Canoe Canoe?
Today, the Mysterious Benefactor has supplied a series of slide scans featuring the Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes in Frontierland. This first canoe is passing a waterfall, but I don't believe it was part of Cascade Peak's falls. I could be wrong! I'm looking at the painted decoration on the bow of the canoe, with an odd combination of what appears to be an authentic Native American device, along with some out-of-place folk art flowers.
The next three are all "in series"... I'll be curious to know if KS recognizes the Cast Members here (these photos are likely from the 1980s)! Princess (near the front) is giving it her best! Dr. Alan Grant had taken a break from digging fossils in Montana to have a little fun at Disneyland. This is from before he met Ellie.
More details! I like the way the canoe appears to have been stitched together with rawhide - once it shrinks, that stuff is tough! Some passengers appear to be glancing to their left (our right), while others are smiling at something the fellow in front said. Probably a knock-knock joke. "Knock-knock!" "Who's there?" "Arthur" "Arthur who?" "Arthur any passengers who know how to paddle a canoe?". If you didn't laugh, it's probably because this joke is way too sophisticated.
Mom thought it was funny! "My uncle's name was Arthur!". Looking at those boys, I have to wonder how many paddles wound up floating in the river? And was there a protocol for retrieving them so that the paddles did not get caught in the Mark Twain's paddlewheel (which would cause it to explode of course)?
One of those paddles still has the price sticker on it; it's the Minnie Pearl of canoe paddles. Maybe the boy holding his head accidentally got bonked? I would assume that 16 (or so) people could make one of those canoes move pretty fast without too much individual effort.
And finally, here's a group of guests who all agreed to wear bland colors. They called each other the night before, it seemed like a fun idea at the time. That darn teenager in the back is goldbricking, he should be thrown overboard in my opinion.
MANY THANKS to the Mysterious Benefactor!
10 comments:
Major-
You're not kidding about the odd juxtaposition of designs in that first canoe - it looks like Frontierland meets Storybook Land. Hey - let's put a canoe in Storybook Land just to see what happens-!
These are all lovely images. Thank you Mysterious Benefactor.
(Uncle Arthur, indeed-!)
1) Wow, this canoe is sitting really low in the water! Looks like Jim Henson (in the plaid shirt) is taking a break from Muppeteering. And behind him a bit, is Howard Stern... or is it Weird Al Yankovic? Hmm, A lot of those people in the rear of the canoe must be related; they all have the same curly, reddish hair. Oh, and I like that authentic Davy Crockett wrist watch the CM at the rear is wearing.
2) I bet the kid in the red and black striped shirt loses his paddle before the end of the excursion. "Princess" must be the granddaughter (Lex) of John Hammond. Come to think about it, the kid about to lose his paddle must be "Tim", Hammond's grandson.
I just noticed that the paddles vary in size, depending on who's paddling.
3) Dr. Grant is staring intently into the water. He must have spotted a huge Mosasaur swim beneath the canoe. We can't see if "Tim" still has his paddle in this shot... I bet he already lost it. And Major, I didn't quite laugh at your knock-knock joke, but I did smile.
4) Yes, The Mark Twain exploded numerous times in the early days of the park. They went through at least one MT per month! Then they hit upon the idea of making the paddles out of paper mache... problem solved!
5) Major, the kid holding his head is wearing a baseball jersey... ergo, he got bonked by an errant baseball, whacked out of nearby Angel Stadium. (Logic dictates that it must be the explanation.)
6) An alternative explanation for the "bland colors" would be if this canoe got lost along the Rivers of America and took a wrong turn at Albuquoiki, thus extending the time on the water by several months... which of course, allowed the ultraviolet rays of the sun to bleach out the bright colors of the canoers clothing. (Logic again.)
Nice colorful pictures, MB, (except the last one), thanks. And thanks, Major for your witty commentary.
Major, yes, that was one of Cascade Peak's waterfalls!
And don't forget, before a stray oar causes the Mark Twain to explode, it first causes it to derail, sending it careening into any Keelboats, rafts, or canoes that might be in the way. To quote Julie Brown, "It's a real "E" ticket!"
Thank you for these vintage professional pics, M.B. and M.P.!
I recognize the guy in the front of the first photo...but none of the other guys...looks like a bunch of lazy guests with a few putting in the effort. As a former canoe enthusiast, it was a bit frustrating to go in the canoe where you want to "work" with the others out of sync and not knowing how to paddle despite the cursory "instructions" given at the top of the show. The guy in the front generally has the bulk of the work. I am amazed that this attraction has not been cancelled, and it would be a shame if it did: it does add an additional layer of movement to the river, and despite the "work" guests seem to always enjoy it. I go into "mode" in a canoe and just want to WIN. Rear canoe guy with glasses seems to be wearing a long sleeve white T-shirt: "no". and also name tag in wrong spot "no" and also sloppy laces: "no". Sloppy laces are fine on a bare chest, and visible T-shirts are never acceptable: in my perfect world anyway. I'm sure he was an excellent employee and it was probably a cold morning. My response: work harder and you'll warm up. Yes. I am that guy. The last photo: those guys are really working AND in sync. Good for them and they get my approval. The last guys in the canoe look like the ones that sit in the back of the class and pass notes and goof off. Dig in guys! You a couple of panty waists?! I honestly don't know what that means, along with scrappy shagnastic. Both things I remember being said during this time and space. Stripe shirt is giving it his all, and smiling as well: he gets a "pass" and would be a good ringer on "Totally Tourguides". Thanks MB and Major.
Rare documentation of the Buffalo Clan migration to newer hunting grounds, or at least around the island to the Mint Julep Bar.
Those canoes are “gunnels awash” (some sailor talk there). I wonder how often one would ship water, much less sink. I seem to recall getting fairly wet riding these. Back then I didn’t mind, but “old me” is more like my cat every day, hating to get wet except for a hot hot shower. Seems like lost paddles could be a problem, was there a fast dispatch maintenance canoe to run out for them? Maybe a red revolving light and siren?
Yep, that kid got bonked on the head, serves him right, face front and follow orders. I did a bit of canoeing at the various scout camps years ago, steering is harder than it looks, torpedo accuracy isn’t great.
Thanks MB and Major! I hope KS checks in later, he will be full of good data.
JG
I didn’t mean to imply that my cat likes showers. Just wanted to clarify.
JG
Despite the clarification, I still have visions of JGs cat in a 'hot,hot' shower. We ride and sometimes paddle the canoes every time we go.
I always appreciate MBs photos for their un-blurziness.
Thanks, Major
Zach
Darn good 'you-are-there' pictures, Major. My compliments to our Benefactor. And up to the gunnels we are. But this shows just how close one is to the River...like inches. Imagine the canoe filled will full-bodied CMs in the early morning paddling like h&^% for the annual canoe race. Yes, we had two sizes of paddles, adult and kiddie. Well three actually when you added the steering paddle for the guy in back. And in that first pic that was a pose that many of us had which also provided leverage in making tight turns. Sometimes we'd break the paddle in doing so but really that was to show how strong we were. Kids would lose their paddles and it was up to the 'steerer' to collect them and pass them forward if possible. Sometimes the parents would tell us not to...they were already plenty wet. That 5th shot looks like the Columbia is bearing down on them...so paddle faster!! The canoes are unsinkable...however they can totally fill with water (trust me on that one)...or capsize. I had a crew jump overboard once it filled but that is for another day and was totally their fault. T shirts...nah, open laces...you bet...we were river men! Last picture does look like they were a well oiled paddling machine. Here's to Willie P, who could single-handedly pull the entire canoe with crew on his own if need be. And no, these CMs were after my time. We were wearing pink shirts back then. KS
Nanook, I guess that combination of “authentic” Native American devices along with the Storybook Land flowers could be called “Disneyland Gothic”? Maybe not.
JB, those canoes are always low in the water, I have to wonder if they’ve ever had one sink? Howard Stern, somehow I don’t see him as a Disneyland guy. Never mind the watch on the guy at the stern, what about those authentic frontier sunglasses up front? It’s hard to figure out who’s related to who in a canoe. Something about the gravitational anomalies, yeah that’s it. If there was a Mosasaur beneath me, I would be staring down too. The Mark Twain blew up so many times that they were able to rebuild it in one night once they got into the swing of things. I’ve been bonked on the head with a baseball, it’s no fun. I thought I was a chicken for two weeks. It really is strange how colorful many of today’s photos are, and then there’s that last one. Washed out and boring! Not sure how that happened.
TokyoMagic!, I guess it’s one of Cascade Peak’s little side falls? I was looking for turbulence from the bigger falls that should be to our left, but didn’t see any signs of it. Which Julie Brown said the thing about the E-ticket? Downtown Julie Brown, or… the other one?
Bu, very cool that you recognize at least one of the canoe CMs! I suppose it’s not realistic to expect a bunch of newbies to paddle a big canoe in sync, it takes some getting used to! I agree, it is amazing that this attraction is still there, and I feel weird even writing the sentence, as if I have now cursed it. There were plenty of people in line the last time I was at the park, however, and it was good to see. A long sleeve white t-shirt is a no-no? Even if it was chilly? I guess I do understand that the undershirt should not be visible. I’m sure there are always a few guys (and you know it is GUYS) who think it’s funny to loaf while everyone else paddles. Like they are getting away with something. Maybe they don’t realize that there is a CM right behind them, observing their sloth?
JG, besides the nearly-submerged canoes, we’ve also seen rafts that look like they are about to go under. Remove five passengers! I would not enjoy getting splashed by another guest, in fact I don’t enjoy getting wet at the parks in general. Especially if my shoes get soaked (a common occurrence on Splash Mountain), which then meant squishing around for hours. I give kids a bit of slack, after all that bonked kid might have been talking to his mom. Or something.
JG, ha ha, I have to admit that I was surprised!
zach, you are wise, I always tell myself I need to do the Canoes, and then I don’t do it.
KS, wow, hard to imagine that there could be so much force on one of those steering paddles (rudders?) that breakage was a possibility. Thank you for the info about the protocol for dropped paddles. The canoes are unsinkable, eh? Sounds like a challenge! I can do it! Willie P., where are you? And… pink shirts?? Really?? Just like on the Frontier I guess!
Which Julie Brown said the thing about the E-ticket? Downtown Julie Brown, or… the other one?
Major, it was "the other one." It's in her song, "The Homecoming Queen's Got A Gun." She's describing her friend Debbie, riding on top of the homecoming float, and says, "She looked straight outta Disneyland....you know, like the Cinderella ride? Reeeal "E" ticket." She also wrote the song, and I used to wonder if she knew that there was never a Cinderella ride at Disneyland? Somehow, I think she did.
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