Theme Parks & Themed Entertainment

Ruminations

When we last left Roger, he was in Baltimore. This time it’s all about a day in D.C., Washington that is. So read all about how he manages see a lot of it in a short visit.

Published

21 years ago

April 22, 2004

Roger Colton

“This is the only stop we’ll be making between here and Washington D.C. So I suggest you take care of whatever necessities come to mind.”
— Principal Moss, “Senior Trip” (1995)

When last we left you, I was in Baltimore with Ken Mitchroney. Looking around for something to do on Monday after sleeping late and warming up from the previous night’s frozen game between the O’s and Sox, we discovered it was after noon by the time they decided to get up and get going. So, a short walk took them to Phillips Seafood Buffet for lunch. Filled with all that good seafood, what to do next?

No baseball that day or night, not until 3:05 p.m. Tuesday. Funny thing. Right around the corner from their hotel, and just next to Oriole Park is the MARC train station at Camden Yards. And for a mere seven bucks and about sixty-three minutes of time, Washington D.C.’s Union Station is a lot closer than you would expect. Now being this is commuter rail service, there are no mid-day trains on the schedule. So a bit more of a walk killed more time and calories after the big lunch. Departing Camden Yards at 3:30 p.m. on Train #853, it’s a good trip through the urban and the rural and back again into the urban.

Arriving in Washington (almost on the advertised – 4:33 p.m.), there is a good view of the railroad service facilities for Amtrak, MARC, and the Virginia Railway Express all just north of downtown. Creeping into Union Station, there’s was private railroad car “Dover Harbor“. Once she was one of many cars in the Pullman fleet. Now she’s one of the last of the classic heavyweight sleeping cars still rolling the rails. Owned and operated by the Washington D.C. chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, she’s got a full schedule of trips for 2004 along with availability for charters.

The “Dover Harbor” isn’t the only classic car here. The Norfolk Southern Railroad has a business car stationed here semi-permanently. The “Marco Polo”, a classic open-platform heavyweight business car, has seen it’s share of history, and is somewhat a contemporary (built in 1927 by Pullman) to the “Tamalpais” (built in 1923 by Pullman), used on the recent Reno trips out of Emeryville. It looks pretty good in classic Pullman green with gold lettering.

A walk around the Union Station concourse gives a great view of how this classic railroad station has been adapted to serve long distance and commuter rail passengers. Shops and restaurants of all kinds can keep folks busy for a while. An interesting trivial note is that the structure was designed by Daniel Hudson Burnham, who was the supervising architect of the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago (where Elias Disney, Walt and Roy’s father, worked as a carpenter on buildings for the Exposition). (Worth a read is “The Devil In The White City” with a look at that Exposition from a unique perspective. So much so that I ended up buying a copy of it at the Borders bookstore in Union Station. I later managed to lose it in at BWI while waiting for a late plane to arrive. But another copy is on it’s way, and I’ll have a review of it down the road somewhere…)

The classic railroad station always was a place where passengers came and went, but with much more than just that. There were news stands, restaurants, barber shops, cocktail lounges and a whole lot more. As passenger trains declined, so did the stations and many of those functions disappeared. Union Station in Washington was no different as it became the Visitors Center for our nation’s bicentennial. The effort to transform the space was something less than a success and at one point there was serious consideration given to total demolition of the structure.

Finally, a three-year renovation was completed at a cost of over $160 million, and the station re-emerged as the major transportation facility it was meant to be. Now it is a hive of activity for travelers, tourists and commuters all. It now is home to all kinds of shops and restaurants to tempt them all. At one point, there was even a train store among the shops. That’s gone now, but I did manage to find all of the usual train magazines and a few good books on sale at Borders, including a “Union Station – A History of Washington’s Grand Terminal”. It’s a fine look back as well as offering great images of the restoration. (One didn’t find it’s way into my luggage due to capacity issues, but I’m sure to add one to the library soon…)

All too soon it was time to catch the northbound train #852 back to Camden Yards with a 5:51 p.m. departure from Union Station, and a 6:54 p.m. arrival. We chatted with the operator watching the projector for the images being projected onto the B&O Warehouse. He was all bundled up against the cold and wind. It may not have been as brutal as the night before, but the wind and cold definitely were conspiring against anyone sitting out in the open that night. Wishing him well, we made a bee-line back for the Sheraton Inn Inner Harbor and the Orioles Grille. That lunch at Phillips was a while before and we were ready for sustenance and a small amount of medicinal libation to go along with it. We finished off the evening by watching Billy Crystal’s Yankee baseball homage, “61*“.

The next day was a combination of walk, work and baseball with a 3:05 p.m. game time. Ah, more sautéed crab cakes… But Wednesday, that was an early start to get in a full day in D.C. before more baseball in Baltimore that night. The last train of the morning fleet to the Capital is #851 with an 8:15 am departure. It started out well enough with lots of empty seats. Soon enough those seats filled up, but the speed of the train seemed to be kept down to a dull roar, and obviously not the pace of the day before. Likely we had a freight train ahead of us, as there were other trains headed northbound as we went south. Eventually, the dispatcher must have gotten a clue as we crossed over to another track and went around the slower train. We managed to arrive about twenty minutes later than the scheduled 9:22 a.m. and headed off in search of the Smithsonian and it’s museums.

Contrary to the temperature of the past three days, it was sunny and in the upper seventies for our day in Washington. Guess that just goes to prove the old saying, “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a bit and it will change.” (Especially as the next day turned cloudy and cool as rain moved in… Sheesh!)

Armed with a tourist destination map from one of the local tour companies, we managed to take the long way around the Capitol and head down the mall in search of the brick structure that is home to the Smithsonian. Had we taken a few more minutes to study it, we probably would have saved about an extra mile of walking. Instead, we took the scenic route (yes, it was during the annual proliferation of blossoms) and burned about an extra half-hour or so seeing the sights and detours for various construction and security issues. Ah, our tax dollars at play…

The view of the Capitol from the Mall or the non-construction side

Here’s the map we should have used, even with the not to scale notes and missing buildings. Getting the idea? None the less, we walked down to the Smithsonian and got this map. Armed with information, our first target for the day was the “Baseball As America” exhibition in the Natural History Museum just across the Mall.

Now as much of a baseball fan as I am, this was just great! A good mix of history and popular culture presented in a way that does not trivialize either one. Some fine artifacts and classic images bring the game to life for visitors in what I like to call a stealth-educational pass. A fine mix of old and new. For example, how about the bats of Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa all side by side? Works for me! Or why not get the opportunity to view a classic piece of American art such as Norman Rockwell’s “Bottom Of The Sixth”.

According to the web pages, the exhibit has two more stops scheduled after the Smithsonian visit. St Louis, at the Missouri Historical Society from December through April 2005, and then Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts, May through August 2005. Hopefully there will be more after these as this exhibit is worth a visit. The exhibit has a wonderful gift shop as well with a variety of tempting purchases just waiting to be made.

Next on our tour was a visit just to the west at the American History Museum for the “America On The Move” exhibition. Let’s see, trains, planes, automobiles and boats. Think this might have an interest for me? And would it hurt that AAA is one of the sponsors? Probably not…

Southern Railway 1401, stuffed and mounted for Smithsonian visitors.

A classic steam locomotive, and it’s too bad she can’t come out to play anymore. In the classic green of such trains as the Crescent Limited, she’s a highlight of the exhibit.

Television artifacts are also on display at this museum, if in a limited number. Archie and Edith Bunker’s living room chairs from “All In The Family” are the bigger pieces, with such items as Howdy Doody and Oscar the Grouch as well. They lead into Julia Child’s Kitchen from her Cambridge, Massachusetts home. For me, it was very interesting to see almost the same set of cookbooks arrayed as they were in my mother’s kitchen.

After that, it was definitely time for some lunch. We took in one of the finer points of dining on the Mall and enjoyed a fine hot dog and soda from one of the many street side carts. And it didn’t hurt to sit down for a few minutes as well.

Bucking up, it was time for the afternoon’s challenge – the National Air & Space Museum. Walking down the street, we noted a long line waiting outside. That was due to the x-ray and metal detectors at the entrance. (Something we went through at all of the Museum’s, and it was no worse than the similar bag checks at Disneyland.)

Now, this is a place I’ve drooled over for a while now. It’s like a candy store waiting to be explored. And I was not disappointed. It’s there as you walk into the lobby. On your right is John Glenn’s “Friendship 7” Mercury space capsule, and on the left is the Gemini IV space capsule of Edward White and James McDivitt. For someone who grew up during the Space Race, it’s like being right there as the first American orbits the Earth or takes a walk in space. For those moments, I was back to being one of those kids who imagined living in space as something we would all just take for granted. And from there, it only gets better!

Suspended above you is Chuck Yeager’s Bell X-1 “Glamorous Glennis” directly across from Charles Lindbergh’s Ryan NYP “Spirit of St. Louis”. It’s impressive to think that in only twenty years, we progressed from crossing the Atlantic to breaking the sound barrier. And the planes that did both are right there…

No pun intended, but the only way you can go from here is up!

It was very similar to the feelings I had on my first visit to the Disney Studio in Burbank. These were things that were specific moments from those years I was growing up that I can look back on now as placeholders of a sort. And in a moment, maybe that’s part of what the attraction is all about for museums such as this. Being able to make a physical connection to something that was a moment in your own past or that of your family. Perhaps it is a visit to a battlefield such as Gettysburg and knowing that this is the spot where a family member fought and died for something the believed strongly in. I felt that the only time I rode the train east of Sparks to Salt Lake. My great-grandfather made that trip thousands of times in his career, and to retrace those miles connected me to his life and experiences.

And that’s exactly what heritage tourism is all about. That connection is what continues to bring visitors out.

Another one of those moments was hiding downstairs in the lower level of the gift shop at the Air & Space Museum. I’ve always been a fan of Star Trek, so much so that I met my wife and other friends on the train riding to a convention in San Francisco back in 1977. Now I cheated a bit and knew this was here. Yet the moment I actually saw the original Enterprise model, it was again an emotional moment. Kind of the Bambi in the headlights kind of thing.

Safe behind the plexiglass, NCC-1701 has been restored to as it appeared during
filming of the original “Star Trek” television series.

Now for the difficult part of the afternoon, shopping that birthday gift for my father. He’s a somewhat voracious reader, especially books on World War II history. So buying a book here that he does not have or has not read was something of a challenge. I took a gamble by purchasing an updated copy of a “Half A Wing, Three Engines and A Prayer” by Brian D. O’Neill. Turned out to be a good choice as he hadn’t read it or seen it before.

The longest line all day was for the reproduction dog tags for sale at only five bucks a copy. I was tempted, but the visiting school groups had it surrounded.

We managed to see all of the galleries that were open that afternoon, even if quickly. Yet I would love to go back and take it in at a much more relaxed pace. And a visit to the Museum’s new Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center next to the Washington Dulles International Airport offers more of those moments to take in. There are a pair of web cams inside to offer a tease, just in case you might be interested too.

All too soon, it was time to head off across the Mall back to Union Station for Train #846 with it’s 4:13 p.m. departure for Camden Yards. Making a limited number of stops, it was all business getting folks home and lots of fans (both O’s and Bo-Sox) to the ball park in plenty of time to enjoy the game.

For this night, we enjoyed seats on the Club Level behind the Orioles dugout. It was another fine sautéed crab cake sandwich and an Uncle Teddy’s fresh hot pretzel with lots of butter and cinnamon.

Pre-game festivities at Oriole Park as seen from the Club Level

All too soon it was time to bid adieu to Baltimore. Yet, the folks at Southwest had other ideas and my flight was delayed almost two hours making for a wee hours of the morning arrival into San Jose. And it didn’t help that the battery on the iBook was well used before the flight, thanks to the wait. Couldn’t find a place to recharge that worked in the area, so that’s why you got the rushed column finished literally after one a.m. two weeks ago.

So that ends the tale of Baltimore and Washington D.C. for now. Thanks to the folks at the Orioles for their hospitality and to Kenny for inviting me to join him for the great time, and for all of the pictures that went along with these two columns.

Next week? The first of a couple of oldies but goodies. Digging into the boxes in my storage locker, I’m reprising and revising a couple of book reviews that I hope you’ll enjoy.

After that? Well, if the fates are kind, I’ll be taking you on tour of some of the various amusement parks from the Bay Area — past, present and future? Stay tuned!

I would like to say thanks to those of you who have shown support for the message boards by making a donation to keep them advertisement free. As that has yet to happen, I can’t do it. Kind of a shame considering at last look there were over 950 people registered on the boards… Come on folks. In the words of Robert Heinlein, “TANSTAAFL!” (Translation: “There Ain’t No Such Thing As A Free Lunch!”)

Television & Shows

The Untold Story of Super Soap Weekend at Disney-MGM Studios: How Daytime TV Took Over the Parks

Published

1 week ago

April 24, 2025

Jim Hill

Super Soap Weekends at Disney-MGM Studios

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!’

Published

3 months ago

February 6, 2025

Jim Hill

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”

Published

4 months ago

January 12, 2025

Jim Hill

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.

Zucker Brothers featured in "Your Studio and You"

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: