More CBJ on GDB, December 1973
Hopefully you saw the first five photos from Disneyland's "Country Bear Jamboree" in an earlier post - today I am sharing the final five. I chose to post them in the order in which they were taken, because it felt right.
This first one shows Henry (the show's MC) singin' and strummin'; I had to do a little research about the CBJ, because I only saw it once, and don't remember much about it except for the audience of college-age young people who laughed way too loud at the corny jokes! It's possible that Henry is performing the song "Mama, Don't Whip Little Buford", which (according to Wikipedia) he sang with Wendell.
I didn't recognize this bear, but, because it comes after the photo of Henry, but before the photo of the Sun Bonnet Trio, the picture probably shows Terrence as he sang "How Long Will My Baby Be Gone" (a Buck Owens tune). Please correct me if I am mistaken!
Speaking of the Sun Bonnet Trio, here they are. They sang a song called "All The Guys That Turn Me On Turn Me Down". I feel as if I didn't need to know what turned them on, and will now watch all of the "Fast and Furious" movies to try to erase the concept from my brain (those movies will conveniently erase everything else from my brain also). Hey! They're wearing sun bonnets! Now I get it!
Next we have Teddi Barra; Teddi Berra is a unique bear because she never appears on stage. Instead she descends from a hole in the ceiling on her swing, which is decorated with pink roses. She is a brown bear and wears a blue hat with a pink feather as well as a long pink boa around her neck. Her song - "Heart, We Did All That We Could".
I'm rather surprised that our photographer did not take a picture of Big Al. Maybe he found the talk of blood to be distasteful. "Why couldn't he sing about bubblegum??". Instead we get a photo of the whole cast (minus Teddi Barra and Big Al, that is) as they performed, "Ole Slew Foot".
I hope you have enjoyed your visit to the Country Bear Jamboree! The same photographer also took 10 pictures inside "It's a Small World", so you'll see those coming up soon.
16 comments:
Major-
"Swing it, Teddi-!"
Thanks, Major.
Has anybody else noticed that [GASP!] the Sun Bonnet Trio aren't wearing anything [GASP! again!] 'down below'? Then again, most of the other bruins aren't wearing anything 'down below' either. I guess bears get a pass, along with ducks and some pigs... and some dogs and...
If there was bubblegum on the saddle, and a furry bear sat on the saddle... what a mess! They could use peanut butter to smear on the bubblegum to get it off, but that wouldn't work because the bears would eat the peanut butter before it could be used.
Nowadays, using a phone or digital camera, it's easy to get photos of characters on a darkened stage, and have everything be in focus with good exposure. But in '73 it took some knowledge and planning to get good photos like this. So, yay photographer!
I only saw the CBJ once as well. It was entertaining enough, but I kept thinking of all the other things to see and do, so I got a little antsy. Thanks for the pics, Major.
JB, yes....the Sun Bonnet Trio performed bottomless, Terrence and Teddi Berra performed fully nude, and Henry was a Chippendale's dancer.
I loved this show! And it wasn't because of the nudity.
Thanks, Major!
Thanks for the vintage bear pics, Major. Junior Gorillas may or may not know that just last week the Country Bear Jamboree reopened at WDW after an extensive refurb. Now the updated bears sing songs from Disney films instead of the original country numbers. To say I have mixed feelings about this is an understatement. But at least they didn't get rid of the bears, which has been rumoured for years. The new show is online but I haven't watched it yet. Needless to say, Big Al no longer sings about 'blood on the saddle'.
The Sun Bonnet Trio was actually singing about the CMs who start up the attraction in the morning and shut it down at night.
I also loved this show, even though the animatronics began showing their age more than 30 years ago. Despite the fact that the songs were all current country tunes more than 50 years ago that I wouldn’t have even known if they weren’t part of the show, I still have mixed-to-negative feelings about the changes.
I get the desire to update, but sometimes they don’t get it quite right (Enchanted Tiki Room - Under New Management, anyone?). While changing to songs from Disney films may make it a little more “timeless” and may negate any residual royalty payments for outside music, not every attraction has to have movie IP crammed into it to make it “Disney.” And can somebody explain to me why singing bears are belting out Disney tunes in the Old West? One less example of coherent theming in a flagship theme Park…
Has anyone seen my cane? I need to go outside and shake my fist at a cloud.
This show was entertaining to me approximately once and went downhill from there. But I don’t have to like everything for it to be good, I know it was popular with lots of people, including my parents, who loved it.
I much prefer Winnie the Pooh for the same real estate, even if he isn’t a Marc Davis design.
These are pretty good pics, Major. Thanks for posting them.
JG
@ Pegleg Pete-
I just watched a YouTube video of the current re-do. I suppose it's fine, for what it is, but it seems like a needless make-over. On the other hand, [presumably] the "original" show can be brought back 'at will'. I see Henry is no longer a 'brown bear', but now has 'black fur'. You can make of that what you will.
More amusing is a new sign outside the entrance listing "Critics Reviews". One of them exclaims: "A show the whole pack will love!", with five, bear paw prints underneath the text. Hmmmm.... a 'pack' of bears-? I think not. Did someone at WDI feel using the correct 'sloth' (or 'sleuth') was too obtuse (or confusing) for the average park goer-? Then re-phrase your 'commentary'. Good show, Disney - always talk down to your Guests.
Bear Band. AC. Dark. Fighting my bodies inclination to take a nap. To guests: "wasn't that amazing?!".....all those things. I do enjoy the three dimensionalizing of Mark Davis' bears from an artistic perspective. I'm not a huge country music fan, nor hillbilly fan, the songs were catchy, and I can sing all of them...including spoken words...verbatim. I would have to count the years of tours, and come up with some simple metrix to count how many times I've seen this show....even at 3 years...on a four day week...two tours a day...take out for some vacation...slow season...add some years: I was giving tours for at least 5 before I did "lead stuff" and other stuff...well...it's a lot...a thousand? Very possibly. Ditto for Small World...which actually was more tolerable in longevity and I've recently grown to appreciate it much more. Bear Band: is a stretch: up there with America Screams. (Sings.) Thanks Major and Mr. Davis.
@ Bu-
If it's '2 tours/day - 4 days/week x 50 weeks x 5 years', that would be 2,000 - discounting the 'slow seasons'. It's still A LOT. "Pop goes the weasel-!", or some such.
Nanook, Swing WHAT??
JB, since I often don’t wear pants, I can’t really criticize anybody else for doing so. I love those cool breezes! You make a good point about bubblegum on a saddle, I should speak more carefully. I agree, it’s impressive that somebody got such good photos in a darkened theater in 1973. The bears didn’t move a lot, but they did move.
TokyoMagic!, knowing how much people love the CBJ, I am puzzled at my lack of love for it. As it stands, I love it for being a Marc Davis joint that dates (sort of) back to the Walt days.
Pegleg Pete, I knew that the CBJ had been revamped in Florida, but I did not know that they now sing songs from Disney films. There are certainly many great songs to be sung, but it still seems dumb. Is it still called the Country Bear Jamboree? Do they sing Disney songs that have a country vibe to them?
Chuck, as usual I don’t see the subtext, only the text! I’m glad you loved this show, and am happy for the folks who enjoyed all of the characters and jokes. For some reason it just wasn’t for me. Maybe because (in general) I’m not a fan of country music? Now if they did some songs by The Germs or Fear or the Sex Pistols, I’d feel very different! I’ve heard recordings of the “Under New Management” show, my gosh, so awful. But that was when Disney felt the heat from Dreamworks and their sarcastic humor, I just heard an interview with Ron Clemens, and he said that Eisner wanted to go in that direction. I’m sure if I took some time I could think of some folksy Disney songs that would work in a “country” scenario. Hopefully they sing “Davy Crockett” at least?
JG, yeah, after my one experience, I never felt inclined to go back again. Clearly I wasn’t alone, since the California version closed over 20 years ago. I think the Winnie the Pooh ride is cute, though I wish they relied a little less on plywood flats. Maybe someday they will spend a little money to improve it, though I am not holding my breath.
Nanook, I’m not sure I can bring myself to watch a YouTube video of the new show. Strange that they changed Henry’s fur color. Why? I actually did not know what group of bears was called, and one definition says the words “sloth, pack, maul, or sleuth” are applicable. Why not a Bundle of Bears?
Bu, I assume that if I had ever been in the position to have to watch the CBJ thousands of times, that my brain would have shut down, or I would have astrally-projected myself to a place with white sandy beaches and turquoise waters. I’ve heard the music to IASW many more times, and still enjoy it (even though the general consensus is that the tune is maddening). “America Sings” was a bit more tolerable, but I always remember my dad laughing at the corny jokes, and that also makes me like it more.
Nanook, 2000 shows in five years sounds like purgatory.
I'm not a fan of country or folk music, but I appreciated that the CBJ paid tribute to many significant of American music (see Foxxfur's history of each of the songs). An update would have been appropriate, considering that country music has moved on in the half-century since the show, but that would mean newer country songs. Another opportunity to jam yet more princess movie songs into every show starts to feel like an insult to the audience.
Touringplans' analysis of attendance over the July 4 week show that people are not rushing down anymore, these updates may have something to do with it.
If I recollect correctly, the old holiday overlay turned one of the performers to a polar bear, accompanied by a wide-eyed penguin frozen in a block of ice. The bear would keep prompting the penguin to join in ("Come on, help me out here"), the penguin would manage to rock back and forth. That struck me as hilarious. Also Big Al as a diapered and hungover New Year's Baby, even though he evoked the creepy Baby Huey.
They also had a summer vacation overlay, which was cute but a tad strained. Did they have a point where all three versions would play in the same calendar year?
Major-
"Nanook, Swing WHAT??" The tunes, Major... the tunes. The collective noun definition for a group of bears that includes 'pack' is suspect to me, and another reason why I think society is crumbling. (I bet you never thought you'd see that comparison-??)
"Strange that they changed Henry’s fur color. Why?" Me thinks the change to Black is a 'tip 'o the chapeau to DEI-think...
"Is it still called the Country Bear Jamboree?" nah - now it's called the Country Bear Musical Jamboree • A Wild & Wooly Good Time. (Maybe Henry is now adorned in Black 'Wool'...)
DBenson, I've read somewhere that with the low attendance and two-theater capacity at Disneyland, they could leave the Christmas overlay up in one theater all the time and just switch auditoriums seasonally. Then they could make a leisurely change from the original show to summer show and back again without any down time for the attraction. I don't know if they ever ran all three shows in one calendar year, though. Almost certainly not at WDW with their single auditorium.
Chuck I had mentioned in previous posts that during the waning years of Disneyland’s Country Bear Jamboree , the Vacation Hoedown was left in theater A and Jingle Bear Jamboree was left up in theater B . HOWEVER , after the hoopla of splash mountain died down the CBJ became very popular again and in its last 3 years during very crowded days no matter what time of the year , both vacation & Christmas shows played simultaneously… whether July or December!
After Vacation Jamboree Disneyland could only play Christmas and Vacation as the original 1972 show was never programmed on the updated playback system.
Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland had all three versions of their shows updated to play on their equipment. country Bear jamboree has always been WILDLY popular at Tokyo & especially Florida .
The new show in Florida loses it frontier feel and salutes the 1940’s and 1950’s NASHVILLE country music period - especially in the new costumes.
I really like the new 5 bear rugs song - written especially for the new show … unfortunately it’s one of the shortest! Lol.
Also remember, while much of the original country bear show music was existing country music …. It wasn’t well know music and mostly rare novelty tunes - despite Country western music having been extremely popular in the late 60’s and early 79’s : ESPECIALLY in Florida!
The very first Disney archives WED music notes have been found that two Disney annimated sings were the first to be considered for the show in 1968. However the BEAR BAND bears in the early concept played all kinds of music … American Marching , calypso, ragtime , Western …. French cafe …. Etc.
In the 1990’s imagineer Dave Durham developed a new show that used popular modern country musicians to perform the music of a new Country Bear jubilee ( the original show concept name )
Tokyo Disneyland still rotates all three versions of the CBJ throughout the year. Their version of "Vacation Hoedown" has at least a couple different songs than the U.S. versions. Trixie sings "Achy Breaky Heart," which she did not sing in the Orlando or Anaheim versions. Tokyo's "Vacation" show also has a different finale song.
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