GDB regulars know by now that Sundays are often the days when you will find photos that aren't much to look at. I encourage people to make it their day of rest and just come back tomorrow for something a little bit more interesting! But I gotta used up those "blah" slides, and this is the day to do it.
Here's a very ordinary, not-very-interesting view of the Mark Twain churning it's way past the Columbia (did the Columbia feel jealous?) and the southern point of Tom Sawyer Island. It's fine... just fine. But boring.
Not many people appear to be in Frontierland, which is OK by me. It makes the frontier feel more frontiery. There's the steps and gangplank that allowed guests to board the Columbia. And I've always found it a little bit interesting that the dock and the lower level of the Mark Twain aligned so exactly that there was no need for a safety railing when that boat was loading.
Major-
ReplyDeleteYou mean to tell me they named a paddlewheel riverboat after Mark Twain-? I had no idea. You learn something new everyday. It's a beauty, too.
Thanks, Major.
It looks like everybody in the park is on the Mark Twain; I don't see anybody else anywhere!
ReplyDeleteColumbia, "Yeah, I see you, Mr. Twain. All sparkly white in the bright sunlight... YOU MAKE ME SICK! With yer twin smokestacks and yer paddle wheel goin' round and round. And all those passengers enjoyin' themselves... YOU MAKE ME WANNA PUKE! G'won, get outa here! Who needs 'em! Not ME, no siree!"
Mark Twain, "Oh hey, Columbia. Are you still here? You need to get out more. Stretch yer legs. Unfurl yer sails... Oh sorry, I see you don't have any sails today. What a shame."
Not a lot going on in these photos; not even a duck ruckus to make things more exciting. The second photo in particular, looks rather yawny.
The American flags look nice highlighted by the sun, against that dark green background. There, I tried. ;-)
Nanook, I know! Right? All these years reading GDB and then, POW! We're smacked with this "Mark Twain" thing! Who'd a thunk it! I can't wait to see what other surprises Disneyland has in store for us!
Sundays are a good time to be silly. Thanks, Major.
In the second image : what’s that boom-crane and tackle block on the roof of the Golden Horseshoe?? Or am I looking something much further in the distance? It’s 1967..... was it something used camera angles for filming of the Pirates of the Caribbean press previews???
ReplyDeleteYep, everyone’s on POTC. We couldn’t get enough of it, back then. Still can’t, now.
ReplyDeleteHey, JG, how many trash cans do you count in the 2nd picture? There are quite a few blobs that could be cans...too bad this picture isn’t a dot sharper.
Stu, I tried commenting, again, on your blog. Did my 2nd comment disappear, too?
ReplyDeleteBTW, Nanook, Stu’s current post is ‘right up your alley’ - I thought of you when I saw it.
Your comment worked, Sue! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIn all the back and forth between the Twain and the Columbia, no one noticed the "Becky Thatcher" prowling nearby...and that's just how she likes it! She is, therefore, free to commit all manner of nefarious deeds and then pin it on the other two. Sly, Becky, very sly...
Ho-hum.
ReplyDeleteJust kidding. That first photo is a beauty. You've got the Mark Twain Steamboat, Sailing Ship Columbia, a Tom Sawyer Island Raft and a Mike Fink Keelboat. All that's missing in the pic is an Indian War Canoe (pre-Bear Country).
The river shore plantings framing the bottom of that same pic adds a nice touch too. Thanks, Major.
Nanook, who is Mark Twain? Does he have a reality show on ABC?
ReplyDeleteJB, it is kind of amazing to see that in 1967, after the opening of “Pirates”, the park could still be an uncrowded place in the off season (October). What a delight it would have been to visit the park on a day like that! I’d like to believe that the Columbia was a bit more classy, but, you know, sailors. They pick up some pretty choice language along the way (my dad could curse with the best of them). Ha ha, I appreciate you trying to find something nice to say - believe me, I find myself in that position all the time. What do I say about It’s a Small World on the 5,000 slide?
Mike Cozart, that crane/boom thing was there for a long time, and I have never quite understood its function. I assume it was a bit of set-dressing that helped to make things feel more authentic.
Lou and Sue, maybe THAT’S it, everyone is over in NOS waiting in the queue for Pirates. Sorry that these pictures aren’t so good for trash can spotting!
Lou and Sue, hey, no advertising for other blogs! ;-)
Stu29573, maybe Becky Thatcher was the true villain of “Tom Sawyer”?
K. Martinez, it’s not that these photos are necessarily “bad”, it’s just that we’ve seen images just like them a million times. It kind of takes the fun out of things, although you are right, if we are willing to pay attention, there’s still goodness to be had.
Major, I disagree completely, these pictures don’t have to be interesting, because they are good (apologies to Mies VanderRohe).
ReplyDeleteThey are bringing me a sense of peace, remembering all the good times I had on the River before they ruined it with Fantasmic and took out the plantings on the banks because of idiots.
Everything about photo 1 is just as it should be, even the rafts and keelboats are getting geared up for the day, loading fresh dynamite kegs and preparing to repel ducks.
Photo 2 is similarly perfect, allowing us to speculate on the mechanics of boarding. As you know, I look for things like the dock and deck matching exactly, and then I think about what has to coordinate for that to work. Boggles the mind that they could that stuff right the first time.
And Sue, I count four trash cans in photo 2, with a probable fifth beyond near the Stage Door (or whatever that was called then), in two different liveries, the log-cabin paint, and the yellow ‘x’.
From this angle, that crane is more over the Jungle Cruise, or maybe the Treehouse, could even be Main Street.
Major, I think you have hit on a major contribution to literary analysis, Becky was the villain all along. How did we not see this, it was right in front of us all our lives.
JG
This was the Frontierland of my time. And as you mention Major, October was a wonderfully slow month after the Summer rush. Now of course, they have capitalized on Halloween decorations which I find quite spectacular.
ReplyDeleteI can hear the 'whoosh' sound of the steam passing though the exhaust pipes of the MT. Nowadays, the noise of crowds probably cancels it out.
Aa for the alignment on the dock...yes, the engineering was quite well done. On the other hand, I can tell you that a full compliment of passengers standing on the port side of the MT coming in to dock would tilt the the ship enough to submerge the main floor below water line. We'd ask the guests to stand back a bit...and to take their time moving to port. It was interesting to see the MT right itself gradually as the load of passengers disembarked. KS
I had assumed that the skipper of the Mark Twain was asking the captain of the Columbia if he had any Grey Poupon, but I think I prefer JB’s smack talk dialog.
ReplyDeleteMajor, you remember Mark Twain - Lionel’s brother.
The crane is definitely on the corner of the Golden Horseshoe. The rope from the tackle block curves down and terminates on the balcony by that lit lantern. Check out these Daveland photos for additional reference:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.davelandweb.com/goldenhorseshoe/images/60s/KTPBKYC_10_63_N26R.jpg
https://www.davelandweb.com/goldenhorseshoe/images/60s/KTPBKYC_10_65_N24B.jpg
https://www.davelandweb.com/goldenhorseshoe/images/60s/60s_LgNegs_GH.jpg
JB, on Friday, you were wondering what was on the other side of the sign that said
“To Frontierland: Frontiers of America.” Here you go:
https://www.davelandweb.com/frontierland/images/70s/6_21_70_Frontierland.jpg
And I’d always wondered what the other side of the balanced boulder gate to Frontierland looked like. I wonder no more:
https://www.davelandweb.com/frontierland/images/60s/Ansco_5_60_Frontierland.jpg
I'm good with boring. I've had enough of the other end of that scale, so boring suits me just fine at this point in my life. Boring #1: what a great photo. I forgot that they named the rafts. Looks like the back door is open on the wheelhouse...maybe it was a hot October day. Boring #2: There is an unbuttoned vest employee manning the exit as the ship approaches the dock. I'm leaning into the thought that that was acceptable, or maybe it was "if above 95 degrees you can unbutton your vest." Looks like the popcorn vendor is in full swing with the popcorn against the window- that was a "thing" so that the "inventory" looked "full" from the front. No one wants the last bits of anything- especially popcorn. There was a trick to flip kernels up against the window without smearing grease all over the place. Greasy windows were a "no no". Not sure what that crane is, but didn't they do gun-shootin-rootin-tootin shows? Maybe someone dangled from that crane? I probably have sat through the Golden Horsehoe Revue at least 100 times- maybe more...I saw Wally Boag's last show- they had a reception after that and a sweeper buddy and myself sat with him talking while the press did their photo-op thing. For some reason, we were suddenly surrounded by photographers (?) I have no idea what we discussed- but he signed something for my buddy- maybe there was a special program or something. I think he asked us more questions than we asked him. Both of us just professionally went with the impromptu photo set up. I think for that last show we could even show up in costume...it's not clear at the moment. Maybe that's why it was interesting (?) I've yet to see any of those photos show up- so if someone has a link, let me know. The night before there was a more "special" show for more special people. Lucille Ball was there, and a co-worker was her Hostess for the evening. Apparently, she was a buddy of Wally's. My friend was cringing through the night as people approached her and Ms. Ball with "We love lucy!" (numerous times.) Lucille was polite, but lamented with the hostess as she felt more than a little uncomfortable as it was Wally's show...not hers. Wally and the rest of the cast were a friendly bunch and always had a hello for anyone going up and down those stairs backstage that led to the employee break area. Thanks again for the photos and memories.
ReplyDeleteJG, I guess I am jaded after looking at literally thousands and thousands of slides… after a while I just “blip” past the usual suspects, hoping for anything that will stand out from the others, even if it’s just a minor detail. The fun part is that I will sometimes (often?) miss one of those details, and the Junior Gorillas will step up for me! Are those dynamite kegs supposed to be for removing “snags” from the river? I remember Mark Twain writing about those (but not the dynamite part). And we should all remember that Becky Thatcher had fangs, which is a red flag in any book.
ReplyDeleteKS, I know people love the “not so scary” Halloween thing at Disneyland, but I frankly wish it was more scary. One million moms will disagree with me of course! Maybe they could have sections where signs could warn people that there could be some actual spooky things. I don’t mean like Knott’s Scary Farm, but just get some good spooky atmosphere. Crazy that they would allow enough passengers aboard the Mark Twain that the floor would be below the water line. That seems like a bad idea!
Melissa, why can’t the captains smack talk AND ask for Grey Poupon?
Chuck, I believe that the crane has been there since the very early years (maybe since the beginning). Was it implied that it would be used to load things onto the Mark Twain? I can’t quite figure out what its use would be. I figured that the other side of that sign would be something like that, but it’s good to get confirmation. And thanks for the link to the photo of the other side of the boulder gate!
Bu, I’m not sure if there were three rafts, or four… I believe there was one named for Tom Sawyer, one for Huck Finn, one for Becky Thatcher, and possibly one for Injun Joe (not sure about that last one). I’m sure they needed to open those doors for some ventilation on a warm day, even in October. Imagine how hot it would be at the controls of the DLRR with the boiler right there! Greasy windows might have been a no-no at one time, but my friend Mr. X used to be a popcorn vendor, and he’s been horrified at how dirty and poorly maintained the popcorn carts appear to be nowadays. Nat that you saw Wally Boag’s last show, what a milestone. Too bad you didn’t get his autograph too. I understand Lucille Ball’s discomfort, but she was a huge TV star, and Wally (no disrespect) was small potatoes compared to her. She should hav worn a disguise!
I was thinking the same thing, about Lucille Ball wearing a disguise. I bet a wig of any other color besides her signature shade would have been all she needed.
ReplyDeleteWho would’ve guessed there were so many tricks to the popcorn selling trade?
And I agree about scary Halloween. Both Walt and Jim Henson understood that a little scare every now and then is enjoyable for kids and is also good for them.
Major, I was going to give the Columbia an uppity, British/New England type of nautical accent. And give the Mark Twain a good ol' Samuel Clemens type of Southern accent. It would have been more humorous but I'd still be trying to write it, even now.
ReplyDeleteJG, they explode the dynamite kegs to repel the ducks. You just can't take any chances with ducks!
Those greenish things under the Columbia loading platform, are they unthemed trashcans?
Poor Tom Sawyer, always getting blamed for Ms. Thatcher's wily shenanigans. While she just skates off, innocent as a newborn kitten; laughing to herself all the while.
Melissa, the Columbia started flinging handfuls of Grey Poupon at the Mark Twain as it passed, "I got yer Grey Poupon right here, buddy!"
Didn't Lionel live at Two-Two Twain?
Chuck, Wow, thanks for that linked Daveland image! I figured it had to say something about "Rivers of the World".
The boulder/gate image looks really nice. I'd still be leery about walking under the Big Rock though.
Bu, once again, your Disneyland memories held my rapt attention. Thanks.
Major: there were four rafts: Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn, Becky Thatcher , Injun Joe.
ReplyDeleteOk, amended trash can count, two more visible in the shadows under the queue. I can zoom better on the desktop.
ReplyDeleteBu, amazing stories as always. Thank you.
Chuck thanks for all those links. Brilliant research filling in the blanks. I remember my Dad pointing out the counterbalanced gate, but have forgotten where it was. You have fixed that memory and I am grateful.
I have never noticed that crane before. I thought it was a real-life construction project. There is a prop of sailing ship masts & rigging now added over NOS. I saw an article of how this was added recently based on details in a Herb Ryman sketch. Looks like this is a similar theming, which is pretty cool.
JB, I’m filling all my mustard crocks with dynamite now.
JG
JG: those sailing ship masts were added “recently” around 1993. A rehab project brought sound FX windows , street planters and some revised color schemes as well . The whole rehab including the sailing ship masts ( they’ve been redone several times and I think they are down to a singe “ship” now) was completed by Disneyland’s SQS group -Show Quality Standards ... a group of part Disneyland and part WDI.
ReplyDeleteSometimes their work is admirable .... often cheap clutter..... kinda depending on the given group and budget. The person who heads that group today is everyone’s favorite : Kim Irvine.
The sailing ship masts peeking over the New Orleans roofline was part of a old inside WED joke that nobody had heard about until about the time of the Disney Gallery’s opening in the mid 80’s . During some artwork reviews ... Herbert Ryman mentioned time John Hench and others that the structures inspiring the Disneyland version of the Crescent City we’re facing AWAY from the city’s river port ... NOT where the Rivers of America is .... so Herbert Ryman went back and added sailing ship masts implying that was where the river really was. As a tribute to Herbert Ryman a special pine tree had been planted after his death .... and during a big landscaping clearing , the Ryman Pine was accidentaly removed. So as a new salute to Herbert Ryman , the Sailingship masts were added with the thinking they couldn’t be easily reached to be removed . Thus wasn’t the case at all .. during New Orleans Square rehabs adding the control towers and lighting booths to the roofs ... the masts has been temporally laid down while work was done .... but forgotten to be raised again. Eventually they were and have also been slightly relocated ...... ironically AWAY from where the REAL river port would have been .....oh well!! It’s the thought that counts!!
It’s awful typing this stuff on a Cel phone ... the control and lighting towers were added to the New Orleans Square roof lines for FANTASMIC. Also the masts had partially blown down because of high winds. Originally the miniatures masts were arranged to look like several ships were in port ..... some slightly smaller than the others ..... I think today only one mast “set” is left standing.
ReplyDeleteJG, I'm seeing a definite 5, with a probable 3 more. I bet there are even more, but this picture isn't sharp enough to confirm.
ReplyDeleteBu, HOW COOL(!) you were with Wally, and at his last show!
And, regarding what you just commented:
"I'm good with boring. I've had enough of the other end of that scale, so boring suits me just fine at this point in my life." - I couldn't agree more! Just give me some peace and quiet, and some good times and laughs, with friends/loved-ones.
Yes, Major, these so-called boring slides are still fun for all of us to look at. I learn so much from everyone who comments.
Thanks, Major and all!
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ReplyDeleteBTW, we're missing a couple regulars - one of whom is TokyoMagic...?!?!
ReplyDelete