Is Superstar Television about to get a rebirth?

[Demosthenes]

A friend of mine has a son at WDI. He claims that Superstar is being talked about again, this time using current ABC shows. He has been extremly reliable in the past on certian things, but off the mark on others. Has anyone else heard this?

 

[airlarry!]

This would singlehandedly cause me to write to Scoop and ask him to thank his friends in LBV for catching the spirit.

 

[KNWVIKING]

What is Superstar supposed to be ? Something similar to TGMR ?

 

[donald...really]

Superstar Television was a show at MGM when the park first opened. They chose people from the audience to act in different scenes from famous television shows. They used scenes from Home Improvement, Cheers, Gilligans Island, Bonanza, The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, a sports segment with interviews by Howard Cosell, The Golden Girls, a 1950's era early morning television show sort of like the TODAY show, I Love Lucy, etc... Each person chosen took on one of the roles in the show (for I Love Lucy they used the famous candy making scene where the conveyor belt goes faster and faster and Lucy and Ethel can't keep up). The guest was cast as Ethel, and by using a replica of the set and some blue screen technology, it really looked like she was in the original scene with Lucy. After they showed the filming of all of the scenes, they showed you a typical day in the life of Television by showing you the scenes they just filmed. They started the broadcast back in the 50's with the early morning TODAY like show, went to I Love Lucy, and then continued through the day and the decades finishing with The Tonight Show. It was a lot of fun and I don't know why they got rid of it, unless it was just too expensive to keep up and keep current.

 

[KNWVIKING]

..... I remember it now. As a matter of fact I think I was in it once, riding a bike, but don't remember the show. This was in '95.

 

[donald...really]

If you were riding a bike, then I think you were in the Giligans Island episode. The guest playing Gilligan was riding a stationary bike.

 

[Bstanley]

Wow - that bike really got around.

In '98 I rode the bike and acted out the scene from 101 Dalmations where Roger is being dragged along by Pongo - my boys enjoyed my 'trials' enormously!

 

[Micca]

SSTV was a fun attraction. I would love to see it come back However, when SST was great, Disney didn't own ABC and they availed themselves of clips from other networks

 

[airlarry!]

SSTV fits perfectly in the theme of showing the behind the scenes magic of Hollywood. It had great repeatability, and could be even greater if the shows inside were randamized a bit. It has that dreaded synergy that M. Ei$ner loves, and can be used to promote ABC, Disney Channel etc shows. In fact, I know many people would think I'm exaggerating, but the fact that SSTV does not exist anymore is as much proof that Ei$ner is not as brilliant as people think he is...or that his underlings are either incompetent or just don't care.


Just for memory's sake, for those that can't recall the attraction, another scene had the famous Woody and the Birthday bit from Cheers, where a couple of people trick Woody into giving them free beers on their "birthday." (The guests played the two couples).

 

[barreloflaughs]

Superstar TV was, imo, one of the better attractions at the Studios. The audience participation aspect made each show fun & unique. Some years back my mother was chosen for this one and completely stole the show. One of my best memories at WDW!

As for a revival? Well, if they do revive it in some form I sincerely hope they put more effort into it than went into the current Soundshow. Sounds Dangerous is hands down the worst show on property. We experienced that one for the first time a few weeks back and I was appalled to find such an unimaginative piece of junk on WDW property. WOW....sit in the dark, put on headphones and listen to a sound effects tape. Hell, I don't mind sitting in the dark with headphones but the least that could have done was given me the choice of listening to some Pink Floyd or sumthin!

carl
barrel of laughs

 

[GeekChic]

oh, i loved that attraction! back when my sisters and i were all young and cute (late teens/early 20's LOL) we always got picked to be on the show. I was on David Letterman, I got to slam the door on Sam on Cheers, my sister and her DH got to be be on the golden girls...that was a blast.

Of course, I hope they'd pick good shows...i mean, the current ABC line-up doesn't thrill me much LOL.

I'd love it if they could do all classic shows...unfortunately they couldn't get the rights to Star Trek i'm sure otherwise that would be hilarious! How about Star Wars...ooooo! what about a version of SST that was actually Super Star Movies?! Let people act out scenes from famous movies. Can you imagine...them picking an older, perhaps really thin kind of gentleman and having him stand there shouting "STEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLAAAAAAA!"

ROFL!!! now that has potential!

geek

 

[Hippychickali]

This was my fav attraction at MGM! I could never figure out why they got rid of it. Does anyone know?

Ali

 

[DisneyJules]

I sure hope so! I absolutely LOVED that attraction! It was fun and interactive. I remember wathcing an audience member act out a scene in a soap opera, she was an elderly woman and did a marvelous job

 

[DrTomorrow]

IIRC, it was sponsored by Sony, and they stopped funding it.

I agree, though, that it was a great show. Our young son was picked to be Gilligan and the whole show was a blast. He was also picked to do the Sound Show next door - the one where 4 or 5 people had to be Foley artists and put the effects into a Chevy Chase (or Martin Short?) clip.

These are the kinds of things Disney needs....

 

[DisneyMan1016]

Ohhh.... I looove SST. I was never picked though. I hope they put it where SD is.

 

[Safari Steve]

1: If SSTV does return, it would certainly return to the ABC TV Theatre, where it was presented originally prior to its closing and the successful (but short) run of "Disney's Doug Live!"
2: While the current ABC lineup may not be terribly useful for such an attraction, the shows that have aired on ABC over the years would provide quite a bit of enjoyable material. Disneyland/Wonderful World of Color, Happy Days, Three's Company, Who's the Boss, The Love Boat, Monday Night Football, and the After School Special -to name a few- all aired on ABC and could be fertile soil for a new version of the old crowd-pleaser.

 

[BriarRosie]

It would get my vote of approval.

I was Ethel Mertz in the chocolate factory scene with
Lucy. It was so much fun, but I wish I could have seen
how my reactions meshed with Lucy!

I know that Disney couldn't tape any of this because of legalities, but I wish they could have secured the rights for the guests to see their scene privately backstage on a video they can tape over.

I know that if Disney was able to secure rights to tape the
audience participants, they would have a cash cow on their
hands.

 

[lenshanem]

Good show, liked it. They need to do something with all these vacant unused areas Disney is accumulating.

 

[Boardwalk Garry]

Right before Superstar TV closed for good, I was picked to be in the General Hospital scene. I played opposite an elderly lady who was suppose to be my cheating wife. My scene had me appear at the open apartment door in a trenchcoat while she was on the phone with her boyfriend. They did a closeup on me at the door surprising her and giving my best incredulous look. It was hilarious! I had a blast! Don't tell anyone, but my real wife even snuck a quick picture that we still pull out when we want a laugh!

 

[mitros]

Wow, something else that everyone liked at disney and it's long gone. What a shock! Disney eliminating a popular attraction. LoL