the water displacement info on both the Columbia and the Mark Twain is. I'm not sure how a flat bottom Columbia actually stays upright- unless she is on wheels like a giant shopping cart. I had to look up JJ Abrams- I suppose my tastes stray away from his films- I thought everyone was referring to JJ Watt- the football player- and couldn't understand what was being said- So I looked things up. I just thought...oh... football guy who art directs his own publicity photos like jumping in the air with light effects and whatnot...I think I would actually prefer that to what I discovered about the JJ you were talking about. Never was really a Star Wars guy and just don't understand it all... I'm not sure I'm the target audience. Regarding the backstage photos...there was really no hub-bub at all back in my day- but that is pre-internet, pre-cell phone, pre EVERYTHING...so there was really no need to have a policy around it. People were taking pictures of characters with their heads off- and that was a little discouraged, but you didn't get your camera confiscated over it or anything else really backstage. What is this? Border patrol on the Gaza Strip? I can see how now things would go totally viral...and then there is copyright infringement...on and on and on.... I did a entire movie one summer (or was it spring?) and traveled around the park with very very bright lights that I would have employees plug in for me. My co-hort and I went around the park looking for "stories." On Super 8mm. Have the film, don't have the projector. Should probably have that transferred to digital at some point. I haven't watched it since 1984. The only thing I really remember about it was employees squinting because the lights were so stinking bright! We brought along an extension cord too in case we need to do "long shots". I do remember that lounge at the "Center"..that lounge seemed to always be a sea of Parking Lot people- so I just thought it was their break room that you also got tickets to the Family Film Festival and other Cast-Activities type things. Cast Communications was in there...the HQ for the Disneyland Line- and I think Community Affairs too. It also had what was probably the first on-campus "employee-only" B of A "Versateller" ATM machine- which I thought was the coolest thing as ATM's were rare in 1980. Thanks for all of the memories Major and MB and MC and KS.
KS, I can imagine that Captain Mike could be a hard***, but you know that it came from a place of caring, which makes all the difference. He really wanted the Disneyland experience to be as believable as possible. Sounds like quite a fellow. A window on Main Street would be well-deserved.
Mike Cozart, ah very neat, I wish I’d seen Frontierland and the Columbia in “Halloween Mode”. Cool that they used the surreys too, since as far as I am aware, they hadn’t really been in use for many years. As you say, it’s amazing that Disneyland would be so considerate towards Knott’s… I wonder if they would be so nice today. Probably not. And YES, it kills me to think of what the Tomorrowland batch of slides might have had!
JG, nope, I am a humble Major, and always will be. My people need me. I think we have all learned to avoid ALL waterfoul, even cute mallards. Strangely, baby mallards are deadliest of all. I’ve seen that “ghoti” thing somewhere before! Kind of reminds me of a thing I saw that said, “English can be weird. It can be understood through tough thorough thought, though”.
Lou and Sue, Hmmm, now I am wracking my brain to think of an instance where “ST” is pronounced “SH”!! I love a good bedazzling, all of my denim jackets sparkle like gems.
Mike Cozart, “management training classes”!! I can’t decide if that would be cool or not. I guess it’s always better to be “the guy in charge”. I totally understand why they would not allow photos. During my brief time at the Disney Studio, I wanted to wander around and take photos, but was told that it “was not done”. I still was tempted to try it… maybe stand behind a tree and take sneaky shots… but I never did. So weird that they let you take photos when you were at Grizzly Rapids, but then decided that they needed to confiscate them. Arg.
Bu, there is NO WAY that the Columbia would be built today. It’s not thrilling enough, it has low capacity, and there is no IP tied to it. Thank goodness it comes from the days when Walt was in charge and could make a thing happen just because he wanted it. I seem to remember commercials for the Queen Mary in which they would blast the big horn, but I never heard it in person. The Columbia IS on wheels, I’ve seen one or two photos of it when the river is dry. Such a crazy notion. I wonder if it mostly floats, except when the water is drained? I used to like Star Wars (though the later films… not so much), but the fandom sort of took the joy out of it. Wow, I hope you still have all of your Super 8 films! They could be digitized, but dang, that can get expensive in a hurry. Still, you might have some really great stuff.
Thanks, Mike! Now I do recall seeing some of those pictures on your blog - but it's been more than a couple years since I went through all your posts. I'll definitely have to go back and review them.
Bu, your movie will be a hit. For sure with this crowd. Make copies and we'll buy 'em. You'll easily cover your expenses to transfer it to digital. I would LOVE to see it.
Major, now I wonder if my little-kid brain just read "GHOTI" as "GHOST"?? That wouldn't surprise me. And it's been 50-55 years since I saw that in the magazine.
Also, Major, you're going to give poor JB an 'identity crisis.' ;o)
Fun post and interesting comments, today - thanks, all!
Sue, I'll survive... somehow. Give me a moment while I compose myself... All better now.
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