More Mark Twain
Let's continue TWAINAPALOOZA, brought to you by the Mysterious Benefactor, and Kellogg's cereals. Kellogg's best to you!
This first one is my favorite, possibly from August, 1974 (I could be wrong though). Not only is it a great overview of Frontierland (AND BEYOND), the photo was taken from the roof of the Haunted Mansion. Take a look at this post from 2018, and scroll down to the third image for a different photo from the same location. They should allow guests to go up there. For a $200 uncharge, of course. Yes, a Dolly Madison Zinger would be included.
Here's an unusual photo taken at night by a camera that used 25 flash cubes. Impressive.
Here's a pretty standard photo, but the frontier looks pretty with all of those mature trees. What is that oval thing to the right of the pilot house?
As a steamboat expert, I always enjoy sharing my knowledge. These black thingamabobs were there for guests to throw pennies at. If they got one in, they were pronounced "King of Disneyland" and got a free (and warm) liverwurst sandwich.
Well, say, that looks like Vesey Walker himself, leading the Disneyland Band! He retired in 1970, my guess is that this photo must have been from around that time. Vesey is sitting, but that's just to be safe. If the steamboat slammed on its brakes, he'd go flying! Nobody wants that.
And finally, a pretty shot with guests basking in the sun, waiting to shed their skin, after which they will be ravenous. When they look at you, you will transform into a giant turkey leg! Walk briskly in the other direction.
THANK YOU, Mysterious Benefactor!
19 comments:
Major-
That first shot really 'takes it all in' - right down to the pair of Strong Super Trouper follow spots sitting atop the gantry elevators. When I glanced at the night shot of the MT, due to the contrast between the 'glowing rear end' and the overcoat-clothed folks on the upper deck, all I could think of was those folks were all members of a choir, and they were singing Xmas carols.
Gotta love how the folks in the last image are thoroughly at home seated on the bow of the MT, as they luxuriate in the sun.
Thanks to the M B-!
"Yes, a Dolly Madison Zinger would be included." BUT WHAT ABOUT THE FIVE GRAPES!!! If it doesn't include the 5 grapes then it's not worth it!
Beautiful! That's a LOT of people! Do you suppose they loaded up the Mark Twain with that many people for this publicity photo? The guy in the aqua-colored t-shirt at the stern of the boat gets the prize for "most noticeable in a crowd". Views like this always throw off my sense of distance and direction: In my mind, the Rocket Jets should be much farther over to the left; closer to the Matterhorn. Here, it looks to me like someone moved the RJs smack-dab into Main Street!
In the night shot (remarkable, what 25 flash cubes can do!), the peoples' clothing is every color of the rainbow. Again, I wonder if it was planned that way?
The "oval thing" is a satellite dish. That guy has to keep re-aiming the dish so that it always points at the comsat, since the Mark Twain is constantly changing its position. The MT pilot simply cannot miss his afternoon "stories"! There's sure a lot of smoke/steam coming out of all the Mark Twain's orifices: Mark Twain to child passenger, "Hey kid, pull my finger!"
In the "black thingamabobs" pic, a giant squid kaiju is about to attack the Mark Twain! "Save us, Gojira!"
DL Band photo, As we often do, we can see the Columbia's masts sticking up above the trees.
The last pic is almost postcard worthy, if not for the gentleman looking at the camera, his hands on his ample belly.
Nice bunch of photos from the Mysterious Benefactor today; thanks, MB! And thank you, Major (and Kellogg's).
I believe that oval object in the third pic is actually round, and we are just viewing it at an angle. I think it's a Sit 'n Spin. The pilot is handing it down to the people below so they can....well, sit and spin. Of course, I could be wrong and it could be a deflated Hopitty Hop.
As long as I get a Dolly Madison Zinger, I'd gladly pay any upcharge price, for the opportunity to stand on the roof of the Haunted Mansion for even 2 seconds. ;-)
Thank you Major and M.B.!
Pretty sure that oval thing is a portable reflector. There is apparently another photo shoot going on in the pilot house.
That guy in the last photo in the blue ball cap and sunglasses with his hands on his belly is looking right at us. I have this terrible fear that the photographer turned into a giant turkey leg.
Thanks, MB and Major!
You know what I believe? I believe that white oval thing is TokyoMagic!'s doppelgänger.
The aerial pic is amazing. Still, my favorite pic today is the Disneyland Band playing on the Mark Twain. Wonderful!
Thanks, Major.
Nanook, I really do wish I could take in that first view for myself! I think I’ve seen a photo of the inside of the Mansion’s cupola, and there isn’t much there. But there’s room for me!
JB, I’m afraid we’ve cut back to four grapes. Like it or lump it! My guess is that the Mark Twain was just crowded that day, I have often seen it pretty full, especially in the prime “up front” spots. That guy staring at us (in the last photo) cracks me up! With a few exceptions, I think that most of the Mysterious Benefactor’s photos are not big planned affairs, but rather “from the hip” shots. I guess the Mark Twain needs a satellite dish, just like they did in the 1880s (only the satellites were made of wood, of course). I like the idea of a giant squid in the Rivers of America. More Hard Facts! I do wonder if the guy staring at the camera in that last photo is enough to make the picture “unusable” for publicity?
TokyoMagic!, whoa, a Sit ’n Spin, it all makes sense now! Mark Twain wrote about those in “Life On the Mississippi”, I’m sure you remember. Just imagine how much they really could charge to let guests up to the roof of the Haunted Mansion! Even if they did it for one exclusive night. $$$$$
Chuck, two photo shoots in one photo? That breaks all the laws of physics. And decency. I have met you, and I don’t get turkey leg vibes, but maybe I just wasn’t hungry enough?
K. Martinez, aha! I mean, we’ve all seen TokyoMagic’s oval head! I like the Mark Twain photo, but have many that are similar. The view from the Haunted Mansion though… you don’t see many of those.
These are all nice pictures, but that bird's-eye view of the old girl is a real gem! I love seeing a familiar sight from a new angle. The third shot is a close second, with the white boat and plumes of steam against the dark green foliage, and the trees on the other bank reflected in the dappled water. It could be a painting.
Now I'm gonna have the Maverick theme song running through my head all afternoon. (Riverboat ring your bell, fare thee well Annabelle, Luck is the lady that he loves the beeeest...)
If they run out of Dolly Madison Zingers, they can substitute Hannah van Buren Weevil-Flavored Hardtack: the tack so hard, it's harder than tacks! The hardtack that's hard to attack! Why have a lard snack when you can have a hardtack? If there's a harder tack, we'll have a heart attack! Weevil, weevil rock you!
This is wonderful. I’ll come back later.
JG
"...all I could think of was those folks were all members of a choir, and they were singing Xmas carols."
Ol' Man Santa,
That Ol' Man Santa,
He knows who's naughty;
He knows karate.
He just keeps fillin',
He keeps on fillin' them socks.
He don't plant taters,
He don't plant cotton,
But them that plants 'em
Hangs up their stockin's,
An' Ol' Man Santa,
He just keeps fillin' them socks.
You an' me, we trim that tree,
Body all achin' and filled with pee.
Deck those halls!
Punch that bowl!
Get a little drunk,
An' you'll just get coal.
I get weary
An' sick of tryin'.
I'm scared that reindeer
Should not be flyin',
But Ol' Man Santa,
He just keeps fillin' them socks!
In the first shot you can just make out the eight round-bottomed fire buckets on the roof of the "Texas."
While most steam locomotives had just one exhaust stack, the Mark Twain has four! The two small ones toward the stern exhausted the spent steam--one directly attached to each cylinder; the two large black ones forward exhausted combustion gasses from the boiler. Where they exit through the top (Texas) deck, they are pretty heavily insulated, but you can still feel the heat through that insulation. Usually, only one stack is operational.
It must have been a photo shoot. And a video at that. And why do I come to that conclusion? The forward plume of steam is from the whistle. But this is not the normal location to be using the whistle. It was used as the MT was rounding the turn toward the Frontierland dock as a notification of its pending arrival. If the Columbia was operational, that was a signal for its departure as well. Yes, we would toot the steam train at times and it would reply back. But the whistle was a means of communication...and warning to river craft as well as the boiler operator if a "hard stop" was necessary. That paddle-wheeler could stop pretty quickly if need be.
That first shot is a great reminder of how compact the Park and how close the outside world is. From the perspective of a canoe, the urban world was easily forgotten. And that's what made the area so charming to work in. KS
That's some good info, KS.
Melissa is in fine form today! Two hilarious comments. It's been a while since I've seen Weevil-Flavored Hardtack in the grocery stores. Maybe they don't make it anymore... TRE.
And I'm often full of pee; that's why I need to take a water pill every morning.
Great photos and commentary today, Major. Big thanks to you and MB, especially for the HM roof pic. Thanks to Steve D and KS too. Much appreciated. That huffing sound of the steam exhaust is one of my top 5 sounds of Disneyland.
I would sweep streets in the Park for free for a week to get five minutes on that HM cupola, zinger or no.
Melissa, now I want weevils and hardtack.
As I write this I am sitting like that guy with my hands folded on my fat stomach.
JG
Melissa, I've had Neil Diamond's "On the Robert E. Lee" stuck in my head since looking at these this morning. That banjo riff is so catchy.
Chuck, that song is contagious!
@ Melissa-
A new Xmas carol for the collection. And a real zinger. Thanks-!
You know what I believe? I believe that white oval thing is TokyoMagic!'s doppelgänger.
Ken, now that you've pointed it out, I just realized something....that's my illegitimate identical cousin up there!
Ugh, I'm late to the party and missed all the fun on yesterday's Mark Twain excursion. Lots of laughs and fun, I see (read).
In the second to the last image, I think the Columbia is stuck in the trees.
Thanks, MB and MP.
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