So, I just posted on this in the Bullsh!t thread, but upon another few minutes of research, I answered the question that I posed there.
First, my deleted post:
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From Wikipedia, about the planned Young Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular:
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An elaborate stunt show that was to have been produced in collaboration with George Lucas. This action-packed live extravaganza would have thrust a young Indiana Jones into a series of adventures and misadventures. The hearse outside of The Haunted Mansion was actually purchased for the show, but the show was eventually scrapped and likely morphed into the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!
There's at least some bullsh!t here, as the original stunt spectacular show predates plans for the Young Indy version of the same.
When Disney bought a hearse for a Young Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular Show, but when plans were scrapped for budget costs, the hearse was given an invisible phantom horse and placed outside the Disneyland mansion. It was such a hit, a black one was purchased and sent to Florida.
I can't recall a hearse off-hand in Young Indy, or a similar enough vehicle. Stoo?
At any rate, this is at least a more likely piece of bullsh!t than the one that usually circulates about the hearse in question; some hold that it was used in Brigham Young's funeral.
Anyway ... Moving on to the "Young Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular" now: FYI: The title that this show was actually developed under was "Young Indiana Jones and the Adventure Spectcular." Which is admittedly somewhat awkward. But -- that said -- it still would have been one hell of a show.
To give you a little background on the "Young Indy" stunt show: This attraction was originally proposed for Disneyland back in the late 1980s as part of the "Disney Decade." Which was this ambitious project that called for dozens of new rides & shows to be added to the Disney theme parks around the world during that 10 year span between 1990 & 2000.
Anyway, getting back to "Young Indiana Jones and the Adventure Spectacular" ... This project was actually had two inspirations: The overwhelmingly positive reaction that the "Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular" show recieved when it finally opened at Disney-MGM Studio theme park in August of 1989. Plus moviegoers' enthusiastic response to "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" 's prologue. Which -- FYI -- was released to theaters in May of that same year.
When the guys at Walt Disney Imagineering saw "Last Crusade" [Particularly those scenes toward the beginning of the film, where the young Indiana Jones (played by River Phoenix) is scrambling across the roof of that moving circus train, trying to escape those tomb raiders ]... They suddenly realized that they now had a logical way to bring a huge show like MGM's "Epic Stunt Spectacular" to Disneyland.
You see, for more than a decade, WDI had been looking for a project to place on that huge piece of property out behind Disneyland's "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad." For a time, the Imagineers tried to get Discovery Bay built back there. But -- in the end -- Disney execs didn't believe that this concept (as colorful & creative as it might have been) justified its projected construction cost.
But here now was Indiana Jones. A character that three highly successful films had been built around. More to the point, here was "Last Crusade" 's prologue sequence, which had been set in the American West in 1912. More importantly, that this portion of that Paramount Picture had prominently featured a steam train.
And here was Disneyland with this large piece of empty space inbetween Frontierland & Fantasyland. Which -- not-so-co-incidentally -- a steam train ran right through.
To the Imagineers, it seemed like this project was almost preordained. Which is why plans for the "Young Indiana Jones and the Adventure Spectacular" flew together fairly quickly.
The concept for this proposed Disneyland stunt show went a little something like this: In the area where Big Thunder Ranch and the "Festival of Fools" are currently, a large red-and-white-striped canvas circus tent would be erected. At the start of each performance, up to 5000 Disneyland guests would be allowed to enter the circus' midway area. Where -- after interacting with various streetmosphere performers who helped establish the date & location of the show (I.E. American west, 1912) -- these visitors would then enter the big top.
Once they took their seats in the wooden reviewing stands, these Disneyland guests would probably have noticed something unusual about this performance venue. In that the tracks for the Disneyland Railroad actually ran right through the backmost portion of the stage area. Which meant that the steam engine could actually be used as a set and/or a prop in this production.
And -- to be honest -- that's actually what was supposed to happen in the "Young Indiana Jones and the Adventure Spectacular." At one point in the show, the steam train was supposed to come roaring through the circus tent. And -- just like he did in "The Last Crusade" -- Young Indy was supposed to race across the tops of the rail cars as he tried to elude his pursuers.
By the way, there's one important thing that you need to understand about the "Young Indiana Jones and the Adventure Spectacular." Unlike the MGM stunt show -- which stops and starts at various points, given that the performers are pretending that they're shooting an "Indiana Jones" movie -- the "Young Indiana Jones" was going to be performed just like it was a play. Meaning that its performers were going to remain in character through the entire 30-minute-long performance. With no stops or starts, just continuous action all the way through.
I'll say this much. Based on a version of the "Young Indiana Jones and the Adventure Spectacular" script that I read a few years back, this proposed Disneyland show was going to have one of the oddest endings in show business history. To explain: This stunt show was actually supposed to start off with the older Indiana Jones reminiscing about his boyhood. Then -- for the next 20 minutes or so -- it would have been just Young Indy on stage. Battling with the villains, performing all sorts of outrageous stunts, etc.
But then -- at the very end of Young Indy's adventures -- the older Indiana Jones would come back onstage. Only this time, he's not walking. Indy's riding on horseback.
So old Indy would then ride up next to the younger version of himself. He'd then pull Young Indy up onto the horse behind him. And then -- with the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" march blaring in the background -- these two would ride up onto Disneyland's berm. And -- after their stallion reared up on its back legs -- the two versions of Dr. Jones would wave to the crowd, then disappear behind the berm ... Seemingly riding off into the sunset.
That sounds like a pretty strange way to end a show, don't you think? Well -- believe you me -- the proposed finale was the least of the "Young Indiana Jones and the Adventure Spectacular" 's problems. The folks who were operating Disneyland's railraod didn't like the idea of their trains' operating schedule being disrupted just so a steam engine could be used as a prop. And Disneyland's managers were already carping about the proposed size of the production. In particular the huge number of performers that would have to be on hand on each day in order to properly stage this show.
Then there was that other set of Imagineers who were pushing for Disneyland to get a very different sort of "Indiana Jones" attraction. One that would actually put theme park guests on board troop transports and/or inside mine cars and then send them careening in, around, over and through a forbidden temple.
Given that an "Indiana Jones" ride -- instead of an "Indiana Jones" stunt show -- was more in keeping with Disneyland's already established assortment of rides, shows and attractions, that's what the Imagineers eventually decided to go with. Much to the chagrin of George Lucas. Who -- over the many months that the "Young Indiana Jones and the Adventure Spectacular" had been in development -- had grown quite fond of this younger version of Indy.
How fond? So fond that -- starting in 1991 -- George actually built an entire TV series around this version of Indiana Jones: "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles." Which debuted on ABC back in March of 1992.
Here's a concept image for the attraction:
So, to respond to my initial piece of potential bullsh!t...how much you want to bet the hearse was originally intended to be some kind of circus vehicle?
But that's very intriguing. There are rumors afoot about repurposing Big Thunder Ranch and what is currently the Princess Fair Pavilion areas in the near future. Obviously not as an Indy play, but it shows how long the park has been struggling with what to do with that somewhat underutilized space.
Location: In the Map Room playing with a laser pointer
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Originally Posted by Attila the Professor
Here's a concept image for the attraction:
The thing about this is that I instantly saw that Mutt's infamous vine-swing may have some kind of lineage in this concept. It makes me think that there was a desire to incorporate that element into the Indyverse long before KOTCS.
So, to respond to my initial piece of potential bullsh!t...how much you want to bet the hearse was originally intended to be some kind of circus vehicle?
It would be a little ghoulish for a traditional circus, but not out of place in a freakshow.
I have a stange fascination for hearses, and a quick google just brought up some very intersting examples!
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Posts: 3,967
Quote:
Originally Posted by Indy's brother
The thing about this is that I instantly saw that Mutt's infamous vine-swing may have some kind of lineage in this concept. It makes me think that there was a desire to incorporate that element into the Indyverse long before KOTCS.
They did, but in a much smaller way. When Indy swung on the vine to escape the Hovitos, and splashes in the river.
I guess they didn't get their George of the Jungle juice out of their system yet.
It would be a little ghoulish for a traditional circus, but not out of place in a freakshow.
It didn't occur before, but a hearse might fit into a Masks of Evil theme. The shoe-horning of a haunted castle into Young Indyland, but maybe not a natural choice for a 'stunt stpectacular'.
They did, but in a much smaller way. When Indy swung on the vine to escape the Hovitos, and splashes in the river.
I guess they didn't get their George of the Jungle juice out of their system yet.
And don't forget Treasure of the Peacock's Eye, which features young Indy swinging on a vine.
It didn't occur before, but a hearse might fit into a Masks of Evil theme. The shoe-horning of a haunted castle into Young Indyland, but maybe not a natural choice for a 'stunt stpectacular'.
I figured it would be redressed as a calliope or some other sort of wagon. I'll have to see if I can dig up anything else about it.
I figured it would be redressed as a calliope or some other sort of wagon. I'll have to see if I can dig up anything else about it.
Would have been a shame to wreck a good 'ol wild west hearse. More info would be neat, as, in the words of InexorableTash this whole story is "very intriguing".
In your opinion, what makes you consider it a "bad idea"?
A few things. I'm not going to bother to categorize them, but:
A) The Young Indy material is apparently treated as real, but then old Indy rides in to save him, and they ride off together? Bizarre.
B) It would have done a real number on the railroad; operationally, it makes no sense and would lengthen the ride, along with making it more popular.
C) The train looks nothing like a circus train. It doesn't suit the story they want to tell. And refitting it to look like one would be bad show for the rest of the park.
D) Having guests on a train that appears during a performance is bad show, awkward for those on the train, and possibly would introduce liabilities.
E) It's just not the most compelling idea. The Young Indy sequence in Last Crusade is fun, but it doesn't stand up to the indelible nature of the Chacopoyan temple, streets of Cairo, and Flying Wing fight sequences featured in the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular. It would just be in a circus tent, themed loosely to the late West, and shoehorned in on the edge of a themed land. The idea of a live performance being interrupted by an appearing vehicle that it then incorporates is an interesting one, but, apart from the logistical difficulties, this seems like a poor fit of environment and show. The ride they built in Adventureland makes sense; this is of a piece with the sort of shoehorned-in attractions that have frequently been the stock-and-trade of the Disney theme parks in recent years.
Last edited by Attila the Professor : 12-06-2011 at 01:57 PM.
