Just because and for no other reason I am presenting a trio of Keel Boat images today. First up…October 1958. Dang, I wasn't even born yet! The Bertha Mae is definitely my favorite Keel Boat; I love the green shutters. I can't quite figure out the sleeveless shirt that the cast member steering the boat is wearing. Must have been a hot day!
Going back two years to October 27, 1956. The 27th; not the 28th or the 26th…these were clearly marked "27th."
This cast member looks like he wandered off the set of Ma & Pa Kettle. What a difference from the sleeveless one of 1958.
Last one is from June 1967. This lads smile is enough to put Mary Tyler Moore out of business. Note the Indian guide behind him; it appears that the Gullywhumper is docked near the Indian Village.
Still got a Kraving for Keel Boats? Kruise on over to my main website.
3 comments:
I loved the Keel Boats. I still miss them and think it sucks that they were removed. It reminded me a lot of the Jungle Cruise with its size and spiel. Now it's just that much less kinetic energy on the River.
At least Disneyland's Rivers of America didn't suffer as much as the Magic Kingdom's Rivers of America which lost their first Riverboat (Admiral Joe Fowler), Davy Crockett Canoes and Mike Fink Keel Boats. Glad I knew it and experienced when. Extra nice post today. Thanks, Dave.
I just noticed the Peanuts shirt. Cool!
Disneyland and I are the same age, so I can tell you with certainty that the cast member is in uniform. If you look at illustrations from the book "Tom Sawyer", you will see that boys are often depicted barefoot, wearing old cut off/worn out pants/shorts, and their sleeves suffer the same fate. Usually they are also wearing a straw hat that is equally tattered, and occasionally a rope belt. Perhaps the guests didn't 'get' the uniform, so they were cleaned up? None-the-less, the keel boats were the bomb! No one ever rode down below unless there were absolutely no seats up top. And as many photos show, the upper deck was often maxed to capacity or more. The RofA is the greatest: Mark Twain, Columbia, Island Rafts, Keel Boats, Indian War Canoes ... one insanely busy/fun river!
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