America Sings

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America Sings
Locations, openings and status
Disneyland June 29, 1974
Closed - April 10, 1988

America Sings was a show at Disneyland at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, from 1974 to 1988. It featured a cast of Audio-Animatronic animals that entertained the audience by singing songs from various periods in America's musical history, often in a humorous fashion.

Contents

[edit] The show

The show's M.C.'s were an American bald eagle named Sam (voiced by Burl Ives) and an unnamed owl rumored to be named Ollie (voiced by Sam Edwards) . The image of Sam the Eagle, a symbol of the United States and designed by Robert Moore, was used as a mascot for The Games of the XXIII Olympiad held in 1984 in Los Angeles, California.

The show was comparable to Disneyland's Country Bear Jamboree, in that it featured a singing cast of audio-animatronics. The audience seats rotated around the stage mechanically within Carousel Theater, a building with most of the outer lower level of the building rotating. It rotated counter-clockwise, unlike its predecessor, the Carousel of Progress, which used the same system and went clockwise. The attraction was located in Tomorrowland. The characters were designed by Marc Davis. The show opened for the United States Bicentennial.

[edit] The Songs[1]

  • In between each act, as the theater rotated, Sam and Ollie sang about the next era the audience was about to enter along with a reduxed chorus of "Yankee Doodle".

Intro:

Act 1 - The Deep South:

  • Dixie \ L'il Liza Jane \ Camptown Races - Geese Quartet
  • My Old Kentucky Home - Colonel Houndstoothe (Bassett hound in rocking chair)
  • Polly Wolly Doodle - The Swamp Boys (gator trio, frogs and harmonica-playing raccoon)
  • Single Girl - Mother Possum
  • Down in the Valley - Raccoon
  • Down By The Riverside - Hens, Foxes, Swamp Boy Frogs

Act 2 - Headin' West:

  • Drill, Ye Tarriers, Drill \ I've Been Working on the Railroad \ Fireball Mail - Geese Quartet
  • The Old Chisholm Trail - Saddlesore Swanson
  • Who Shot That Hole in My Sombrero? - Sombrero-wearing dog
  • Billy, the Bad Guy - The Boothill Boys (vulture duo)
  • Home on the Range - Tex Ranger (dog)

Act 3 - The Gay (18)90's:

  • She May Be Somebody's Mother \ The Bowery \ After the Ball is Over - Geese Quartet
  • Where is my Wandering Boy Tonight? - Geese Quartet & Mother Rabbit
  • Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey - Showgirl Pig
  • Sweet Adeline - Blossom-Nose Murphy (goose) & Geese Quartet
  • The Old Grey Mare - The Old Gray Mare & Geese Quartet
  • Bird in a Gilded Cage - Bird in a Gilded Cage and Fox
  • Ta-Ra-Ra-Boom-De-Ay - Storks, Geese Quartets (male and female), Pig, Bird in a Gilded Cage and Fox

Act 4 - Modern Times:

Epilogue:

[edit] The death of Deborah Gail Stone

On July 18, 1974, just three weeks after the attraction opened, Disneyland cast member Deborah Gail Stone was killed when she was crushed between the building's rotating wall and a stationary wall. She was welcoming new audiences as they came into the theater. Stone approached too close to the area between the rotating wall and the non-moving stage wall and was caught between them. The Attraction was stopped when guests in the adjacent theater heard her screams.

Afterwards, America Sings was closed for two days while safety lights were installed, and for one year, management closed the theater in which Deborah was killed. Eventually, the walls were remodeled so that they would breakaway if a similar incident occurred.

[edit] Closure

After the Bicentennial, the show faded in popularity until only fifty park guests were seated at a time. America Sings closed in 1988. The Carousel Theater sat empty and motionless for ten years. During this time, the theater still looked the same, and a large sign was put up in front of the building that showed Sorcerer Mickey and text that read: "Sorry, we're closed. We're imagineering a brand new attraction." For these many years, guests have always wondered what the new attraction was going to be. For a few years, during the planned 'Disney Decade' started by Michael Eisner, a new audio-animatronic show called "Plectu's Fantastic Intergalactic Revue" was to open. It would have been an outer-space musical-variety revue featuring a troupe of Audio-Animatronics itinerant alien musicians whose spaceship has landed in Tomorrowland. However, the idea, which was part of the original 'Tomorrowland 2055' plan, eventually was scrapped due to budget.

America Sings was finally replaced by Innoventions, a version of the Epcot attraction of the same name, in 1998. Most of the Audio-Animatronic animals were moved to Disneyland's Splash Mountain log flume, which opened on Disneyland's 34th anniversary on July 17, 1989. Two goose Audio-Animatronics were taken out before America Sings even closed. In 1986, they had their "skin" removed, which leaves only a robotic skeleton, and had their heads replaced, and were used as two talkative G2 droids in the queue to Star Tours, which would open in early 1987. The rock and roll stork in the finale is now used by Imagineers for training new Animatronics programmers, acting as a final exam of sorts. The remainder of the show's Audio-Animatronics were recycled.

[edit] America Sings: Where Are They Now?

  • Below are the current locations of the AS cast at DL's Splash Mountain. The guide below tells you what section the America Sings alumni is currently residing in.
  • --HDYD?: How Do You Do?
  • --LP: Laughing Place
  • --BL: Burrow's Lament
  • --ZADDD: Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah

Intro:

  • -Sam the Eagle: N/A
  • -Ollie the Owl: N/A
  • -Weasel #1: LP, popping out around the Birmingham Jail fox

Act 1: Going South

  • -Geese Quartet #1: 3 in HDYD?, picnic area, 1 in Star Tours
  • -Col. Houndstoothe: N/A*
  • -Frog trio: HDYD?, picnic area
  • -The Swamp Boys: ZADDD, on pier
  • -Harmonica Raccoon: ZADDD, entrance to ZADDD
  • -Sam & Ollie's Donkey: HDYD?, across from Brer Fox and Brer Bear
  • -Mother Possum: BL, singing to her kids
  • -Possum Kids: HDYD? (upside down) & BL (right-side up)
  • -Birmingham Jail Fox: LP, in a boat being shot up by a geyser
  • -Weasel #2: LP, popping out around the Birmingham Jail fox
  • -Hens: ZADDD, on the steamboat
  • -Foxes: ZADDD, on the steamboat

Act 2: Heading West

  • -Geese Quartet #2: 3 in HDYD?, picnic area, 1 in Star Tours
  • -Handcart Fox: N/A
  • -Handcart Rabbit: HDYD?, now is Brer Rabbit on handcart
  • -Saddlesore Swanson: LP, singing group
  • -Hole in Sombrero Dog: N/A
  • -Donkey: ZADDD, pulling the Modern Times college quartet
  • -Weasel #3: LP, popping out around the Birmingham Jail fox
  • -Vultures: BL, taunting guests
  • -Tex Ranger: ZADDD, on the steamboat next to the pigs
  • -Roadrunner: HDYD?, watching Brer Rabbit on the handcart
  • -Snake: N/A
  • -Owl: Second Mill, the first AA that you see on Splash
  • -Turtle: HDYD?, now Brer Turtle, singing with Brer Rabbit
  • -2 Prairie Dogs: N/A

Act 3: Gay Nineties

  • -Geese Quartet #3: HDYD?, picnic area
  • -Mother Rabbit: BL, singing to her kids
  • -Rabbit kids: BL
  • -Showgirl Pig: ZADDD, on the steamboat
  • -Weasel #4: LP, popping out around the Birmingham Jail fox
  • -Blossom-Nose Murphy: N/A
  • -Police Dog: N/A
  • -Old Grey Mare: N/A
  • -Bird in a Gilded Cage: LP, sitting on mushrooms
  • -Fox: N/A
  • -Unicycle Stork Pair: LP,
  • -Can-Can Geese Quartet: ZADDD, on the steamboat
  • -Pig Waiter: N/A
  • -Weasel #5: LP, popping out around the Birmingham Jail fox

Act 4: Modern Times

  • -Geese Quartet #4: 3 in LP (singing group), 1 in ZADD (steamboat captain)
  • -College Cats: ZADDD, riding in cart
  • -College Fox: ZADDD, riding in cart
  • -College Wolf: ZADDD, riding in cart
  • -Piano Pig: ZADDD, on the steamboat, now plays organ/calliope
  • -Weasel #6: LP, popping out around the Birmingham Jail fox
  • -Rooster: LP, now plays a spider web guitar/harp
  • -Stork: used in Imagineer studios
  • -Porcupine: ZADDD, entrance to ZADDD, now drums on a turtle
  • -Hound Dog: LP, spinning around in boat*
  • -Alligator: HDYD?, hitchhiking
  • -Hippie Stork: N/A
  • -Hippie Frog: N/A
  • -Biker Storks: N/A
  • It hasn't been confirmed if it's Colonel Houndstoothe or the Hound Dog in the spinning boat in the Laughing Place section.

[edit] Attraction facts

[edit] References

  1. ^ Guide to the Norman "Buddy" Baker Collection. Fales Library and Special Collections. New York University Libraries (2006). Retrieved on June 5, 2006.

[edit] External links


Attractions at Magic Kingdom style parks
Main Street, U.S.A.: The Dapper Dans | Disneyland Railroad | Disney in the Stars | Disney on Parade | Fantasy in the Sky |
Main Street Electrical Parade | Remember... Dreams Come True | Walt Disney World Railroad | Wishes | World Bazaar
Fantasyland: Cinderella Castle | Dumbo Flying Elephants | King Arthur Carrousel | Mad Tea Party | The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | Matterhorn Bobsleds | Mickey's PhilharMagic |
Mr. Toad's Wild Ride | Peter Pan's Flight | Pinocchio's Daring Journey | Skyway | Sleeping Beauty Castle | Snow White's Scary Adventures | "it's a small world"
Tomorrowland: Adventure Thru Inner Space | America Sings | Autopia | Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters | Captain EO | Carousel of Progress | Delta Dreamflight |
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage | Honey, I Shrunk the Audience | If You Had Wings | Innoventions | PeopleMover/Tomorrowland Transit Authority | Magic Journeys |
Rocket Jets/Astro Orbitor | Rocket Rods | Space Mountain | Star Tours | Stitch's Great Escape! | The Timekeeper
Frontierland/Critter Country: Big Thunder Mountain Railroad | Country Bear Jamboree | Pinewood Indians | Splash Mountain | Rivers of America
Adventureland: Indiana Jones Adventure | Jungle Cruise | Raging Spirits | Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room
Liberty Square/New Orleans Square: The Haunted Mansion | Rivers of America | Pirates of the Caribbean
Other: Club 33 | Fantasmic! | Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin
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