A Friday Visit with Jim Korkis: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
By Dave Shute
Welcome back to Fridays with Jim Korkis! Jim, the dean of Disney historians and author of Jim’s Gems in The easy Guide, writes about Walt Disney World history every Friday on yourfirstvisit.net.
THE TWILIGHT ZONE TOWER OF TERROR
By Jim Korkis
“One stormy night long ago, five people stepped through the door of an elevator and into a nightmare. That door is opening once again, and this time, it’s opening for you.” — Narration from The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
It was Halloween night, October 31, 1939, when a freakish thunder and lightning storm descended on the Hollywood Hills while the elite of the film community found sanctuary in the prestigious and popular Hollywood Tower Hotel’s elegant lobby. Outside the hotel is a plaque indicating that the hotel was built in 1917.
Among those checking in that night were young singer Carolyn Crosson and her boyfriend Gilbert London as well as a child actress Sally Shine in blond curls and frilly dress (reminiscent of actress Shirley Temple) with her stern governess Emeline Partridge. Sally clutches a Mickey Mouse doll. Over-worked bellman Dewey Todd assisted them into the elevator.
They stepped in, the doors closed, and seconds later the elevator, its passengers, and several sections of the upper stories of the hotel vanished when lightning struck the building, leaving a burnt scar and a gaping hole on the outside.
The hotel is frozen in a limbo of time and space, and while the exterior has fallen into disrepair over the years with overgrown vegetation, the interior remains frighteningly like it was that fateful 1939 Halloween night.
The directory in the lobby is an anagram that spells “evil Tower UR doomed”.
The mahjongg game in the lobby was set up by professional players.
What makes it spooky is that if the players had left the table, they would have pushed their chairs away from the table to get up. Their chairs are in the position as if people were sitting there playing the game… and then just disappeared.
On the wall in the lobby by the concierge’s desk is a “13 Diamond” award. (In actuality the award would only go up to five. Thirteen is an unlucky number.)
That video depicting that horrific evening was directed by Joe Dante, who also directed a segment of the 1983 movie version of The Twilight Zone. The set that they used to film those scenes for the attraction was built in Hollywood for the shooting and then dismantled and reassembled in the lobby of the actual attraction in Florida so it would look exactly as it was in the video.
Imagineers screened each of the 156 episodes of The Twilight Zone television series at least twice. The attraction is littered with references from the show.
Performer Mark Silverman was selected from hundreds of others to provide the voice of Rod Serling by Serling’s widow who made the final selection after listening to him on audio tape.
The design of the building was inspired by the Mission Inn in Riverside, the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles and especially the exterior façade of the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Hollywood built in 1927.
The attraction is only 199 feet tall because Federal regulations would have required a flashing red beacon to warn aircraft if it were 200 or more feet tall. It is composed of 1,500 tons of steel, 145,800 cubic feet of concrete, and 27,000 individual roof tiles.
It officially opened July 22, 1994 and quickly became the most popular attraction at the park, later superseded by Toy Story Midway Mania.
“A warm welcome back to those of you who made it, and a friendly word of warning, something you won’t find in any guide book. The next time you check into a deserted hotel on the dark side of Hollywood, make sure you know just what kind of vacancy you’re filling. Or you may find yourself a permanent resident… of the Twilight Zone.”
* * * * *
Thanks, Jim. I’m gonna check with co-author Josh about adding “The next time you check into a deserted hotel on the dark side of Hollywood, make sure you know just what kind of vacancy you’re filling” to the “Where to Stay” section of our guide book!
Come back next Friday for even more from Jim Korkis!
In the meantime, check out his books, including Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Things You Never You Never Knew
, which reprints much material first written for this site, and The Vault of Walt: Volume 4, and his contributions to The easy Guide to Your First Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.
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