Rose Sayer is a character from C.S. Forester's 1935 novel The African Queen and its 1951 film adaptation which was an inspiration for the Jungle Cruise.
History[]
Biography[]
The African Queen[]
Rose Sayer and her brother Samuel Sayer were early 20th century British methodist missionaries. The two operated out of the village of Kungdu in German East-Africa for roughly 10 years. In the August of 1914, World War I broke out in East Africa leading to the village being attacked by German soldiers. Samuel was killed during the attack while Rose escaped with riverboat captain Charlie Allnut aboard his vessel The African Queen.
On the African Queen, Rose persuaded Charlie to modify the Queen into a makeshift torpedo-boat and attack the German boat Königin Luise. Charlie and Rose bonded and eventually fell in-love. The two ultimately married and when the torpedo plan failed, drove the boat into the Königin Luise instead, blowing it up.
Jungle Cruise[]
Charlie continued his riverboat career presumably after the events of the film. Allnut was friends with mystic Trader Sam and had some connection to the Jungle Navigation Company. Allnut also had a bad relationship with the captain of the boat the Ucayali Una. Rose might have been affiliated with a company known as, "Rose's Leech Salt".
At some point, Charlie and Rose would depart for the African veldt in the Zambezi Miss to search for the lost safari. While the two found the safari run up a tree by a black rhino, it is unknown if they succeeded in recovering them. It is possible that Rose died by around 1936/1938 and had her head shrunken by Sam's cousin Chief Nah-mee.
Jungle Cruise Appearances[]
Bengal Barbecue[]
There is a photograph of Rose and Charlie riding the Zambezi Miss past the African veldt and trapped safari. In their possession was a portrait of Dr. Albert Falls and (stuffed) Albert the Monkey.
Jungle Cruise[]
Supposedly, one of Chief Nah-mee's shrunken heads from Walt Disney World's Jungle Cruise was made to resemble the head of Katherine Hepburn.[1][2] If true, this head might belong to the character of Rose Sayer. This would likely indicate Rose as having died prior to C.1936-1938 when said incarnation of the Jungle Cruise took place. Nah-mee's umbrella also resembles an umbrella used by Rose in the film.
Also, in the Amazon River Base is a container of, "Rose's Leech Salt" which references a scene in the African Queen where Rose attempts to remove leeches from Charlie's body.[3]
Magic of Disney Animation[]
Minnie Mouse imitates Rose on a poster for a film titled, "The Jungle Cruise" hung in the mouse's Hollywood dressing-room.[4]
Other connections[]
Jungle Cruise (film)[]
Sayer was a partial inspiration for Lily Houghton in the Jungle Cruise film.
Mystic Manor[]
Bengal Barbecue shows Rose alongside a plush of Albert the Monkey, a character from Mystic Manor.
Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar[]
In this bar is a post-card to Trader Sam from Rose's husband Charlie Allnut.[5] Also there is a photograph which shows Nah-mee with the same shrunken-heads asserted to include Rose's at the, "Opening of their east-coast franchise".[6]
Trivia[]
- The boats Kwango Kate and Kissimmee Kate are sometimes asserted to be a tribute to Katherine Hepburn. The Kissimmee Kate also might be named for the 1948 musical, "Kiss me, Kate", an adaptation of William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew.
- Rose and Doc Terminus from Pete's Dragon (1977) are both live-action film characters who have their products being used in the Amazon River Base.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ https://themouselets.com/top-10-adventureland-secrets
- ↑ https://www.worldofwalt.com/jungle-cruise-facts-2019.html
- ↑ https://www.easywdw.com/easy/blog/disneys-magic-kingdom-late-morning-adventureland-touring-with-jungle-cruise-pirates-and-crowds/
- ↑ https://www.micechat.com/44039-meet-minnie-minnie-at-disney-hollywoodstudios/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BZWe4Zjgo1G/
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/B9FB5BBgxLE/