Brady Bunch PKI episode question...
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Question is:
In the show Carol and Alice (and I think some of the kids) are shown getting off of a Roulette themed Trabant. The "pop up" that went along with that scene said "This ride was torn down 11 years later beause it wasn't considered exciting enough" (Ironically one of the characters on the show commented how "exciting" it was).
Now the episode was filmed in or around 1974. Add 11 years to that and it would mean that particular Trabant was removed in or around 1985.
Currently at DelGrosso's Amusement park there is a Trabant that is themed to look like a roulette wheel.
Possibly one in the same Trabant?
Also...
In the pop-up's it was stated that "Mike" (Robert Reed) refused to ride the Racer with the rest of the cast, but he possibly saved their lives. He pointed out that a camera mounted on the front of the train to film the "family" riding the coaster did not look like it was safe, so to prove it was safe, they ran an empty train around the course... at which time the camera hit one of the head choppers and flew into the seats of the train.
Other funny things... it was stated that the "family" went to the front of the queues to film them riding the rides... ocassionally little pop ups would appear pointing to them on rides saying things like "cut in front of 100 people" or "Cut in front of a 2 hr line".
While it's possible the trabant is one and the same, I do know that a roulette wheel/casino was a popular theme for trabants.
Another question is if the ride was so unexciting then what replaced the ride?
1. The Brady episode was filmed in 1973, the park's second season of operation.
2. The "Wheel of Fortune" Trabant shown in that episode is indeed the one currently located at Delgrossos in PA.
The ride was re-located from Cincinnati's Coney Island to KI when the park opened. It was re-themed to a roulette wheel when installed at KI to fit the Rivertown theme.
Ironically enough.... gambling, to this day in Cincinnati, is illegal. So it was an ironic joke that the area of the park themed to Cincy's early river days would have any reference to gambling.
KI removed the ride following 1985, and it was sold to Fantasy Farm, a park in Middletown Ohio. The ride was located there until the park closed a few years later. The rides were auctioned off, and "Wheel of Fortune" was purchased at auction by Delgrosso's (Then Bland's.)
"Wheel of Fortune" was located just adjacent to the former King's Mill Log Flume. It was removed not only because it was not "exciting enough" as the show mentioned, but also for maintenance and expansion purposes.
3. Actually the Pop-Up reference is off. The ride was removed 12 years later, not 11. In 1986, KI expanded Coney Mall and removed/relocated several rides. It's confusing.... but this is how it all panned out....
- The Flying Eagles were re-located to the back of of Coney Mall.
- The original Cuddle Up and Dodgem's were removed.
- The Round Up "Halley's Comet" was removed and scrapped.
- The Dodgem's expanded and took the Eagle's former spot.
- The Tumble Bug was removed and replaced with the Skylab Giant Huss Enterprise.
- The The Flying Carpet Giant Slide was removed and re-located, it was replaced with the Zephyr (swings.)
- In Rivertown, the Wheel of Fortune was removed and in it's place, the Giant Slide.... now chopped down, was installed as "Scrappy's Slide" facing the Hannah Barbera section of the park.
4. Robert Reed indeed never rode any of the rides at KI. He was, by his own account, a wimp about rides.
5. There are inaccuracies about the camera striking a "beam" or low clearance area on the test run. There are no head-choppers or low clearance areas on the Racer... the camera did come off, however, but it fell due to jarring.
As confirmation of this, I have a picture that was taken of the filming. The train is in the station and the camera is mounted in front of them. The camera sits no higher than if one were to extend their arms upward. So, although the loss of a camera did happen, (which could have been a horrific accident if it involved the actors)the truth is, the story has been embellished over time.
6. The most unique aspects of the episode, aside from seeing all the older rides and the park as it originally opened... was the fact that it was all a huge publicity stunt. The park funded half the cost of producing the episode, and promoted the heck out of it in Cincinnati. As a result, whords of people showed up and interferred with filming. The actors, who demanded preferential treatment, got it... thus angering paying guests.
If you watch the episode again, you can tell which scenes were filmed early in the week, and those filmed later in the week. How? Well, by the end of the week the crowds were so heavy that they had to create barracades in the park to hold them back. Scenes filmed early in the week have quite a few less people in the background. Those filmed later have obvious "gawkers" standing in huge clumps behind roped off midways.
Also, what area of the park is never shown? Hannah Barbera.
Shaggy
*** Edited 9/27/2004 3:44:35 PM UTC by Shaggy***
Shaggy
Most I have seen were just standard unthemed Trabants. The only two that I have personally seen with a theme were at DelGrosso's (Roulette Wheel) and Great Adventure in 1978 (the skirt of a dancing senorita... at least I think that was a Trabant. 1978 was quite a few years ago).
Near the end of the episode, after several pop-up's talking about how the 'Brady's' were going to front of lines, etc, one funy pop-up said something like "after a few days of filming, the 'Brady's' felt like the other guests 'hated their guts'," and an arrow pointed to a little kid looking very upset because he was stuck behind "Marcia" and "Jan" as they stopped while exiting a ride to exchange a few lines of dialogue.
-CP had a Trabant themed to a Bavarian Wench... I think it was called Schwabinchen or such.
-BGT had a Trabant themed to a Sombrero.
-I think SFOT has a Trabant themed to a Sombrero too.
-BGW had a Bavarian Themed one.
-Doesn't SFNE have one indoors themed to the Joker?
By the way, the ride where Marcia and Jan were exiting in that scene was the now-defunct Tumble Bug. A Harry Traver original from the old Cincy Coney Island.
My favorite part of the pop-up "Cincinnati Kid's " Brady episode is the reference to the creepy stalker glaring at Marcia and Jan. After they exit the shop where Jan buys the Yogi poster, a pop up says something like:
"Marcia and Jan became uncomfortable because fans kept approaching them. Espcially the male ones."
It then points out a really creepy guy nearby in the background. He is obviously leering at them. LOL.
Shaggy
*** Edited 9/27/2004 3:35:46 PM UTC by Shaggy***
Shaggy
The current "Trabant" is now known as the Wipeout, it seats more people and is more intense. SFNE has a themed one indoors called "Joker".
Wipeouts are indeed built by Chance. They are now gear-driven as opposed to the older Tire-driven Trabants and Casinos.
The Schwabinchin however, though it features the same ride movement, is not a Chance Trabant. The ride is made by Mack. There are several other designs which produce the same ride by Mack.
Shaggy said:
Let's see...-CP had a Trabant themed to a Bavarian Wench... I think it was called Schwabinchen or such.
-BGT had a Trabant themed to a Sombrero.
-I think SFOT has a Trabant themed to a Sombrero too.
-BGW had a Bavarian Themed one.
Carowinds had a Trabant themed to, and named Wagon Wheel.
http://members.aol.com/k9660r/wagonwheel.html
The theming was removed after they relocated it to another area of the park, but it was still called Wagon Wheel.
Does PKI have any 70s era split-level buildings in the park?
I viewed the episode a long time ago, but I somehow remember it very well. It was super fun trying to figure out where in the park they were filming. I noticed that while they were running through the park, they would seem to seem to "beam" from one side of the park to another.
"Hang a left. He's right there-What? How did you get all the way over there?"
Coney just got another trabant a couple years ago.
Chuck, who contends Coney as being one of the worlds oldest continuously operating parks despite only having the pool open a couple years. At least they didn't open one day only to keep a record going.
"But did it ever mention what Mike Brady was supposed to be designing for the park? I think in the beginning he just says he's doing "plans."
The only reference made to the plans (actually they are called "sketches" in the show)is when Mike tells the family that they are going to Ohio and when addressing the execs in the conference room. He only says that they are plans for "a new area of the park."
Ironically, the very next season, the Wild Animal Habitat area of the park opened. This was, coincidence, and not at all meant to be tied into the park/show whatsoever. It was already under construction, however, when the episode was being filmed.
"Coney Mall/Coney Island is going to look different with the old fashion cars gone and the flyers moved or gone. It will be hard for people that go next year for the frist time to tell where the Brady show was taped. "
Yes, it will look different, but probably not as much as you would think. From what I understand, as many trees as possible are being slavaged in the Antiques area and the floral clock will likely remain. I am very happy to hear that.
From what I understand, the entrance plaza for IJ:ST will reside off of the serpentine path (wiggly path from Rivertown to Coney/Vortex. If this is indeed true, it will be interesting to see if the Flyers remain in place. The former Flight Commander area is perfect for them, however there is a really scary rumor going around that another Paramount Park has made a bid for the ride. YIKES! It is just a rumor right now.
"I viewed the episode a long time ago, but I somehow remember it very well. It was super fun trying to figure out where in the park they were filming. I noticed that while they were running through the park, they would seem to seem to "beam" from one side of the park to another."
The episode is very fun to watch, and much more interesting than the Partidge Family episode. You have to remember that KI was only about half of it's current size back then. And although definitely a huge park in that day and time, when the episode was filmed, it was shot with the family doubling up and running in the same areas. This not only made the relay to get the plans back more "exciting" and lengthy, but to the novice viewer, it made the park seem about 5 times it's actual size.
"That whole chase around the park was so messed up. Also if you look very hard when they ride The Racers the coaster changes to the other track its hard to tell what side they ended up on with the camera angle I have to look at it again on my tape."
I believe the actual "race" goes as follows....
- Marcia and Jan find the sketches in the Canoe Attraction.
- They run back past the antique cars and pass them off to Alice in front of the Kings Mill Log Flume.
-Alice then runs past the Antique cars and passes them off to Bobby and Cincy on Coney Mall.
- Bobby and Cindy then run past the Antique cars and pass them off to Greg and Peter who are in Coney Mall.
- Greg and Peter then run them back past the Antique car area, through Rivertown, then down International Street where they pass them off to Carol.
- Carol then runs them to the Admin office. It is sunny when Greg and Peter pass the plans to Carol... but it is raining when she gives them to Mike and the Execs.
As far as the Racer... you're right. The trained eye will notice that it is a reverse image. When the on-ride footage is shown (with the camera facing the track) the image is backwards with Coney Mall seemingly situated to the North side of the coaster. When the image switches to face the kids riding, the image is correctly showing Coney Mall on the South side of the coaster.
Shaggy
Shaggy
Jeff - Editor - CoasterBuzz.com - My Blog
Shaggy said:
The former Flight Commander area is perfect for (the Flyers), however there is a really scary rumor going around that another Paramount Park has made a bid for the ride. YIKES! It is just a rumor right now.
There *is* a picture of Flying Eagles on the Carowinds season pass mailer (which mentions adding two new family rides plus renovating Animation Station)... I hope they're just getting brand new ones like PKD and PGA. What good would "old Flyers" do for PC that new ones wouldn't do while keeping the classic ride of PKI's history at its own park? :(
+Danny
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