Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin



In playing catch up with my website, Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin is apparently another one that I let languish for awhile. Here are some shots I capture a few years back that hadn't been posted yet. Board your cab and get ready for the ride of your life!



Roger is one of my favorite cartoon characters. Slightly dingy...full of fun...a bit obnoxious. Sounds like me.



Jessica in danger!



The famous bull in a china shop that you've all heard about.



Entering the power house:





I would not want to enter this door - what a menacing façade!



Roger is about to get electrified:



Ah, art deco - bestill my heart!









I don't care if much of this ride relies on fluorescent paint effect; it still works for me!



A big pie in the kisser comin' atcha!



One of the weasels:



Jessica escapes and goes after her captors, the weasels:



The pink elephant in the room that you've heard of:



THE END!



In definitely more somber news, yesterday I read that actor/singer Mark Salling from "Glee" supposedly took his own life shortly after he plead guilty for possession of child pornography. Few things make me sadder than hearing that someone feels they have no other options than to exit this world. We all have demons...we all have sadness; some is just more visible than others.



Take a moment to cherish those that are important to you; you never know what's going on with them below the surface.

See more Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin photos at my main website.

Tuesday, January 30, 2018

James Dean and the Rock Lasso



This 1955 photo shows James Dean on location in Marfa, Texas for his last movie, "Giant." Shortly after filming ended, the actor's life ended tragically in an automobile accident. However, in this image, he is fully alive and all smiles as he stands next to his dialogue director/coach Bob Hinkle. I wonder what Pepsi Cola thought about this?



Five years earlier, Dean made his first appearance on television with this Pepsi commercial:



Back to today's topic, which is the rock lasso. Hinkle taught Dean how to twirl it so that he could use it to scene-stealing effect in "Giant." This lobby card shows him holding it in a scene with Rock Hudson. Supposedly Hudson got very annoyed with Dean who drew attention to himself by twirling the lasso.



39 years later, I got to meet Hinkle in Fairmount, Indiana, during their annual James Dean Festival.



Two years later he was back in Fairmount showing contestants how to twirl the lasso for the Annual Rock Lasso Contest. Here's the tall Texan showing off his skills:



Here's one of the contestants, Lance, who also was a winner of the James Dean look-a-like contest. Some guys have it all!



Hinkle was just about the nicest most down to earth man. As he recounted his behind-the-scenes tales of working and hanging out with Dean, tears rolled down his eyes. The sadness over losing his friend and coworker was still fresh even after all this time.

Last image today is one of my Genuine Faux-D© images from 1996, showing the James Dean Porsche replica that was on display at the Fairmount Car Show. This is the vehicle that Dean was in when he died so very young:



See more James Dean photos at my main website.

Monday, January 29, 2018

Vintage Jungle Cruise Overload



Apparently it has been a LOOOOOOONG time since I updated my Jungle Cruise pages, too. Reap the rewards today with an EXPLOSION of vintage Jungle Cruise images, starting with some nicely saturated Dock Shots! First one is from 1958 followed by this 1957 shot of some barrels and The Congo Queen:



An undated 1950s image:



How about a close-up detailed view of the Skipper assisting guests onto the Amazon Belle (I know you'll dig this one, Matthew!):



This undated 1950s shot taken at dusk is postcard perfect!



What are those cast members doing just standing around?!?



I was too lazy to check if I'd posted the next three from September 1958, but so what...they're worth seeing again anyway!



A closer look at the Ancient Shrine and gigantic spider web:





Just in case you missed the Python in the tree, here's a detailed view!



A 1958 shot of the Rhino:



Followed by two from July 1967 of the Elephant Pool:





The next two from March 1968 may not be the best quality, but...



I do adore this one of the little elephant under the falls:



A super clear shot from May 1956 of the Hippos:



and one from September 1958:



A few more 1958 black and white shots; this photographer seemed to have an issue with composition. In all fairness, the boat moving makes it very difficult to frame the subject!





Two August 1961 giraffes hidden by the trees:



Two consecutive shots from December 1967 of the African Veldt and Trapped Safari:





An April 1979 view of the Trapped Safari:



Back to my 1958 black and white collection with three more:







The natives in full color, September 1958:



...and September 1966:



I hope you haven't lost your head over all these images!



See more vintage and contemporary Disneyland Jungle Cruise photos at my main website..