The Horn That Matters, 1960s
Even though the title of today's post does not say SNOOZLES™, you know what you're in for on a GDB Sunday.
We've got two views of the Matterhorn today; if I had a thousand dollars for every Matterhorn image that I own... I'd be very happy! Unless a guest happens to be aboard a Skyway gondola, they will probably be looking up at the mountain to some degree. We've got a worm's-eye view, even though it's mean to call our photographer a worm. I'm sure he/she was very nice. There's not much to say about this one, though I always like the waterfalls (genuine snowmelt), and we get a bobsled sighting. GOOD LUCK.
Next we seen Hans (or is it Otto?) rappelling down the icy upper face, after scaring away a baby abominable snowman by yodeling. Oh, you didn't know why yodeling was invented? Well now you do.
19 comments:
There's not much wrong with the first picture, other than the tippy-top of the Mountain being cut off, so I decided to concentrate on the trees. Up near the timberline, above which no trees can grow due to the frigid temperature and rarified air, the trees nearest us look to be about 4 to 6 ft. tall. While those on the extreme right are smaller; about three feet. Perfect for a table-top Christmas tree. They sort of look like they're dried up, like an X-mas tree in June. But maybe the color is just a bit off?
Pic #2 would make a great postcard! Major, It's Fritz, I'd recognize him anywhere. I can tell by his red hat, um, just like Hans... and Otto... oh dear. Well, it's one of them anyway.
Thanks for the mountainous vistas, Major.
If it’s Sunday, it might have been Ernst. He was a weekend guy.
I think it was a genius move on Walt’s part to add climbers to the mountain. You may not look at them for more than a few seconds, but they add visual interest and life to the entire scene. I wonder why they don’t have a guy dress in a gorilla suit and climb the Empire State replica in Vegas?
I hope that baby abominable snowmen can blow rings of smoke, just like baby Godzillas do.
I believe that's Fritz' and Ernst' brother Francis climbing the Matterhorn. Fritz and Ernst were too busy ogling Roberta.
Nice Matterhorn pics. Thanks, Major.
Were Fritz and Ernst climbers planned from the start, or was it one of those classic Walt things where he looked at it with slight disapproval as it started operating and said "You know, there should be climbers on my mountain."
Two great "action" shots of the Matterhorn: both "Frernst" repelling off the mountain, and a bobsled zipping by. Did I read somewhere that they actually thought about freezing the top of the Matterhorn to simulate ice/snow? I wouldn't mind that level of realism...and I don't think it would be too impossible to do. Probably not practical. Not everything has to be practical. This comment is directed to the "spreadsheet people." Those are not my people, but we need them to keep things orderly. Before everything was built around Disneyland, the Matterhorn could be seen from a few miles down (up?) the 5. As a kid this started the manic jumping and repelling on the sides of the back seat of the Galaxy 500. Who needs seat belts? In California we say "THE 5" or "THE 405"....the East coasters say just the number or "route" or something else: "take 95 down to Larchmont" I'm not sure what they say in the midwest. Someone on here knows. I am pretty sure from a grammatical standpoint you cannot merely state a number. It must be preceded by SOMETHING. I will dig. As language is evolutionary, some things that are incorrect today, are correct tomorrow and the vernacular of the region will dictate what is "correct". It's worth a look-see. Words like "ain't": a valid word, but not used in formal writing. I do not use this word. At all. Just want to be clear. Saying that word would be attached to a lengthy conversation about the English language, followed by a long time out to think about it. I would like to see Fudgie in the Matterhorn (I have yet to understand it)....actually....I would like to see a Carvel cake depicting BOTH the Matterhorn AND Fudgie. Toegther forever! How can anyone not love Fudgie or Cookie Puss? I always thought that Farrells Ice Cream parlor had a Matterhorn ice cream mountain, but it was actually called a "Zoo". The Matterhorn Sundae was at Carnation, Main St.Disneyland USA. I think I wanted one, but never ordered it. 4 scoops of ice cream?..."oh please....that is childs play". Funny how your memories get jumbled. Thanks for the non-snoozle (tm) Snoozles (tm) on Snoozle Sundae (tm) Major!
You can tell the Matterhorn is a Swiss Mountain, because it’s full of holes.
Yup, seeing the Matterhorn from a distance brings the chills. Still did on my last visit, no place like Disneyland.
Thanks Major, I’m going to practice yodeling now.
JG
JB, I can’t blame the photographer for cutting off the tip of the Matterhorn in that first photo, you have to be fast to capture a passing bobsled. The trees on the mountain are grown in test tubes and fed meat to keep them small. You are being generous re: photo #2, it’s a bit “off” to be a postcard, but I appreciate the positive words!
Chuck, I feel bad that I didn’t recognize Ernst, with his unique grin. I think EVERY attraction in Las Vegas should have a guy in a gorilla suit climbing up the side. The Bellagio, the MGM Grand pyramid, the Eiffel Tower… more gorillas!
TokyoMagic!, I also hope that the baby abominable snowman didn’t talk in that same “dumb guy” voice as Minilla (I always that that baby Godzilla’s name was “Minya”, but I looked it up). Minilla Ice!
K. Martinez, I remembered Minya (though I spelled it wrong all these years), but forgot that Janet Munro’s character was named “Roberta”.
Dean Finder, that’s actually a good question! One that I can’t answer. I would think that climbers would be a natural idea from the beginning, but you never know.
Oops, two comments were left while I was commenting!
Bu, jeez, I have never heard that story about freezing the top of the Matterhorn - it could very well be true, but it seems like it would cause all kinds of problems. What if there was a sudden very hot day? Would the ice come calving off, to crash onto guest’s heads?? I have a better idea, they should use Cool Whip instead of snow. Nothing can possibly go wrong! Incidentally, I haven’t had Cool Whip since I was a kid, and then I went somewhere and had some on a piece of cake. It’s gross and oily and completely artificial. I’ve had folks from other States point out SoCal’s apparent unique use of “the” in front of the numbers of their freeways. I like it, it’s friendly. “Route” is so municipal. In the midwest they just eat corn and point (I’m from the midwest, don’t get mad, folks!). I have tried using “ain’t” for humorous effect, but people just look at me like I’m as dumb as they always suspected. By the way, I just scanned a photo with a clear look at Fudgie, I was so excited I dropped my monocle. Sadly you guys won’t see it for a few months, but that’s part of the fun.
JG, last January I went to the park by myself for the first time ever (I was going to meet people later in the day), it was quite something to see the Matterhorn on a beautiful morning - that part of the park was empty (the Subs were a walk-on), as everyone had run to Space Mountain. It was a lovely experience.
@ Bu-
I still prefer the "Santa Ana Freeway" or the "San Diego Freeway", for I-5 and I-405, respectively. And there's the whole "beach" for the west coast, and "shore" for the east coast - thing...
Not to mention "Stanley" vs "Dial" Chevrolet: ♫ "... two blocks off the 'San-Tee-Ana Freeway'. 11980 East Firestone... ♫ (Thank you, Molly Bee-!)
And speaking of 'memories getting jumbled' - yes, it was the Mammoth Matterhorn Mountain Sundae - with five scoops of ice cream, BTW. But... I have this odd memory (from the early 1960's) of there also being a Fantasia Special Sundae - which was not on the menu - so it can't be verified - unless someone else recalls it, and the make-up of this concoction...
Thanks, Major.
Bu, Farrell's did have a mountain-themed menu item, which you might have been confusing with the "Matterhorn." It was the "Pike's Peak" and it was smaller than the "Zoo," but still quite large. Apparently, the "Zoo" was 7 lbs. of ice cream and the "Pike's Peak" was 4 lbs.!
I recall the Fantasia ice cream itself; on a cone from Carnation Gardens or a sundae at Carnation Cafe. Seems like it was a pistachio base with fruits…the sundae probably had pineapple sauce and more. Not my favorite, but would get it just for the name alone. What I did love and order often was the Matterhorn Sundae at Carnation Cafe; peppermint ice cream with marshmallow sauce and coconut snow. Somewhere I have a photo of me indulging in one, with an annoyed look saying ‘why are you bothering me while I eat this?’
MS
Bu, in the Midwest, we don’t have freeways—we have highways and expressways. And most of us corn-eating pointers just use the number...no “the.” There are names for the expressways, but the names have changed over the years...which confuses us older corn-eaters.
Fun pictures and comments!
—Sue
Not sure the entire West Coast uses the definite article when identifying a freeway. I don’t remember that being a thing when I was a kid in the ‘70s living between SF and Sacramento literally just over the hill from I-80, but my parents were from the Midwest, so maybe I just didn’t hear it within my own insular experience. I do remember noticing it within 24 hours of moving to SoCal in ‘93. My cousin was getting married in Santa Monica that weekend, and I remember looking at the printed directions referring to “the 210” and thinking “Is that an interstate, US highway, or state route?” Turns out it didn’t matter - the only time we ever encountered like-numbered highways in the same area were I-215 and CA-215, and they were really the same road, except CA-215 still had a stoplight in it around Murietta somewhere. That went away in less than a year, along with the signs for CA-215.
I have lived on both coasts and in several places in between, so my vocabulary will switch back and forth - sometimes in the same sentence - between “highway,” “freeway,” “interstate,” etc., and I sometimes find myself prefacing a route number with “the.” I also drink “pop,” “soda,” “soda pop,” and “soft drinks,” although despite my five years in Oklahoma, I could never quite bring myself to call every kind of carbonated soft drink a “Coke.” Score one for brand recognition.
For Disneyland’s 50th the icecream flavor FANTASIA was brought back as well as for some limited time passholder events . At a few of the Walt’s Barn events in Griffith park they re-crested the FANTASIA ice cream by combining pistachio …. And now I forget what the other “off the shelf” flavor was .
It was SPUMONI ( that has pistachio in it already ) with a second flavor … I’m still trying to recall what it was to make FANTASIA .
@ MS/MIKE-
I recall the Fantasia ice cream - with its make-up of cherry, pistachio, and banana. (Certainly not a favorite of mine, as although I like pistachios and bananas, they don't belong [swirled] into ice cream).
Perhaps the sundae used that ice cream as one of its flavors - just can't remember the whole saga.
The leftover Spumoni was applied to the IASW facade.
Chuck, the affectation of referring to freeways as “THE x” is a SoCal thing. I’ve lived all my life in CA, mostly northern, and the LA basin is the only place I heard this usage. It’s noticeably odd. Maybe they need it since there are so many freeways.
There’s also a peculiar LA pronunciation of “Los Angeles”, rather than pronouncing a soft “g”, like “Anjeles”, which most people do, but some Angelenos pronounce a hard “G”, “guh”, and then kind of run all the end syllables together “An-Gles” where the hyphen is a bit of a pause.
It’s distinctive, and Dad pronounced it this way, he was born in North Hollywood when it was all farmland. I heard Raymond Burr say it like that on the old Perry Mason show recently and it really took me back. It’s not a new thing, but I’ve not heard it from any recent media or people. Dad didn’t call freeways “THE” either, possibly because he moved away before any were built.
Sue, we have expressways too, a species of limited access highway without grade separations and subject to traffic signals. Definitely less “express” than a “freeway”, but these days, no route is speedy.
JG
Clarification: Spumoni ice cream was mix with another flavor to recreate the taste of FANASIA ice cream at the Walts Barn events at Griffith Park
Disneyland had FANTASIA icecream especially made for its use.
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