What else do these CMs do?

[Boray]

My husband and I were watching Raiders of the Lost Ark the other night and when the scene with Indy fist-fighting with the Nazi near the airplane came up and we both started discussing the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular. If my facts are correct, this fist-fighting Nazi in the movie is the same guy who does this scene in the Stunt show. We began wondering about the following questions:
1. Who does this scene if he calls in sick or is on vacation?
2. Do they not introduce him as the same actor from the movie?
3. Do they just have a couple of guys that look the same?
4. Do the actors in the Stunt Show spend the time between shows preparing for the next show or what do they do?

Just wondering how they handle these issues...

So then, this led to another set of questions:
What do the people that are in the parades do the rest of the day? Are they CMs on attractions? (Specifically, I mean the "other" people in the parades, not the face characters; the dancers and other entertainers in the parades. I imagine the characters in the parades also do meet and greets in various parts of the park during the rest of the day.) What do these "other" people do to fill the other 7 hours or so of their work day?

Thanks for your help! :wave:

 

[progroupie]

I can't comment on the Indy show as I haven't seen it in forever but about the parade performers, most of them are characters. For the rest of the day they may be doing character meet and greets or other shows in the parks. Like some of the dancers in DDCT are also dancers in the hoedown or might be in Spectro at night. But they're all characters at some point except for the ones you see in shows like Dream Along with Mickey becauase they're considered professional performers and are under equity contracts so they don't do anything else but the show they're hired for.

 

[Rob562]

I believe entertainment CMs in shows are for shows only. I think they're only guaranteed a 4-hour shift per day, not a full 8 hours. Or maybe that's the Equity actors in shows... (Which is why I know of at least one actor who does the Nemo show at AK and also works at the Adventurer's Club at night).

As for the large stunt guy at Indy, it's someone who was cast in that role who fits the specific visual and stunt training requirements. There's at least one main actor and one understudy who works on the main actor's days off. (Because it's highly unlikely that the same actor works 7 days a week with no days off). And in the Indy show, I believe that actor also plays the role of the sword-wielding guy (you just can't tell because his costume hides his identity).

-Rob

 

[Boray]

Are they park-specific on any given day, or do they have a show in one park at, say 10:00, then in another park at say 12:00, or a parade at 3:00 in a different park, etc.?

 

[Jerm]

The people in the show were not in the film, most of them are just stunt people that Disney has for that show and sometimes other special events. Most of the entertainment people (Indy/Adventures Club/Nemo/World Showcase Players) can be found at other Disney parks and even other things around the Orlando area. It is not odd to see some of the cast of Indy at the Pirates Dinner show or at the stunt shows over at Universal/IOA. Most of the time at the end when they introduce the cast they will give some of the real credits to them. Also if you stick around you can talk to them most of the time.

 

[Jerm]

Are they park-specific on any given day, or do they have a show in one park at, say 10:00, then in another park at say 12:00, or a parade at 3:00 in a different park, etc.?

Most of the time they do the set of shows for what ever they are pulled for. But like Rob said you can see them in 2 AK during the day and at AC at night. I did the fireworks cruise last year and the "pirate" in charge we saw as Mr. Ray that day in the Nemo show.

 

[Eyorefan]

I think the show I have always wondered about was Hoop de Doo. I have seen it a number of times and its always the same people.

 

[daringstoic]

The last 5 times I've been to the Hoop Dee Doo, we've had the same guy play Jim Handy. The last time I was there, we saw him the very next day as Sam the Singing Cowboy in the Woody's Cowboy Camp show in Frontierland, and he actually recognized us from the night before. It was the highlight of my trip, for reason's I won't bother to explain here.

On one of my trips, my family watched the Indy show twice in the same week. The second time we saw it, the guy they introduced as their "stunt coordinator" or "assistant director" (I'm not sure what the title was exactly, but he was in casual clothes with a headset and clipboard) was the same one who had played Indy earlier in the week. They must switch off or rotate performances so that they don't have to do the physically demanding stunts multiple times a day 5 days a week.

 

[Boray]

Thanks for all of the insight! You guys are so smart.....

 

[progroupie]

Are they park-specific on any given day, or do they have a show in one park at, say 10:00, then in another park at say 12:00, or a parade at 3:00 in a different park, etc.?

For the entertainment CM's it can work like that, someone might be in MJJP at AK during the day and then come to MK at night for Spectro. It's more common for them to be in same park though since it makes more scheduling sense, like they may do the day parade at MK and then Spectro that night.
The equity performers it isn't quite so common since they have more flexibility with their schedules.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Run guns, make hooch and sell babies?

 

[Jerm]

Run guns, make hooch and sell babies?

Pumbas, I almost got offened till I saw the name. You changing your avatar threw me off.

 

[kcw]

with the bigger stage shows, they usually have one more performer there than they need. A few of the dancers know more than one track (a certain part in the show) and then they switch off through the night. For ex- say there are 9 dancers in a show. During the first show of the day, the 10th person will sit out, then switch in for the second show, while a different dancer sits out, and then continue that way the rest of the night. That way they all get a break sometime through the day plus they're set if someone gets hurt during a show or calls in last minute. Like progroupie mentioned through, the procedures are different when you're dealing with equity performers vs. ent. performers.....

as far as say character meet n greets- no they're not just limited to one park per day. That is the norm, but it's not uncommon to have a morning/afternoon shift in one park, then run to a different one for a dinner shift or something.

 

[MAGICFLOP]

I have'nt seen the Indian Jones in a while, but have seen it several time since it began. I have never seen the same person playing Indy, Girl or German mechanic. Certainly none of them look like the move cast.

 

[Eljay]

Similar situation with the musicians.
Some of the bands have official members and subs that fill in when one of them is out for any reason. Other bands have a larger group of rotating members. You often will see one musician at Epcot then over at DHS and later at PI.

 

[Disneykidder]

They move around. I saw a street performer in MGM a few years back doing a little ditty there. Then that night I saw him at Comedy Warehouse. Hysterical!!

 

[Frank Stallone]

4. Do the actors in the Stunt Show spend the time between shows preparing for the next show or what do they do?

Pickleball. Lots and lots of pickleball.

 

[kcw]

^^^^ hahahahaha well, I don't know about the stunt show, but we'd play disney scene-it.... or watch movies

 

[Frank Stallone]

Honestly, though, I always got a chuckle when I walked backstage and saw the acrobats from Indy either playing pickleball or basketball. I thought it would be fun to join in, but they'd probably do some crazy backflip, and then dunk over me

 

[Gorjus]

I'm not in entertainment, but I work with entertainment. Someone in entertainment will know better.

But they're all characters at some point except for the ones you see in shows like Dream Along with Mickey becauase they're considered professional performers and are under equity contracts so they don't do anything else but the show they're hired for.

From what I understand, Dream Along With Mickey is not an Equity cast. Most of those people also do meet and greets; though usually, not the same day. And until recently, the castle stage show people also did the parade the same day they were in the show. That is changing. During P&P parties they like to use the same princesses in the 3 pm parade as they use in the night parade.

Are they park-specific on any given day, or do they have a show in one park at, say 10:00, then in another park at say 12:00, or a parade at 3:00 in a different park, etc.?

They are all over the place. Not as much as you described, but a little bit. For example, in Epcot, if you go to breakfast with the princesses in Norway, you will also recognize them out in the park for meet and greets. But sometimes they aren't there because they have been pulled to another place. Often Jasmine leaves Agrabah in Mk to go do Fantasmic in the PM.

Some people will be friends with a bicycle artist in the MK parade one day and then hang out with a princess in France the next day and visit Pluto another day.

Ariel's friends often visit her in the Grotto for one set around 1:00 to allow a lunch break. They then hang out with her in the parade. Then they take a break and then take over in the Grotto for the evening shift.

But then there are those who 5 days a week hang out with the same character.

In entertainment, some spots must be filled at all times, no exceptions: Character Spot, Judge's Tent, Grotto, etc. And in order to fill those spots, sometimes other characters will be missing from their usual spots. The Genie might have to go visit Goofy. A princess is needed in dining, so Pluto is going to be absent from Toon Town and we will put Daisy in Toon Town instead.

Again, not an expert, but this is what I hear from people in entertainment.