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JINGLE BELL, JINGLE BAM! AT DISNEY’S HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! is a holiday show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios that debuted in 2016 and has returned each year since. It’s return for 2019 is confirmed–but not yet the dates.

A fun combination of projections of Disney characters, lasers, pyrotechnics, Christmas songs, and fireworks, I’d rate it as a don’t miss if not for the fact that most nights (except the busy weeks of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years) you can see it or Fantasmic, but not both.

Fantasmic is both a little better and has much more capacity (you need to get close to where BAM is projected, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, to get much value from the projections), so on nights when you can see only one, for most Fantasmic will the better choice. On nights where you could see either—or of you have more than one evening in the Studios–see both.

The show begins with snow…

…that gradually accumulates.

Soon the crew from “Prep and Landing” show up. (If you know nothing about “Prep and Landing,” don’t worry—it matters not. But for more on Prep and Landing, see this.)

They can’t find Santa at his desk, and thus a search for him begins, accompanied by Christmas songs and multiple character vignettes (on all the projection areas, and they go by very quickly, so keep your eyes peeled)…

…and lasers:

The final battle for Santa is with some folk from A Nightmare Before Christmas:

Yet somehow Santa is saved.

Santa saved, the show ends with a pile of fireworks (other fireworks punctuate earlier moments):

Like the Star Wars show, this is more “projections with fireworks” than “fireworks with projections,” so a spot close to the theater (and center or left) really pays off. But—frankly—the projections are so, umm, random, and brief, and scattered, that with the music and fireworks you can enjoy it from Hollywood Boulevard much more than you can the Star Wars show.

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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.

CHARLES RIDGWAY AND THE OPENING OF THE MAGIC KINGDOM

By Jim Korkis

As we celebrate this year the 45th anniversary of Walt Disney World, I am going to occasionally write about some of the early days of this vacation kingdom.

Charlie Ridgway was hired at Disneyland in January 1963 as a publicity man. In 1969 he was offered the job as Publicity Manager for Walt Disney World and re-located to Florida.

He helped launch the opening of Walt Disney World in 1971 and EPCOT Center in 1982 as well as special projects for celebrations such as Donald Duck’s 50th birthday in 1984. He retired in 1994 and was made a Disney Legend in 1999.

Here are some excerpts from an interview I did with him where he talks about that fabled opening day October 1, 1971.

“Well, we had had several ‘test’ groups come through the Magic Kingdom park before Opening Day and the press was starting to grumble because they wanted to see what was going on. They kept pushing me to see the park and I finally told them we would let them in Opening Day before we let in the guests and give them a tour and tell them how we were going to pick the first family, etc.

“I arranged for the news people to meet me at 6 a.m. on Friday, October 1st. We took them on a tour of the park including the utilidors with young people rushing past us to get to their location.

“Anyway, the only resort that had rooms completed was the Polynesian. It had something like 500 rooms and we had maybe 100 that were ready. We decided to have the press office there. The night of September 30th around ten or eleven o’clock, I was exhausted but I went over to see the progress on the room since we were expecting maybe 200 reporters. It was horrible. There were bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. No carpeting on the floor. No wallpaper. No phones.

“I just lost it. I blew up and told the crew that the reporters were coming the next morning and this room wasn’t even close to being finished. The crew boss told me to calm down and everything would be ready in time.

“I was staying at the Hilton Inn South on Sand Lake Road. The Disney Company had leased the place to train cast members that were going to work at the Contemporary and the Polynesian and that’s where they put up the Disney executives. I was going to wake up at 5:00 so that I would have plenty of time to be there before the media got to the Polynesian. I overslept.

“I woke up about ten minutes before 6:00am. I also had to check out that day so I was rushing to get dressed and pack. As I rushed through the lobby I literally threw my room keys 60 feet to the desk and gave them a piece of my mind for not waking me up on time. I didn’t properly check out and they still send me a bill to this day.

“So, I got to the press room and there were these beautiful chandeliers hanging down, and wall paper was up and carpet on the floor and all these tables and chairs and phones ringing off the hook. It was unbelievable. Newsmen were there drinking coffee and eating pastries and waiting for me to brief them. They had no clue what a disaster this area was just hours before.

“More than 600 other invited press came in groups of 100 on opening trips during the first three weeks of the Magic Kingdom opening. Planned luaus on the beach were rained out regularly but we pigged out in the Polynesian lobby and that was almost as much fun. We showed them everything and sent them home tired, happy and loaded with press kits.”

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Thanks, Jim! And come back next Friday for 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 Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: NOVEMBER 19 TO NOVEMBER 27, 2016

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more on November 2016 at Disney World, this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/19-11/27/2016

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 9a-11p 11/19 and 11/20, 8a-12MN 11/21 through 11/26, and 9a-7p 11/27

Epcot will be open from 9a-9p 11/19 through 11/24, and 9a-9.30p 11/25 through 11/27

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-7p 11/19, 9a-10p 11/20 through 11/23, 9a-9p 11/24, 9a-11p 11/25 and 11/26, and 9a-7p 11/27

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-7p 11/12, 9a-7.30p 11/20 through 11/26, and 9a-7p 11/27

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/19-11/27/2016

Saturday 11/19 Morning:  none Evening: Magic Kingdom

Sunday 11/20 Morning:  Hollywood Studios  Evening: none

Monday 11/21 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Tuesday 11/22 Morning: none Evening:  Epcot

Wednesday 11/23 Morning: none  Evening:  Magic Kingdom

Thursday 11/24 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 11/25 Morning:  Magic Kingdom Evening: Hollywood Studios

Saturday 11/26 Morning: Animal Kingdom Evening: none

Sunday 11/27  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/19-11/27/2016

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 3p every day

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/19-11/27/2016

Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 10p 11/19 through 11/26

IllumiNations at Epcot: 9p 11/19 through 11/24; 9.30p 11/25 through 11/27

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 7p 11/19; 7 and 9.30p 11/20 through 11/26; 7p 11/27

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:  Replaced for the holidays with:

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:  6.45p 11/19; 9p 11/20 through 11/26; 6.45p 11/27

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/19-11/27/2016

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

Follow yourfirstvisit.net on Facebook or Google+ or Twitter or Pinterest!!

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.

SEASHORE SWEETS (AND FLYING FISH CAFE)

By Jim Korkis

To accommodate the new AbracadaBar on the BoardWalk, an old fashioned ice cream and candy shop called Seashore Sweets was closed February 1, 2016. The shop was especially known for offering hand-scooped ice cream.

The framed newspaper on the wall in the AbracadaBar has a small article in the lower right hand corner that does not talk about magicians but about the Sweet Sisters. This is just another clever touch by Imagineers to reference what was in the location previously. Here is that full back story that the article is alluding to in its coverage.

Seashore Sweets had a main story related to the Miss America Pageant that was celebrated throughout in this location and a smaller tangent story about a well-known candy associated with Atlantic City.

Atlantic City is where saltwater taffy was created in 1883 when a clever businessman named David Bradley sold some taffy that had a hint of salt water when his shop was flooded by ocean water.

A hint of salt water is not an ingredient in salt water taffy today. Of course, salt water taffy could be purchased in the shop, usually with Goofy’s face on the bag.

The main storyline was that two sisters, known as the “Sweet Sisters”, who competed in the early Miss America pageant decided to stay in the area and opened the shop. Their picture is on the outside sign and the motto of the store is “Confections served with Affection” (look for the heart shapes in the letter “O” in that sign).

Atlantic City was famous for the Miss America pageant that began in the 1920s and lasted for 85 years on the Boardwalk before relocating to Las Vegas in 2007. It returned to Atlantic City in 2013.

Leanza Cornett, who was Miss America 1993, was the first actress to play a live-action version of Ariel, the title character from The Little Mermaid, at the Voyage of The Little Mermaid show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort in 1991.

There were many authentic artifacts like souvenir programs and tickets inside the store including in a transparent case on the right hand side of the entrance with a trophy, crown, regal cape and scepter used in an actual Miss America pageant.

Up above near the ceiling were framed photos of all the Miss America winners from 1921 through 2007 (when it stopped being held in Atlantic City).

In the earliest days, the women were not just judged in a swimsuit competition (called the Bathers’ Revue) but also as part of the Rolling Chair Parade, referenced in that newspaper article on the wall.

Framed posters and memorabilia could be found in every area of the small shop. A souvenir program from the 1942 pageant would have cost twenty-five cents that year but is worth many times that price today.

The inspiration for the name Flying Fish Café next door most likely came from a classic Coney Island roller coaster called the Flying Turns. One of the ride vehicles on that coaster was called the Flying Fish.

The interior of the restaurant was originally a colorful homage to Coney Island. The back of the booths resembled the curving lifts and drops of a roller coaster. On the back wall was a huge depiction of a back-lit Ferris wheel.

Fish did, in fact, fly overhead in pairs on a version of the famous parachute ride that was a decades-long favorite at Steeplechase Park at Coney Island. In fact one of the first images on the wall mural is of people riding the eight wooden horses on a steel track at Steeplechase.

On the cloud painted ceiling, the stars changed colors every few minutes.

The entire interior, including the addition of an open on-stage kitchen, has been recently redesigned. The new design includes images of flying fish in a chandelier of glass, the kitchen tiles and the upholstery. The restaurant also has references to the classic boardwalk with carnival art, vintage carnival games and more.

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Thanks, Jim! And come back next Friday for 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 Walt Disney World Visit, all published by Theme Park Press.

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DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: NOVEMBER 12 TO NOVEMBER 20, 2016

The material below details next week’s Disney World operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

For more on November 2016 at Disney World, this.

OPERATING HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/12-11/20/2016

The Magic Kingdom will be open from 8a-12MN 11/12, 8a-7p 11/13, 9a-11p 11/14, 9a-7p 11/15, 9a-10p 11/16, 8a–4.30p 11/17, 8a-7p 11/18, and 9a-11p 11/19 and 11/20

Epcot will be open from 9a-10p 11/12 and 11/13, and 9a-9p 11/14 through 11/20

Disney’s Hollywood Studios will be open 9a-8p 11/12, 9a-7p 11/13 through 11/15, 9a-9p 11/16, 9a-7p 11/17 through 11/19, and 9a-10p 11/20

Disney’s Animal Kingdom will be open 9a-7p 11/12 through 11/19, and 9a-7.20p 11/20

EXTRA MAGIC HOURS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/12-11/20/2016

Saturday 11/12 Morning:  Animal Kingdom  Evening: none

Sunday 11/13 Morning:  Hollywood Studios  Evening: none

Monday 11/14 Morning: Magic Kingdom  Evening: none

Tuesday 11/15 Morning: none Evening:  Epcot

Wednesday 11/16 Morning: Animal Kingdom  Evening:  none

Thursday 11/17 Morning: Epcot Evening: none

Friday 11/18 Morning:  Animal Kingdom Evening: Hollywood Studios

Saturday 11/19 Morning: none Evening: Magic Kingdom

Sunday 11/20  Morning: Hollywood Studios Evening: none

PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/12-11/20/2016

The Magic Kingdom: Afternoon Festival of Fantasy Parade: 5p 11/12;  3p 11/13 through 11/20

FIREWORKS AND EVENING SHOWS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/12-11/20/2016

Wishes at the Magic Kingdom: 10p 11/12; 9p 11/14 and 11/16; 10p 11/19 and 11/20

IllumiNations at Epcot: 10p 11/12 and 11/13; 9p 11/14 through 11/20

Fantasmic at Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 7p 11/13 through 11/19; 7 and 9.30p 11/20

Star Wars Show and Fireworks at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:  8p 11/12

Jingle Bell, Jingle BAM! show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:  6.45p 11/14 and 11/15; 9p 11/16; 6.45p 11/17 through 11/19; 9p 11/20

SHOW SCHEDULES FOR WALT DISNEY WORLD 11/12-11/20/2016

See Steve Soares’ site here. Click the park names at its top for show schedules.

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Just a note that I’ll be quiet here for a while, as my Dad–to whom I owe everything–passed away yesterday.

This is him during the Korean War, when he was younger than my sons are today…

…and he’s behind the camera–as he usually was–in this shot of my sister and me at Disneyland. We were with him when he died.

His obituary is here.

I will keep up with the comments as best I can, but may be a little slower than usual. And other than the “Next Week at Disney World” and “Fridays with Jim Korkis” series, I won’t be posting much on the site for a couple of weeks.

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