Theme Parks & Themed Entertainment
Ruminations
Set the WABAC Machine for the summer of 1973. Yup! It’s summer, it’s baseball and passion all rolled into one… Who knew?

In June of 1973, I graduated from the eighth grade leaving Walnut Creek Intermediate School behind me. Personal mobility wasn’t much of a problem as I was already used to riding my bicycle all over the place. While my Disney and railroad interests had not become obsessions just yet, baseball had.
Now when I lived in Mountain View (on the other side of the San Francisco Bay), I was definitely a Giants baseball fan. I had been to several games at Candlestick Park with my maternal grandfather, and one really memorable game with a local summer school group. That featured a true Candlestick experience as the fog rolled in on the third deck. Those were the glory days of the Giants with greats such as Mays, McCovey, Bonds (Bobby, not Barry), Marichal, Perry and a whole lot more! Throw in games on the radio (KSFO, thank you!) with Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons, and it was “Bye, bye baby”! Since coming west from New York in 1960, the Giants were Major League Baseball for Northern California. Always a contender, they made for exciting games including a 1962 World Series “By-The-Bay” (as Herb Caen happily announced). And with a rivalry of legendary proportions as the Dodgers also came west, you could always count for a great day of baseball as long as the Giants took the field.
That all changed when real estate mogul turned team owner Charlie Finley brought his Athletics from Kansas City to Oakland for the 1968 season. Major League Baseball would never be the same.
To start with, there were the uniforms of green and gold. And bright green and gold at that. Finley was going to do what he needed to. He wanted the seats at the new Oakland Alameda County Coliseum stadium to be filled. If that meant playing baseball with a flair, then that is what they would do. With a group of young exciting prospects, the A’s went from a proverbial last place joke to the league champions in only five years after their arrival in Oakland. How could you not love this team?
So, with a World Series victory in 1972, they were playing exciting baseball again that summer. And I was following the games in the local newspaper, on radio and television. Excitement was hard to contain, and I wasn’t alone in my fandom for the A’s. I had friends who shared that passion. At the age of 14, we were decidedly hooked.
However, even with expanded mobility thanks to the old Schwinn Varsity ten-speed, the Coliseum was over 25 miles away. Riding from suburban Walnut Creek wasn’t impossible, just impractical.
There was an alternative to the bicycle, but for a 14-year old kid from the burbs, it was definitely intimidating. Rapid transit was a term that was all the rage with urban planners at the time. Before we all were lured from the trains onto the highways, they were just commuter trains, call ’em what you will.
Back in 1939, there was a fair network of rail lines about the East Bay and even out to the Diablo Valley and beyond. Folks rode trains from home into downtown San Francisco for those nine to five, Monday through Friday jobs. But the call of the open road and the seduction of personal mobility through your own automobile proved too great. One by one, the rail lines from the East Bay ended passenger service. In 1958, the last of the trains rolled across the lower deck of the Bay Bridge into the City, as victims of corporate greed.
Amusingly enough, at almost the same times as the last trains rolled, plans were well underway for a county transit system including busses and new trains to replace the old. In 1972, the first of the new trains of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system ran through the East Bay (especially a station for the new Oakland Alameda County Coliseum complex!). Those trains and busses got a real test as capacity crowds for the 1972 World Series used them to travel to and from the games.
1973 saw the opening of BART’s Concord line to connect with the Richmond-Fremont line. So now, what had been a 25 mile plus bicycle ride would be a quick train ride from the Diablo Valley. That summer I was fortunate enough to go to a number of A’s games including one outstanding three-game series (which if memory serves the A’s won two out of three) including Bat Day. I still have the green baseball bat (albeit somewhat worse for wear) from that game. For another game, my dad got tickets from a sale rep for the Western Pacific Railroad (whose Sacramento Northern railroad served his company’s West Pittsburg plant). That day, we sat down behind the A’s dugout on the third base side along with my maternal grandmother (down from Reno just for baseball). All I can remember is one fan (who had obviously had way too much Budweiser) ripping into Reggie Jackson at ever opportunity. He used some very colorful language that afternoon, much the amusement of many folks sitting next to him. Reggie got his revenge, as he became the World Series Most Valuable Player that year.
But the most memorable of the 1973 season was the last regular game. With the division pennant won, it seemed that the team was headed for a second straight World Series appearance. I enjoyed that day with a friend, riding by ourselves on BART (quite the unsupervised adventure) in from Walnut Creek. We managed to get a couple of autographs including the team’s pitching ace, Jim “Catfish” Hunter, and snuck down from the cheap seats to get a better view of the game.
Oakland went on to defeat the Baltimore Orioles to take the American League championship. In the series that followed, they played hard against the New York Mets, with MVP Reggie Jackson earning his nickname “Mister October”. It was the second of a series of back to back to back World Championships for Oakland, and maybe the sweetest of the bunch.
It’s been a while since those days when life seemed less complicated. Maybe we were trying to be ignorant of many of the issues around us or had other things to concentrate on. For one teenager in that summer before high school, baseball as played by the Swingin’ A’s was one such priority.
The A’s have gone on to greater glory since then with another World Series victory in 1974 over the Dodgers; another World Series appearance in 1988 with a loss to the Dodgers; then the 1989 Bay Bridge Series against the Giants and the Loma Prieta earthquake to really put it all into a proper perspective (Michele still says that can’t happen again as we don’t need any more earthquakes).
The A’s have been in the “Hunt for a Green October” for the last three years. 2000 the A’s took the Western Division title only to be defeated in a tough series against the Yankees. In 2001, saw them as the American League Wild Card team only to once again go down to the Yankees. In 2002 the A’s again took the Western Division title (after a record breaking 20-game win streak) only to lose to the Minnesota Twins, who themselves were defeated by the Wild Card Anaheim Angels!
2003? Well, we hope for good things! As of the All-Star Break, the team has the same record as they did at this time last year with 54 wins and 39 losses, and are four games behind the Seattle Mariners — right where they were at the same time last year. While no one is forecasting a repeat of the 20-game streak, it seems that we are in for another exciting finish to the season.
With the 30th Anniversary of that 1973 season, it’s natural to remember that team of long ago. And that’s just what will happen before and after the game with the Yankees on Saturday, August 2. In ceremonies before and after the game, members of that team will be recognized. Among those scheduled to appear are Vida Blue, Reggie Jackson, Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi, Ken Holtzman, Ray Fosse, *** Green, Dave Hamilton, Bill North, John “Blue Moon” Odom, coaches Irv Noren and Wes Stock and manager *** Williams. Check out the A’s web pages for more information.
While I usually don’t go to Yankee games (sorry folks, Yankee fans are only exceeded in rudeness by Giants fans — at least that’s the way they are at the Coliseum), this might just be the exception. If nothing else, it’s worth a chance to add to those autographs from that afternoon a world away.
So, while we’re on the subject of baseball, let me introduce you to another facet of the game — minor league baseball. It’s exciting and often one heck of a lot of fun for both fans and players. And it’s being played at small (and not so small) towns across North America.
Out here in California, we have two different classes of minor league teams. First is the AAA or Triple A class (that’s the one just below the Major League teams). The Pacific Coast League is a direct descendant of the old PCL which had teams up and down the west coast in the days before teams like the Dodgers and Giants came west. Players such as Joe Dimaggio came from the old PCL teams (the San Francisco Seals to be exact) to the big leagues. Today it is comprised of AAA teams from all over the western U.S. and Canada. Here in California, we have the Sacramento Rivercats (the Oakland A’s AAA affiliate) and the Fresno Grizzlies (the San Francisco Giants AAA affiliate) and in Nevada, there is the Las Vegas 51’s (the Los Angeles Dodgers AAA affiliate).
The other league here in California is Class A or Single A. Oddly enough, it’s called the California League with the North and South Divisions. Until recent changes in affiliations, both the A’s and the Giants had two Single A farm teams in this league. Now there are the Modesto (Remember where this town got it’s name? Think back to that Billy Ralston column. And what a great town motto! “Water, Wealth, Contentment, Health! Modesto!” Okay, so it was a toast at my wedding…) A’s and the San Jose Giants to keep fans interested.
Another personal favorite team is the Visalia Oaks — now affiliated with the Colorado Rockies. Fans of the classic baseball movie “Bull Durham” will recall that this was the team Kevin Costner’s character (“Crash” Davis” was planning to work for as a coach after the end of his minor league playing days. And what’s not to love about a squirrel named “Chatter” as a mascot?
And while on the subject of “Bull Durham” (a real classic with some great dialogue despite all the nonsense over political views of Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins in the days since they made this movie), how about the Durham Bulls? They are the AAA affiliate of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and yes, they still play their games in Durham, in a stadium “designed by HOK Sport + Venue + Event, architects of Camden Yards in Baltimore, Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Coors Field in Colorado along with many other new stadiums opened in the past 10 years. The $16-million brick ballpark opened in 1995 and was expanded to a 10,000-seat capacity for the 1998 season, the year the Bulls began playing in the Triple-A International League.”
There are a lot of great Minor League teams with great names and logos. If you’re looking for hats, jerseys, shirts and other gear from one of them, I can recommend two places. First up is the official Minor League Baseball Store, and then Star Struck. Both have great selections to choose from and will have almost everything you could be looking for. Don’t overlook the team websites either as most of them have souvenirs for sale through their own shops. Some of the logo’s are pretty good. The Lansing Lugnuts and the Albuquerque Isotopes (Okay Simpson’s fans… Remember when Homer exposed the fact that the Springfield Isotopes were moving to Alberquerque? Well they did!) get my vote for some of the more unique teams…
So there you have it. So there you have it! A look at baseball. There is a lot left to the 2003 season, and here’s hoping you get a chance to enjoy something of the Great American Pastime…
Roger’s hard at work on another effort in his “Things You Didn’t Think You Could Do” series and will be back next week with a medieval tale. And thanks again to everyone who has made use of his Amazon Honor System Paybox. If you’ve enjoyed a column now and then, why not show your appreciation by sharing a buck or two? It doesn’t hurt a bit!
Television & Shows
The Untold Story of Super Soap Weekend at Disney-MGM Studios: How Daytime TV Took Over the Parks

A long time ago in a galaxy that … Well, to be honest, wasn’t all that far away. This was down in Florida after all. But if you traveled to the WDW Resort, you could then experience “Star Wars Weekends.” Which ran seasonally at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Disney World from 1997 to 2015.
Mind you, what most folks don’t remember is the annual event that effectively plowed the road for “Star Wars Weekends.” Which was “Super Soap Weekend.” That seasonal offering — which allowed ABC soap fans to get up-close with their favorite performers from “All My Children,” “General Hospital,” “One Life to Live” and “Port Charles” — debuted at that same theme park the year previous (1996).
So how did this weekend-long celebration of daytime drama (which drew tens of thousands of people to Orlando every Fall for 15 years straight) come to be?
Michael Eisner’s Daytime TV Origins and a Theme Park Vision
Super Soap Weekend was the brainchild of then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner. His career in media began with short stints at NBC and CBS, but it truly took off in 1964 when he joined ABC as the assistant to Leonard Goldberg, who was the network’s national programming director at the time.
Eisner quickly advanced through the ranks. By 1971, he had become Vice President of Daytime Programming at ABC. That meant he was on the scene when One Life to Live joined the lineup in July 1968 and when All My Children made its debut in January 1970. Even after being promoted to Senior Vice President of Prime Time Programming in 1976, Eisner stayed close to the daytime division and often recruited standout soap talent for ABC’s primetime shows.
Fast forward nearly two decades to July 31, 1995. The Walt Disney Company announced that it would acquire ABC/Cap Cities in a $19 billion deal. Although the acquisition wasn’t finalized until February 1996, Eisner was already thinking ahead. He wanted to use the stars of All My Children, One Life to Live, and General Hospital to draw people to Disney’s theme parks.
He had seen how individual soap stars were drawing huge mall crowds across America since the late 1970s. Now he wanted to bring dozens of them together for something much bigger.

Super Soap Weekend Takes Over Disney-MGM Studios
The very first Super Soap Weekend was announced in June 1996, just a few months after the ABC deal closed. The event was scheduled for October 19 and 20 at Disney-MGM Studios and was a massive success.
The weekend featured panel discussions, autograph sessions, and photo opportunities with the stars of ABC’s daytime dramas. Thousands of fans packed the park for the chance to meet their favorite actors. Due to the overwhelming response, the event became an annual tradition and was eventually moved to Veterans Day weekend each November to better accommodate attendees.
Longtime fans like Nancy Stadler, her mom Mary, and their close friend Angela Ragno returned year after year, making the event a personal tradition and building lifelong memories.




West Coast Events and the ABC Soap Opera Bistro
Disney even tried to recreate the event out west. Two Super Soap Weekends were held at Disneyland Resort, one in April 2002 and another in June 2003.
At Disney’s California Adventure, Eisner also introduced the ABC Soap Opera Bistro, a themed dining experience that opened in February 2001. Guests could dine inside recreated sets from shows like General Hospital and All My Children, including Kelly’s Diner and the Chandler Mansion. The Bistro closed in November 2002, but for fans, it offered a rare opportunity to step into the world of their favorite soaps.
SOAPnet, Port Charles, and the Expansion of Daytime TV at Disney
Eisner’s enthusiasm for soaps extended beyond the parks. In January 2000, he launched SOAPnet, a cable channel dedicated to prime time replays of ABC’s daytime dramas.
During his time at Disney, General Hospital also received a spin-off series titled Port Charles, which aired from June 1997 to October 2003. The show leaned into supernatural plotlines and was another example of Eisner’s commitment to evolving and expanding the soap genre.
The Final Curtain for Super Soap Weekend
In September 2005, Eisner stepped down after 21 years as head of The Walt Disney Company. Bob Iger, who had previously served as President of ABC and Chief Operating Officer of ABC/Cap Cities, took over as CEO. While Iger had deep ABC credentials, he didn’t share Eisner’s passion for daytime television.
In the fall of 2008, Disney hosted the final Super Soap Weekend at what was then still called Disney-MGM Studios. That same year, the park was rebranded as Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney began shifting away from television-focused experiences.
Within the next five years, the rest of Eisner’s soap legacy faded. One Life to Live was canceled in January 2012. SOAPnet was rebranded as Disney Junior in February 2013. Later that year, All My Children ended its 41-year run on ABC.
Only General Hospital remains on the network today, the last standing soap from the golden age of ABC Daytime.
A New Chapter for Daytime TV and Super Soap Fans
The soap genre may have faded from its former glory, but it’s not gone. On February 24, 2025, CBS premiered a brand-new daytime drama called Beyond the Gates, marking the first new soap launch in years.
Meanwhile, All My Children alum Kelly Ripa has been actively working on a revival. In September 2024, she mentioned a holiday-themed movie set in Pine Valley that would bring back many original cast members. The project was in development for Lifetime, though its current status is unclear.
And what about Super Soap? Fans like Nancy and Angela still hope Disney will bring it back. Even if it only featured the cast of General Hospital, it would be a welcome return for longtime viewers who miss that one weekend a year where the magic of Disney collided with the drama of daytime TV.
If you want to hear firsthand what it was like to be part of Super Soap Weekend, be sure to listen to our I Want That Too podcast interview with actor Colin Egglesfield. He shares behind-the-scenes memories from his days as Josh Madden on All My Children and what it meant to be part of one of the most unique fan events in Disney park history.
History
The Super Bowl & Disney: The Untold Story Behind ‘I’m Going to Disneyland!’

One of the highlights of the Super Bowl isn’t just the game itself—it’s the moment when the winning quarterback turns to the camera and exclaims, “I’m going to Disney World!” This now-iconic phrase has been a staple of post-game celebrations for decades. But where did this tradition begin? Surprisingly, it didn’t originate in a stadium but at a dinner table in 1987, in a conversation involving Michael Eisner, George Lucas, and aviation pioneers Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager.

The Unlikely Beginning of a Marketing Sensation
To understand the origins of this campaign, we have to go back to December 1986, when the Rutan Voyager became the first aircraft to fly around the world without stopping or refueling. Pilots Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager completed the nine-day journey on December 23, 1986, flying over 26,000 miles before landing at Edwards Air Force Base. Their historic achievement earned them national recognition, and just days later, President Ronald Reagan awarded them the Presidential Citizen Medal at the White House.
Meanwhile, Disney was gearing up for the grand opening of Star Tours at Disneyland, set for January 12, 1987. Following its usual playbook of associating major theme park attractions with real-world pioneers, Disney’s PR team invited astronauts Gordon Cooper and Deke Slayton to the launch event. But in a twist, they also invited Rutan and Yeager, who were still making headlines.

A Dinner Conversation That Changed Advertising Forever
After the Star Tours opening ceremony, a private dinner was held with Disney CEO Michael Eisner, George Lucas, and Eisner’s wife, Jane. During the meal, Eisner asked Rutan and Yeager, “You just made history. You traveled non-stop around the planet on a plane without ever refueling. How are you ever going to top that, career-wise? What are you two gonna do next?”
Without hesitation, Jeana Yeager replied, “Well, after being cramped inside that tiny plane for nine days, I’m just glad to be anywhere else. And even though you folks were nice enough to fly us here, invite us to your party… Well, as soon as we finish eating, I’m gonna go over to the Park and ride some rides. I’m going to Disneyland.”
Jane Eisner immediately recognized the power of Yeager’s statement. On the car ride home, she turned to Michael and said, “That’s a great slogan. I think you should use that to promote the theme parks.” Like many husbands, Michael initially dismissed the idea, but Jane persisted. Eventually, Eisner relented and pitched it to his team.
The Super Bowl Connection
With Super Bowl XXI just around the corner, Disney’s PR team saw an opportunity. The game was set for January 25, 1987, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena—just miles from Disney Studios. What if they convinced the winning quarterback to say, “I’m going to Disneyland” live on-air?
Disney quickly struck a deal with both quarterbacks—Phil Simms of the New York Giants and John Elway of the Denver Broncos—offering each $75,000 to deliver the line if their team won. Simms led the Giants to victory, making history as the first athlete to say, “I’m going to Disney World!” on national television.
A Marketing Triumph
That year’s Super Bowl had the second-highest viewership in television history, with 87 million people watching Simms say the famous line. The next day, Disney turned the clip into a national commercial, cementing the phrase as a marketing goldmine.
Since then, “I’m going to Disneyland” (or Disney World, depending on the commercial) has been a staple of championship celebrations, spanning the NFL, NBA, and even the Olympics. What started as a casual remark at dinner became one of the most successful advertising campaigns in history.
A Lasting Legacy
Jane Eisner’s keen instinct and Disney’s ability to act quickly on a great idea created a tradition that continues to captivate audiences. The “I’m going to Disneyland” campaign remains a testament to the power of spontaneous inspiration and smart marketing, proving that sometimes, the best ideas come from the most unexpected places.
To learn more about Disney’s ties to the world of sports, check out I Want That Too: A Disney History and Consumer Product Podcast.
Television & Shows
How the Creators of South Park Tricked A-List Celebrities to Roast Universal – “Your Studio & You”

Universal Studios has a rich and storied history, but few moments are as peculiar—and as hilariously cutting—as the creation of Your Studio & You. This 14-minute parody film, commissioned in 1995 to celebrate Universal’s new ownership under Seagram’s, brings together an all-star cast, biting humor, and the unmistakable comedic fingerprints of Matt Stone and Trey Parker.
Long before South Park debuted on Comedy Central in 1997, Stone and Parker were already carving out a reputation for their irreverent style, and Your Studio & You perfectly encapsulates their knack for turning even the most corporate project into something delightfully subversive.
Matt Stone & Trey Parker Before South Park
Stone & Parker were already known out in Hollywood as funny guys. Thanks largely to “The Spirit of Christmas,” which was this video greeting card that they’d crafted for a Fox executive – who then distributed this infamously funny thing (which had Our Lord Jesus Christ & Santa Claus literally duking it out for the holiday affections of Cartman, Kenny, Stan & Kyle) to friends & family.
This was the early 1990s. No internet. Each copy of “The Spirit of Christmas” was made on VHS tape and then mailed. Went viral the old-fashioned way. It’s rumored that George Clooney made over 300 copies of “The Spirit of Christmas” and passed these VHS taps along to friends and family.
Things didn’t move as fast as they do today. “The Spirit of Christmas” still became a sensation out West.
Zucker Brothers
Matt & Trey also had other supporters in the entertainment industry. Among them David Zucker, who was one of the members of ZAZ (i.e., Zucker Abrahams Zucker), the talented trio that made “Airplane!” in 1980, “Top Secret!” in 1984 and the three “Naked Gun” movies.
- The original “Naked Gun” in 1988
- “Naked Gun 2 & 1/2 : The Smell of Fear” in 1991
- and “Naked Gun 33 & a 1/3: The Final Insult” in 1994
All five of these parody films had been made for Paramount Pictures. But in the Late Winter / Early Spring of 1995, Universal had persuaded the Zucker Brothers to come over and set up shop in a bungalow on their lower lot. With the hope that – at some point further on down the line – David & his brother Jerry would start making funny films for Universal.

And it’s during this same window of time (We’re now talking April of 1995) that news breaks that Seagrams (Yep, the adult beverage company. Who – at the time – was making an absolute fortune on the sales of wine coolers) was about to buy a majority stake in MCAUniversal. We’re talking control of 80% of that company’s stock. Which would effectively make Seagrams the new owners of Universal Studios.
Edgar Bronfman
And Edgar Bronfman – the owner of Seagrams – knew that Universal had had a tough time with its previous owners – which had been the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. of Japan. Matsushita had bought MCA back in November of 1990 for $7.5 billion but had never really understood the entertainment industry.
This is why – after repeatedly butting heads with Lew Wasserman & Sidney Sheinberg (i.e., the heads of Universal Studios & the Universal theme park respectively) when it came to creative control of this company – Matsushita decided to wash it hands of the entire enterprise. Agreeing to sell their holdings in MCA to Seagrams for $5.7 billion (effectively taking a nearly $2 billion loss on this investment).

And Bronfman … He knew that some bad feeling had developed between Hollywood’s creative community and the Japanese owners of Universal. The thinking was that executives at Matsushita Electric had just not gotten what it took to make movies & TV shows.
And Edgar? Right from the get-go, he wanted to show that Seagrams was NOT going to be Matsushita Electric Redux. Bronfman was looking for a way to send a clear message to Hollywood’s creative community that Universal’s new owners got it. That they were willing to work with Hollywood to make the best possible movies & TV shows at Universal.
And how did Edgar decide to get this message across? By making a funny movie.
Zucker Commissions Trey Parker for “Your Studio & You”
Mind you, Bronfman himself didn’t make this film. The owner of Seagrams reached out to David Zucker. Who – after initially agreeing to produce this introduction-to-Universal film – then farmed out the production of the actual project to Trey Parker. Who – just two days before shooting was supposed to star on the Universal Lot – persuaded Matt Stone to come help him on this project.
Which brings us to “Your Studio and You.” Which is a parody of an educational film from the 1950s, right down to being shot in black & white and featuring a very generic soundtrack.
Now what’s amazing about watching “Your Studio and You” today is that this 14-minute-long film features some of the biggest names working in Hollywood back in the mid-1990s. We’re talking about people like recent Golden Globe winner Demi Moore, Sylvester Stallone, Michael J. Fox and Angela Lansbury. Not to mention two of the most powerful men in all of Hollywood, Steven Spielberg & Jeffrey Katzenberg.
And what’s especially interesting about watch “Your Studio and You” is that – as you watch these performers go through their paces in this motion pictures (which – most of the time – involves doing some innocuous task while holding a Seagram’s wine cooler) – you often get the feeling that this star is not in on the gag.
So how did Matt & Trey get away with this? Simple. There was never actually a script for “Your Studio and You.”
Filming “Your Studio & You” at Universal Studios Hollywood
Mind you, David Zucker would always insist that there was. Especially when he’d phone up celebrities on the Universal Lot and say “Hey, I’m sending over a couple of college kids later today. They’re working with me on a new parody film. It’s something that we’re doing for the new owners of Universal. I need just a half hour of your time. We’re shooting something special for the party we’ll be holding when the Seagrams people first arrive at the Studio. Absolutely. You’ll definitely get an invite to that party. So can I count on you to help these kids out? Beautiful. They’ll be over there later this morning.”
And then Matt & Trey would show up and say “… Dang, Miss Lansbury. We’re sorry. We must have left our copy of the ‘Your Studio and You’ script back in our office. Which is clear on the other side of the Lot. So – rather than waste your time – why don’t we do this instead? Follow us over to the Psycho House. Where we’re then going to get footage of you painting the front porch on Mother Bates’ house while you say ‘Gosh, with all of the wonderful improvements going on around here, everyone is going to want to work at Universal.’ Oh, and can we also get you to wear this button on the front of your blazer which reads ‘Universal is A-OK’ ? “

And over & over again, the biggest names who were working for Universal at that time took part in the production of “Your Studio & You” because A) David Zucker vouched for Matt Stone & Trey Parker and B) this was something that was being made for the new owners of Universal. And it’s just natural to want to get in good with the new boss.
Steven Spielberg, Jeffery Katzenberg, and Jaws
But no one at Universal anticipated that “Your Studio & You” would wind up being as sharp edged as the finished product turned out to be. I mean, it’s one thing to bite the hand that feeds you. But “Your Studio & You” ? It doesn’t just bite the hand. It takes the hand off at the wrist.
It’s a brutally funny film. With one of the meanest moments reserved for Steven Spielberg, who plays a driver on the Universal Studio Tour who’s trying to persuade a tram full of bored tourists (one of whom is played by Jeffery Katzenberg) that the “Shark Attack” scene down by Jaws Lagoon is actually exciting.
Spielberg actually says lines like “ … Whoa, whoa. What is going on here? Ladies and gentlemen, this never happens. Look out! It’s a shark! Whoa, that is one big scary shark.”

Mind you, as footage of this mechanical shark repeatedly coming up out of the water is shown, “Your Studio & You” ‘s off-screen narrator (who is voiced by Trey Parker says):
“But what about tomorrow? If we don’t keep in step with the times, things that were once neat and thrilling can become old and stupid.”
“Your Studio & You” Reception
This film was supposed to be shown only once at the welcoming party for Seagrams executive on the Universal Lot. And I’m told that – when Edgar Bronfman saw the finished product at that party – he reportedly turned to David Zucker and said “ … That’s a little more mean-spirited that I think it needed to be.”
And with that, “Your Studio & You” was supposed to go back into the Universal vault, never to be seen again. But when “South Park” debuted on Comedy Central in August of 1997 and then became a sensation for its biting humor, there was suddenly a lot of interest in what else Matt & Trey had done. Which is why copies of “The Spirit of Christmas” began to circulate. And – over time – copies of “Your Studio & You” began to bubble up.
Which – as Stone & Parker have repeatedly pointed out – was just not supposed to happen. Largely because none of the celebrities who appeared in “Your Studio & You” had never signed releases for Universal’s legal department. Because – again – this was for a movie that was only going to be shown once at a private function on the Universal Lot.
Matt mentioned (as part of a career retrospective at the Paley Center in LA back in 2000) that “ … they wouldn’t even let us keep a copy of the finished film.”
It’s a funny but brutal movie. And worth taking a look at today especially if you’re a theme park history buff because it shows Universal Studios Hollywood’s “Jurassic Park: The Ride” still under construction on the Lower Lot. That attraction would finally open to the public in June of 1996.
“Your Studio & You” became a lot easier to see after Seagrams sold off its share of Universal to Vivendi in 2000. Copies began propagating online after that. Though Universal Legal will periodically make an effort to get the latest copy of “Your Studio & You” taken off the Internet because – again – none of the performers who appear on camera ever signed the proper releases and/or were paid for their efforts.
That said, if you’re up for a mean-spirited laugh, “Your Studio & You” is well worth 14 minutes of your time. That said, once you watch this thing, be warned:
- You’re immediately going to be thirsty for a Seagram’s wine cooler
- And you’re going to have a sudden desire to go out & buy a porcelain deer.
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