america sings

[marcdijon]

where was the attraction "america sings" ?
when was it closed ?

[js3901]

not sure if America Sings was in WDW. I know it was at Disneyland from 1974 to 1988 and it was in Tomorrowland where Carousel of Progress was (Tomorrowland’s Carousel Theater).

here's a lnk for the info as it pertains to DLR: http://www.yesterland.com/amersings.html

[subsonic]

America Sings was in Tomorroland at DLR. Like JS said, it replaced COP. Most of the characters from America Sings went to Splash Mountain.

[AKLRULZ]

Wow, I have really great memories of this as a small kid - and it reminds me of my paternal grandmother as it was her favorite DLR attraction.

[marcdijon]

sorry for the other post on the WDW topic

so was it a bit like the country bear jamboree ??

[js3901]

sorry for the other post on the WDW topic

so was it a bit like the country bear jamboree ??

something like that, but with songs celebrating American patriotic music.

[horizons1]

It also went through different eras, a la CoP.

[davyjones]

It was my favorite attraction for years! I just thought it was the coolest thing ever. It wasn't particularly Tomorrowland-istic, but it certainly rounded out the Disneyland experience. You can find some video of it on youtube.

[danimal3114u]

I really like how they put the AAs into Splash Mountain. When you see all the singing AAs in Splash for the first time you have a weird combination reaction of "Holy crap, looks at all those happy animals, that's amazing" and "Holy crap, who are all these random animals and where did they come from?". I think it's one of the most effective recycling of old attractions I've seen at Disneyland, and it works wonderfully.

[billville]

Wow...i sooo remember this attraction from the old days!! It was always a for sure stop with my parents in my younger days. I also agree that it was a great job of recycling the AA's. They fit perfectly in splash mountain, which just so happens to be my favorite ride!

[DisneyChris]

Here is what I wrote about America Sings in my book.
Hope this clears uo any mystery behind the former attraction:

After six successful years at Disneyland, the Carousel of Progress was relocated to Walt Disney World. In 1974 an all-new Carousel show premiered at Disneyland, celebrating the up and coming bicentennial year. America Sings was an elaborate four-act presentation honoring the musical heritage of the United States. With its staggering Audio-Animatronic cast of 114 cartoon like animals, America Sings was one of the most technically complicated shows Disney’s Imagineers have ever attempted. Every aspect of the show had to be synchronized perfectly, and the challenge of this undertaking was significantly increased because the entire show would be a musical production. Hundreds of impulse codes were recorded on one-inch magnetic tape, which would control all the movements of the enormous animatronic cast, as well as all the moving set pieces, the lighting cues, the soundtrack, and the rotating auditorium.

As computer technicians ironed out all these logistics, artist Marc Davis and writer Al Bertino worked their way through two hundred years of American popular songs to narrow down the musical program into a twenty-four minute show. Together they listened to thousands of historic recordings and had a live pianist perform for them as they searched for inspiration. The eventual choices they made were not solely based on the historical significance or popularity of a song, but they also looked for the theatrical possibilities the material could provide within the context of the show. The mood they wanted to create was built around humor, so when listening to the music, the goal became to pick out songs that inspired a visual gag, or brought to mind a specific type of cartoon personality. After much deliberation, a final thirty-nine songs were chosen. These choices represented what Davis and Berino had identified as four major cultural and geographical styles of American song, spanning two centuries. Davis populated this four act production with an all singing, all dancing menagerie of assorted animal characters inspired by the musical selections that he and Bertino had made.

Act One of America Sings had audiences going south. Here harmonious geese raised their mint julep glasses to the song Li’l Liza Jane, Colonel Houndstooth relaxed on the front porch of his Old Kentucky Home, a plaintive possum wished she were A Single Girl Again, and gospel singing chickens and foxes held a revival meeting Down by the Riverside, to the accompaniment of a croaking chorus of bullfrogs. In Act Two the audience headed out west during the great era of westward expansion. Saddlesore Swanson, a weather-beaten turkey in a ten-gallon hat, sang of his exploits along the Old Chisholm Trail, a pair of menacing buzzards told the legendary story of Billy the Bad Guy, (the shows only completely original song) and Tex Ranger the canine cowboy closed the scene with a wistful sunset rendition of Home on the Range. In Act Three, all the charm and elegance of the g** Nineties played out against the potted palms and marble balustrades of the Gilded Age. Here a forlorn mother rabbit wondered Where is My Wondering Boy Tonight, blossom nosed Murphy sang his less than sober rendition of Sweet Adeline, a seductive pig songstress belted out an after-hours rendition of Bill Bailey Won’t You Please Come Home, and a poor little rich Bird in a Gilded Cage finished the act with the bold and brassy showstopping number…Ta Ra Ra Boom De Ay. Act Four landed audiences right in the mitts of modern times, where the gentle Boo Hoo of collegiate kitties, and a hep hog’s swingtime rhythm Beat Them Daddy Eight to the Bar. This gave way to the electric rockin’ and rollin’ sounds of See You Later Alligator, and You Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog, followed by an eye-popping kaleidoscope of color as the entire cast returned for an uplifting grand finale performance of Three Dog Night’s Joy to the World.

Disney composer Buddy Baker, who had also scored the original carousel show, attacked this massive musical mélange with his trademark versatility, and flair for fun. For the show’s wall-to-wall stereophonic soundtrack, barbershop ballads, Negro spirituals, showtunes, folk songs, and novelty rock numbers, all received equal care and authentic instrumentation. Tying the entire production together was the quintessential American song, Yankee Doodle, with special new lyrics written by Al Bertino to introduce each segment of the show.

Sam, an American bald eagle, would serve as the genial host of the show, guiding the audience along a two hundred year journey. To voice this all-important role, Imagineers chose America’s premier balladeer, and Disney favorite, Burl Ives. Sam Edwards portrayed Mr. Owl, Sam’s lovable co-host and partner in time travel. They were joined by a ridiculous weasel that would jump out at random points of the show shouting, “Pop goes the weasel!â€