Difference between revisions of "The Country Bear Jamboree"

Revision as of 21:00, 7 January 2012

The Country Bear Jamboree is an attraction located in Fronteirland.

History

The Country Bear Jamboree opened with the park on October 1, 1971. The plans for the attraction date back to 1966 and Walt Disney himself. In 1966, Walt decided that he would need some sort of attraction for his Disney's Mineral King Ski Resort. He tasked Imageneer Marc Davis with creating a show based on Audio Anamatronic Bears. Davis, and fellow Imageneer Al Bertino came up with many ideas including, marching band bears, mariachi bears, and Dixieland bears. Walt Disney was said to have like Marc Davis' drawings of the bears so much that they made him laugh. The Country Bears would be one of the last attractions that Walt had a direct involvement with.

After Walt's death on December 15, 1966, plans for the bear show carried on. It was decided that the bears would perform at the Bear Band Restaurant Show in the resort and that they would sing with a "country twang". While the Country Bears were still being developed. the plans for Disney's Mineral King Ski Resort were scrapped. Imagineer X Atencio and musical director George Bruns were brought in to write songs for the bears.

When the Country Bear Jamboree opened, it was so popular that another one was built for Disneyland. Starting in 1982, the County Bear Jamboree was given a new show during the holiday season called Country Bear Christmas Special. The show would return annual around Christmastime until 2005. Due to the popularity of the Country Bears, a new show was created in 1986 called the Country Bear Vacation Hoedown. The new show featured the bears in their vacation outfits and featured them singing new songs such as Ghost Riders in the Sky and On The Road Again. Due to attendance struggles the the new show only lasted for six years. In 1992 as part of the Magic Kingdom's 20th anniversary celebrations, the Country Bear Jamboree was reverted back to it's original form.

Preshow

Show Plot

The Country Bear Jamboree is a "hoedown" style show that features almost constant singing. The show begins with Buff, Melvin and Max (mostly Buff) Telling Henry that its time to start the show.

Pianjo

In the first song the attraction Henry welcomes guests to the Country Bear Jamboree. He then introduces Gomer on the center stage, who plays piano while Henry sings. Henry wears a grey top hat, starched shirt front, and a string tie. Gomer wears a blue color and tie, and always as a honeycomb on his piano.

Song Lyrics

Henry: Give me a little intro there Gomer. (Gomer begins to play "Pianjo" an instrumental song.)

Henry:Howdy folks. Welcome to the one and only original Country Bear Jamboree, featuring a bit of Americana, our musical heritage of the past. But enough of this chit chat, yick yack, and flim flam. Just refrain from hibernating, and we'll all enjoy the show...because we got a lot to give.

(Gomer plays a piano solo)

Melvin:Hey! He's a regular Liberace.

Buck: And he plays, good too.

Bear Band Serenade

Pianjo leads directly into the Bear Band Serenade which features the 5 Bear Rugs, Henry and Gomer. The Five Bear Rugs consist of:

• Zeek- The lead singer of the bears, grey bear with glasses who wears a tan top hat. He plays the banjo and dishpan

• Zed- A brown bear with a light brown stomach. Zed wears a bandanna around his neck and miner's hat. He plays the fiddle.

• Ted-A tall, brown, skinny bear who plays the corn jug and the washboard.

• Fred-The largest of the bears,is a brown bear and wears blue jeans with suspenders and striped red and white tie.

• Tennessee- Tennessee is a brown bear who plays the One-String Thang, which sounds just like a guitar (but only has one string. Tennessee years a red bandanna around his neck.

• Baby Oscar- The smallest of the bears, Baby Oscar never plays an instrument nor does he speak. He is never without his teddy bear.

In the Bear Band Saranade Henry sings, Gomer plays piano, and the Five Bear Rugs play their respective instruments.

Song Lyrics

Henry:The Bear Band bears will play now In the good ol' key of G. Zeek and Zeb and Ted and Fred And a bear named Tennessee.

Zeek's a-twangin' on the banjo And a-tappin' with his feet. While bangin' on a dishpan With a real ol' country beat.

Zeb's a-sawin' on the fiddle With a crooked hickory bow. When the spirit moves that bruin, He can make that fiddle go.

Brother Ted is on the corn jug. Now, I mean that bear can blow. He also plays the washboard With a handle of a hoe.

And big Fred's playin' mouth harp. He plays it kinda sad. He never took a lesson, He just picked it up from Dad.

And li'l ol' Tennessee Bear Is a-featured on the thang. Sounds just like a guitar, But it's only got one string.

So clap your hands and Stomp your feet and Try to keep right with 'em. One sure thing the Bear Band's go Is real ol' country rhythm.

Yeah, clap your hands and Stomp your feet and Try to keep right with 'em. One sure thing the Bear Band's got Is real ol' country rhythm.

Ah ha!