Showing posts with label gilbert van camp. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gilbert van camp. Show all posts

Thursday, August 09, 2018

Chicken of the Sea Christening



If you’ve been on my website, you've probably seen this shot from the christening of the new and improved Chicken of the Sea Restaurant at Disneyland which included the Skull Rock Lagoon. Recently I was contacted by somebody who pointed out that I had misidentified the gentlemen surrounding Walt, who are Gilbert Van Camp Jr. and Gilbert Van Camp Sr.

Why would I listen to some know-it-all who contacts me out of the blue? Because he was there that day! John Copeland is the lucky little boy, standing with his father Glenn Copeland. Note the Lucky Strike cigarettes in Walt's hands.



The other correction John gave me was that the "character" in this shot often referred to as Peg Leg Pete was actually known as Captain Guy. “He had lost his leg during the Korean War. One of the duties of the crew who worked the restaurant was to keep the decks mopped so that anything that was spilled on them would not cause Captain Guy to slip and fall. Unfortunately that happened more than Guy liked. He loved being around the kids.”



Many thanks to John Copeland for contacting me and sharing this way cool photo!

See more vintage Disneyland Chicken of the Sea photos at my main website.

Friday, May 01, 2015

The Tender Pirate



It's true…even Pirates have a tender side, as you can see in this August 1960 shot of Captain Guy (who is sometimes referred to as Peg-Leg Pete) posing with a little boy aboard the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship. Of course, this could be Pete trying to sweet talk the little boy into joining his band of depraved marauders. Hard to say.



This recent acquisition made me curious about how long Captain Guy lasted at the park. My earliest image of him is from June 1958:



Followed by one from September of the same year:



These two from November 1959 are my favorites; they show that he definitely had a sense of humor!





This December 23, 1960 shot looks like Walt might have been telling him that his days are numbered.



The last one I have of Captain Guy is from May 1961; I wonder if Walt gave him a severance package?



Sharp-eyed readers will notice a construction crane; wonder what was going on behind Storybook Land?



Board the Chicken of the Sea Pirate Ship back at my main website and see more vintage shots of this lost treasure.