Q: Does the archives have on file anywhere the early, non-tongue-in-cheek scripts for Jungle Cruise? I’m always curious to see what it might have been like back in the ’50s.
Devin, Los Angeles, California
A: The Walt Disney Archives does not have any Jungle Cruise scripts from the 1950s. However, there is a part of the jungle tour shown in the People and Places film Disneyland, U.S.A. from 1956. That featurette was released on DVD in 2007 in the Walt Disney Treasures set Disneyland: Secrets, Stories, and Magic. Here is a sample of the Jungle Cruise narration from that film: “And now we’re on a broader stream—the Mekong River of Cochin China. Half-hidden by the foliage, we get our first glimpse of a man-made structure—the ruins of an ancient Cambodian shrine abandoned many centuries ago.” “On the right-hand side—watch, we’re approaching him now—a charging alligator! Now watch your hands, please, watch the hands! And now, if you keep watching that far bank, you can say that you’ve had a nodding acquaintance with a giraffe. The giraffe, however, won’t be able to say a thing, for this is one animal that has no vocal chords.” “You hear that? That’s a lonesome lady elephant calling to her mate. And from across the river, the lord and master. Look at the size of those ears! That’s the hallmark of the African elephant. Well, let’s leave the happy couple and head for Schweitzer Falls, named in the honor of the famous doctor and scientist. That’s a little close…”
Dave Smith