20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
| Tom
was only a child when the famous Walt Disney Film was released at Christmas
1954. He managed to see it a good ten times before his first
visit to Disneyland two years later. The Californian Park had
the actual sets from the film on display until 1966; ample
time to infect our friend with a permanent case of Julesvernemania. He
has been building miniature replicas of the famous submarine ever since. As
of today, he has completed more than fifty (he's lost exact count). These
"mini-Nautilus" are scattered throughout several Disney Parks
and the homes of dedicated collectors. Which model is he proudest
of? "A
reproduction that I offered to Harper Goff, the creator of the fiml's
submarine. Thanks to him, I discovered the fascinating secrets
of the undersea monster: when it emerges from the water, it's
a crocodile with bulging eyes; seen from below, it has the
sharp, menacing face of a great white shark." Tom is
such an enthusiast, that at one time, he had even decorated his apartment
like a submarine interior, complete with cables and portholes. It
comes as no surprise that our Imagineers would invite him for a sneak
preview of Les Mystères du Nautilus. So, does
he like it? "Of course, of course, but..." he
couldn't refrain himself from pointing out a few inconsistencies: "the
gangways are a bit too wide in comparison to the film sets." For
a purist like Tom, security precautions and comforts provided for our
guests should not interfere with the historical "truth"! Tom
is still overflowing with new ideas...provided they have something to
do with Jules Verne of course! In the Discoveryland room on
the first floor of Walt's An American Restaurant, he opens for us his
suitcase; inside is his personal treasure trove, including
a meerschaum pipe in the form of a diving helmet and a letter from his
idol, Harper Goff. We would have liked more details about a certain project concerning The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne that he mentioned briefly, but Tom's attention is focused on a Nautilus model on display in the room - one of his. He is plagued by a sudden doubt. Is the sub tilted at the right gradient? Before we can venture a response, he's shut his briefcase, and headed out the door for Discoveryland. Tomorrow he returns to the U.S., so minute counts when it can be spent admiring the "life-size" Nautilus moored in Discoveryland.
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| S.D. |
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|
In
this sketch dedicated to all of you, Tom evokes the "mythological"
origin of
the Nautilus: half crocodile, half shark |
Reprinted from En Coulisse Mensuel, July 1994
Tom Scherman died of cancer in 1995. He will be missed
If you have anything about Tom you would like to contribute such as a story or
pictures and would like to share it, feel free to email me any time at boz@20k.com
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C.B. Adams