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[Andymeets1880s]

 Hello all,

Correct me if I am wrong, but when I was at SDC in 1980, I rode the Flooded Mine several times and I seem to recall one spot where there were three convicts either sitting or standing shoulder to shoulder and their faces were faces from a movie. In other words, it was like three male faces were shot on film and then projected onto the blank faces of three convicts.

Does anyone else remember that or am I just loopy?! 

[Junior]

You have a wonderful memory! Yes, a film of the "faces" of convicts was projected onto the face of dummies, and it appeared as if the dummys were "live" singing "you might get out if the mine don't flood!" I sometimes worked at the flooded mine as a convict in the early 80s, and the "citizens" behind those faces were Elmer (Can't remember Elmer's last name) and Wayne Milnes from the street troupe. Due to humid conditions, the projectors broke down a lot. Kerry, our maintenance guy at the diving bell, was responsible for keeping the projectors in working order. My guess is they moved away from those talking dummys because of the frequent break downs and hassles with keeping things up and running. But it's just my guess, I don't really know why that has happened.

[Andymeets1880s]

Uh huh! I thought so! Ok, let's truly test my memory.....weren't they like making faces and rolling their eyes and stuff while singing? Seems that way.

[rubedugans]

When it was in existence, similar faces also appeared in the Flooded Mine ride at SDC Tennessee/ DW.

[Junior]

Andy...you are right...they did make faces and roll their eyes...crossed their eyes, too. Wayne, in particular, was very talented...he later had his own kids show on Saturday mornings on a Springfield, MO TV station. He played all sorts of funny characters.  It does not surprise me Rube, that the same thing was going on in Tennessee. But I didn't know that...I learned something new today!

[rubedugans]

As I said in another thread, Flooded Mine was added in 1977 the year that Herschend Enterprises out of Branson, Mo., bought the park and rechristened it Silver Dollar City, Tenn. It was similar, but had some different rooms with much cooler effects.

You can find a few photos in my Wayback Machine thread, along with a few comments about the ride itself)
http://sdcfans.com/forums/index.php?topic=522.msg14992#msg14992

[Duelist]

I also like the "talking face" in the queue line at the Flooded Mine.  I just wish they'd turn the volume up more so we can hear what he's saying.

[History Buff]

Keeeeep it movin'!

With today's technology, I would think this could be reintroduced fairly inexpensively, and more effectively.  This feature always intrigued me as a kid.

[mhguy77]

I loved the faces and the man in the bottlewith the goldfish as well
Ahhh the falling rocks........................

[Junior]

The technology also was pretty cool for me, too...I do wish they would go back to it or the modern version. It seems the dummys in the mine nowadays look cartoonish and fake.

[mhguy77]

I think the problem is they look lifeless.....
The movies gave the idea that this was a fun strange king of world we were going into fast forward to 2010 its nothing but targets.
The dynamite and strobe , the falling rocks, the faces, man in the bottle, I guess even the sawblade, those are the things that made it memorable.  They are all gone or they no longer work right.
Its a shame.
If you read the Disney boards its what they call Declining by Degrees...

http://miceage.micechat.com/kevinyee/ky040308a.htm

Its worth a glance...
It applies to them and it also applies to SDC. Is it the corprate mentality......?
Not sure but its real and really happening.
Fire in the Hole ( Falling bridge and lack of steam-smoke)  Flooded mine faces, rocks, extras, closing up what was left of the cave in American Plunge.
What do you think?

[Junior]

Yeah, pretty much the same as you do. I think sometimes Georgia "just don't get it." I really wish they would have kept the corporate office at SDC...and wish they would require all honchos in management to spend at least a year working at "the cradle" that SDC is. I know Miss Mary would have believed in doing profitable things to keep the company going all these years, but don't think she would agree with some of the things that have happened over the years.

[betamike]

It's a problem with size and profitability as much as it is a lack of "promoting from within"

The bottom line for all parks in this type of decline is that, yes...rides bring people to the park, but it is the Merch and food locations that really control the strings.  They are the ones that make the profit.  Attractions just eat away at the bottom line.  Sad, but true.

[pintrader]

I do agree that attractions eat away at the bottom line because not much is actually sold there, t-shirt, cup etc.  But in turn if you keep up with and improve on the attractions more people will come and this will increase your merch and food sales + increase park attendance.  This should make $en$e to sdc.