Universal Studios Orphans

My cache of vintage Universal Studios slides is getting smaller and smaller by the month (it's the humidity), but I just scanned a bunch. Among those were five orphans. Ordinarily I would have immediately sent those orphans to go work in the nearby woolen mills and coal mines, but first I thought I'd share them with you in one magnificent post.

First up is this August 1977 view of the entrance marquee (aka "sign"). Check out that font! "More curlicues!", an MCA executive shouted. "But boss!", whined the flunky. "The people want curlicues, and that's what we're gonna give them!", the boss said, waving his stinky cigar around flamboyantly. In the background, "Victoria Station", which was brand-new in '77. It was a restaurant, and one site claimed that it was "the social hub of the park, where visitors could bump into stunt performers from Miami Vice after their last show".  Sonny Crockett might've bummed a fry from you.

Next is this scan from January 1976, featuring Bruce, the (dead) shark from Stephen Spielberg's mega-smash hit from the previous summer, "CHOMP". The guests look a little tentative, as if Bruce might still have some life left in him ("I think he blinked!"). I used to like to stand near this tableau dressed as Captain Quint, and I would burp the alphabet. Everybody just assumed that I was part of the show.

OK, I admit that this scan from February 1988 is not that great, but at least that flash flood is not heading directly toward us. As I learned a few years ago, depending on where you are seated in the studio tour tram, you might barely be able to see what's going on (if you can sit near the middle, do it). As I've mentioned before, there is a dead tree that slowly falls over due to the fury of the flood waters, and it's always fun to look back to watch it reset.

Alright, alright, this one isn't so good either, but what do you expect from an orphan? It is from August, 1969, and as you can see, the tram is about to enter a terrifying ice tunnel, aka The Glacier Avalanche. The tunnel would rotate around you, which was truly a dizzying effect that made me cry. It appeared in a Bigfoot episode of "The Six Million Dollar Man", famously. Later it was retooled into "Dante's Peak Volcano", and then "The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb", before being torn down in 2013 for the incredibly lame "Fast and Furious Supercharged" abomination. 

And finally, from October 1977, we see two guests meeting the Phantom of the Opera (whose real name was "Kyle"). In spite of his hideous appearance, Kyle found himself loved and admired at Universal Studios. He eventually married, had three kids, (Phineas, Phoebe, and Phil) and then retired to a spacious home in Simi Valley. A happy ending indeed! 

I hope you have enjoyed these photos from Universal Studios.