Yet More Jungle Cruise, 1956

Photos of the Jungle Cruise tend to get repetitive in a hurry... as a rule everyone took their pictures from the same vantage points looking at the same stuff. Even so, I still get a kick from some, especially if they are extra vintage like these!

This looks like a postcard, with the boat heading into the mysterious jungle. It is considerably less lush in this 1956 image, compare it to later versions like this one, this one, and even this one!

Here's a rare photo of a hefalump in its natural environment.

Baloo & Bre'r Fox, April 1974 (Plus Extra!)

Here are two more from April 1974, featuring some of the costumed characters that strike terror into my heart. Others love them, apparently.

Baloo, that fun-lovin' bear from "The Jungle Book", poses with fans next to the Baby Station. That's where you could buy real babies for only a dollar or two, just like animation cells. This photo was taken shortly after Baloo's life-saving tracheotomy; an allergic reaction to strawberries caused him to swell up like Ballpark Frank. Luckily, he made a complete recovery!


These kids had probably actually seen "Song of the South", and knew who Bre'r Fox was. He's standing just outside the First Aid station, which is full of dopes who stood up while riding the Matterhorn. The charming mural to our left shows Alice and Snow White tending to some children.

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EXTRA! EXTRA! I have a great photo, kindly sent to me by Larry Nikolai of Walt Disney Imagineering. It shows a window that was part of the Tobacco Shop (see the window in 1960 here), with a wonderful ode to the evil weed. Can you imagine anything like this in Disneyland today?


Larry said that he took this photo in July of 1977 (on GAF film!), and that it is now a window honoring the Sherman Brothers.

THANK YOU very much, Larry!

Jungle Cruise Dock, August 1958

What's nicer than coming home? Especially after a grueling trip through the jungle. All of guests now suffer from a combination of malaria, bereberi, schistosomiasis, and dengue fever. Plus a couple of the passengers took Trader Sam up on his offer, which doesn't happen very much.

I can only assume that the two people on the dock are cast members. Check out their colorful, billowy blouses and "clam digger" pants! That's pretty much how I dress (when I bother to wear pants, that is).


Looking the other direction, a Jungle Cruise launch is getting a fresh load of passengers. The next time I am on that ride, I'm going to sit in the very back. When the skipper isn't looking, I'm going to slip into the water silently (like a ninja!) and swim the entire ride.

Tour Guide, July 1962

Here are two from 1962, starting with this not-quite-in-focus shot with one of Disneyland's tour guides in the foreground. She can speak three languages and knows judo ("Hi-YA"). To the left you can see the giant thimble above the Flight Circle. I know that it was gold in color at some point, but it sure looks silvery here. The angled roof of the Yacht Bar can be seen edge-on in the distance, and the Astro Jets are hidden behind the trees. Stupid trees! They ruin everything. The kid in the striped shirt is probably admiring the fantastic Rocket to the Moon!


We've seen similar views a million times. Hooray for # 1,000,001!

Main Street, April 1974

Today's pictures are from a small lot dated April 1974, but they were clearly taken before that. Let's just say December 1963, OK?

The holiday crowds have descended upon Town Square, and they are hungry for brains. I guess it does get chilly occasionally in SoCal, everybody is bundled up to a certain degree. The Christmas tree towers over everything, so tall that you can bungee-jump off of it. Notice the spotlights on top of some of the buildings along Main Street, probably used to light the nighttime parades.

The Castle and the crowds. Hey, maybe I'm wrong about it being December... that clock appears to say that it is almost 7 o'clock. In December it's dark by 6 (if not earlier). But if it's really April, why are the Christmas decorations still up? Hmmm....

Finally, as the sun sinks lower and lower, let's take a look at the Fire House. Walt had been gone for about 7 years at this point, but I think he would have been happy to know that his park was thriving.

Knott's, 1970

Gots Knott's? Yes, I gots some! I am guestimating that these are from around 1970, give or take a few years.

Here comes the choo-choo train! This is an unusual angle of the ol' #40, which I am pretty sure was called the "Green River" by this time (it started out as the "Gold Nugget"). The Log Ride was new back in those days, I can still recall the pine scent. The father in the foreground has some wicked-cool sideburns!


You can still see the old calliope at Knott's, but I have no idea if anybody plays it anymore. Mae Minnes was gone by 1970, so some young whipper-snapper is trying his hand at the steam-powered instrument. I am going to release a box-set of CDs with all of the Beatles music performed on the calliope, and you're gonna love it. I don't suppose anybody recognizes either of the two men standing nearby, they look like old-timers.

Santa's Village, June 1960

It's Christmas in August as we spend a few minutes in Santa's Village, near Lake Arrowhead in the beautiful San Bernardino National Forest.

A mock-alpine sign bids us welcome. Santa's village was largely about charm, and was primarily aimed at families with younger children. Lots of colorful buildings and whimsical architecture added to the ambiance. And of course there were the giant psychedelic mushrooms (even though this is only 1960) that "grew" here and there throughout the park.

You can't have Santa without some toys - in this case a rather menacing giant toy soldier. He's so big that we feel like toys ourselves. I wonder what that charming building is in the background, the one that looks like a Swiss church? In the foreground, an elf (in a toy drum) appears to be selling hats - my favorite kind of hat, with the big feathers in them. Another magic mushroom is just visible in the lower right.

A pumpkin coach drawn by four white horses adds a bit of fairy tale magic.

I have more Santa's Village stuff to share, so stay tuned!

Frontierland Scenes, September 1967

Here are a couple of nice Frontierland photos from 1967.

This one was snapped from the Swiss Family Treehouse, and looks down upon the Colombia. It appears to be at the dock that allowed guests to explore the authentic details both on deck and below. I like the billowing 13-star American Flag, one of the varieties that flew from 1777 to 1795 (18 years).

Here's a great image showing one of the old Indian War Canoes as it glides perilously close to Big Thunder Falls. The rocks and waterfalls look beautiful, it sure is a shame that they are now gone. Isn't the canoe heading the wrong direction? I thought that all river craft headed in a clockwise direction, but these guys are going counter-clockwise as far as I can tell.

A Pair from July 1961

A smattering of guests are entering Disneyland startlingly late in the day (why?) - the line at that ticket book seems rather short for a July day. Because everybody else has been there since 10 o'clock! It's hard to see in this dark photo, but the Disneyland RR (the C.K. Holliday, I think) is up there, crossing in front of City Hall. Notice the sign for "Disneyland 1961", heralding the extension of the Monorail track, which now went all the way to the hotel and back (with shiny new Mark II trains)!

I love this pleasant scene of the fishing dock on Tom Sawyer Island; kids with souvenir cowboy hats, another in overalls (I'll call him "Huck") , and their watchful parents (grateful to be sitting down).

Jungle Cruise, January 1960

Here are two scenes from the old Jungle Cruise, both of which are long gone.

This pride of lions is enjoying some teriyaki-style zebra. It's delish! Everyone knows that it is the female lions who do all of the hunting; the male lion is hidden by some leaves (see him here)... if it was up to him, all they would eat would be pizza rolls and twinkies.

Hello, Mr. Gorilla. I think I've seen you in some low-budget movies, like "Captive Wild Woman" or "The Monster and the Girl", or even "Nabonga". You were awesome!

Rumor has it that the old Jungle Cruise gorillas received facelifts and were recast as the Abominable Snowmen inside the Matterhorn. Some say that is untrue, but I choose to believe it because it makes me happy.