Hollywood Nights was a nighttime celebration of Universal Studios Hollywoods 30th Anniversary. It ran for three months between June and September of 1994. This was the theme music produced to play in the park to advertise the event as well as for the parade.\r
\r
Three new shows were produced: \r
\r
Cinemystique: Illusions of the Night was a spectacular magic show performed by the Pendragons in the Castle Theatre, after the Conan live show closed. The show was winner of the “Best Magic Show of the Year” awarded by the Magic Castle.\r
\r
Cast: Jonathan Pendragon & Charlotte Pendragon\r
Production Design by Scott Heineman\r
Producer: Don Burgess\r
\r
SpectraBlast performances took place in the Miami Vice arena (now WaterWorld). In the early days of CityWalk, management wanted a way to keep visitors in the area after dark. The backlot isnt lit, so the Studio Tour has to stop at dusk. SpectraBlast was a show to rival Disneys Fantasmic! which had just opened, and was part of a package of evening entertainment along with Cinemystique: Illusions of the Night, an elaborate magic show featuring the Pendragons, street performers and a parade.\r
\r
Cast:\r
Effects Jockey (EJ)\r
Doc\r
George\r
Knights\r
\r
About the Show\r
\r
Information from Chairman Barnes, who appeared as Effects Jockey in SpectraBlast.\r
\r
The main part of the set was a large computer with a control desk in front of it. The main character (The Effects Jockey) was based at this control desk. He wore combat boots, khaki cargo pants, a hot-pink jacket with elastic gathers at the waist and black wrist gathers. The costume was finished off by protective gloves, a black baseball cap and blonde wig, and a pair of safety goggles.\r
\r
The story:\r
The Effects Jockey has created a device that will bring the movies to life. On an overhead screen, laser-graphics and movie clips dance around to the themes from popular movies (mostly Universal films!). Suddenly, the barrier between real-life and reel life ruptures conjuring up the Hollywood Knights, eight performers on stilts making them around 8 feet tall. They are all wearing armor made of film reels, lighting equipment and camera components, who enter the arena through the audience gangways. The overhead images change to those of silver-screen villains while a disembodied voice threatening trans-world domination booms apocalyptic prose over the PA system.\r
\r
Just when things are looking bad, a full-size DeLorean car screams over the audience and lands just off stage. Doc Brown emerges from behind some shrubbery and explains how things might be put right. The Effects Jockey (EJ) moves to one of the consoles, flips a few switches, then starts to play a familiar 5-note melody. This evokes some intergalactic intervention embodied by a giant flying saucer which looms up seemingly from nowhere. The ship hovers overhead shooting lasers and vanquishing the Knights back to their celluloid domain in a shower of pyrotechnics.\r
\r
Secrets:\r
Since the show took place at night, both the DeLorean and UFO took advantage of the night sky. The car was flown on wires. The UFO was an internally-lit inflatable that was dangled from a blacked-out crane arm. Even with all the lasers and pyrotechnics that was probably the most impressive effect because it was the simplest and you could not see the suspension at all.\r
\r
CREDITS:\r
Laser effects by: Laser Fantasy International\r
Aerial stunts by: Entertainment Developers and Air-Robics\r
Co-produced and directed by: Ken McCabe\r
Producer: Don Burgess\r
Music composed, produced, arranged and conducted by: Brad Kelley\r
Production Design by Scott Heineman\r
\r
Flintstones Musical Revue\r
Dates: June 1994 - January 2, 1997\r
\r
This fun musical show was based in the Panasonic Theater after The Star Trek Adventure moved on in 1994. Totally Nickelodeon followed in 1997, closely followed by The Rugrats Magic Adventure. The current occupant is Shrek 4D.\r
\r
The Flintstones was an animated series by Hanna-Barbera Productions that initially ran from 1960 to 1966. It was frequently re-run worldwide, and eventually led to the 1994 live-action movie.\r
\r
Text taken from ( with thanks!\r
\r
© 1994 Universal Studios Hollywood (..)\r
\r
Posted for entertainment and educational purposes only.\r
No copyrights infringed. All works property of the company listed above. Please do not reproduce without their expressed written consent.
