Tom Sawyer Island Bridges
Hear ye, hear ye! I've always wanted to say that, preferably ringing a large hand-bell. Today I have another selection of Frontierland scans, courtesy of the Mysterious Benefactor. All of these feature the two bridges on Tom Sawyer Island.
First up, the Pontoon Bridge, named after Sir Albert... no, I can't do it! It's too cruel! The Pontoon Bridge provides a bouncy, undulating experience, kind of like walking on Jello (I think). That girl in the cornflower-blue shirt is thinking about jumping up and down, you can just tell. Don't do it, little girl! I'll report her to the authorities.
Like so many of the MB's scans, this one looks like it could be in a souvenir guidebook or magazine ad. The mother and son have almost the same hairdo, clearly they go to Monsieur Jacques in Beverly Hills. Fun fact: he hates frizzies.
The next three photos feature the Suspension Bridge, which is mere yards from the Pontoon Bridge, but higher (of course). Tom, Huck, Joe Harper, and the rest of the gang showed a real talent for frontier engineering. They considered the tensile strength of the materials available to them, as well as high winds, floods, and possum attacks.
And finally, here's one last look at the Suspension Bridge. Hey, is that Brooke Shields? There are so many details in this one small corner of the island, the steps (which I believe were used by people who'd just crossed the Pontoon Bridge), the little waterfall, and "Lillian's Apartment" (lower right).
THANK YOU, Mysterious Benefactor!
9 comments:
Major-
One must wonder why all these simple, perfectly-wonderful pleasures are being removed from WDW. How lovely to see them all here.
Thanks, M B-!
"kind of like walking on Jello". That's appropriate, because the water looks sort of like Jello in this pic. That is, Jello after it's been left out in the sun at a picnic for 3 or 4 hours. If I had to guess what flavor of Jello this is, I would say "algae", mixed with "trout".
In the 2nd pic, Mom's shorts are shorter than her son's. T'was the style back then. What is that deep red thing in the background? In my mind, I'm trying to make it look like a person... but I'm failing.
3) Looks like they used oranges to fasten the various cables together. This is a neat shot. You'd never imagine this was taken in urban Anaheim.
4) Interesting how the gal in the foreground is the only one wearing warm-weather clothing. For everyone else, it's t-shirts and short-sleeves. Maybe she comes from an equatorial country, and isn't used to SoCal's chilly 75 degree temps.
Last pic: Well, it might not be Brooke Shields, but it could be her sister (if she has one). Very chic outfit. As is the boy near the back, with his Aussie hat and Hawaiian shirt. Lillian's Apartment... so fancy! I wonder what it really was? Pump house? Restroom? Generic storage shed?
Many thanks to Sir Albert MB for supplying us with Disney photos. Thanks, Major.
Possum attacks are, like, THE WORST.
Without any windows to put a lamp in, how did guests know when Lillian was at home? And just how exactly, did she flick Boeuf Bourguignon (her favorite dish) out at passersby?
Thank you Major and MB, for the extra nice TSI pics!
More great TSI photos today! The greatest playground ever created.
These photos do remind me of the Disneyland pictorial souvenir booklets that were sold at the park.
The Pontoon Bridge was a favorite. Not sure I could walk it today. Thanks, Major.
How can you NOT have fun on these bridges, and I sure did as well. Most times my friends and I were jumping up and down trying to throw ourselves...and others.. off balance. I will officially say that these bridges were built to last through years of shenanigans and wild boys and girls. That suspension bridge we tried to make sway...and it does not move...like it's made of concrete. It is a WEE bit jumpy. The pontoon bridge is kind of an accident waiting to happen...but that is part of the fun, like banging your head inside Injun Joe's cave, and twirling off those rock spinner/teetertotter things....people today are SOFT. There, I said it. The landscaping is so lush and lovely in pic #1. I don't know if I'd call Anaheim urban, but compared to 1955: yes, very urban. That something like this is being filled in with dirt and demolished (permits just filed) is a criminal act. As someone said before, there WAS a way to save it...they just didn't. We all often hear, the whole "as long is there is imagination left...." right...but if you use this language only to your benefit, it's going to bite you in the BTM. Which is the polite way of saying "bottom". I'm not sure Walt meant: "you get to change anything you want no matter what because that is "imagination"." Let's build the "all the unbuilt rides that didn't get green lighted!" That would be a spectacular park. Let's keep the "theme" in theme park. Thanks for the rant if you got this far and thanks MB and Major!
JB, the Lillian’s Apartment shed housed the pump for the streams and waterfalls that poured out of the roots of the treehouse tree. I believe there were 3 streams, one is visible in today’s pics under the suspension bridge, another drove the waterwheel in the mill, and I’m not sure where the 3rd one went, possibly into a possum defense perimeter.
The pontoon bridge was a hoot, my mom refused to cross either bridge. The lady in the pic has “Lady Di” vibes.
Yes, Steve is right, TSI was the best playground ever.
Nanook, from what I’ve read, most folks who visit the Magic Kingdom don’t seem to really care about the river being removed… perhaps I am not looking at the right forums.
JB, in the early 70s you could get “Algae and Trout” jello, it was popular with the hippies. I think the red thing is the legs of a person. The mom is flaunting it like a hussy! Oranges were used to fasted cables before the invention of Krazy Glue. Gals with sweaters - girls are always cold! Hey, as somebody who has stalked Brooke Shields for years, I can tell you that the woman in the picture is definitely her. Or… is it??
Chuck, they have those little needle-like teeth! Plus they smell funny.
TokyoMagic!, You knew Lillian was home if you could hear her burping the alphabet, which she did *constantly*. You got used to it. I like the word Boeuf!
Steve DeGaetano, sounds like you need a trip to Disneyland to go to TSI!
K. Martinez, I would not be surprised if some of these pix (taken for publicity purposes) wound up in a souvenir guidebook, or at least some other promotional material.
Bu, I’ve never heard of any bridge-related accidents on Tom Sawyer Island, but it seems as if something had to have happened over the last 70 years. Remember when Tarzan’s Treehouse had that suspension bridge to the second tree (since removed)? Somebody jumped up and down on it, supposedly to “show how safe it was” to their kid, but my guess is that they were hoping to break it, which they did. This is why everything in Pepperidgeland will be made out of cast iron. Considering how hard I banged my head inside the caves on TSI, I’ll bet there really have been some bandaged heads. The rough walls drew blood, but just a little, in my case. Yes, “urban” doesn’t seem quite right, but maybe it fits in a city with almost no “green zones”. At this point it’s pretty clear that “what Walt wanted” is not a concern, in fact I know somebody who worked for Imagineering who said that invoking Walt was practically faux pas.
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