More From the Mysterious Benefactor
Here's a nice random selection of scans from the Mysterious Benefactor, from the large group of Frontierland scans that he generously shared with me.
Let's begin with this excellent shot of the Stage Door Cafe, right next to the Golden Horseshoe building. The Stage Door Cafe replaced the Oaks Tavern in 1978, which was just a year before this picture was taken. Those Pepsi cups are hard to ignore!
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And speaking of the Golden Horseshoe, patient guests wait for the doors to open so that they can enjoy the next show, full of music, dancing girls, and corny jokes. Wally Boag would still be one of the main stars, but in 1982 he would move to Orlando to perform in the Diamond Horseshoe Revue.
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There's the Pendleton store, full of woolen goods, but sadly, no red long johns like I always wanted to try. The itchier, the better! I'm here for the itching, but I'm staying for the chafing.
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And finally, here's a nice look at the Columbia sailing ship, the first sailing ship that didn't need sails. Instead, it moved thanks to the power of imagination! Oh man, I feel a bit ill even writing that, I think I need to lay down.
THANK YOU, Mysterious Benefactor!
32 comments:
Major-
We can just see the end of the sign for the Frontierland Gun Shop, next to the Stage Door Cafe. (I think I'll have me a Coke...)
Thanks, Major.
The leather straps holding the railings together are interesting. Never seen that before, nor even knew that it was a thing. Of course, these railings are just bolted together, and the straps are decorative, but evidently railings are/were held together like this somewhere.
Two shiny wood grain trashcans here.
Outside the Golden Horseshoe, no trashcans here, but there are two wheelchairs and a stroller. The kid in the stroller looks pretty dapper with his fashionable shirt and vest.
Outside the itchy, chafing Woolen Mills, the pink mouse-ear balloon steals the show. I guess that's Mickey's face on the balloon but it looks like Jack Skellington. But it couldn't be; he wouldn't exist yet in 1979. And it doesn't make sense that they would put a skull on a Mickey balloon... maybe it's a ghostly apparition!
Yes siree, Major! The Columbia scoots right along thanks to imagination... also magic, and wishes, and dreams! And hopes, and fairy dust! You just gotta BELIEVE! Now, don't you feel all aglow inside?!
Thanks once again to the Mysterious B. and to you, Major.
Pooh umbrellas everywhere!
Interesting that all of those Pepsi cups are placed on the table facing the same way, with the predominantly blue “PEPSI-COLA” side towards the camera rather than the predominantly red “PEPSI” side. I don’t think the photographer did that on purpose - the photo looks too candid for that - but it’s visually pleasing. The different sides of the cup always presented a dilemma to me as a kid - I preferred the overall look of the blue side of the cup or can, but I preferred the logo with “PEPSI” rather than “PEPSI-COLA.” Quite a conundrum. That’s probably what drove me to drink root beer.
In the Pendleton photo, I’m trying to read the sign on the non-revenue-producing lawn. I can’t make all of it out, but here’s what I think it says:
STEAMER MARK TWAIN
[UNREADABLE]
FRONTIERLAND PIER
FOR A CHANCE ON THE
KEEL BOATS
DAVY CROCKETT ARCADE
That is a beautiful look at a “full rigged 3 masted sailing ship” (sails sold separately). Would love to see it ply the Rivers of America with those lanterns lit, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it operate at night in revenue service (let’s agree to not talk about Fantasmic!).
Thanks, MB!
The "Climb a Rock" t-shirt I spy in the second picture isn't exactly like the one Captain Kirk wore in Star Trek V, but it's close enough! And only one babushka in #3; that's a pretty low babushkount for the 70's.
Chuck, I've seen the lanterns lit up. It was an awesome sight to see. I always love that since-removed detail.
Oh look, trash cans carved from a single tree!
Chuck, I shocked, shocked I say, to learn there was gambling on the Keel Boats? River boats, yes (how else to account for Yancey Derringer), but keel boat gambling is an innovation! Where do I collect my winnings?
When I visited this Disneyland in 1978, I never imagined I would not see it again. (Wry face emoji).
Thanks Major. I’m off to find some wool socks.
JG
Way to rub it in, Steve. Next I'll bet you'll tell me that Adventure Thru Inner Space was awesome, too. ;-)
JG, wasn't the entire first episode of Davy Crockett and the River Pirates ("Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race") about a bet between Davy and Mike Fink? I believe the stakes were whether or not Mike would eat his hat.
Chuck, I have never seen that show that I recall. I was hoping for something more like cards, poker, faro or roulette, but hat consumption will have to do.
For some reason, I just flashed on the Suicide Table in Virginia City, which is a grim thing to be reminded of... must have been the faro reference, which IIRC is the game that induced the despair.
If you've never been to Virginia City, you should go. Besides riding the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, there are all sorts of oddball Old West memorabilia in the various saloons, and at least three museums in town have Mark Twain's typewriter.
JG
JB, I have vivid memories of those wood rails lashed up with leather. The wood was polished to a high gloss by the thousands of hands waiting patiently to ride something or other.
Disneyland and Knotts both had the similar details, so I'm not sure which one I am remembering, and might even have been some in Calico too. It's funny, I visited Calico again a few years back after about a 50 year gap and the hillside climb up to town was nowhere near as steep as 8 y.o. me remembered it.
JG
Oaks Tavern. Another place to grab a quick burger/fries/coke when working in the area. We weren't supposed to stand in line with the guests...just stand by the side of the counter and smile. Even then it was discouraged but it was a fast way to get lunch..especially if you were working the JC. You had a 3 trip break in rotation. That's quite a mad dash to the PIT (cafeteria) and back. Using that option, The indigestion was almost as painful as your fellow cast members shunning you (or worse) for the rest of the afternoon if you failed to show up on time. KS
"River boats, yes (how else to account for Yancey Derringer)"
Or the Maverick brothers.
Nanook, get me a Coke too, I’m good for it!
JB, actually they did not use bolts, they used chewing gum. That stuff is as hard as concrete! I wonder about the wheelchairs, could they not get those into the theater area? Ha ha, I love the idea of a dapper baby. Man, they are leaving money on the table by not having Jack Skellington’s face on balloons. Or… maybe they DO have those? I admit to not paying much attention to those. I love wishes and dreams and magic and imagination and (sort of related) sparkles!
Chuck, I didn’t even really notice that sign, but I have access to the high-res scans, so I can fill in those blanks! STEAMER MARK TWAIN - LEAVES FROM THE FOOT OF FRONTIERLAND PIER FOR A CRUISE ON THE KEEL BOATS - DAVY CROCKETT ARCADE. Now you can sleep at night! I think the phrasing of the sign is a bit odd, but I won’t sue anybody. THIS TIME. And yes, I wish they still had the lanterns on the Columbia, what a sight that would be.
Melissa, I am ashamed to admit that I have never seen Star Trek V. I think I’d heard that it was bad. But still, it seems like I would have caught it on TV. But I haven’t!
Steve DeGaetano, LUCKY!
JG, I’m sorry that the magnificent California redwoods are so depleted, but it is worth it when you consider that an entire 100-foot tall tree was made into a single trashcan. I hope your wool socks are nice and itchy!
Chuck, Adventure Thru Inner Space was lame, there were no explosions, no loops, no Wookies, and nobody singing “Let It Go”. I’m glad it was removed!
Sue, I admit that I was shocked too.
JG, I have never seen ANY of the Davy Crockett shows! Are they on Disney+? Probably. But who has time to watch them? What the heck is a Suicide Table? And can I get one at Target? Just being able to ride the Virginia and Truckee Railroad would be enough of an incentive to go to Virginia City.
JG, I’m still unsure as to whether some of those railings (say, the ones for the Snow White ride) are real wood or not. As you pointed out, they are so worn they are actually shiny. I guess I thought that maybe they were actually fiberglass, hewn from branches from the Swiss Family Treehouse.
KS, ha ha, even with the description of your very short breaks and digestion issues, I am jealous of your experiences as a CM!
…..the Columbia still has its Aft lanterns …. They were recently in the process of being repaired ….
…..umm Disney calls the line poles “eucey” posts …. And they are a steel core in a molded FRP ( fiberglass reinforced plastic) the rail is the same. They are way more sturdier than real wood. They are heavily coated in a clear gloss -so they are easily cleaned. The older design used a leather strap to make the poles and rails appear naturally attached. The posts and rails have been redesigned several times - some with cast-on loops for ropes sone for hard rail. I think by the 90’s the leather material was discontinued or at least slowly phased out. I’m sure in the pre- WDW days wood was used more in guest areas … even string bamboo is usually fiberglass or newer formulas of industrial resins.
I’m sorry gang : the Sailing Ship Columbia is NOT powered by current overused Disney marketing cliches. It is powered by AMERICAN FREEDOM, PATRIOTISM, and INGENUITY…..as is most of original Disneyland.
The original five Disneyland episodes were on the now out-of-print Walt Disney Treasures DVD set. But the theatrical versions are still readily available as a double feature on DVD and BluRay.
When Davy Crockett exploded as a fad, the first three episodes were trimmed, cobbled together, and released to theaters as a movie. Although broadcast in B&W they'd been shot on location in Technicolor, so there was sufficient Value Added on the big screen. It was successful enough that the formula was repeated with the Mike Fink episodes, which were designed to fit together as a movie. The keelboat race includes a scene with the river pirates, and the pirates' story takes place immediately after. They tried this one more time with the hit Zorro, but that was shot in B&W in half-hour segments. Didn't add up to an adequate movie, and failed despite the show's continuing success.
Once the Disneyland / Walt Disney Presents / World of Color show was established, many Disney "B" features were designed to break cleanly into hour-long episodes (Remember when Disney movies never appeared on TV outside of World of Color?). "Misadventures of Merlin Jones" and "The Monkey's Uncle" are especially obvious, each stringing together two stand-alone stories.
Some features were originally intended as television hours, but ended up going to theaters first ("Johnny Tremain", which clearly breaks into two stories). Others were released theatrically abroad before reaching American TV; these were usually more expensive projects that were shot in foreign countries ("Escapade in Florence", "Waltz King", "Dr. Syn"). What eventually became available on home video was usually these theatrical versions, although Disney Movie Club's "The Magnificent Rebel" has the World of Color opening and Uncle Walt intro on each half. Other discs have included the television intros as separate bonus features.
Does anybody remember what I came in here for?
Are you going to rub it in, too, Sue?
Aw, gee. I thought you guys were my friends...
[picks up teddy bear and slowly - and sadly - slinks home to hide in a corner of his bedroom and cry his eyes out]
JG, Virginia City was a much-anticipated family afternoon stop for me, nine years ago. Didn't know about the typewriter(s), but distinctly remember reading somewhere beforehand, and telling my family, "THAT building is supposed to have a commode in the basement used by Mark Twain."
Took the mine shaft tour that starts in a saloon, then goes right underground via the back corner of the room. Now, that was cool!
The guide was of course obviously a local, and I tipped him extra because I thought he needed to save up for some dental work.(true story, not to make fun.)
Major, thanks for the rustic photos.
Chuck, crying in a corner with your teddy bear will help build character.
[sniffle] What do you care?! [sob]
And Major - at least I went aboard the tuna boat, unlike some blogger I know who collects Disneyland posters and isn’t named “Mike Cozart.”
[turns petulantly back to corner]
Sorry. That first undeserved outburst was intended for JB.
Mike Cozart, that’s good to hear! I thought they’d been missing for quite a long time, but perhaps not. Thank you for the info about the “eucey” posts (why are they called that?), sounds like they are made very much like I supposed, though they sure do a good job making the fiberglass appear to be wood.
DBenson, thanks for all of that! I knew about the movie versions of the Davy Crockett shows, though I am not sure how much is missing from the movies VS. the television programs. And I’ll bet a lot of movie studios were jealous of the way Walt was able to air his shows on TV, and then release them in the theaters! How many other studios could do that? Not many I’d wager. And if they can break a movie into a couple of television episodes - so much the better. That Walt was pretty clever. I think you came here for my famous chocolate chip cookie recipe!
Chuck, I wasn’t rubbing it in, I was shocked. There’s a difference!
LTL, a commode in a basement - hmmm. And that mine shaft tour sounds pretty cool! That was nice of you to contribute to the guide’s dental fund!
JB, it only builds character if one cries quietly.
Chuck, wow, I hope to meet this cool blogger someday! He sounds awesome.
Chuck, we all get a little touchy sometimes.
Chuck, I truly am surprised you never went on ATIS...but I know our group has some items from that attraction. We'll have to get them together to show you what you missed. You REALLY MISSED a fun attraction, btw. I still can't believe you missed it.....
Thank you MB and MP, for more Frontierland adventures.
….. I went THROUGH the pirate ship … looking .. but I don’t recall being able to go up on deck … but I definitely never ate there . Abs my friends and I used to cut through the grotto entering near Casey jr. … across the grotto and out at Skull Rock enroute to Tomorrowland ..
I remember seeing the "movie" versions of the Davy Crockett episodes on Turner Classic Movies, on two of their "Treasures from the Disney Vault" blocks.
I always thought the Columbia was powered by squirrels with tiny scuba gear
MAJOR: I have 1973 and 1978 photos of those Frontierland “rustic” directionals ..
North facing :
STEAMER MARK TWAIN ->
LEAVES FROM THE FOOT OF FRONTIERLAND PIER
FOR A CRUISE ON THE
RIVERS OF AMERICA ->
<- DAVY CROCKETT ARCADE
South facing :
STEAMER MARK TWAIN
HISTORIC RIVERS OF AMERICA
(Arrow symbols denote a arrow shaped board )
The 1978 green directionals in front of the Golden Horseshoe read;
Set A
FRONTIERLAND FREIGHT DEPOT
KEEL BOATS
CAMERA SHOP
NEW ORLEANS SQUARE
BEAR COUNTRY
Set B
DAVY CROCKETT ARCADE - EXINWEST DEALER
FRONTIERLAND SHOOTING GALLERY
PLAZA
FANTASYLAND TOMORROWLAND
SET C
MARK TWAIN STEAMBOAT
RIVERS OF AMERICA
And another nearby sign:
BIG THUNDER MINE RAILROAD
AN EXCITING NEW ATTRACTION IS BEING PLANNED FOR
THE FUTURE IN THIS AREA
WATCH FOR MORE NEWS FROM THE FRONTIER!!
1978 fishing pier snacks signs:
HOSTESS FRUIT PIES .35
HUCK FINN FREEZE .40
ICE CREAM BARS .45
FROZEN BANANAS .55
ICE CREAM SANDWICHES .45
Major, yeah - that guy is kind of awesome. You’d like him - he’s your kind of people.
Sue, my mom thought it would freak me out when I was 6, and so I never rode it - even on the 3 visits when I was 7 and brave enough to ride POTC and HM. I think I would have been fine if they had just explained to me what the storyline was. Oh, well.
Mike, the original signage makes a lot more sense. Funny how the entire meaning can change when you switch out one single hemorrhoid.
Mike, seriously? “EXINWEST DEALER?” I think I am feeling a gentle tug on my left leg…
Lou and Sue, I’m mostly sad for Chuck, I know that ATIS would have blown his mind!
Mike Cozart, I honestly don’t know if I was ever aware that you could eat in the Pirate Ship!!
Melissa, I know that Turner Classic Movies sometimes shows Disney films, cool that they showed the Davy Crocket examples.
Mike Cozart, very neat! And by the way, remember I told you that I lost 2 years of stuff on my computer? Well of course I still have my emails, and I found those awesome Skyway station pictures, as well as some other neat sign images, so I will share those one of these days. I’m into December and might have to shuffle some posts around already, to make room for some other stuff.
Mike Cozart, whoa, Exinwest actually got mentioned on a sign?? Those sets must have been a real draw. “Make a sign boys, I’m tired of telling everyone where to go for Exinwest stuff!”. Was the “Exciting New Attraction” referring to Discovery Bay?
Mike Cozart, Hostess Fruit Pies? No Dolly Madison? Outrageous!
Chuck, I just hope that guy you mentioned isn’t a know-it-all. You know the kind, they never shut up! Blah blah blah. I think you would have been fine on ATIS too, the slight uneasiness that grew as you waited in the queue only made the ride that much better. Up to a point, kids enjoy a little thrill.
Chuck, I thought Mike was being serious!
FYI, in 1978 Wally Boag was indeed still selling corn and Pepsi at the Horseshoe, but he did NOT leave Disneyland in 1982 to work at WDW. Wally left in 1971 to open the Diamond Horseshow at the Magic Kingdom, being replaced (as if such a thing were possible) by comedian Bert Henry. He returned to Disneyland a while later, when Bert and Wally swapped places. Bert then became understudy to Bev Bergeron in Florida. Wally lasted at DL until he retired from Disney in 1982. As one if Wally's understudies, I attended his farewell performance in the Horseshoe Saloon.
Dreemfinder, please share some of your experiences with us, whenever you feel like it. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would LOVE to hear more!
Dreemfinder, I wrote this post so long ago (maybe three months?) that I can't remember where I got my erroneous info about Wally, but I of course bow to your expertise! I probably just garbled the info myself.
Lou and Sue, for sure!
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