Listener Mail The mailbag is full and ready to sift through. Be sure to reach out with questions, stories, memories, and more. You never know if your letter will be read on a future episode: podcast@retrowdw.com Brian is up next with a celebrity sighting at WDW. He spotted Mick Foley at Cinderella’s Royal Table, tried to snap a photo and made a minor mistake… This is a great story and we would love to see that photo! Katie wrote us about Mariah Carey and what she required to stay in the castle. This leads to a major tangent about couches, which of course is why you tune in to the RetroWDW Podcast. We heard from Michael Landis about the infamous Monorail Pilots License – if you have never seen one of these, check it out. Obviously, these aren’t around anymore, but this was a neat perk of riding upfront in the monorail. Miranda has a question – When did the Plaza Restaurant inside the Magic Kingdom open up at the current location? Joe, among many others, reached out about our challenge in regards to celebrities appearing in more than one attraction. We discuss a few of these that were emailed to us, along with some other ideas listeners had. Main Topic As we get started, this episode will be a little different than what you are used to. For the 50th Anniversary, how do we celebrate that at RetroWDW? We bounced many ideas around, including lists, top 50, sharing memories, and even going back to cover the various anniversary specials. Brian gets us started discussing the way things used to be, which all of us can do for hours on end, you the listener included. Each of us has stories and special things that we remember from the past fifty years. Experiences, memories, family trips, events; we all have so many things to share and reminisce about. This episode is all about that. Throughout Episode 71, we don’t sit on just one topic or park. Many of the stories are personal and lead to more tangents, but we think you’re really going to connect and relate to many of these observations from the past fifty years. As we worked our way through this recording, it’s tough to bring together fifty years of vacationing. The kingdom has so many things for so many people, including us. We are always looking for what’s next, our future trips, and making memories. This podcast is all about memories at Walt Disney World, even if they are super detailed and take us all down a rabbit hole. From Episode 71 all the way back to Episode 1, this show, website, videos, and our events have added another layer of WDW to all of our lives. As we continue to add to our individual and group stories about trips to WDW, we hope you continue to join us each month. RetroMagic Fifty We have set our date for the next big Lake Buena Vista Historical Society event: RetroMagic 50. We will all be back at Walt Disney World in 2022 for this weekend-long event which takes place April 23-24. Please click the following link to sign up for ticket sale information and notifications. We hope to see you all real soon!

Retro Disney World Podcast

Ep 71 - 50 Years

Corrections & Comments We start off this episode with some corrections and comments from the last couple of months. Jim is our first correction, which was very similar to some others we received. We were all corrected on our Tom Cruise & Nicole Kidman relationship history, which we wrongly stated they met during Far and Away filming. It was actually on the set of Days of Thunder - thanks for helping us out with that one. How gives us some insight into the 2003 Adventurer's Club from an anonymous source. This person saw the backside of the genie head bureau, cast wardrobe, and offers up some backstage secrets regarding The Adventurer's Club. If you didn't catch last month, be sure to listen to our podcast focusing mostly on this club. Listener Mail The mailbag is full and ready to sift through. Be sure to reach out with questions, stories, memories, and more. You never know if your letter will be read on a future episode: podcast@retrowdw.com Jeremy scanned some photos from 1986 and shared them with us. He has tons of good stuff you have to check out. CLICK HERE to see his photo collection - Thanks Jeremy! Andy is up next with a small Disney connection story. Douglas Cuddle Toys made the small plus toys we spoke about during our Crescent Lake Episode. Andy happened to be in the neighborhood and stopped by. He shared a photo with us and we really appreciate that. Thanks Andy, great find! Tom from Detroit wrote us about the Adventurer's Club, discussing the falling bar stool gag. He experienced this joke at The Safe House bar, which sounds like a blast. Check it out Next up, we heard from Mitch. He discusses the Jekyll & Hyde Bar in NYC. We discussed this in the episode and How gives some more comparisons. John Kuzner wrote us about Antique's Roadshow and how they had a display with 'dolphins'. These are super similar to the Dolphin Resort dolphins we have all seen, so take a look and see what you think. Photo1  Photo2 Darryl wrote in regarding some great footage from 1974. We would LOVE to restore this footage, so fingers crossed you still have the film... Let us know! podcast@retrowdw.com Finally, Robert C wrote in about actually roller skating at XZFR. We want to hear more Robert, so let us know of any stories, memories, or things that happened at XZFR. Robert also hit on the much-loved opinion about the Adventurer's Club we discussed last episode. Giveaway - 'Decade' Todd picked our random winner of 'The Disney Decade' - Jennifer is our winner! Congratulations and we hope you enjoy the book. Main Topic This month, we take you back to the early days of the Disney-MGM Studios. When the park first opened, it was mostly show and attraction-based with less emphasis on rides. You may have noticed before we got to the main topic here, but this episode sounds a little bit different. We are recording in and this adds an amazingly fun layer to this episode, which is all about sound. Todd starts us off with our old friends at Birnbaum, most importantly 1989. This attraction was not very well known at the start as most people really didn't know what was going on in this show building. How as at Disney-MGM Studios on opening day, which we discussed in Episode 10. In the early days of the Disney MGM-Studios, movies and technology were used in much different ways compared to how they are now. Even our podcast process is so much more advanced than most everything at the studios back in the day. Sound design, engineering, and effects all had their own 'movie magic' way about them. Even to this day, the sound design makes or breaks a movie. If done properly, it makes for an outstanding movie experience and also have created some timeless sound effects over the years. The Monster Sound Show was an attraction that allowed park guests to experience this process in a fun way that put them right in the action of movie-making. Such a perfect attraction for those early days at the studios. As a group, we discuss the involvement of David Letterman, which was somewhat an odd fit for the time period. At the same time though, we go over all the aspects he was used for in this attraction, including a Top Ten List. Todd leads us through this attraction which includes many sound gags for you, the listener. If you have never experienced this attraction in person, this episode will help you paint a great picture in your mind. What is amazing about the Monster Sound Show is that it starts Chevy Chase and Martin Short. Two SNL alums and also two actors who are in so many classic comedy films of the 80s and 90s. The timing of them being in this attraction is perfect. As we get through this attraction, don't forget to visit Soundworks post-show. The documentation of this area is very limited, so if you have any photos of video of this post-show area, let us know. This area is also where we learn about the styrofoam head that How brought into the parks in an attempt to capture the audio of some of these small post-show audio gags. Overall though, if sound and movies are your thing, you would have really enjoyed this attraction and area overall. The movie-making business back in the 80s was featured in so many unique ways throughout this theme park. We hope you got a sense of this attraction through clever audio and everything in stereo.

70 - Monster Sound Show

Welcome to Episode 69 of the RetroWDW Podcast: Pleasure Island Part II – We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. We hope you stick with us through 2021 as we bring you some great content that will take you back to WDW each month.  Enjoy! Listener Mail Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at podcast@retrowdw.com. Also, top-tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode. Joie is up first this month – sharing a photo collection of every page from ‘The Magic of Disneyland & Walt Disney World’ from 1979. Click Here to see all this hard work – thank you!! Joie also shared packaging from Todd’s infamous “Squeaky Mickey”. This is HUGE! From 1978, this mickey toots his own horn, blows bubbles, and party favors. Take a look at this! Big thanks to Joie for the fun mail items this month. We spoke about Squeaky Mickey on Episode 7 and Episode 8. Our next message is from Michael Landis. He decided to reach out and ask about SMTV: Space Mountain TV. Here is a video for reference. We get into what the point of this was, including Crazy Larry! This is a great flashback to the 90s and New Tomorrowland. One item from that refurb that is possibly lost in your memories. Michael notes that it was very similar to a cross between MTV and Nickelodeon of the time.  The preshow videos were tied to the Fedex Sponsorship with took effect in 1993, more research on who created the video loop is needed. The video loop continued to run, minus the Fedex ads after 2003 when the Fedex sponsorship ended, until around 2009 when the queue was remodeled. Lindsay writes in to share about another Tom Cruise experience. She was working in the College Program in 2012 and was assigned to Cinderella’s Royal Table, on the date she was supposed to be taking a cast tour of the Dream Suite, Tom Cruise and his daughter ended up booking the room and her tour was canceled.  She goes on to say that Tom ordered some food from the kitchen and other staff members from the restaurant took it up to the suite. People magazine covered the stay Cody then asks about the Epcot confusion of the East/West sections of Future World. Since Epcot was built on a north/south orientation with the entrance at the northern end of the park, it was decided to use the compass points for east and west for the two sides of CommuniCore and the Pavilions. Cody then asked about expansion of the monorail system asking if it was mostly the cost, the cost of creating new monorail lines was the main issue along with the flexibility of busses being another important factor. Cody’s last question was about when the ability to ride in the front of the monorails went away, which was stopped after the fatal monorail crash the evening of July 5th 2009 near the Magic Kingdom. Our last letter comes from Tobias a new listener to the podcast who might have had another celebrity encounter. He tells the story of a park closing in 1983 being brought into the Magic Shop at the Magic Kingdom where he was asked to see and assist several magic tricks being presented by someone who was dressed like Michael Jackson but called himself Michael Jason.  If anyone knows of any of the magicians who might match this memory please let us know. Main Topic Welcome back to Pleasure Island! This is part three of our trilogy, which could possibly have a part four in the near future. We have been all over for our first two episodes, Part I & Part II. For this episode though, we are going to dig into two of the more famous Pleasure Island venues, The Comedy Warehouse & The Adventurer’s Club. The Comedy Warehouse We begin with The Comedy Warehouse, which is actually the current location of STK. How leads us once again, starting off with typefaces, logos, and Brian also gets things going with a short history of comedy in the 70s & 80s. This is a super interesting look at the warehouse which discusses the concept art and also the club atmosphere, which is pretty much lost to history. One super interesting part of How’s take on this club is the use of props and Disney items. I absolutely love how they tied all of this into the Comedy Warehouse. Finally, How drops the bomb on us that the show was totally scripted and wasn’t standard, open mic comedy. The show actually made fun of Walt Disney World. We have a video on our YouTube Channel, and you can check that out right here. The outside of the building was themed to a warehouse with corrugated metal siding and sporting various editions of the signage until one with chattering teeth and mixed letting on the Warehouse section were used from that point on. Brian leads a brief discussion of the expansion of comedy clubs in the late 70’s into the 80’s.  Before this period comedians were relegated to opening acts, but suddenly various clubs were being opened in major cities nationwide. The expansion of cable channels started to push major comedy specials which lead to more comedy clubs opening. The entrance to the club was near the West End Stage with the queue running outside the club.  A temporary popup bar originally served those waiting, later a bar named Laughers was built to handle drinks for people waiting in the queue outside which was outside. Inside the theater there were three sections, floor, mid and balcony areas which could hold up to 290 guests, each seating row had stools to sit on and a pathway behind where the waiters could come and provide food and drinks. The concept art showed a couple of different possible stage setups, the warehouse ended up having a large number of rare and unique Disney props all over the walls.  Although most comedy clubs of the time would just have several stand-up comedians perform each night with a couple of clubs devoted to Improv, the Comedy Warehouse opened with a stage show called Forbidden Disney which was set up to make fun of all aspects of a Disney Vacation.   The show was written and directed by Tom Sherohman who also worked on some of the Adventures Club and Wonders of Life skits. The show was over 60 minutes in length and presented as a show inside a show, the performers were stuck in line elsewhere, but the staff needed to start the show.  The show featured three main vacationers, a Father who wanted to do everything, a Mother who wanted to take it easier and a Daughter who didn’t want to be there at all. The first version of the show lasted about a year, between management’s hesitation at running the show and the lack of interest from repeat Pleasure Island visitors.   Various segments of the show were still included after the change to an improv show. Chris Oyen, who moved to the Orlando area in 1990, was responsible for the direction for the new Improv style shows The Improv format continued to draw crowds until the closing of the Pleasure Island clubs in 2008.  In later years the warehouse would just sometimes have show normal stand up shows instead of improv.  One of the regular most memorable improv show techniques was to use a phone that would ring one of the phones at the end of the rows of the audience and build a song based on the feedback from the call.  Most of the other skits would take the random suggestions from the audience to build their comedy routines The comedy warehouse cast has reunited a number of times since the club closed, including some holiday shows at the Hollywood studios.  After a brief discussion of which hosts had visited the club during it’s years of operation before we head across the west end to the Adventures Club. The Adventurers Club An all-time fan favorite that led to Mr. Toad level protest and outrage when it closed. It was patterned off the NYC Explorer’s Club from the early 1900s. This dinner theater/dinner show/theme bar/everything else you want to refer it to was something different when compared to all the other clubs. Improvised characters, animatronics, multiple rooms, and multiple floors all went together to make this a super fun experience. As a group, we all get into our own personal experiences with The Adventurer’s Club. Each of us went in different eras and also have different opinions on the club. Todd has an especially fun story that connected his family to the club and it sounds like it was a great time. We have a few different videos on our YouTube channel, which you can check out here and here. While the Adventurer’s Club has left us, the memories are everlasting for many, many fans. As stated earlier in the Podcast, there seems to be the need for a fourth part of the Pleasure Island saga. This could very well end up as a box set on your bookshelf in the future! As always, when How gets into things the details are immense and the stories are plentiful. Thank you for listening and we hope you enjoyed this almost finished journey through Pleasure Island. The entrance to the Adventures Club started as a very plain building before remodeling in the early 90s.  The club was modeled after New York’s Explorers Club which was founded in the early 1900’s as well as other adventure style clubs of that era. The backstory for the club was that it was New Years Eve 1937 and the club was holding an Open House for all of those interested. Guests would enter on the second floor and pick up a schedule for the events of the evening.  The events would be split between the mask room, treasure room, the salon and the Library which was the largest room in the club. The Mezzanine level had numerous artifacts and black and white photos as well as some seating areas, there was a small bar on this level with an elevator and staircase that lead down to the main floor. The Main Salon was the central area of the club with the primary bar located here.  The bar had a number of themed alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks as well as some special bar stools that could be slowly lowered by the bartenders.  On one of the walls of the Main Salon was the Yakoose an animatronic mounted head that would come to life during the night and talk with the guests or Babylonia who was a large stone face puppet on the opposite wall.  The final character in the main salon was Colonel Critchlow Sunchbench who would interact with the other Adventure’s Club cast as well as lead the new inductees in the club song. There were two small rooms off of the Main Salon, the Mask Room and the Treasure Room.  Inside the Mask Room, two large masks at the front of the room, Arnie and Claude talked, while other masks in the room moved their eyes, moved and laughed.  In the Treasure Room who would find the genie Beezle who’s head would appear and float around in one of the cabinets. The largest room on the first floor was the Library a two-level space where the grand piano has crashed down from the second floor killing the pianist who haunts the piano as Fingers Zambezi.  The shows in the Library were usually held around every 40 minutes or so and included shows such as: Welcome Party Radio Broadcast The Balderdash Cup Competition The RadioThon The Hoopla – which was the final show of the evening There was a regular cast of characters at the Club, the actors could and would change characters throughout the night, the usual characters included:             Pamelia Perkins – Club President.             Otis T. Wren – Club Treasurer and ichthyologist             Hathaway Browne – Aviator, and the club’s resident innuendo-making ladies’ man.             Fletcher Hodges – Absent-minded Club Curator, he is said to have “mounted every object in the club.”             Graves – Club Butler.             The Maid             Marcel – A man in an ape suit   The Adventures Club offered Club Memberships for a reasonable fee per year bringing in more and more locals who would return weekly or more often to partake in the club’s activities. One of the downsides of the Club was some of the confusion, which may have been planned, that new people would feel walking into the Club, seeing the schedule and having no idea what any of it meant.  When the main show was going on in the Library the club was rather dead, a explanation video or something else to help first-timers might have been helpful. A discussion was held about the locals who held a great fandom of the adventures club in comparison to other group event fandoms such as the Rocky Horror Picture show. The Jekyll And Hyde Club in New York City has a similar intent to the concept of the Adventures Club with different rooms and different events happening during the dining experience.  The closest experience still left at Walt Disney World would be the Jungle Navigation Co. LTD Skipper Canteen which has different themed rooms with various artifacts and jokes found throughout the building. The Adventures Club, along with the rest of Pleasure Island, closed on Sept 27th 2008,  the cast reunited for one last performance and “membership renewal” during the 2014 D23 Destination D event at the Contemporary Resort

69 - Pleasure Island Part III

Join Todd and Brian for a special announcement from the Lake Buena Vista Historical Society!

Special Announcement from Lake Buena Vista Historical Society

Welcome to Episode 68 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Magic Journeys - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. We hope you stick with us through 2021 as we bring you some great content that will take you back to WDW each month.  Enjoy! Listener Mail Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at podcast@retrowdw.com. Also, top-tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode. Our first letter is from Andy all about the Mannequins - he goes through this photo, explaining what each piece of hardware does. This is super helpful and also neat to look back; the system also included the classic 3.5" Floppy Disk! Going back to September, Jason sent us a tweet about his trip to WDW. So many good shots of the topics we have discussed over the years. Thanks, Jason! John touched base with us about the Mardi Gras parade items and props sitting in Port Orleans: French Quarter. Brian gives us the full story on this one and the connection is amazing. We also heard from Jacques, giving even more insight into this whole thing. Mr. Mardi Gras comes up and we love this back story. Thanks, everyone! We heard from Colleen on Instagram and she shared with us a super neat cup from Pleasure Island. These aren't very common to see anymore but we absolutely loved that you shared this with us! Dane wrote us about 'The Guide to Tomorrowland' - This was from way back in Episode 26: Tiny Bubbles. We included this item in our giveaway for the year - click here to read it! We got a letter from Carla regarding the Retro Food episode we recently did. She had quite a few corrections and insight into some restaurants in WDW. Phil wrote in about a friend who does high-profile celebrity security. Apparently, Tom Cruise used the services during a visit to WDW. This trip had many great stories and experiences, which Phil shared with us. Thank you so much Phil; this was great! Giveaway We have a copy of 'Walt Disney World: The First Decade' to send to one lucky winner. Send us an email with the subject line Decade to contest@retrowdw.com - we will pick a random winner from the entries to get this hardcover book from the 80s. Good Luck! Main Topic This month, we take you back to EPCOT Center and as far back as opening day. Magic Journeys: This is one of those short-lived attractions that most have not seen, but if you did, you get it. This was extremely high tech, advanced and the effort level that went into this is absolutely insane. Todd takes the lead, giving us a bit of history and why this whole thing came about. We hear from Murray Lerner, including original audio and interviews looking back at the creation of this film. Overall though, this film was intended to see the world through the eyes of a child. Of course, we get the technical reasons as to why 3D works and what is actually happening with your eyes. The 'how' of this film is something you really won't believe. Two whole years in the making with computer graphics, 75mm film, multiple frames on top of one another - the making of this film is a treasure trove of facts and figures. We also include clips from our interview with Mark Eades. He played a major role in creating this film, helping with the setup, and also was integral in making sure it worked. We also discuss the film made with the Dreamfinder, Ron Schneider. He goes into how they had to create a preview film all about Magic Journeys, just to have something in the theater for opening day. RetroMagic Fifty We have set our date for the next big Lake Buena Vista Historical Society event: RetroMagic 50. We will all be back at Walt Disney World in 2022 for this weekend-long event which takes place April 23-24. Please click the following link to sign up for ticket sale information and notifications. We hope to see you all real soon! 2021: Year Two of The Film To make sure you are the first to know when items are released, subscribe to us on YouTube. Be sure to click the notification bell too, that way you are alerted when we post.  Finally, be sure to check out Vimeo if that is your thing, as we will post there as well.

68 - Magic Journeys

67 - Pleasure Island Part 2

Join us for a continuation of Episode 33 where we dive deeper into the Retro Food and Restaurants of WDW! You're not going to want to miss our meandering tour of Lake Buena Vista and our deep dive into the WDW restaurant book from 1981! Grab a snack, we know you'll be hungry for more!

66 - Retro Restaurants & Food - Part II

Welcome to Episode 65 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Pleasure Island - Part 1" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. We hope you stick with us through 2021 as we bring you some great content that will bring you back to WDW each month.  Enjoy! Listener Mail Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at podcast@retrowdw.com. Also, top-tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode. Dan, The Person of the Century, wrote in about the Swan & Dolphin. He shared an amazing photo with us that you have to see! Jennifer is up next. She picked our collective brains all about the 'walkways around the world'. This has been newly updated, but we get into the history of this whole thing.  Jake wrote us with a random family picture, trying to locate where they were standing at WDW. We love doing this and seeing if we can figure out where you are. Send them our way! Our friend Randy wrote in about being a performer at WDW. He actually worked the old breakfast show at Fort Wilderness. Randy informs us all about Melvin The Moose. Check out Episode 3 from way back in the archives. The next email on the list is from Ed who informed us about a Christmas present he received from the Swan/Dolphin group. Take a look! Erik wrote us regarding the specific scent of the Yacht Club. Like most WDW Resorts, there is a unique smell. Erik says he pinpointed this to Axe Body Spray! Judge for yourself. Angela wrote us on Instagram about a Figment inflatable. This opened a huge can of worms which we discuss. Here is a link we found related to the discussion. Todd wants to share a bit from Kevin regarding the FAA, the Dolphin/Swan and some info regarding the height of these buildings. Finally, Brian wants to bring up our friend BJ Major and all of the recent notes sent our way. Thank you for bringing us back and keeping our back catalog running! Giveaway Results Foxx Nolte sent us a copy of her book, Boundless Realm: Deep Exploration Inside Disney's Haunted Mansion Our contest winner Isabelle Carlton! How will be sending this your way - congratulations! Main Topic This month, we are taking you back to the mid-late 80s. Pleasure Island has quite the history and How will get us started in 1967... Surprised? Then you must be new here. How is planning to take his time and get you into the why of how this all came to be. We have to add, that this episode took an extra week of planning, so apologies for the delay. Throughout this episode, we dive into the early years of Pleasure Island. If you have ever gone, even towards the end, this episode will really give you a good picture as to how this place looked when first opened. The differences, hours, pricing, and so much more will probably surprise you. Some of the offerings that were there opening day very quickly changed, while others ended up sticking around for the duration. The aspect of theme restaurants is discussed, as are the different clubs and how they changed. We even get into a bit of a discussion trying to place ourselves at the various buildings that exist currently, relating to what was once there on the island in 1989. This was a unique time for Walt Disney World as many new offerings were coming online, Pleasure Island being one of them. So stick with us on this one as we take you back to the early years. Don't forget to read all the plaques too....

65 - Pleasure Island Part 1

Welcome to Episode 64 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Crescent Lake" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. We hope you stick with us through 2021 as we bring you some great content that will bring you back to WDW each month.  Enjoy! Listener Mail Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at podcast@retrowdw.com. Also, top tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode. Dane wrote in about a 1976-1977 channel guide at the Contemporary, which we discussed during our Project 90 episode. Kevin is next up and he found an amazing brochure from the 15 Years of Magic promotion! Kurt sent us a great little piece from the Polynesian that has all of the character autographs.  Thanks for sharing this Kurt, amazing piece of history from 1985! Our next letter is from Nate and he discusses the Houston airport Wedway Peoplemover. Such a fun take on this historical piece that is connected to Disney. Huge thanks to everybody that called in during our New Year's Eve call-in event. That was so much fun to hear from you all! Finally - Jared.  This is an amazingly detailed and long cast member take from working at Alien Encounter. This is amazing and you have to take in all of the unique details Jared sent our way. Giveaway Time Foxx Nolte sent us a copy of her book, Boundless Realm: Deep Exploration Inside Disney's Haunted MansionIf you would like to win a copy of this book, send us your name - contest@retrowdw.com - use the subject line "Spooky"....Best of luck and thanks for the amazing book Foxx! All entries due 2/8/2021. Main Topic We take you to Crescent Lake this month and we couldn't be more excited. This area is an entire vacation in itself, housing multiple resorts, restaurants, boating and so much more. If you are a regular to this area or your home resort is over here, this episode will be right up your alley. Most of us have stayed in at least one of these resorts with varying opinions. Throughout this episode, we will get into the history, mindset and much more throughout the era these places were constructed.  Everybody has a part in this episode with Brian starting us off regarding hotel occupancy and why this area was even needed. Throughout the episode, we touch on design and architecture. This was key in the development of the Swan & Dolphin, which created many urban legends, myths and pre-internet 'fan chatter'. We have searched all over for a variety of sources to debunk or prove these rumors, so you won't want to skip these parts as we discuss. Yesterland provided us with some of these details this month, along with lots of digging into newspaper articles from back in this era. The Dolphin has a super unique design, with an almost unusable peak. Learn the secrets of this area and at the same time, take a look at the presidential suite up top!In the past, we have touched on Yacht & Beach Club through various letters and discussions. Going to the Wayback Machine, we found this great site that isn't too vintage, but the pictures scream 1991 by their coloring and also just the old decor of the Yacht/Beach. This site is definitely worth a look, as it is the original from the architect, Robert A.M. Stern. We also discuss how Michael Eisner and how he had his hand in much of this, mostly the Yacht & Beach. Almost two years ago, David Carver reached out to confirm the freshwater fish in Stormalong Bay - he happened to be staying there when they were having issues.  Read the full text right here - thank you David! Any trip to Crescent Lake isn't complete without a visit to the Boardwalk Inn. Our original Boardwalk vacationers give us their take on this resort and we all had one gripe regarding the layout. During this time, we talk about some of the various venues at the Boardwalk, like The Attic and what that is all about. We also get into an amazing discussion with a former tram driver who made his rounds before the Boardwalk arrived. One fun fact of these trams: they used to be the ones that drove guests around Fort Wilderness, which is super cool to hear!  Take a look at this video, which shows the route around the area. This episode is full - covering about five resorts, transportation, attractions and so much more. We hope you enjoy and let us know if you have any fun stories from Crescent Lake. 2021: Year Two of The Film To make sure you are the first to know when items are released, subscribe to us on YouTube. Be sure to click the notification bell too, that way you are alerted when we post.  Finally, be sure to check out Vimeo if that is your thing, as we will post there as well. Next Month Join us next time for Episode 65, where we take you back on another fun episode about WDW history! We have another movie night coming soon too...  Subscribe on YouTube so you are ready.  

64 - Crescent Lake

Welcome to Episode 63 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Project 90" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. This month, Ted Linhart joins us as one of our top tier donors - this episode is guided by Ted and his amazing set of documents. Last month we hit Thunder in Paradise pretty hard with multiple episodes. Listener Mail Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at podcast@retrowdw.com. Also, top tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode. Scott Jensen is first with some great pics of Hogan's Beach Shop, which is actually in Clearwater and the Orlando area. Thanks Scott! Stephen Myers also wrote in about Thunder in Paradise, saying him and Terry have discussed his time at WDW often. Thanks Stephen! Norris is up next - he wrote in about a vehicle on WDW property that has a mickey head tread pattern. JT is digging into this a bit and found they are made by Trelleborg. We are hoping for more info soon... Tracy wanted to know if we had any Space Mountain under construction photos, as her father worked on the ride.  We found a few, so just do a quick search on our site for "Space Mountain Construction" - this should be a fun rabbit hole to go down. Mark wrote in complimenting the big three-part Horizons Podcast series. He has a great story about Walt Disney Elementary School, which is near him. Dane wrote us about a vintage map from the late 70s and it is so cool! Thank you so much Dane! Audio Rewind Our audio rewind this month is called Beautiful Beulah, it is from Summer Magic starring Hayley Mills & Burl Ives - Thank you for all the guesses and emails! We have a winner! Congratulations Carolina Nedal - you will get some RetroWDW & LBVHS Pins! If you think you know the answer to this month's audio rewind, email us! contest@retrowdw.com - All entries are due 1/11/2020 and a random winner will be selected. Main Topic This month we get into Project 90. Ted Linhart is with us and ready to go with this amazingly important and topical document put together by RCA. We start you off with the history of RCA, how they connected with Disney and what the point of this document is. You have to imagine that back in the late 60s & early 70s, Disney was embarking on an entirely new concept of vacationing with Walt Disney World. Now before you get to into this, you might want to look at the document, and we will make it very easy for you to look at on Ted's site.Click Here For The Project 90 DocThe plan, as you can see above, is incredibly in-depth and really is taking the hospitality industry to another level. Nearly every aspect of the RCA corporation is put into use with WDW, and it is all fully outlined in this doc and this episode. The communication systems, security, charging and so much - all linked up and it sounds so seriously 2013 with the invention of the Magic Band. We go through most of this and discuss, so you might want to have the doc pulled up to flip through the pages as we talk.  If you imagine the era, what vacationing was like in the 60s/70s, and then also picture the commitment this would require by Disney, it is all super ambitious and neat for the era.We would like to thank Ted for joining us once again - he always brings something unique and fun to the show and what is great about his mission, you can all join him. Take a look at his site, Disney Docs, where everything is organized and cataloged for your enjoyment.  We hope you enjoyed this month's episode and also wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

63 - Project 90

Main Topic In the last episode, we took you back to the early 1990s and discussed the filming and history of Thunder in Paradise! Now we've got an exclusive interview with Parker Rabe who's father was the brains behind the custom modified Wellcraft Scarab boat was the pilot for the series as well!. Parker recalls filming locations, boat details, and even his interaction with the cast on set! Don't mess with Thunder! 2020: The Year of Film To make sure you are the first to know when items are released, subscribe to us on YouTube. Be sure to click the notification bell too, that way you are alerted when we post.  Finally, be sure to check out Vimeo if that is your thing, as we will post there as well. Next Month Join us next time for Episode 63, where we take you back on another fun episode about WDW history! We have another movie night coming soon too...  Subscribe on YouTube so you are ready.  

62.5 - Below Thunder's Deck with Parker Rabe

Welcome to Episode 62 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Thunder in Paradise" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows from over the years. We have visited multiple parks, resorts, and just about everything else in between. Listener Mail Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at podcast@retrowdw.com. Also, top tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode. Shane is first with a comment about Alien Encounter. He was curious if Tyra Banks was the only host for the pre-show at Alien Encounter. Miranda sent us some new ephemera which is a 'Vacation Kingdom' brochure from 1984. Take a look at these! Our next write-in was Daniel, who discusses the talking elevator at The Contemporary Resort. He sent us a photo of the elevator and Daniel also has one at his office building. Jared wrote us a touching story about his father and attending RetroMagic. We love hearing those stories and Jared has some great memories to remember. We heard from Gary regarding Tomorrowland and an area just past DreamFlight. We have the picture here and think you should take a look. Joe Barlow, our turnstile inspector, wrote in about the radio loops asking where they transmitted from. The group explains all of this and how everything worked years ago. BONUS: We had a tweet about the AAA Comfort Lounge! Interesting area we don't know much about.. Audio Rewind Our audio rewind this month is from Voyage of the Little Mermaid at Hollywood Studios - Thank you for all the guesses and emails! We have a winner! Congratulations Jason! If you think you know the answer to this month's audio rewind, email us! contest@retrowdw.com - This month, the winner will be getting an LBVHS & RetroWDW Pin, including bonus swag. All entries are due 11/17/2020 and a random winner will be selected. Main Topic This month...what can we say. Hulk Hogan is in the building. Well not yet, but hopefully soon. Instead, we are taking you to Paradise - Thunder in Paradise! Our crew takes a deep dive into this show that was almost entirely filmed on the property at Walt Disney World. The idea behind this show was a takeoff on Baywatch and various other 90s action stylized tv shows. We love watching these episodes though and trying to analyze where they filmed the show. We get into the reason behind the show, production, storylines and so much more. Each member of the group has seen this show at various stages and years, so we all have a little bit to add. As we progress into this main topic, we get into the various episodes and discuss locations.  Some are absurd and others are cleverly done. The production team really had free rein to go wherever they needed including the Magic Kingdom, all over the Seven Seas Lagoon, The Grand Floridian and so much more. The one thing we are all curious about though, who was vacationing at WDW during the filming? We would love to see some behind the scenes footage of Thunder driving around the Rivers of America... Enjoy this super random but super topical episode all about one of the more major film/tv productions that occurred at Walt Disney World. 2020: The Year of Film To make sure you are the first to know when items are released, subscribe to us on YouTube. Be sure to click the notification bell too, that way you are alerted when we post.  Finally, be sure to check out Vimeo if that is your thing, as we will post there as well. Next Month Join us next time for Episode 63, where we take you back on another fun episode about WDW history 

62 - Thunder in Paradise

Main Topic Welcome back to another mini-episode, filled with Radio Loops. We had a number of these sent in from fans, listeners and others who were thinking there might be a podcast someday that wants to share these. To start, we go way back to 1995 and this loop has an amazingly catchy theme song at the beginning of the broadcast. Quality is AM and if you are playing this in your car, this will give you all the feels of a car from the past. This loop includes ticket tips, cleaning up with Jiminy Cricket, AAA tips, and even current room rates. With this being a mini-episode, we run about 25 minutes and wrap up with the 'exit loop', which gives directions, thanks you for coming and so much more. The range seems to be an issue, as this one is not super clear and seems to almost cut out - but it's super cool to hear this once again.  We hope you enjoy this mini-episode of radio loops and can't wait for you to listen to our next full episode that will be coming soon.  2020: The Year of Film To make sure you are the first to know when items are released, subscribe to us on YouTube. Be sure to click the notification bell too, that way you are alerted when we post.  Finally, be sure to check out Vimeo if that is your thing, as we will post there as well.   Next Month Join us next time for Episode 62 where we take you back on another fun episode about WDW history! We have another movie night coming soon too...  Subscribe on YouTube so you are ready.  

61.5 - Radio Loops - Part 2

Comments & Corrections We start this month with some sports, weather and candy updates. The Disney World stuff will come eventually, we promise. Big update on the old school turnstiles around the parks. Carla Carle gave us the full report with pictures – thank you!! The Kugel Ball is huge – literally! We’ve been getting updates on local Kugel Balls, pictures are being sent and we love seeing this. How gives us some more information on the Tomorrowland palm trees. We discuss some of the manufacturing, history, and theories on these things. The story goes on…. Listener Mail Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at podcast@retrowdw.com. Also, top tier donors can even join us on a show! Take a look at how you can join us live on an episode. Downey wrote in asking about the talking elevator at The Contemporary Resort. We discuss this being a real thing and also the 80s/90s talking craze. Keith touched base this month regarding Birnbaum’s, which we cite often. Keith actually worked on the books – thanks so much for writing Keith. We heard from Andie regarding injuries on Alien Encounter. Her mother had some issues on this ‘ride’ and we’re curious who else has been injured on Alien Encounter? Bill wrote in about being in the College Program and how he collected Alien Encounter flyers, which helped promote the ride. These are so amazing and we’re so glad you saved these and scanned them for us. Our final note is from Neuro, he gives us some fun acronyms for EPCOT. Good stuff Neuro! Audio Rewind Our audio rewind this month is from the Space Mountain exit queue – Thank you for all the guesses and emails! We have a winner! Congratulations Chuck Jordan! If you think you know the answer to this month’s audio rewind, email us! contest@retrowdw.com – This month, the winner will be getting a 2016 WDW Poster Art Calendar. All entries are due 10/12/2020 and a random winner will be selected. Main Topic We are staying in Tomorrowland this month, but zeroing in on a specific attraction that is no longer with us: Alien Encounter, or the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter if you are using its full legal name. This one came online back when Tomorrowland had the major overhaul in 1995 and is a fan favorite. X-S Tech is hosting a demonstration at the Tomorrowland Interplanetary Convention Center and everyone is invited, including you! How leads us this month with lots of history, first-hand experiences, and also the two versions. With this being Part 1, we focus on the versions and what everything looked and felt like. One of the first things everybody notices are those porthole type windows; they had a tint to them that really didn’t allow you to see in, which created some questions right from the get-go outside. We learn about why there is a manhole cover lifted and also why the massive yellow tower is on top of the building. The story elements were plentiful and most of them went unnoticed. This attraction was designed to draw in those teenagers and pull them back from Universal. It was high energy and extreme – which is what the Magic Kingdom needed for that particular crowd. Now this attraction had two versions – we include them both in this episode comparing the similarities and differences. The first show is missing a bit to connect some dots and the second gets darker and creepier. How explains how the pre-show undergoes a major change across the versions as well. If you never had the chance to go on Alien Encounter, this episode will paint a pretty good picture with lots of audio clips and on-ride sounds. We also get into answering lots of why questions as a group, as we all took a spin on this one over the years with varied success and enjoyment. We hope you have a good time with us back in Tomorrowland of the 90s!

61 - Alien Encounter - Part 1

Welcome to Episode 60 of the RetroWDW Podcast: "Tomorrowland '94" - We appreciate your support and hope you have been enjoying each and every episode. Be sure to check out some of our previous shows!  While you are listening, please browse through our entire album of ephemera. We have tons in there and if you click this link, be ready for an adventure that could take up an entire evening. Also, let us know if you have any images you would like to add to this collection, as we are working to make it very comprehensive.  Comments & Corrections Last month we had the great food and menu episode and the response was great. Thanks for all the feedback and items shared relating to food stories, menus, and anything else. It sure was fun to sift through and see how much everybody enjoyed it! Huge thank you for all the ephemera that was sent in. We got tons of great items and this will all be added to the site soon. Your time and effort is appreciated! Our good friend @bioreconstruct let us know about an add-on for a 43" monitor he found on Amazon that has the old school infrared beams. He also found it being used in Imageworks inside Epcot. A friend of the show, Joe called in to discuss Disney Dollars - this is a great story! Thanks Joe! Turnstiles came up during the last episode and where they are still located. Joe Barlow wrote in with instructions on how to lock them and he also issues an apology.  Listener Mail Right to the mailbag this month! The bag is full and we love that! Every month, you can possibly get on the show, so be sure to write to us at podcast@retrowdw.com. Carla wrote in regarding the turnstiles and where they are still located - thanks Carla! Miranda, AJ, and Joe - You three are featured in the listener mail section with some solid ephemera. We discuss this during the show and they are super cool so I had to put them up high for everybody to see. Thank you and enjoy! Eric wrote in the same day as the show and his librarian and archival skills are insane! We are all super jealous and need you to come to organize ours! Take a look.. We had a favor to ask for this episode regarding Birnbaum's - Joe Siler was among many others that reached out to us with some solid scans.  Thanks Joe, we appreciate your help!   Listener Ephemera Gallery [ngg src="tags" ids="ep60ephemera" display="pro_sidescroll"]   [listenerfeedback] Audio Rewind Our audio rewind this month is from Muppet Vision 3D - Thank you for all the guesses and emails! How gives us a little bonus, telling you all about the extended queue at muppet Vision. We have a winner! Congratulations Natalie B!  - you will be getting a bunch of great Ephemera! - hope you enjoy! If you think you know the answer to this month's audio rewind, email us! contest@retrowdw.com - This month, the winner will be getting a party package! All entries are due 9/7/2020 and a random winner will be selected. Main Topic For this month, we are discussing a major overhaul of a land at the Magic Kingdom. Many of the lands have slowly evolved and changed, but Tomorrowland had a major change with nearly everything being touched in 1994. Brian & How start us off at Disneyland in 1983 with the expansion of Fantasyland - bringing comparisons to our main topic. All of these major refurbs work towards making the park appealing to a new audience - which is why the funds were sent to the Magic Kingdom and Tomorrowland. We are basing this episode off a major press release which we just acquired.  As we work through our initial discussions about Tomorrowland, our FIRST podcast episode is brought up, and I guess way back when we discuss early Tomorrowland - if you are brave and want to hear our early stuff, here you go: Episode One-Planning for Tomorrow. 1994-95 Disney Press Release - New Tomorrowland Featuring... Alien Encounter So we basically learn that in the late 80s and early 90s, Disney learns that you can't build a land that needs to be updated every other year, especially when you call it Tomorrowland. EPCOT ran into this problem a bit and the original Tomorrowland just had so much trouble keeping up with technology. This overview episode of the entire land covers nearly everything from design and lighting to ride updates and add-ons. The signage is discussed, as this was one highlight for some of the guests. We also get into sponsorship changes and how this land impacted each of us, as I'm sure you will pick a side on if you really liked this update or not. At one point in this episode, we discuss The Timekeeper, which we did an entire episode on - click here. The new arcade that was installed right next to Space Mountain was massive. It has many games, prizes, and just a fun, Tomorrowland arcade feel. We hit a bit on the Penny Arcade, which we discuss in Episode 47 of the podcast - check it out. We spend considerable time discussing the infamous Kugel Ball, or germ ball as Todd calls it. These are more common than you think and this one has gone through some changes. It seems like there wasn't a ride or attraction that was left alone and this includes The Carousel of Progress. We go through some of the changes that made this what it is today. Throughout the episode, we have some great sound drops and audio clips. That 90s Tomorrowland background loop makes this one fun to listen to overall. We hope you have fun going back to the mid-90s and we want to know - what is your favorite memory of this 'new' land at Magic Kingdom? Send us a message and tell us!  Enjoy! 2020: The Year of Film To make sure you are the first to know when items are released, subscribe to us on YouTube. Be sure to click the notification bell too, that way you are alerted when we post.  Finally, be sure to check out Vimeo if that is your thing, as we will post there as well.   Next Month Join us next time for Episode 61, we are staying in Tomorrowland but taking you into Alien Encounter. It will be ExtraTERRORestrial! We have another movie night coming soon too...  Subscribe on YouTube so you are ready.  

Ep 60 - Tomorrowland 94-95

A monthly trip back in time to Walt Disney World - From pre-opening to 25 years ago; your four retro hosts discuss now closed, but not forgotten attractions, designs, architecture and more! Come experience the Vacation Kingdom of the World...the way it was...and the way it is in your memories!

hubhopper

Retro Disney World Podcast

hubhopper