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Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: sea world, Most Recent at Top [Help]
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1. Sea World water skiing superheroes...2013?

Artist Michael "mic?" Magtanong created a skillfully executed homage/update to the fondly remembered Sea World water skiing superhero show of the 1970s, which I have been known to mention here.


He kindly gave me permission to re-post it here:



Some clever, understated touches:



  • the cables for Wonder Woman, Mera, and Batman are their own devices/abilities
  • the cables for the rest (and the skis for those who need them) are Green Lantern constructs
  • Superman don't need no cable
  • love the updating: John Stewart replacing Hal Jordan (and/or Robin or Captain Marvel), Hawkgirl and Vixen replacing Supergirl and Batgirl
  • love the gay pride flag (this debuted online the week that DOMA was named unconstitutional)

And coloring the sky blood-red is an interesting choice. Perhaps this show took place during an invasion from Apokolips.

Kudos again, Michael, and thanks again for letting me help share your great work.

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2. Sea World superhero skier Mark Gutleben

One of the water skiers featured in my oral history of the Sea World superheroes show who could not make the reunion in 10/12 was Mark Gutleben. He’s on the West Coast and is not working due to an injury sustained decades ago.

However, I got to see him recently anyway, via this photo he sent for the holidays.



He’s a really nice guy. I hope that there is another reunion before long and that he gets to go. I think it’d be great for both him and his former skimates.

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3. Sea World: The Sequel

On 10/5/12, I went to 1977.

Actually, I went to Florida. But I went because of 1977.

I went to meet people who, in 1977, were water skiers in the groundbreaking superhero show at Sea World in Orlando (and Ohio).



And whom, in 2010 and 2011, I tracked down. After interviewing more than 40 of them, I posted an oral history of what some call the most accomplished water skiing show ever mounted.

During the ski show, most of them were teenagers or in their early twenties. Their recollections were entertaining and often moving, frequently unique (how many people you know got paid to water ski?) yet familiar to anyone who has had a summer job or a summer crush. Many had not stayed in touch with anyone else from the show, and through my series, some found themselves reconnecting. It wasn’t a surprise to me when talk of a reunion surfaced.

Thanks to the initiative and considerable efforts of former superheroine Betsy Maher and those she recruited, a reunion did indeed come into being, just over a year after the final entry in my series went live. The superhero show closed in 1979, making this the 33-year reunion…and making Betsy a superheroine still. As we all know, reunions are a lot of work to organize.

I was honored to be invited but hesitant to go. After all, I wasn’t in the show. I haven’t water skied since the mid-1980s, and when I did then, it wasn’t performance caliber. (In other words, I could barely keep upright.)

But I developed friendships from afar with these people, and some of them encouraged me to get over my hang-ups and show up. 

So I took the plunge.



The two-day affair (of which I was able to be present only the first day) was the second time in two weeks that my blog series had led to a real-world event. (This one, however, was the first that I attended.)

I went down just for the night so I traveled light. That’s a genteel way of saying I didn’t bring a change of shirt or pants. Or an umbrella. Which is foreshadowing to this: it was pouring. S
o much for holding the cocktail kick-off outdoors, the most appropriate setting for such a reunion. My clothes got drenched in the mad dash from the parking lot to the Caribe Royale lobby; luckily, they dried before the party.

But we didn’t need to watch a Florida sunset to make this party glow. And my welcome was Florida warm:



The turnout was stellar; I would say no fewer than 150. I thoroughly enjoyed watching old friends bear hug, laugh heartily, go back in time. Many recognized me and came up to thank me for inspiring the reunion. I said they inspired me, so if anything, they inspired their own reunion.

superheroes reunited

Randy Messer, one of the skiers who had been particularly forthcoming and generous, thoughtfully brought a copy of Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, so I signed a Batman book to Green Lantern (the character I most associate with Randy—and a character also first written by Bill Finger). Other skiers asked if I brought copies to sell (which I never would have done though I was flattered that they asked).

Diane Smith, one of the few skiers I’d met prior to the reunion, brought something way cooler than my book—her original Sea World nametag:

 
Diane Smith, Kerry Lloyd, Betsy Maher

Debbie Blake, Sherry Runion, John Macqueen, Woody Johnson, Wes Stone, Tom Ingram, and Donna Dewerdt Jarvie sweetly apologized to me for not responding or participating in the series. I understood. Some were dealing with personal issues, others thought I was a crackpot. Both legitimate reasons! (And Sherry, you did participate, just under the wire!)

A highlight of the evening was when Tom Weber took to the stage to welcome everyone. He reminisced eloquently and then began a story from the summer. It was hard to hear but I did make out my name. At that point, someone gently shoved me onto the empty dance floor. Tom gestured for me to come on stage, which I did.




While driving and listening to the radio, Tom continued, he caught an NPR story about Batman and a writer named Bill Finger. Tom quickly realized that the guy telling that story was the same guy who had bugged him the year prior to answer a bunch of questions about the Sea World superheroes show.

Tom expressed gratitude on behalf of the group for my inadvertent role in getting the old gang back together. I was, yet again, touched.

I came observing bear hugs and I left receiving them. That’s a successful reunion. See everyone—and more—at the 34th?


 Steve Fontaine, Gay Schwartz, Sharkey Schwartz (no relation)

 Dave Madeline, Sheri McNary, Steve Fontaine, Brad Whitmore

 Mary McMurtrie, Kaci Whittenton, Karen Weber

 Lori, Doby Beusse, Tom Weber

 Randy Messer, Paula Nelson

 Jeff Parnell, Kerry Lloyd, Brad Whitmore, Andy Hansen

Bubby Snow, Dave Madeline with some of Diane Smith's superhero collectibles

And look what I passed heading back to the airport...

 

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4. Meeting my third Sea World skier

Over Super Bowl weekend, I gave three talks in the Miami area (none about football).

One was at the enchanting Books & Books bookstore in Coral Gables. Adding to the specialness of the evening was a surprise attendee: Diane D. Smith, one of the former Sea World water skiing superheroes I interviewed for my big blog feature last summer and the third I've met in person.

Here is me with the first two and here is me with Diane:


Diane and her husband kindly drove more than three hours to be there, knowing we didn't know when our next chance would be. In the interview process, she was one of the most generous and illuminating of the skiers. She told some great stories and has been more than complimentary and gracious about the finished feature.

Thank you again, Diane, for giving of your time and spirit to my project.

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5. Youth Media & Marketing Jobs: Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Gatorade, Sea World

Today we bring you our weekly sampler of cool youth media and marketing gigs. If your company has an open position in the youth media or marketing space, we encourage you to join the Ypulse LinkedIn group, if you haven’t yet, and post there for... Read the rest of this post

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6. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Thank you to all who participated

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Between 12/09 and 7/11, I compiled this series; what started as a few unconnected interviews ended up being an expansive, cohesive feature that, when pasted into Word, fills more pages than I would be sane to reveal.

Along the way, I was fortunate to meet seven of the people I interviewed, most of whom Id been curious about since childhood. As it happens, those seven people represented five of the ten subseries in this series without repeats.

Thank you again to you seven...

with Jody Spence and Reyna Blasko, Sea World skiers
April 2010, Las Vegas

with Bo Rucker, the pimp from Superman: The Movie
May 2010, New York

with Liberty Williams and Michael Bell, the Wonder Twins from Super Friends
July 2011, Los Angeles

with Garrett Craig, Captain Marvel from Legends of the Superheroes
July 2011, Los Angeles


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7. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—the skiers, part 10 of 10

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

Skiers, part 9 of 10.

SWSH = Sea World superheroes

THE MEMORIES

Do you have any film footage of the SWSH show?

Andy Hansen: I might have a few Super 8 (no sound) shots my mom and dad took of my brother Roger and me.
Cindy Barhoff (Clasen): I did, but my husband taped over it (Ohio State/Michigan game). What’s more important?

What other memorabilia, if any, did you save from the SWSH show (posters, programs/souvenir booklets, etc.)?

Linda Knapp (Moffett): I wish I had taken more pictures and that we could have had the technology back then that we have today. I have some photos and a few show programs in boxes in the attic. I also wish I had pictures taken with Sunja and me. She was a very neat animal and it is sometimes hard to convince people that I worked with a water skiing elephant.

Odd that neither Superman and Batman (the most popular characters) nor
Aquaman (the unofficial star of this show) are on the cover of this program.


I managed to find and interview just about everybody listed here.

Randy Messer
: I have the superhero ski show poster and I bet there aren’t too many left.


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8. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—the skiers, part 9 of 10

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

Skiers, part 8 of 10.

SWSH = Sea World superheroes


YOUR LIFE TODAY


What do you do for a living?


Al Kelley: Senior Director, Marine Mammal Operations.

Andy Hansen: Wakeboard Camp [a water ski/wakeboard school he started].
Bill Peterson: Retired.
Bill Schwartz: Property manager/real-estate investor and father.
Bubby Snow: I run Bubby’s Water Shows. Taught water skiing.
Carl Lipsit: I was in the Army for 26 years and retired as a Colonel in 2008. I now work for a firm as a Vice President with responsibilities for the international operations of the company as well as the contracting staff personnel. The company is heavily involved in biometrics, forensics, identity management, and advanced armoring systems (vehicle and personal), and we provide scientists and engineers working on a variety of issues.
Christina Ashley: Real estate broker.
Cindy Barhoff (Clasen): 4th grade teacher.
Dave Madeline: Jeweler. Goldsmith.
Diane Smith: I am a retired teacher and Professor of English who taught all grades from elementary through college-level.
Doby Buesse: UPS driver.
Gary Thompson: Produce and operate ski shows and live action stunt shows.
Greg Galloway: I own my own money management firm.
Jacque Cook (Kuntarich): I had a brain aneurysm May 6, 2009. It was because of water skiing. I had to retire from my job; I was a make-up and hair artist [for everyone] from the president (I had secret service clearance at the White House) to hip hop artists. I was Johnny Cochran’s makeup artist, John Travolta, Gloria Estefan made me my first Mojito. I was always on a plane. I was home only 5-7 days a month. I’ve won a couple Emmys. I worked on the Witness Relocation Program.

There was a women’s reunion after my aneurysm. When John Macqueen heard about the women reunion, he said I’m going to throw a party and say it’s my birthday but it was really just a chance to get together. You [might] think, [they’re] just ski bums, but everyone is very successful and many are multimillionaires.

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9. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—the skiers, part 8 of 10

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

SWSH = Sea World superheroes

AFTER THE SHOW CLOSED

Have you had anything to do with superheroes since?

Al Kelley: I was Robin at a Halloween party and made a point of watching all superhero movies such as the Superman and Batman movies.
Bill Peterson: No, not really. My son was into it as a child—wore a cape it seemed forever. If we forgot his cape at home, his mom had to pin a dish towel or something to his T-shirt or he was not happy. Bill’s wife Barbara] I think he wore a cape until he was about five years old—night and day.
Bill Schwartz: Yes, I have a collection of about 2,000 comics. I collected and drew comics as a kid. I do not collect anymore but I still have my collection. I have seen just about every superhero movie made, especially Marvel [ones]. I am a big comic fan.
Nancy Radant Combes: Nope, just in my dreams.
Randy Messer: The company I’m currently with Digitec promotes itself as creative and we did a staff shoot where we all dressed as superheroes/villains.
Shirley Duke: My son collected comic books, especially Superman and Spider-Man. For my daughter’s first Halloween, I sewed her a Wonder Woman costume. She won 1st place in her age group at Disney World.

How long did you keep the show on your résumé? What other jobs, if any, did the SWSH help you get?

Al Kelley: It landed my current job as an animal trainer. I worked 25 years as a full-time animal trainer and when they closed the Ohio park for good I ended up at Dolphin Cay, Atlantis, in Nassau, the Bahamas.
Betsy Maher (Hawkins): I did some artwork while skiing for the marketing department. [Around 1986] I interviewed with Sea World marketing the day the graphic artist [on staff] left to have her first child. Good timing.
Bill Schwartz: It’s still on my résumé.
Gary Thompson: It is still on my résumé along with all the shows I have ever done.
Jeff Parnell:

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10. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—the skiers, part 7 of 10

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

SWSH = Sea World superheroes


THE RELATIONSHIPS


How much time did your group of SWSH show skiers spend together both professionally and socially?


Al Kelley: During the summers in Ohio we all worked 6 days a week and 12-hour days so we didn’t have much time off. Late dinners and a drink after the 9 p.m. show.
Andy Hansen: We became very good friends. Many permanent relationships were established. I ended up meeting my wife in the ski show at Sea World.
Bill Peterson: I was married and had a young baby so I did not spend much time except for the show work and a few parties. We did try to help each other out with temporary housing when a new person came in. I practiced some outside the show with Margie Bates since she was a competitive skier, too. I always kept up competitive skiing even while I worked at Sea World. Most show skiers didn’t do both; I think me and Margie and a few others were the exception.
Bill Schwartz: All day and all night. Many of us lived together or in the same areas. We socialized almost every night and had many parties. We all became very tight like one big family. Our friendships were and are very deep and I have the warmest place in my heart for everyone.

Carl Lipsit: On the professional side—quite a bit of time at work and practice. On the person side, quite a bit less. The occasional party. The guys got together to go to a lake (undisclosed location) and drank some beers that someone who wasn’t working that day had to go out and buy.
Christina Ashley: We actually spent quite a bit of time together. In a way we were a big family and most of us were very close. We did stunts that required a lot of teamwork, a lot of practicing. If you did not know what you were doing, it could be very dangerous, plus the girls were literally climbing on the guys in doubles, trio, and pyramid, you had to have a lot of trust in the person below you.

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11. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—the skiers, part 6 of 10

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

Skiers, part 5 of 10.

SWSH = Sea World superheroes


THE AUDIENCE


Did the show involve volunteers or other audience participation?


Al Kelley: Yes, we always put a child into the Batboat for a ride around the lake. [The kids] were picked out of the audience by a member of the operations team. We also brought all the heroes on to the beach at the end of the show to meet the kids.

Andy Hansen: Kids dug [the Batboat segment] big time.
Bill Peterson: My son was 18 months when I started at Sea World so he grew up thinking his father was a superhero. He begged to ride in the Batboat when he saw the other kids doing it, but you had to be three. I think the day he turned three he got to ride. The highlight of his life, at least at three.

Bill Schwartz: Not really. But the villains did walk down the aisles [among] the audience.
Cindy Barhoff (Clasen): Lois was dressed normally and planted there.
Doby Buesse: Most kids loved [the Batboat ride]. Others cried in fear!
Kaci Whittenton (Hedstrum): I recall the warm-up act [had] an out-of-control fliver boat which would prompt audience members to help.
Randy Messer: The Batboat ride turned into a chase sequence. You had to be careful the child didn’t slide off his seat.
Steve Fontaine: We would get permission from a parent to use a pre-selected child to ride in the Batboat.

Did you do more at Sea World than perform in the show, i.e. walk the park/do appearances/meet and greet?

Bubby Snow: Two characters did meet and greet after the show and were required to sign autographs. I did participate in the 1977 Tangerine Bowl as Batman. We did appearances all the time all over Orlando. Sometimes it was people in the park that just dressed up for us. Sea World employees would represent the superheroes by dressing in our costumes for some of the exhibitions as we were paid hourly and thi

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12. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—the skiers, part 5 of 10

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

Skiers, part 4 of 10.

SWSH = Sea World superheroes

THE MISTAKES

What mistakes or accidents happened during a show?

Andy Hansen: LOL, a lot of costume funnies. When a water skier fell, it would be “non-superherolike,” so that would create some humor. Some announcers were better than others at covering errors. Jimmy Olsen was the announcer character. Tom Freeburn was one of the best at it. He was very animated and a good communicator.
Bill Peterson: Pyramid fall, star double falls, jump falls, barefoot falls. Accidents usually were knee injuries, but the most dangerous falls were when the top girl in the pyramid would fall into the ropes. Could possibly result in a serious injury if she were to become tangled in the ski ropes of the other skiers. It did happen, I think only once. But when it did everyone went down like a domino effect. So everything stopped until everyone got untangled and was seen to be okay. Falls in the kite could be fatal. Andy Hansen had an almost fatal fall in a kite once. I was hit in the head a few times by skiers accidentally running over me during a fall. No one was seriously injured when I was there, but the fear made us all extra-cautious.

Note the flag.

Bill Schwartz: If it was an acting error, we just continued. The audience wouldn’t even notice. If one of the star water ski acts would fall, the announcer would ad-lib, explain the difficulty in the act, and the skier/skiers would re-perform the act.

Bubby Snow: Superman’s wig falling off was the most common.
Carl Lipsit: Kite flying was probably the most dangerous (I didn’t fly the kite). It was a relatively small lake and it was difficult to get the kite to the proper altitude. Kite would get locked in a climb position until power was dropped from the boat. Had to be monitored very closely. There were standard hazards such as hitting a ski that was left in the water, someone falling unintentionally to the front of a human pyramid, motor problems that caused slow starts/heavy strain when a pyramid group left the docks, ropes snapping when doing an “around the world,” and, of course, just taking some good tumbles when barefooting or, in particular, in one scene where three people barefooting

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13. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—the skiers, part 4 of 10

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

Skiers, part 3 of 10.

SWSH = Sea World superheroes

THE SHOW


What was the show’s story?


Diane Smith: The story was what you would expect when superheroes and super villains interact. It was the classic good vs. evil scenario. The 45-minute shows were complex, however. So much was happening that one could not watch it all at the same time. There was Jimmy Olsen, the announcer, who described what was taking place on the water as he controlled the action. There were flivers (small boats) and boat drivers waving and circling on the water. “Magic” occurred on the stage with Catwoman and her whip and thugs dressed in black. On the beach, lifts and gymnastic bows were athletically yet delicately completed. There was great excitement on the water as boats approached from all directions and intricate skiing: jumping, doubles, trios, slaloming, shoe skiing, trick skiing, barefoot skiing, and more continued.

In the air, a kite flier soared as Gary Thompson signaled with his feet to the boat driver and then he made a perfect landing in front of the stands. Boats raced at each other with “near misses.” On the diving platform, Tom Kaser climbed higher and higher until he seemed miles up and was finally perched at the top for his high dive into the lake which was flaming with fire. At first, he would not surface and the audience would gasp; then he would appear, smiling and ready to dive again in the next show. Characters would run down the steps in the stands, close enough for the audience to touch them. Some would pretend to be members of the audience and would run onto the set, jump into the water and ski or barefoot. It was genius. In our final stage bow, we signed off as our costumes dictated; only the boat drivers were introduced by their actual names. We even had gorgeous night shows…I remember just about turning purple from the chilling winds in the late December evening shows because we girls did not wear wetsuits, only our regular costumes. To this day, I don’t believe there has ever been another [show] to equal it.

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14. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—the skiers, part 3 of 10

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

Skiers, part 2 of 10.

SWSH = Sea World superheroes


THE COSTUMES


Who made the costumes?


Reyna Blasko: Two designers out of Hollywood. You had to have everything exactly like the comics, body types and all.

Did you keep any of the costumes?

Al Kelley: No, I would have liked to but even the well-worn costumes were not allowed to leave.
Andy Hansen: LOL, nope, they would not allow the costumes to be taken from the park. Although it would not surprise me if a couple snuck out. You will have to let me know what you learn here.
Bill Schwartz: Wish I did but unfortunately no. They kept a good eye on them.
Bubby Snow: I did not keep any costumes, but I wish I had some.
Doby Buesse: No, but that Batman costume was the best.
Jacque Cook (Kuntarich): No. We used to have these guys come from Las Vegas who did the showgirls. We would put on a skimpy bathing suit and they’d measure us everywhere. Property of Sea World.
Jeff Parnell: Nobody wanted those flesh-colored spandex tights.
Linda Knapp (Moffett): No, darn it.
Lori Taylor: No though I should have kept one of those bras.
Margie LaPoint (Bates): I never kept any of the costumes (did anybody ever do that?) and I loved the way I felt when wearing them.
Nancy Radant Combes: No, but I heard someone took a Wonder Woman.


How did you feel dressing like a superhero? <

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15. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—the skiers, part 2 of 10

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

SWSH = Sea World superheroes


THE CHARACTERS


Which character(s) did you portray?

Al Kelley: Mostly Robin; also played Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, some super villains (Penguin, Riddler, Mr. Freeze, Captain Cold). [NOTE: I haven’t seen Mr. Freeze in any photos; Al may be confusing him with Captain Cold.]
Bill Peterson: Because I was 5’5” I could not play characters such as Batman, so I would be Robin. Also the Red Flash, Green Lantern, and the Penguin.
Bill Schwartz: Due to my small size, I tended to play Robin quite a bit. It didn’t look good to have a smaller Batman or Superman.
Carl Lipsit: Superman, Perry White, thugs, Batman—probably others but it seems a looooong time ago.
Dave Madeline: I was a boat driver. If a skier got injured, they’d put a driver into a costume until the skier got better. For myself it was a rare occurrence; [at least once] I was a Penguin. You’re more valuable as a driver.
Greg Galloway: All the male parts. If Batman was a big guy, I could play Robin. If Robin was a small guy, I could play Batman.

Jacque Cook (Kuntarich): Supergirl was my first but we all did all of them. I was the littlest so I was always on the top of the pyramid.
Jeff Parnell: Robin, Flash, Green Hornet [he later confirmed he meant Green Lantern], Penguin, Riddler. I was very young and felt silly when I played Superman.
Kerry Lloyd: Everybody but Batman. I’m only five foot four. But I had three Batman costumes for $1,500 apiece. The money they spent on costumes was remarkable. They’re stored somewhere [by Sea World]. I bet they’re in California. Everybody had three of every costume of every character!
Margie LaPoint (Bates): I can’t remember all of the superhero names but I did most all of the acts on a regular basis (except the green costume) [Mera], which was the doubles act, as I was on the big side. I did do that only a few times, but loved it all the same.
Mark Gutleben: I played Aquaman mostly because they had me do the back barefoot all the time. I fell only 11 times out of 250-300 shows. I also played

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16. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—Dan Poor, high diver (Green Arrow)

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

SWSH = Sea World superheroes

How did you get the job with the SWSH show?


I auditioned at the Dade County Youth Fair for Maxwell Associates at one of their high dive tank shows (26’ diameter and 9½’ deep). A good friend of mine was going to defend his title as Acapulco Cliff Diving Champion and he gave me an opportunity to fill in for him at the fair in Miami. The producer of the show, Norma Maxwell, liked how I dove and thought I’d fit in well at Sea World where she had a contract to provide high divers to the ski show. At the time they were at the end of a two year run of doing the superheroes show. I got there in April, just in time to learn the Green Arrow part before we redid the show [to a] new [non-superhero] show called “Almost Anything Goes.”

What was your training/water skiing background before taking the job?

I was a gymnast in high school and on the diving team at Rutgers University.

How long was the training for the SWSH show?

My part was pretty simple so it only took a day. I already knew how to high dive from 80’!

How would you describe the training?

I learned how to be a showman and play to the crowd with large gestures.

How did you feel dressing like a superhero?

Loved it. It was the biggest stadium I’d ever performed in up until that time. The superhero costume allowed me to express my alter ego.

What exactly did you do in the show?

Triple somersault from 80’ into a flaming pool of water.

What, if any, mistakes or accidents happened during a show?

If there was no wind, I’d be in the flames longer and sometimes my eyelashes and eyebrows would get singed.

How much time did your group of SWSH performers spend together both professionally and personally?

Putting our lives on the line every day brought us together. We ate together, huddled together when it got cold, rained, or lightning threatened us. We shared apartments, lifted weights, trained, partied, dated, and generally looked out for each other. Nineteen seventy-nine was my first summer away from home

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17. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—Curt Rector and Ken McCabe, announcers

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

SWSH = Sea World superheroes


[NOTE: I did not interview them at the same time; I combined their answers since they had the same job.]


How did you get the job with the SWSH show?

Curt: I had been performing in local dinner theater and when the audition was announced for the Sea World position I went to the general call. I was called back once I think and then ultimately was told that because I didn’t have a degree in Theater Arts, a prerequisite they’d asked for, I had come in second to another young man, Eric Cornfeld, who had the degree. At the time I thought, “Well, they’re just being nice and blowing a little smoke to make me feel better.” I was woefully ignorant of the entertainment business and didn’t realize how unusual it was for them to have told me such a thing. I continued working at the theater and when not cast in the next show, I went to work in the theater, first as a busboy and then got taken into the kitchen as assistant chef.

A year later Sea World called to say that Eric had developed nodules on his vocal cords and was going to have to leave the show. I re-auditioned and was immediately offered the job. My employer at the theater was kind enough to order me to leave his employ and take the job at Sea World.
Ken: I had announced the ski show at the end of the season the year prior.

How old were you when you started with the SWSH show?

Curt: I was 21 and married with a child on the way.
K
en: Started at 22.

What was your background before taking the job?

Curt: I was raised in a military family. My father retired from the military and took a position as head bodyguard and chief of security for a big company in Orlando, FL. I followed him into the security profession and worked as a security guard, then as a commanding officer in the company I worked for and ultimately as an undercover investigator for the same company. I left that security company after seeing a play and then attending a workshop course offered by the theater—incidentally the same theater that I cooked for later.
Ken
: I was a theater major and a comic collector although the latter wasn’t a prerequisite.


Which characters did you portray?


Curt: I played Jimmy Olsen (host) and the Joker (comedy relief), and on one notable occasion, the Riddler.
Ken
: I alternately played the host, Jimmy Olsen, and the Joker.


Was there one that you preferred? If so, why?

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18. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—Dan Kibbie, co-writer

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

SWSH = Sea World superheroes

How did you get the job with the SWSH show?


John Campbell was the VP in San Diego and I had worked for him at ABC in Chicago, Detroit, and New York. He subsequently retired and went to Sea World and he introduced me to George Millay, the owner of the parks and the founder of the parks. Millay had a black notebook with how to build Sea World. He sold the idea to San Diego. He based it on the idea that 80% of the park would be gardens. Once [a show] was up and running we pretty much left it to Sea World staff to operate on sound principles. They’re very good at that kind of thing.

What was your background before taking the job?

I was in television. I did talk shows for 13 years. Then I did some episodic TV and some specials. I did some of these Sea World things on the side.

Before you wrote the show, how much familiarity did you have with the DC characters?

None, really. Sea World got the rights to whatever it was, DC Comics. There were some caveats—you couldn’t have Superman do things that damaged his reputation as a superhero.

Bugs Batty

How were the characters to be used chosen? Did you have anything to do with that?


I don’t think so. I’m sure they purchased the rights to certain characters that would be good for a water ski show.

Do you remember having to do research about the characters?

I don’t recall it being all that troublesome. We all kind of grew up with those characters so we had a general idea of what they could possibly do in terms of the athletics involved in water skiing.

But there were some in the cast who were fairly obscure, like Mera. I’m sure you got some debriefing.

Maybe so. Or maybe that character was added in Florida. I don’t recall that character. With the water ski show, it started in Ohio and went to the other parks after a couple years, I think.

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19. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—Clark Gault, composer
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By: Marc Tyler, on 8/25/2011
Blog: Noblemania (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Sea World, series: Super '70s and '80s, Add a tag

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

SWSH = Sea World superheroes


What was your role with the SWSH show?

I was the music composer.


How did you get the job?


Back then, Sea World was an independent company based in San Diego and everyone was hired based on word of mouth.


What were you doing before that?


I was not a full-time employee, but hired on a contract basis to do music writing. I did all of the music writing for all three Sea Worlds at that time.


How long did it take you to score the show?


Not sure, but I probably spent 40-50 hours writing, maybe 10-15 researching the music. I had to use libraries and find rerun TV shows to record themes.


What (if any) pieces of existing music were incorporated into the score?


Sea World didn’t want to pay royalties, so all my music was similar to the original themes but legally original.


That's one big Aquaman.

Were you at the show on a regular basis?


All music at that time was put on tapes that were very much like 8-track tapes. They had multiple tracks that could be selected for playback. Similar systems were used in most radio stations of that time. I wrote an intro, looped body, and short ending to all music used in the parks.


Have you stayed in touch with anyone you met or worked with at the SWSH show?


It’s been many years, and I don’t really remember any names.


Has anyone else interviewed you about the SWSH show?


I was contacted by a book author and supplied a few original scores (printed). This is the name I wanted to find, but my correspondence was on a previous email I no longer have because of moving and the book is packed away. [NOTE: I presume this is Age of TV Heroes

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20. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—Chuck Jordan, Supervisor of Entertainment
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By: Marc Tyler, on 8/24/2011
Blog: Noblemania (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Sea World, series: Super '70s and '80s, Add a tag

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

SWSH = Sea World superheroes

What was your role with the SWSH show?


At that time I was Supervisor of Entertainment, Sea World, and supervised live entertainment announcers and actors. Worked with script development, staging and installation, costume operations, etc. Also lighting director for Atlantis Theater.

How did you get the job with the SWSH show?

Visited Orlando when first married and applied for job at Sea World. Interviewed nine times, still not sure why. But was offered the job.

What was your background before taking the job?

Graduate of Florida State University with majors in applied music, dance, theater; worked in summer stock in New York; work in set design and install lighting, etc.

How long were you with the SWSH show or Sea World in general?

Worked for Sea World from 1976 through about 1989 (Supervisor of Entertainment, Sea World; Manager of Entertainment Contract Services and Special Events; Manager of Entertainment Florida Festival; Director of Entertainment Boardwalk and Baseball).

How were the characters to be used chosen? Did you have anything to do with that?

DC Comics played a large role in character selection and integrity of design and character.

How did you find a costume designer?

Costuming was executed by Lloyd Lambert who had extensive experience in LA and Vegas. This was all new at that time, especially the need for durability. Superheroes at that time were spandex city and jumbo spandex, while shiny and durable, has basic weakness in that it was not designed for high-speed extreme sports applications. A simple pair of red high boots for Wonder Woman posed a problem because in the ‘70s there were not red boots, no high gloss paints that would adhere to boots or plastic, etc.

Who wrote the storyline?

Dan Kibble was engaged to do initial script treatments, but again, this was a new process, product, and exercise. The writer provided a treatment but this, as I remember, meant that the script would say something to the effect of “announcer announces the shoe ski act” or “announcer describes the ski jump act.” Not real helpful. A ski jumping act is generally anywhere from five to seven minutes long unless someone falls—then it seems like 45 minutes long—but the announce

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21. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—Bob LaPorta, Corporate Director of Productions
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By: Marc Tyler, on 8/23/2011
Blog: Noblemania (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Sea World, series: Super '70s and '80s, Add a tag

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

Introduction to subseries “Sea World superheroes show” (including list of interviewees).

SWSH = Sea World superheroes


What was your role with the SWSH show?

The original concept for the superheroes show came from me. Before Sea World in Orlando, Florida had a ski stadium, we had one ski show in our park in Aurora, Ohio. We were looking to skew the ski show viewer demographics younger and I found the means to doing that right in my own home. I had two young sons, one was nine and the other eight years old. Every Saturday morning they watched superheroes on television faithfully and of course had many of the DC Comic books. It was right there in front of me.

As Corporate Director of Productions at the time, I had led the company into the realm of “themed” water ski shows with our “Roaring Twenties Water Frolics” in 1973. That was the first themed water ski show in the world (other than a Disney on Skis performance in a temporary stadium at Disney World in Orlando). For the 1975 season in Ohio, I pitched Sea World senior management the concept of theming the water ski show “Salute to the Superheroes.” With their tepid approval I approached and got permission from DC Comics to proceed.

I hired the same writer/directors who had done the “Twenties” ski show to do the same for “Superheroes.” They were Kenny Johnson [later producer of TV shows including The Incredible Hulk] and Dan Kibbie, friends of mine from our days on The Mike Douglas Show. Our San Diego Scenic Designer (George Yochum—also from the Douglas show) would do the set, which would be the first time we did behind the set ski takeoffs and landings. I hired Harry Blackstone, Jr. to produce three magical illusions for us that the superheroes would have sprung on them by the Joker. Lloyd Lambert of Hollywood was contracted to produce the costumes using spandex and under-costume muscles. This proved disastrous later when the elastic in the fabric melted in the dryer. When we moved the show to Florida for the new stadium, we built a special drying room for the costumes and eluded the Ohio problem.

What was the show’s story?

It was centered around Jimmy Olsen (the host on mic) introducing his pals the superheroes to the audience. Then the Joker steals a boat and tries to take over the show. He and his thugs were the only villains. They fought the superheroes [under] “pow” and “biff” balloon bubbl

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22. Super ‘70s and ‘80s: Sea World superheroes water ski show—introduction
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By: Marc Tyler, on 8/22/2011
Blog: Noblemania (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Sea World, series: Super '70s and '80s, Add a tag

Introduction to series “Super ‘70s and ‘80s.”

In 1977, every boy between 5 and 15 wanted to be Han Solo…or a Sea World superhero.

Superhero fans born in the early 1970s remember the comic book ad showing Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Robin…water skiing.

Far fewer, however, actually made it to Ohio or Florida to see the actual show at Sea World, which ran from 1976 to 1979.



When I was inspired to try to track down the skiers and interview them, I thought I’d be looking for the same number of skiers as characters who appeared in the pyramid I’d seen many times: ten.

However, once I began poking around online, I realized there were characters in the show who were not in the pyramid. My count was 23 (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Robin, Flash, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Captain Marvel, Black Canary, Supergirl, Batgirl, Mera, Mary Marvel, Joker, Penguin, Riddler, Catwoman, and Captain Cold, plus Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Perry White, and, oddly, Tarzan).

What’s more, I soon learned that each skier portrayed multiple characters at different times. Combine that with the fact that there were two locations (Ohio and Florida) and multiple seasons and it meant there were far more than 23 skiers to find. For a completist like me, that is not good news. It meant I would be driven to try to find all of them.

I didn’t, but I did find more than 40 and interviewed many of them. Most were in their late teens

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23. Vacation, Day One
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By: Melissa Wiley, on 11/18/2008
Blog: Here in the Bonny Glen (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  Family Adventures, Sea World, California landmarks, Add a tag

Scott is taking his first real vacation since we moved to San Diego. Yes, I’m excited. My awesome parents have flown in from Denver and are entertaining my “twins” while Scott and I take the big girls on some outings of the sort that can be a wee bit difficult to mesh with the needs of little ones.

So yesterday, after two years of oohing wistfully over the proximity (i.e. 20 minutes from home), we went to Sea World.

Of course, if you follow me on Twitter, you already know this.

I’ve put a few photos up at Flickr. Mostly, though, I was too busy waving to my girls as their cars paused at the top of horrifically scary rides and revisiting my adolescent Vicky Austin-wannabe fantasies at the dolphin tanks.

Not to mention sobbing with awe through the Shamu show.

Not sure what’s in store for today. It’s possible I overdid the walking a teeny tiny bit yesterday. Today might have to be even more of a sit-and-wave-at-daughters kind of day for me.

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24. Kids Say The Cutest Things
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By: Sondra Santos LaBrie, on 2/12/2008
Blog: Happy Healthy Hip Parenting (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  childhood, sebastian's roller skates, toddlers, cute, love, emotions, valentine's day, childhood, toddlers, sebastian's roller skates, Add a tag

From an Early Childhood Educator:

Today at circle time we talked about love. I asked the children, "What is love?"
Here are some of their answers.
Love is....

I also asked, "What does love feel like?"
Illustration from
Sebastian's Roller Skates
Written by Joan de Déu Prats
Illustrated by Francesc Rovira

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25. review: Merry Christmas, Cheeps!
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By: web, on 12/17/2007
Blog: Blog from the Windowsill (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
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Merry Christmas, Cheeps! by Julie Stiegmeyer. Illustrated by Carol Baicker-McKee. Bloomsbury, 2007 (9781-599990-064-3) $9.95

I feel a touch ambivalent about this book, not because it's not likable--it is--but because it's come so very far from the world of the first book in the series, Cheep! Cheep! (Review included below.) The family of chicks no longer sleep on a barnyard perch, but have easy chairs, Christmas trees and fireplaces, and their story is not told in a few carefully chosen words but in fairly ordinary rhyme. There is no real connection to the original book, and no longer anything inspired to make this title stand out amongst other likable Christmas books. Still, the almost-touchable collage illustrations, featuring terry-cloth chicks, continue to have strong visual appeal--and you have to love the chicks in knitted caps and scarves, catching snowflakes, shaking jingle bells and making snow angels. (1-3)




Cheep! Cheep! by Julie Stiegemeyer. Illustrated by Carol Baicker-McKee. Bloomsbury, 2006 (1-58234-682-8) $9.95

Three little chicks sleep sleep sleep sleep, while underneath their perch an egg lying on a nest cracks and goes "cheep." "Peep?" says one chick, opening an eye... was that a "cheep?" Time to carefully "creep" off the perch... but "eep!" Not too far! Handcrafted chicks, made of cuddly-looking terrycloth and colorful top feathers, are both expressive and adorable as they act out a funny little story, told with only seven rhyming words. All ends happily with more sleep sleep sleep sleep. Plain, colored backgrounds keep the illustrations easy on the eye with some colorful frames on alternate pages adding a little extra visual appeal. Although made of sturdy paper rather than board, this is an ideal book to share with young child, especially since adults will enjoy reading it too. (1-3)

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