Today, the Walt Disney World® Resort celebrates the 40th Anniversary of one of the country’s longest-running dinner shows, the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue! Starting its permanent run on Sep. 5, 1974, the show has performed inside Pioneer Hall more than 37,000 times to over 10.5 million guests!
If you’ve never seen the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, the easiest way to describe it is corny jokes, finger-lickin’ food, and lots of fun! During the 90 minute show, heaping helpings of old-fashioned family entertainment is served by the show’s six energetic characters: Six Bits Slocum, Dolly Drew, Jim Handy, Flora Long, Johnny Ringo, and Claire de Lune.
In honor of the 40th Anniversary of Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, here are some fun facts about the show that you may not know:
Although the Anniversary of Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is celebrated on Sep. 5, the show actually launched on Jun. 30 with a summer cast from Disney World Fine Arts College Workshop program. Due to popularity, auditions for a full time cast were held and the rest is history!- Marilyn Kay Magness, who played the part of Dolly Drew in the original cast from the college program, still works for Disney as an Executive Creative Director for Disney Parks Creative Entertainment.
- The home for Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue, Pioneer Hall, was constructed using 1,283 hand-fitted pine logs from Montana and 70 tons of stones from North Carolina.
- Early drafts of the script had the show titled “We’re With You, Mother McCree” and “Whoop-Dee-Doo Revue”
- Over the past 40 years, the show has received some small revisions to song and dance numbers. One of those changes came in 1979 when the song “Apple Pie Hoedown” was replaced with “Strawberry Short Cake Walk.”
- Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue also played at Tokyo Disneyland® from 1983 to 1995.
- The food at Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue plays a starring role, too.
- Over 900 pounds of fried chicken is served each evening! Chefs spend about 6 hours each day breading the chicken
- At 11am, 400 pounds of pork ribs are put on an outdoor smoker to be slow cooked
- 120 pounds of corn, 400 pounds of potatoes, and 30 gallons of baked beans are prepared as sides
- 15 gallons of strawberries and 12 gallons of whipped cream are used to make that incredible Strawberry Shortcake served as dessert
- Beer, wine, sangria and soft drinks are all part of the menu and included in your cost
The Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue is a show you won’t want to miss. It currently plays three times nightly (4p, 6:15p, and 8:30p) with different seating options available. Pricing starts at $56.99 (ages 10+) and $29.99 (ages 3-9) and that includes all taxes and gratuity. For additional information on this high-spirited hootenanny, please contact your Magic Maker®!
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