Albert Awol is a character from the Jungle Cruise.
History[]
Albert Awol was a skipper and employee of the Jungle Navigation Company in the 1930s, having made his base in their Amazon Rainforest boathouse. He was radio host for the JNC known as the "The Voice of the Jungle", hosting "AWOL Airwaves" on the DBC (Disney Broadcasting Company). This service radio station helped in broadcasting news, quizzes, reminders, weather, and 30s period music across the airwaves.
Awol was seemingly a spiritual successor to Nigel Greenwater, a British JNC employee who was with the company since 1930 at the latest and who purchased the JNC's first short-wave radio while founding the Global Broadcasting Service. Circa 1938, Albert Awol received outside patrons for Awol Airwaves such as the airline-service Aero-Casablanca which he advertised for.
Alternate versions[]
Tales from Adventureland[]
Albert Awol is a key character in the book series, primarily in the first entry The Keymaster's Quest. A longtime friend, classmate and colleague of Nedley Lostmore in his Jungle Explorers' Society, tragedy has torn his family apart. When bringing his wife Lucy and daughter Abigail, who was being trained as an explorer and pilot, along on an expedition with Ned after receiving an anonymous tip on a rare plant species with potential healing properties. The group was ambushed by members of the villainous Collective hoping to seize Ned's secrets and in the attack, Lucy was killed. In grief and misplaced anger, Abigail ended up blaming her father and Ned for what happened and found herself working for the Collective and Professor Phink.
Since then, Awol was living in Hawaii, broadcasting his show out of a small hut on Molokai and helping protect the Enchanted Tiki Room, being accompanied by a Tiki bird named Hoku. Rescuing Ned's grandson Andy Stanley using the Amazon Annie, he helps guide the young Keymaster to the Tiki Room. Andy later helps Albert and Abigail reconcile after she realizes the ramifications of helping the Collective awaken the evil Tiki god Kapu and begins her path to redemption.
Development history[]
Albert Awol was introduced in a 1991 refurbishment to the Magic Kingdom's Jungle Cruise that improved the queue experience and established a stronger period setting for the attraction in general. A similar radio broadcast featuring the character of Nigel Greenwater would later be introduced at Disneyland in 1994.
Appearances and allusions[]
Jungle Cruise[]
Awol's radio show in the Magic Kingdom's queue takes the form of a 47 minute audio loop. His musical selections include:[1]
- Here Come's my Ball and Chain-Coon Sanders Nighthawks Orchestra (1928)
- With Plenty of Money and You-Dick Powel (1936)
- Jeepers, Creapers (instrumental)-Louis Armstrong (1938)
- Yes, Yes! My Baby Said Yes, Yes-Sam Browne & The Carlyle Cousins (1932)
- Song of India (instrumental)-Paul Whiteman (1926)
- It's the Girl-The Boswell Sisters and Dorsey Brothers (1931)
- (Listen to the) Rythm King-The Coon Sanders Nighthawks (1928)
- Love is Good for Anything that Ails You-Ida SueMcCune(1981)
- Harlem River Quiver (instrumental)-Duke Ellington and Orchestra (1927)
- What a Girl, What a Night-The Coon-Sanders Nighthawks (1928)
- Diga Diga Doo (instrumental)-Duke Ellington (1928)
- I get a Kick out of You-Artist Unknown(1934)
- You're the Top-Artist Unknown (1934)
- Let's Misbehave-Irving Aaronson, Phil Saxe (1928)
- Painting the Clouds with Sunshine-Jack Hylton and Orchestra (1929)
- The Mooche-Duke Ellington (1928)
- The King's Horses (And the Kings Men)-Jack Hylton and Orchestra (1931)
Skipper Canteen[]
Awol wrote the book "Illustrated Guide to Radio Broadcasting" which is featured in the library of the Skipper Canteen.