Rich T
Well-Known Member
Enjoy your fond memories of it. It had a good run. Everything changes. Time to move on. You might love the Tiana ride.
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Tiana's Bayou Adventure: Disneyland Watch & Discussion
- Thread starter Californian Elitist
- Start date
I'm looking for a ride along the water
Take me along, I really think you ought'er
The sun's shining down, it's only gettin' hotter
Why don't you take me along?
I've had enough of this tiny old swamp!
I've got to find a new pond to stomp!
I'll come along, say hello to me
Riding right behind you is where I'll be!
Take me along, nothin' could be greater
I'll find a way, sooner or later
You better make room for this Alligator
You might as well take me along!
A happier place is where I'm bound
I'll find a way; I'll see you around
A friendly lookin' face is what I'm looking for
So just slow down and I'll hop on board!
I'm gonna find another way to get there
You might as well take me along!
Why don't you take me along?
I'm looking for someone to show the way there
I'm heading for; I only wish I knew where
I'm gonna find another way to get there
Why don't you take me along?
You might as well take me along!
You've got some room so save me a seat
I'll sit with your friends but I won't overeat!
Take me along an' leave it to me
Wherever you take me is where I'll be!
Once Indiana Jones comes back up, get ready to say goodbye to Splash. Sure, it sucks to lose a ride you love (The Florida fans feel for ya) but Disney has put their foot down and the Br'ers are out.
Rich T
Well-Known Member
Best line on the entire ride, and it’s a DL exclusive!
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Ah, okay.
Showing my age, but I've always just thought of him as "See ya later alligator" Gator. Because he used to sing that when he walked up the stairs of the subway station in the Rock N' Roll Act of America Sings.
At least I'm 98% certain that's the same gator.
But Take Me Along Gator is probably the right title for him now.
OT: It just hit me how horrible the music selection was for the Rock N' Roll Act in America Sings! That final act should have been a Motown girl group, a beach party surf band, a pretty girl singer like Connie Francis or Lesley Gore, a blue eyed soul act like the Righteous Brothers, etc., etc.! With Jackie Wilson doing the wild grand finale' of "Baby, Workout!". I have to imagine it was because Disney didn't want to pay the huge royalties to those bands and labels in 1973 to be able to use them in America Sings. So they ended up with a smattering of rather obscure one-hit-wonder songs that only modestly charted.
If the Internet had existed in 1974, I would be personally railing day after day after day about how awful and cheap Act 4 was in America Sings! Card Walker! Ron Miller! Walt would be furious!!! The park is already suffering from the Gas Crisis, and now this?!?!
Summer season '74 is ruined! I'm going to Marineland instead!!!
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Rich T
Well-Known Member
When I saw America Sings as a teen, I was kinda aware of who Marc Davis was, and when it got to the rock era….Ah, okay.
Showing my age, but I've always just thought of him as "See ya later alligator" Gator. Because he used to sing that when he walked up the stairs of the subway station in the Rock N' Roll Act of America Sings.
At least I'm 98% certain that's the same gator.
But Take Me Along Gator is probably the right title for him now.
OT: It just hit me how horrible the music selection was for the Rock N' Roll Act in America Sings! That final act should have been a Motown girl group, a beach party surf band, a pretty girl singer like Connie Francis or Lesley Gore, a blue eyed soul act like the Righteous Brothers, etc., etc.! With Jackie Wilson doing the wild grand finale' of "Baby, Workout!". I have to imagine it was because Disney didn't want to pay the huge royalties to those bands and labels in 1973 to be able to use them in America Sings. So they ended up with a smattering of rather obscure one-hit-wonder songs that only modestly charted.
If the Internet had existed in 1974, I would be personally railing day after day after day about how awful and cheap Act 4 was in America Sings! Card Walker! Ron Miller! Walt would be furious!!! The park is already suffering from the Gas Crisis, and now this?!?!
Summer season '74 is ruined! I'm going to Marineland instead!!!
I just figured they picked the only rock songs upper middle-aged Marc Davis and his associates were familiar with. Looking back, “See ya Later Alligator” was an inevitable gag, “Shake, Rattle and Roll” was a decent historic choice, “Twistin’ USA” was an odd pick, and “Joy To the World” was a variety show staple—a safe, wholesome-sounding rock finale that even grandparents knew.
I was more disappointed by the Wild West segment. It was noble of them to aim for authenticity in their choices, instead of more familiar Hollywood-based western tunes, but I kinda wished they’d bent the rules a bit more there.
What a weird, wonderful, ambitious show. Dozens of fun characters and not an IP in sight.
It wasn’t until years later I realized, as a Scottish-Irish American, I should’ve been mildly offended by the roaringly drunk “Blossom-Nose Murphy” character.
Rich T
Well-Known Member
Apparently extended out beyond original plans because the logs couldn’t make the turn, I’ve heard (Don’t know if that’s true, but the story fits the odd look of that spot).
Epcot81Fan
Well-Known Member
You can debate “Shake Rattle and Roll” and “Twistin’ USA”, but I will defend “Joy to the World” as the perfect show finale song.Ah, okay.
Showing my age, but I've always just thought of him as "See ya later alligator" Gator. Because he used to sing that when he walked up the stairs of the subway station in the Rock N' Roll Act of America Sings.
At least I'm 98% certain that's the same gator.
But Take Me Along Gator is probably the right title for him now.
OT: It just hit me how horrible the music selection was for the Rock N' Roll Act in America Sings! That final act should have been a Motown girl group, a beach party surf band, a pretty girl singer like Connie Francis or Lesley Gore, a blue eyed soul act like the Righteous Brothers, etc., etc.! With Jackie Wilson doing the wild grand finale' of "Baby, Workout!". I have to imagine it was because Disney didn't want to pay the huge royalties to those bands and labels in 1973 to be able to use them in America Sings. So they ended up with a smattering of rather obscure one-hit-wonder songs that only modestly charted.
If the Internet had existed in 1974, I would be personally railing day after day after day about how awful and cheap Act 4 was in America Sings! Card Walker! Ron Miller! Walt would be furious!!! The park is already suffering from the Gas Crisis, and now this?!?!
Summer season '74 is ruined! I'm going to Marineland instead!!!
Remember, the song was released in 1971 so just three years before America Sings opened so it was a huge, very recent hit.
Great vibe to end the show and get everybody singing on the way out. I will not stand for such slander!
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Agreed. There probably was a dearth of hipness going on in the WDI offices in 1972-73.
But the thought came to me today (out of the blue) that it probably also had to do with paying royalties to artists and record labels that were all still in full-speed operation in 1973; Motown, The Beach Boys, Capitol Records' long list of artists, anyone who had ever appeared on Shindig! or Ed Sullivan, etc.,
I bet money for royalties had as much to do with it as Marc Davis celebrating his 60th birthday in '73 as he chose the music for his show.
It wasn’t until years later I realized, as a Scottish-Irish American, I should’ve been mildly offended by the roaringly drunk “Blossom-Nose Murphy” character.
Oh my God! I'd forgotten about him! Sweeeeeet adeliiiiine! And they gave him a bottle of whiskey and a bright red alcoholic's nose and named him Blossom-Nose Murphy. Absolutely hysterical!
The humorless kids and wokesters today would have their brains implode if they ever knew America Sings existed. I wonder if the Blossom Nose Murphy animatronic was used in Splash Mountain? After sobering him up, of course.
Blossom Nose Murphy and his bottle gets taken to jail for public drunkenness, but he would still like to sing for you anyway...
I'm going to laugh about that all night now. Thank you for the gift of hilarity!
TP2000
Well-Known Member
You can debate “Shake Rattle and Roll” and “Twistin’ USA”, but I will defend “Joy to the World” as the perfect show finale song.
Remember, the song was released in 1971 so just three years before America Sings opened so it was a huge, very recent hit.
Great vibe to end the show and get everybody singing on the way out. I will not stand for such slander!
Well, I can agree with that one at least. It was a big hit just a few years earlier and really closed out the Hippie Era with a bang.
I think that Joy To The World ending was the only real good part of that entire act. The 1940's songs, "A tisket, a tasket" etc., were just dumb. And then the stuff they chose for the 1950's and 60's as "rock and roll" was painfully uninspiring and square. So much material to work with, and they didn't even have one of Chubby Checker's actual Twist songs, but chose the off-brand and totally forgotten "Twistin' USA"???
I can't believe it took me this long to be upset about this!
TP2000
Well-Known Member
It's now 8pm. I had a healthy pasta dish and some lemon water for dinner tonight. And two (2) Oreo's for dessert. I've been a good boy today!
But... I am off right this minute to the bar cart in the Den to make myself a strong Whiskey cocktail of some sort. I am going to name it the Blossom Nose Murphy and ask iTunes to play Sweet Adeline for me. Wherever this evening's activities take you, I hope you'll join me in toasting America Sings and an entire generation of people that never took themselves too seriously! Cheers, gang!
Skip to 11:40 on this video for Mr. Murphy and some brilliant Imagineering!
But... I am off right this minute to the bar cart in the Den to make myself a strong Whiskey cocktail of some sort. I am going to name it the Blossom Nose Murphy and ask iTunes to play Sweet Adeline for me. Wherever this evening's activities take you, I hope you'll join me in toasting America Sings and an entire generation of people that never took themselves too seriously! Cheers, gang!
Skip to 11:40 on this video for Mr. Murphy and some brilliant Imagineering!
To follow up, it appears the refurbishment for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad runs through April 13. Hours have become available beginning April 14th and it has been removed from the refurbishment calendar on that date.
I wonder if they're moving BTMRR to shut down Splash in that time?
BuzzedPotatoHead89
Well-Known Member
Didn’t WDW do something similar? Shut BTMRR down for a week and a half or so to give it a quick refurb to get everything in order before Splash went down?
Of course the two mountains are right next to each other at MK but still fit into a similar pattern/demo.
BrianLo
Well-Known Member
Wow, I've actually never bothered to look up this attraction. I knew Splash borrowed its animatronics but for some reason I didn't realize Splash was 90% America Sings.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
It was a fabulous show, and very of its time. One of those things that was an absolute "Must Do!" for my entire family every time we visited the park in the 1970's and 80's; you just never missed it, like Pirates or Small World or Jungle Cruise.
It also speaks to the rather wasteful decision to spend a lot of money and resources on re-themeing an existing ride like Splash Mountain when they've got bigger problems all over the park. For example...
America Sings was incredibly high capacity (more than Pirates) and a 200+ seat auditorium revolved into the loading area and a show started every 4 and a half minutes, so the longest we ever waited to get in and sit down was 4 minutes even on the busiest of days. It was Disneyland being good hosts to their guests, as they were so excellent at in the 20th century!
That the Carousel Theater has sat there unused for the past 35 years, or filled with low-demand static displays for the latest IP or merchandise, is truly a crime. The park has never been busier and more crowded and often miserable in spots, but they've still got massive infrastructure just sitting there abandoned or unloved. That's criminal on the part of the TDA executive team. They are being bad hosts.
Imagine if you threw a cocktail party and invited 60 people allegedly as "guests", but you as the host or hostess wouldn't let any of your "guests" into the dining room or the family room to sit or relax and chat, and everyone had to remain packed in the living room or standing in the foyer? That's what TDA has done by allowing huge pieces of the park and its facilities to lie fallow or off limits for decades (Carousel Theater, Motor Boat Cruise, Starcade, Tomorrowland Theater, Rocket Rods, Rocket Jets platform, Keelboats, etc.) while many other areas of the park routinely look like this...
There's a few glimmers of hope, especially with the way they added acres of new land and facilities with Star Wars and Runaway Railway. But it's going to take a lot more of that type of thing to fix the boneheaded and downright unfriendly executive decisions of the last 30 years.
BrerFoxesBayouAdventure
Well-Known Member
You wont be saying that when all of Disneyland gets turned into Star Wars/Marvel/Avatar land
More dramatics.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
No kidding!
I will need to see at least one (1!) kid on my porch this Halloween dressed as a lanky blue alien who is allergic to clothes before I can start worrying about Avatar taking over all of Tomorrowland.
But if they want to put some blue alien meet n' greet n' snack bar n' miniature golf "experience" into Innoventions for a fiscal year or two, that would be better than keeping it empty for another three years.
Disney is planning an Avatar experience at Disneyland
The Walt Disney Co. is planning to add an Avatar experience to Disneyland and explore other opportunities at its theme parks as it looks for more ways to appeal to its guests.
apnews.com