Theme Park in Opening
Does anyone know where the opening was filmed? What theme park was it?
shareI always thought it was kings island near cincy -- but I could be wrong, you know....
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MovieChat Forums > The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (1968) Discussion > Theme Park in Opening
It was filmed at Six Flags Over Texas .
shareand Coney Island Cinciantti.
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The video "Gonna Find a Cave" that the gang was in WAS filmed in the Over Texas location though but the intro is from Cinncinati.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vzBV68Tk5E see the cave video here.
Spiders eat Internet Trolls...
It was filmed at Coney Island, but they did do some Specials at Kings Island.
shareThe scene with the long tall red slide was SF over Texas .... it was attached to the Oil Derrick ...
shareI was close. I told my kid it was Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ.
shareThe concensus here and on Google is King's Island in Ohio, but you can find claimants for Six Flags Over Texas, Coney Island (Cincinnati), Six Flags Magic Mountain (at that time it wouldn't yet have been part of the Six Flags organization) and Knott's Berry Farm, the latter two being in Southern California (which would make more sense than the other suggestions since that's where the show was produced). The problem is that the Splits (or people in similar costumes, if not the actual bodies seen on the show) made appearances at dozens of theme parks, carnivals and fairs between 1968 and 1970. Six Flags tends to repeat layouts and rides from park to park, and the ones seen in the credit sequence are pretty generic (most parks have a big slide, it's not a distinctive feature). Most people are saying Cinncinnati, and I guess I don't have a problem with that, but if we're voting, I'll say Knott's Berry Farm or Magic Mountain. It doesn't make a lot of sense to travel two thirds of the way across the country to shoot material for the credit sequence of a low budget kidvid that consisted mostly of recycled animated material.
[EDIT] Doing a little research online, I find that Magic Mountain opened in 1971, King's Island in 1972, both after the series stopped production. So unless you're claiming that they filmed the opening credit sequence a year or two after the show was no longer airing first run episodes, the sequence was not shot at King's Island. Six Flags Over Texas opened in 1961, Knott's Berry Farm in 1968, Coney Island Cincy at least since the 1950s (it had been an amusement park of sorts since the late 1800s), so any could have been the site used. Again, Knott's would have been a lot closer, but SFOT was the biggest park in the US at the time, so take your pick. Coney Island closed in 1970, but most of its rides were moved to King's Island, which may be why so many people claim it was shot at King's Island.
I'm watching the first episode right now and I've freeze-framed the credits:
"Amusement Park Photography
Coney Island, Cincinnati, Ohio
and
Six Flags Over Texas"
So it looks like everyone was correct.
BTW, I didn't know this but it also says that Danger Island was directed by Richard Donner. Confirmed here:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001149/
It was NOT filmed at Knott's Berry Farm, I can tell you that. I am sure HeavySigh is correct; it was filmed at two locations. The 'Splits never appeared at Magic Mountain in California, but they did appear at Marineland in California, which in the 70s had some sort of agreement with Hanna Barbera...Scooby Doo, Yogi, Huckleberry Hound, and of course, Jabberjaw, all were seen walking the park and in shows and parades.
shareIn the 70's, Hanna-Barbera actually owned the "Marineland of the Pacific" theme park that was located in Palos Verdes, California. I worked at Marineland for several years in the early/mid 1980's and there were still lots of traces of H-B remaining in the park. I have a Marineland postcard from the 70's that shows costumed H-B characters; this is probably where Marineland originated their costume character department, which they still had while I worked there, though by then the "characters" were just generic creations made on-site and had no reference to cartoon or other known characters.
Marineland and Sea World (in San Diego) were always bitter rivals, competing for the southern California aquatic-theme-park-entertainment dollars.
In the late 1980's, after years of bad management, Marineland went bankrupt and was bought by Houghton-Miflin Co (publishers I think) who were the parent company of Sea World.
They then proceeded to cherry-pick all the valuable animals from Marineland and then eventually put the wrecking ball to the place (there is almost no trace left to show that Marineland ever existed now) thus eliminating the competition.
This is what's listed for a Banana Splits video on Amazon.com (unfortunately the video isn't available at the moment):
Filming Locations: Coney Island Amusement Park, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA | Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA | Six Flags Over Texas - 2201 Road to Six Flags Street E., Arlington, Texas, USA
More info: http://70skidstv.tribe.net/thread/1e0eaaa8-35e9-4a59-8e4f-20dc90c6b846#8b2b6e99-3f2a-483f-811b-5634e54ace86
As a kid I remember it being at Six flags over Texas in Arlington
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
- Norman MacFinan
Way back in 1968-69 they appeared at a circus in NY (The guys in the costumes), later that same year they were at a carnival also in NY. I was like 4 and I was thrilled I got to meet them (They were already on TV by that time). They were giving out autographs and membership cards to the Banana Splits fan club.
shareThe above response is correct.
The opening title sequence most people are familiar with (from the syndicated show) is a cut-down version of the Season 2 (1969-1970) opening. That footage was filmed at Coney Island. Coney Island was temporarily shuttered soon afterwards, with many of its rides relocated to Kings Island. "The Banana Splits In Hocus Pocus Park" (a one-shot revival show filmed a few years later) was shot at King's Island.
The Season 1 opening and closing included amusement park footage filmed at Six Flags Over Texas...but that opening title sequence (which is completely different than the Season 2 opening) has not aired in the US since 1969, although it did adorn foreign syndicated versions of the show.
>>>but that opening title sequence (which is completely different than the Season 2 opening) has not aired in the US since 1969, although it did adorn foreign syndicated versions of the show.
the one with the Splits driving a real car on the highway and the other visuals actually matching the opening lyrics.
That's the original season 1 opening, right?
>>>
Most people are saying Cinncinnati, and I guess I don't have a problem with that, but if we're voting, I'll say Knott's Berry Farm or Magic Mountain. It doesn't make a lot of sense to travel two thirds of the way across the country to shoot material for the credit sequence of a low budget kidvid that consisted mostly of recycled animated material
except that the end credits specifically says the title sequences were filmed at Cincinatti, Ohio.
Actually they seem to be misspelled something like Cindinatti, Ohio but it's c learly meant to say Cincinatti,Ohio.
>>>EDIT] Doing a little research online, I find that Magic Mountain opened in >>>1971, King's Island in 1972, both after the series stopped production.
So unless you're claiming that they filmed the opening credit sequence a year or two after the show was no longer airing first run episodes, the sequence was not shot at King's Island. Six Flags Over Texas opened in 1961,
The opening credits everyone is familiar with today might well have been a shot a year or two after the show ceased production. Those are the syndicated opening credits. During the original run, the show had different visuals in the opening credits along with the theme song being longer than it is in the syndicated version.
The syndicated version leaves out part of the lyrics during the opening credits that the original had during the opening credits.
Parts of the beginning and ending of the Banana Splits are both at Six Flags Texas And Coney Island in Cincinnati. As a Cincinnati resident I have seen the lake that Bingo follows the train around and the mirror that the Splits walk past. Unfortunately,flooding from the Ohio River made it hard to run an amusement park at that location. Coney Island closed and Kings Island was opened in Kings Mills,Ohio. Kings Island was not featured on The Banana Splits,but they had a part in a ride featuring Hanna Barbera characters. Sadly this ride is now gone replaced first with a Smurf ride,then a stupid Phantom Theater ride until it is now a Scooby Doo ride. I miss the old Hanna Barbera ride.
shareArrr!!!!!!!!!
The Hanna Barbera original ride was called, "The Enchanted Voyage."
"Shiver me timbers, beeyatch."
I always thought part was filed at Kings Dominion near Richmond Va
shareIn the end credits of each episode it lists the two parks where the intro was filmed. But throughout the series there were segments that were filmed at other parks.
Knott's Berry Farm was the one where the Splits are driving around in old cars with kids and then there are some dancing spanish characters. That was their Fiesta Village which was built in 1969, which would have been during the run of the show.
Ok, here's an all about the Splits to iron out the details:
The opening and closing bits were filmed at Cincinnati's Coney Island (the Splits premiered in 1968, King's Island wasn't even opened until 1972). The reason why the park looks like King's Island is because King's Island replicated much of Coney Island when the park (which closed in 1970 due to ongoing flood problems from the Ohio River), was mover to higher ground. The only time they were at King's Island was in a "Saturday Superstar Movie", 'The Banana Splits in Hocus-Pocus Park'. This also marks the only time they were filmed in animation by H-B.
The outdoor shots were filmed both at Six Flags over Texas and Coney Island..just depends which episode you'll see the which park.
Hanna-Barbera fimed the show& produced, but yeah, the Krofft Brothers designed the costumes. Snorky got re-designed so the guy inside could better hold things..that's why sometimes he looks like an elephant, and others a wooly mammoth.
For reasons unknown, there were only three episodes of Micro Adventure produced.
The Dilly Sisters also had a song, "Good guys don't always wear white" (I think).
And yes, that IS a very young Jan Michael Vincent as Link on Danger Island...anybody else think the skeleton men were creepy?
The songs ..Lovin' End, Wait 'til Tomorrow, the theme song, and Doin' the Banana.
The Splits are available on DVD and on CD!! Go to Ebay and you can get them!
In England, they have plush and beanbag versions of our boys available. Again, check Ebay.
"Alright now, the Banana Splits Club will be ajorned with a simple good bye...Goodbye, Simple!"