Brain Soda Podcast - Episode 42 -Ninjas Breaking Legs

Episode Date: December 9, 2023

Join us this week where we're discussing the hit 90's movie 3 Ninjas and the wild story of Action Park!

Just come over. Brain soda. It's the Brain Soda Podcast. I, as always, am your host Kyle. Join by my co-host and cohort Brab. How's it going? Today we're going to be talking about action park, but first, Brab? Yes. How do you feel about homelong? You know, it's a good, it is a perfect Christmas movie. Woo, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Just say hello.

Yeah. I met Ninja Turtles. I flew about Ninja Turtles. Ninja Turtles? I think is it. Wait, wait, wait, no, no, wait. Oh, okay. Three ninjas.

Oh, man, three ninjas. Well, let me tell you about three ninjas, what I think about that. Well, I'm gonna tell you about three ninjas, because that's what we're talking about today So hell yes, I don't want to sell this movie short. So short. You know what just a Want I just said for two point five million dollars this movie is made how much do you think it? I mean, you know, I'm hyping this up because this one my favorite child movies would probably like to I'm gonna say

1992 I'm gonna say oh 1992 money 1992 money. I'm gonna say six six mil you think you made six million Maybe is not even that oh, okay, I was gonna say 10 but I thought really okay 50 Under 20 oh What how much is 29 million dollars million. That's actually pretty decent. Pretty admirable. Pretty admirable on a $2.5 million budget. Yeah, that's, I mean, you're both buying your money by 10 times.

That's definitely good. Let me ask you this. Who do you think was behind us like as a studio? It was, uh, man, I know which one it was because I always remember, um, the beginning. And I don which one it was because I always remember, um, the beginning and I don't remember it. There was a moon. It was the moon. It was the one with the moon and like the little like brushed logo kind of

slash coming into it. Yeah. It was a special one because you don't see it very often. Touchstone touchstone. Because it's not around anymore. I'm pretty sure that's a yes. But that's a some city area of Disney and Bendoe vista Really and that's a disability film. It was going to be and then they were like Little too much like this is the salt rifles. Yeah Kids beat up full grown men and it's awesome. It's such an awesome film We're gonna get deeper into it,

but my point is, Disney had their hands on it, and I don't know if this movie was produced independently and then sold to Disney, if Disney had this script, like not originally drafted, but commissioned it or whatever, but regardless, they were like, all right. And they did this a lot of stuff. Like, we didn't talk about it in Kevin Smith, but Miramax was a subsidiary of Disney as well.

Like, there was a lot of things throughout the 90s that Disney secretly had their hands on, including the insane Cloudbossy, legit. Anything not G or PG, they're not gonna put the Disney name on it. Yeah, you're not gonna put that stamp on that. Right, so moving on. 1992, so like the power rangers, I don't know yet, but the Ninja Turtles movie is hit and Home Alone is hit.

And we kind of come into this fun little story of three kids training over each and every summer with their grandpa ages 12, 11, and 6. Really? Really? I didn't think Tum Tum was that young. I'm sorry. I kind of didn't either. Well, I always thought they were closer at age, I guess I'll three of them, but that gets the later two hours.

I didn't think that Rocky and Holt were, but here's an interesting point. And I'm gonna see, I'm gonna give you a quiz since you're such a big fan on this. It's been many years, and we're watching it tonight. Like I know. I have. Yes, please. You and the wife ski, I get it.

Yes, we are. I'm a little jealous, but all right. All right. She's never seen it. These kids are not actually named Rocky Colton Tum-Tum. They're given that with colored ghee and masks and things like that. At the beginning of the movie. Towards the beginning of the movie, yes. Absolutely.

Not like at the beginning. Yeah, because they get in this ninja fight and try to attack grandpa and stunt double who is nothing like him. Don't worry about it. Anyway, it's great. No. Yeah. Don't listen. There's a thing and we call it suspension of disbelief. Exactly. So anyway, can you tell me their real name spread? I don't know the real names.

Sam? Sam's the youngest, right? The oldest. The oldest, okay. Jeff. Jeffrey? Yeah. Jeffrey.

That's Colt. Yes. Yep. And who's Michael then, obviously? It's Tom Tom. Okay, so when you're saying that, it does ring a bell, yes. That's cold. Yes. Yep. And who's Michael then obviously? Okay, so now when you're saying that I does make it doesn't ring a bell. Yes, but dude I was like oh, yeah, that's not the real Yeah, no man like like seriously like yeah, yeah, of course it's not that I didn't name their little six year old kid Tom Tom and that's like yeah, that's a placeholder name until you're eight and you're cool enough for us to What do you like that? Yeah, no, there's like reasons like yeah, like yeah, not to like go crazy

I do it but like he's like there's reasons why I get that grandpa gives each one of them name it is true Right they all like you know like a tum tum is because he likes to eat that's but yeah That is absolutely yes, but regardless of that the, so that is kind of the central reason why we follow the characters that we do of this film. The call to action though, actually kind of start somewhere else with their dad, who's an FBI agent, dealing with this arms dealer called Snyder.

And Snyder is also like a ninja clan leader, right? Yes, of course. Why would he be? And this arms deal like secret bust gets run-a-muck and he evades the FBI. IE, the three ninjas dead. So like not cool, right? Not off, exactly.

That guy. He then shows up though at Grandpa's house with a bunch of his men. Who are the three ninjas promptly take out and tries to get Grandpa to back up about you know, hey talk to each son long Having back up off me for a couple weeks. He got some things going on and things like that And he obviously refuses From there the plot kind of calls for

the plot kind of calls for some nefarious means and the boys once they return back to their house are pursued by three like kind of surfer dudes who you meet in this convenience store and like this is where the homologone part kicks in. It is very homolobe-esque. It is like now do you say that? Yeah, it did come out afterwards, right? Like after I mean it came out after homologone. Yeah, it did come out afterwards, right? Like, I mean, it came out after Home Alone. Yeah. Wait, what in Home Alone come out? I think 1990. Okay, so then yes, this is 92, I think. Yeah, yep.

And when you look at the trajectory of how these films are, again, I'm not trying to say these are just blatant rip offs. No, it's way different. I mean, it is and it isn't. Right. Conceptually, there are elements that shine

through in this. Right. Like you have grandpa kind of playing a splinter-esque role with training and naming these characters and whatever else. But like, these are three kids. Like, they're just three random kids with their grandpa. And it's kind of us. They're three ninjas. Although, like, at times comedic, they're what I said, they're three kids. They're they're three ninjas. Although like at times comedic, they're what I said, they're three kids. They're three ninjas. I mean, well, they are, but those ninjas are also children. They're children ninjas that kicks a match. Yeah, the poke fun in the beginning is one thing, but to be fair, like, it is mostly kind of admirable to sit there and take the Ninja Turtles and Home Alone and be like, how do we weave this tangled web to get millions of dollars from

these children and their parents? I mean, was that there? Like, was that the idea? They like took Home Alone and I don't think conceptually that's what anybody did. I think somebody had a script kind of bouncing around and saw the successes of those or maybe some exec or something like that saw those successes and went all right so the Ninja Turtles is doing pretty good exactly like at home alone is doing pretty good yep and kids movies overall are doing pretty good. Let's put it together. Why don't we, uh, yeah. Why don't we do that? But honestly, man, like, it would even work now. You could make a three-in-a-digest movie easily right now. They could reboot that easily.

I mean, there are, it would have to be shot, obviously, with today's Modern Convention. I mean, obviously a modern audience, but there's, I mean, there is some f***ing, this movie a little bit. A little bit. It's still like the brown face, the f***ing, you know. Yeah, yeah, there's, there's a couple bad things, but you know, I mean, it's a 90s movie. It's PG, right?

It is, it is very much PG. I mean, there's just some stuff that like with school shootings, they wouldn't be saying like, I shot my poor teacher like that. Yes, well, yes, that's obviously, I mean, of the time, before Columbine. Because it's just stupid 90s. That like, we didn't realize what he calls his brothers

retarded. Really? Yeah. Yeah, see, like things like that. Like this is 90s stuff. Like, I mean, yeah, things that like we totally wouldn't do now. Things that were, yes, exactly. For sure. I also want to take a shining second to say like,

so there's one of these three guys that you meet in this convenient store at this point in the film. And they get the call to abduct the kids, right? He's actually the second camera operator for this film. And like, I really do wonder in part, like, was this an independent film? That Disney like got wind of, got the rights to, and a bunch of goofy sound effects and stuff like that into, and was like, this is still a little too violent and too much for us like

Hey, why don't we pass this up to the guys over a tough stone and uh What's uh what's out in John doing about that soundtrack for that line movie right coming on? Yeah, like I mean because there's no big there's no big names in the movie right not that I can think of The grandpa the exactly I think the grandpa? Not that I can think of the grandpa. The exactly. I think the grandpa and he appears through all for the film. Yeah. He's been, I think he's been a couple of stuff. I think he's the biggest name to appear in almost any of these films besides the fourth, right? Like realistically, I know in my mind, I think of Mr. Miyagi, but it's definitely not the same person.

But it's like, he's, he's, he's like a bigger, kind of a bigger guy, right? Like a bigger, Mr. Miyagi, but it's definitely not the same person. But it's like, he's like a bigger, kind of a bigger guy, right? Like a bigger Mr. Miyagi. That's another inspiration for this film is the karate kit. Exactly. No, this film kind of just like took all the bigger films and kind of mushed them together or different things that were popping around at that time.

And like, man, it's just, yeah, this is such a good family movie. I know you're saying there's some dark things in it, but like kids are really good. Well, no, I'm, you know, I know, it's just, yeah, this is such a good like family movie. It really, I know you're saying there's some dark things in it, but like kids are really, well, no, I mean, you know, it is definitely a kids movie, or you know, a younger kid. Yeah, it's a kids movie, you know,

it's a PG movie, but it's beautiful. I want to, like I said, we're watching that tonight, because it's an awesome movie. Well, another thing that I think that they kind of like, aped off of, or were inspired by, or whatever way you want to look at it, you know, is like, bill and Ted, because these surfer dudes are so stereotypical

and giving such great one-liners and slapstick performances and like, I really do think it is kind of the shining point of this film, is the home alone stuff because yeah you have to again you have to suspend you have to spend the kids are good to spend this belief and no they really are and honestly the choreography for these fight scenes and stuff like that is not bad for the kid yeah the kids I mean they're they might be stunt double kids I'm sure of a like yeah scenes where a six year old kid is going to take out two adult grown men throughout, you know, 45 minutes of this 80 minute, whatever it is.

Amen. And like, it's not bad. I'm not disinit. But like, the fun, but the better way to make it work is tum tum slicking a bunch of oil on a hardwood floor, locking a door with it, with a band and cutting it loose to make them fall back. And all these other different pratfall things that happen eventually, no matter what, the second command of Snyder's Ninja Group ends up coming, capturing the boys,

even after they've, you know, kind of lured over Rocky's big crush Emily. Rocky loves Emily. Rocky loves Emily. I know you had to get that. I don't think we've said his name except for maybe at the beginning. But yeah, the oldest is Rocky. There's Rocky called in Tum Tum. I don't think you mentioned Rocky at all.

I did what I was trying to get at their names. Yeah, sure. It gives all of them those names with the colored key, the colored masks and stuff like that. Yeah, what is that? Rocky's green. Colt is blue. Rocky's green. Colt is blue. Tum Tum is yellow. Yeah, okay. And like, so by this point of the film, you end up having the big like kind of showdown once the grandfather finds out

He's gonna go to Snyder's like cargo ship the FBI obviously is gonna be in lieu or whatever the kids break out and it really does kind of culminate in this fun little Reminiscence scene where they have to beat up the second heavy on top of all the other grown men They've been yeah this big huge like bulky guy. Yeah, I kind of sumo dude But he's like what like wait lifter sumo dude. It doesn't you're doing tease a dude sport athlete Yeah, think I freaked me out man when I was a kid that guy scared like he was so scared That guy scared, like he was so scared. I don't want to fight that guy. But regardless, the big push I think here then comes at the end

when you have the grandpa fight off against Snyder. The kids are kind of left in place and grandpa of course like gets his licks in, but towards the end he's on the ropes and you don't think he's going to be able to make it. But then in this film, his big one up to Snyder is Jelly Beans from Tum Tum? Yes. Which, you know, is a funny comedic element, absolutely.

And we walk out of the first film with that. In general, though, one of the things that I really found interesting is the sequel to this film, as a lot of people may know, is kickback, right? They go to Japan, big Japanese martial arts tournament, big like behind the scenes gangster element, you have three kind of shlubby, comedic relief villain foils, right? Kind of, you know, a little bit of a carbon copy. It also got a video game based on it.

It's the only three ninjas video game, but there was a three ninjas video game, yep. But the funny thing is, is that that 1994 film is actually the third three ninjas film that was produced. Because in 1992, there was a second one made that wasn't released until 95. That director went underneath a pseudonym because previous to directing that film. He was abducted by Kim Jong-il.

What? Yeah, for real. He's a South Korean film director. He was abducted by Kim Jong-il and forced to make films for him, escaped and then directed that film and others. I've heard of this. I've been in this video. I've been in this video. Yeah, I've heard of this. That's crazy. I haven't always really liked the third movie

because it keeps more of the original cast than that sequel does. Does it have all three of them? Does it have all three? I believe it's all three of them. I don't know if Tom Tom is the same actor, but Rocky and Colt are. I always remember Tom Tom not being the same actor, but like that's sequels. Maybe it wasn't the third, but in the third one it might be because it is shot in like the same year. And also like I'm gonna be honest dude, you can see as a kid I

didn't realize it, but you can see that Eastern martial arts film style because like so the plots of the third one is that there's like this reservation that's at threat because of a landfill just to try to cut it short to get to what I'm talking about. These bad guys literally try to blow up the three ninjas. The fight choreography and stuff like that actually is better too, which I think is again more of a lens to that Eastern film style But you can see it in like this labyrinth of paper recyclables and things like that at the it's like Yeah, like so like fight within that like man I'm not remembering the third one much. Yeah, exactly like when you think about like Asian cinema though, right? If you were to watch some police drama or whatever, it's they're very well could be a scene where they're at like some landfill or paper mill or whatever it be and see a set just like that and be

like, yeah bro, this is totally like not something you would see in like Santa Monica. That one is, the three ninjas are supposed to be. Yeah, and it's really did like never occurred in me, I guess, but I do remember that like standing out and being a film that I really like does a kid, which like, I don't know what that means, you know, because kids can like so much stupid. Yeah, I remember fight scenes in the three ninjas. Like that's what I really remember a lot of.

And like I do remember Some of them are kind of weak sauce though, too Like even for a kids film from the 90s, you know, and I know I know you've been saying that but like man I wanted to be one of those three ninjas so bad when I was a kid. That is true man This is no, I mean maybe if I'm gonna probably gonna watch this night and be like yeah, that is pretty super easy cheesy I thought some of it is all depending on how it's shot. Because you gotta be honest about it. Like these are three child actors

and they probably did karate on the side. Like a lot of kids are on that time work. Like how many different kids were watching cartoons or bullied at school or whatever else it may be? Like I'm not trying to make martial arts into like some 80s, 90s fast. No, I did it. I was, I took my heart out. But right. That's what I'm saying is that like there was a lot of people who did it at

that time simply because of that before the MMA boom and things like that. And like I don't even know if there's numbers of that the same as what they were back. If it wasn't for that, there wouldn't have been an MMA boom. There really wouldn't have been. Like honestly, I think, because it's mixed martial arts. Yeah, it's, you know, it's the different martial arts. Yeah, there's not a lot of kids in that environment who can come out and get an NFL contract and stuff like that.

You know, I mean, yes, there's wrestling and boxing and all that, but you know, yeah, but anyways, we're good on that. We're talking about martial arts. Well, well now they this is why I'm saying there would easily be able to be made a Three-Ninja's movie because there's ninja warrior now ninja warrior. It's like a huge thing Well, I know a lot of huge thing, but at least it's like I'm kind of surprised it never has been a reboot But kick back knuckle up the third one. We've talked about those. But then in 1998, you get the fourth one Hoke Hogan, Oh, and brother in Jim Varnie to Ernest. I do not remember that. He's the bad guy of the film. Oh, yeah

reappears in this film aside from Grandpa and this is actually the last film he appeared in before is definitely 2001. And yeah, Hulk Hogan is this guy with like a canceled power rangers' s show who's appearing at a theme park while Tum Tum's birthday is at this theme park and at this point I believe Tum Tum's like having his eighth or ninth birthday and hilarity and ninja action ensues. I mean, you know, but that was really kind of the end of the franchise. It really has been heard of since then.

And like, that first film is really kind of the golden ticket, but to anybody who hasn't seen, maybe check out that third one, because that's the one I always really like. I don't remember the third one as much, man. I'm gonna have to re- I'm gonna watch that one next week. Yeah, because the first and the fourth, I remember the most.

And the second one I do a little bit, but the third one, really, yeah. The fourth one, even being a huge wrestling fan, I don't remember seeing it. I've definitely seen it a few times. So I don't know if I've never seen it, or if I've only seen it once. I'm sure I've only seen it once,

but if I don't remember seeing it and Jim Varty and Hulk Ogan wearing it, that's a bad sign. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Yeah, man. At some point, maybe we should make a film commentary or something about that.

If that's something you guys want to hear, hit us up on our socials for sure, and make a film with that. So this is one thing I'm thinking of, and I don't remember in the fourth movie, but it was like, this is like a crazy theme park that like, you know, people, like, got injured. It was filmed in Denver, Colorado, at a theme park.

It wasn't obviously called Mega Mountain or whatever. And it was just like a normal theme park, right? It was, yeah, I think it might have been like a six flags. I don't know. I didn't look into it that much. But I did wonder knowing what you were talking about if it was the same one, but it's not in Colorado. No.

Your theme park is. It's called Action Park and it's in New Jersey. Also known as Traction Park or Class Action Park. Yeah. Oh, here we go. All right. I think there's documentary known as Class Action Park. But yeah.

Um, but it was an amusement park and water park that opened in 1978 in Vernon Township, New Jersey, like I was saying. Um, but it's mostly water, it was mostly water attractions, like half of it was, you know. Right. And it, because it was built like on the... I mean, this is sound in Dolphys, though, as you go. Yeah, it's awesome park, man, except that there was like numerous injuries and even deaths over this like 18 year run.

Yeah that's right. That's what I was waiting for. You know like if you it does sound like one of those like teenage just like getaways like you know where you can just no rules you know you just go there and just do what I'm happy days. Exactly. Just like, yeah, there's many fine memories of the place. You know, like, yeah, it was run down and like, there was, you know, you get injured

and there's all this other stuff that like, man, people have some good times there, right? Happy days of yours, man! Broken legs! Like, no, seriously, like, broken legs Like no seriously like broken legs everywhere So this was built or like you know, it was like the project or and the park was built by Eugene Maldihill I think that's how you say his last name. I don't know. I just read it I didn't look up

It sounds good to me. Yeah, yeah, but his company was called the great American recreation or gar kind of close to go Fear really similar just a little bit Um, but in 1976 is when he bought the property he purchased a ski resort on in the Vernon Valley great George area And he wanted to keep it running You know in the offseason, which was the spring summer and wanted to keep it running, you know, in the off season, which was the spring, summer, and fall, right? Like it was a ski resort. You'll like him really use that a quarter of the year in that area. Yeah. So he decided to build at first this 2,700 foot or 820 meter alpine slide down the trails. And this out, okay. Okay, what's that out on slide?

So it was like, it was like these shoots, right? Like a track, right? But it had little walls on the side, just kind of like little walls. So it was like slide. Yeah, it was a slide, right? But you rode out on a little sled that had wheels, right? And there was like a break, you know,

they had like this like one little like lever that you could like slow down. Is this Lamer dangerous? It became pretty dangerous because you couldn't really slow down that much, you know, and like, they didn't test it. Like at that time, you know, this is again, the 1970s, like they didn't have like all these like, you know, different engineers and stuff, like looking at like, you know, like the physicists. It sounds so like Rick Shaw shoddy, that it would be like too slow to operate correctly.

You're going down a mountain. Right, but like I said, it just sounded like it wasn't good enough to really even gain speed, even with that, right? Like if you got bulls, trouble wheels and assholes. Yes, there's definitely some other rides. I have the speeds marked down, but like you could gain some pretty good speed on it

Like even if you were holding the brake the whole entire time like you'd get going You're drifting and you're not even trying to skid Going down with a little go kart thing down a mountain, but down a mountain side, right? I mean it's not like a sheer mountain, you know, but like you're going down a thing in a go kart That elephant that's way more dangerous You're going down the thing in a go car. Yeah, that elephant. That's way more dangerous. Yeah. Because you got to think, man, like if you're skimmed to your side drifting and just trying to not go,

and you're going no matter what. Exactly. Very reminiscent of some snow's out here on the road, some ice. Yeah, yeah. And then you hit a sudden stop like a curve. You're flipping over the hedge man, you're done skiing. Yep, and that happened a lot. Yeah, the first death actually occurred on this ride,

but I'm not saving the deaths to the end, but we'll talk about the numbers. Yeah, all right. And about 1978 is when they actually opened two water slides and a go-kart track and the rides were collectively known as the Vernon Valley summer park. Come die on these things everybody. It's the Vernon Valley summer park. I mean, again, there's many different ones like this. It's just this one was probably like the worst out of all of them. There was amusement parks like this all over the country. Like you know like no Yeah, nobody it's just random people like we'll just build some random track

We're not like testing these things or we don't have any like engineers here to like look at the physics of it And they're anything. Oh, no, we're just building like you know Oh, whatever if something gets hurt. That's just what happens You know like we got some guy blind from moonshine run these rocks. Not even guys on moonshine, like teenagers. They have teenagers, you know, that are probably drunk. But on July 4th, the same year, 1978, is when they actually opened up the, you know, the thing is a hole, the action park is a hole. And they kicked it off with a dolly part and look alike contest

and a tobacco juice spittin' contest. What? That's just Jersey? Yeah, yeah. It's Jersey? It is. You don't think of the, you know, chew spit is the contest in Jersey.

Tobacco spit in Jersey? But, you know, it was the 70s man. It was the 70s, you know? Maybe that was just... Yeah, I mean, there's probably dudes on ABC playing baseball, chew, and red man. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, that mean, there's probably dudes on ABC playing baseball, Chew and Red Man. Yes, exactly.

Yeah, that's true. It is a different time. Yes, for sure. Like tobacco is ubiquitous throughout the country, man. Like so many people smoked and chewed and everything. But yeah, so they continued to build attractions, you know, over the years, more water slides, there's deep water swimming pools and stuff like that,

little ponds. In 1980, they added a whole new section called the Motor World. And this consisted of a bunch of different, obviously, vehicle type rides. So like we were saying, this is reminiscent of Michigan adventure out here. Yeah. Kind of local state amusement park. Oh definitely. Yeah. So was this we famously had a wooden track wanted with Michigan adventure, right? Roller coaster. I don't know all of them were, but I think predominantly is wooden track, right? They didn't have roller coasters here. Was this wooden track? No, they have any roller coasters as far as I know. There was more of like a water. So these are not okay. So what are these again? This was like go carts, right? Okay, you race around a track. You know, go cart track, right? Yeah, but you're going 20 miles per hour with these things are 32 kilometers

Yeah, which is average like five or two Probably yeah, yeah, like these not only that like they would spew gasoline fumes all over the riders and They were controlled by governor like they had the governor controllers and the engines right and the employees being you know stupid teenagers would turn the governors off and these little go-karts would start going like 50 miles per hour 80s kilometers per hour yeah so like these this little track you know has these these go-karts going around people people crash all the time, obviously.

And again, do that full-on four-stop. Yeah, with speed, it's just... You have these Lola cars, which were miniature open cockpit race cars, right? Like, little like F1 cars I'm thinking, right? And they were on a bigger track, and they could crank those up, obviously. And people would drunkenly race them around, down the track, and down the roads. And that's, yep, some show there's plenty of crashes on that.

There was a snake infested pond, where there was these little miniature speed boats that people would ride around, and they'd reach speeds of like 35 to 40 miles an hour, 56 to 64 kilometers. Oh, wow. Yeah, and, you know, they would treat them like bumper boats, like a lot of the, the, you know know they would treat like bumper boats like a lot of the go you know Guess and stuff like that there was bumper boats too though and they were safer except that like

Teller like they were smaller so taller riders would like put their feet outside of them and then when they bump into other cars or boats They would break their legs. So yep, they're gonna boats they would break their legs. So, yep, they're gonna smoke up. Bro, thanks for your help. And gas leaked all over them because the engines were like right on top of them. And gas leaks. I remember, like, no, I specifically remember

those types of bumper boats. I remember going to one when I was a little kid and like the engine was like right in between the handlebars. It's all exhaust, like right there. Yeah. Yeah, gas wasn't spewing on me, but I just remember that, It's all exhaust like right there. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And the gas wasn't spewing on me, but I just remember that, but the main attraction for it though was the battle action takes.

And these things. Oh, this sounds dope though. Yeah. Like, what do you think? Real quick. Yeah. Can I die from this? No.

Well, maybe. Sorry. I mean, it's tennis balls, right? So it's what you think of, you know, it's little miniature tanks that you kind of roll around and you shoot tennis balls out of cannons, right? And these things, if you got hit, you would, the take would stop for 15 seconds and then, you know, you would be able to go after that. But there was other people that could go around the track, you know, around

the fence, an area with cannons on the outsides and shoot you with it as well. So you're getting shot, just pelting all over the place with these tennis balls. I want it. It sounds pretty awesome. I want this. Exactly. This is what I mean. This sounds like an amazing park, but it's extremely dangerous. Like you can't have that as a... You can't have it in the modern day like there's just it's just a liability this tank Confisively be at your local Kokomo star does I guess you could if you made it right You could especially with like electronics now you can make an electric car And all these things is like it's the engines, you know spewing fumes and stuff like yeah We have electric motors now like you could do a lot of these things and people do you know there's go cars everywhere and all that you know so like it's just the beginnings of

them there's elements of this here that just sound like huge design flaw bad choice yeah and then there's some stuff that's like you could also do this and it really wasn't dangerous it's actually kind of cool like yeah no look at that's the thing. There was, like, I'm, there's so many more rides that I'm not even gonna cover because like, there was, it was, it was on the music park. There was a lot of things and it lasted for like, you know, 18 years, well, 24 years. I was gonna say like 20 years, right?

Yeah. Yeah, so like, it did, you know, like, it, it, it, it, it, it, it wasn't like, there was people dying and getting hurt, like every single day. I mean, maybe getting hurt probably every single day Every year Not no, I guess I'll say right now like and we'll get into the later is that six people died over the course of its its operation That's pretty bad man. It's like yeah

Yeah, you know the tanks and everything though like that was like you That I think is like something you would see in an old movie, you know, like where, like the employees would go in and get shot at or something like that, because they did, you know, that's what happened, like, you're gonna go, get shot at and stuff, but like, yeah. Yeah, you don't think I stuck, you know,

the tanks or what not? This is for taking the governor off my go-curl-ass you're gonna go. Yeah, yeah. Yeah. But, so yeah, that was the motor world, right? Like that was, that was a big attraction, but like the water parks, like that was really

and like Michigan Adventure is kind of like that too. It has the water parks and stuff. I've been there since I was a little kid and I plan on taking my kids there. I hope it's not like Rickney like this. It's out of it is. It's still operating. It's as far as I know, still open, did it close down?

I thought it closed. I hope it didn't. Oh my God, please hold. We hold is that we did it, still open. Yeah. We might not know if Michigan adventure is still open. So yeah, but the water world though, is really what like, that's the big attraction, right?

That's where all the water slides and all that were, you know, water parks are a big up. They're freaking me. I mean, I mean, yeah, when like ever since the South Park episode, though, man, of the water park, like I just, that's all I think of, even when I go to public pools, which I hate because I love swimming. Yeah, I just think of just pee everywhere. Yeah, but you that's, I was going to say, that's a, that's a social contract at this point that like you know if you're going into Well, because like you know when you smell chlorine

You know you don't smell chlorine like that They say you're it I bet you it's like most like other things I think just fighting things in general but like well Yeah, but what what is it fighting in that water right now? Exactly, yeah, exactly. The P and these pools and, you know, the Pod and the Suffer, the least of the worries of the, you know, the guests of this park.

Oh, yeah. I think one of the craziest ones. And this was only open for like a month. I actually did try to get reopened in the 90s, but it was in a closed water slide, which wasn't unusual at the time. In closed water slides, it became big. Right, right, right, right, right, right, right?

Yeah, and in closed ones are good because it keeps you from flying off the sides. Like, you know, you know, I mean, that's one thing about water slides, is that? If you're doing curves, you usually have at least a more of a side- Yeah, you need a more of power. Yeah, exactly.

That's important. Nowadays, there's engineers and physicists that look at the physics of it and figure out, like, oh yeah, we have to engineer it this way. Well, not everybody's the same, bro, sending a six-year-old girl down that water slide, versus sending a 300-pound man versus that other slide. That is the exact thing. They have to account for all of those. This water slide, slide though was called the

Cannonball Loop. And it wasn't closed, but it also had a loop at the bottom of it. Like an actual, you know, like you go up and like, like you see at some roller coasters, you know, like nowadays. Yeah. Like yeah, but it was a water slide. Like a ball. Like a ball. Yeah. Yeah. You know, loops are out like you all upside down and around. Yeah. I mean, this doesn't a bow. Yeah, you know loops for like you all upside down to the round. Yeah, I mean this Doesn't really work like you can't make a water slide work at like a Zen and close loop And yeah, you would fall down on that back edge once you lost one Yeah, and many many people did oh Like they had to pay they had to like offer a hundred dollars for an employee to test it at first

They had to pay they had to like offer a hundred dollars for an employee to test it at first So like yeah, something right yeah, yeah, hey, we know how much you guys have seen will pay you Try it. Yeah, the state closed it down after a month because there was too many a reporter You know interviewed someone and that said that there was too many bloody noses and back injuries further from the ride Because that's what I'm saying bro. Yeah, you I mean the moment sound like it was just like some rant like people are just like Yeah, do whatever you want like they did like it's struck to like you know You had to be a certain like weight range and everything and you and like height and all that and they instructed you like You know definitely like you know keep your your arms legs together All like you don't think they do that coffin up dog or you will be

coffin up dog right they also like some people like we come out of it man And they'd have like lacerations, you know like big cuts down like on their body and stuff They're like what is going on you know like it's probably like you know like some plastic or something like sticking out or whatever right no Well, they wanted to inspect it, man. And it was teeth. There was teeth embedded into the freaking plastic from the sped up. He's not. Some Tony Hawk.

So what I was going to say is just that loop. If it were a short, small distance that you could try to gap. But again, bro, you hit just gravity, just simple gravity. And your momentum stops and you're gonna drop down. And that's probably where half of those bloody noses and back injuries came from who's flopping down on that. Exactly. If you had to be perfectly be going down on it. Exactly. Yeah, and that's probably where like that probably happened to like 50% of the oil. I don't you know what I'm saying. But yeah, probably once you hit a certain weight range. Yep, exactly. Your momentum just dies in that loop because the water

can continuously flow. I don't even think we're at the lower range. Yeah exactly. Like it's there was so many problems. Who would get stuck in it all the time they'd open it, they'd have a hatch to open it up and give you a lot. Oh my god. Yeah, yeah, it was so many problems who we get stuck in all time They'd open it and have a hatch to open up and give you a lot. Yeah. Yeah, yeah So like I said it was only open for like a month man This will be a state of emergency park if you guys keep that open exactly. I mean it kind of was but The Aqua Scoot though. It was you wrote this hard sled down like rollers kind of like you see it like factories Or you know like shipping warehouses and stuff, you know like the big metal rollers the big tubular rolling pin rollers Yeah, exactly. Yep. So you ride you ride a hard sled down there with a water

Like water skimming over top of them. So you're riding a hard sled down these rollers, right? And then you hit the bottom, which is like this shallow pool that you're supposed to like kind of skip over, you know, like a skipping stone with this hard sled. And you could do that if you knew what you're doing and how to ride it. You know, you like had a position yourself,

just right, and like lean back. How to brace for impact. Exactly. But no, that didn't happen a lot of times. A lot of times people just nose dive right into it because it was like a shallow pool, right? They would nose dive into the water, bust their face up or fling backwards, smack the back of their head.

I was gonna say crack their head up. Exactly. Yeah, yeah, it was terrible. It was so terrible. But one of the worst things though was the title Wayful, which is still I think in many water parks, you know, like Waifuil's are big things, right? Especially I see a lot in like, yeah.

But again, how did Action Park design that water park? Yes. I've been in water, I will say this, I feel like a water pool is a good place to have somebody who ain't properly trained to swim, right? Yeah, exactly. Because you could just get overtaken really easily.

You had to get good swimming. In the wrong area. Yeah, especially if there's a lot of people. Because it's just constantly going and whipping in and whatever. It doesn't stop exactly. Right. Yeah, and this thing was like 100 feet or 30 meters by 200 feet or 76 meters.

Like, so it was a pretty big. So a football field. Well, like a third of a football field by almost almost football field, right? So it's a pretty big pool, right? Right It could fit up to a thousand people in it So like imagine a thousand people in this pool and the waves would go for 20 minutes at a time and then with a 10 minute break In between the waves would we get about like 40 inches or about a meter in height Which is you know that's pretty big. I mean, if you're like in a pool, right, you're talking how many feet is a meter?

About it's like a three feet, three and a third feet, 40 inches, right? So 36 inches, a little over three feet. That's pretty big. If it's at your toes at that point, it's at your knees, yeah, as an adult, yeah, you know, you're talking, like there's kids. So like, yeah, little kids, yeah, it's a full on face, full of fruit. Exactly.

It was extremely, extremely dangerous. For like life cards were constantly saving people out of this, but there was also a kayaking course. So like they had, they wanted to do white water rafting there, right? But there was no white or water rafting. So they had these electric fans underwater that would blow, you know, make whitewater. No. Yeah.

Yeah. People fall out all the time, you know, like that. And they know more injuries, which we'll get to a minute. Fulty wiring. Yeah. We're getting beat. Yep. Yep.

Yeah. How was this not like a movie? This should be a movie. Johnny Knoxville made a movie. I mean, it's not it's it's action park like a Documentary I'm saying why wasn't there a terrible there is there's movies there's documentaries all that on that man Class action park. That's one of them. Yeah, you can find that YouTube But like a dark like a black comedy where everybody's rolling around dying on that that would be nice that would be, but there was a there was also a roaring rapids which

is similar to the kayaking course, but there was tubes instead. But and one of them though are what another water course was and one is even the course it was called tarzan swing, which was just a rope that you swung on to a deep water pool this freezing pool like this freezing cold pool. Yeah, it was fed by natural springs, right? So it was like a spring water pond, and like, which is like, you know, it's obviously gonna be cold,

it's coming from a spring way underground. You know that? So, there was a, then there was Surf Hill, which was like, these, I've been down things like these, where it's like multiple slides at once. It was just a big hill with like, you know, different lanes of slides, right? And like a water slides and you go down and like a little mat. But one of the lanes had like a little kicker jump, right?

Like a little kicker. So, yeah, skimming over into the next three. Like, yeah, exactly, exactly. Really the slides, like man, there are so many different slides that people would just get injured. Like they wouldn't put like big enough walls on the sides of the slides, like man, there are so many different slides that people would just get injured. Like they wouldn't put like big enough walls in the sides of the slides, you know, like, not like, people wouldn't fall off the top of slides

or something like that, but like, especially like the surf hill, you know, the separators really shorts. Like people would like, like you said. Game moment, I'm skip over the side. Yeah. Oh man, all the time, I bet. Yes, but so, let's get into the people that that perished,

unfortunately, from this. There was six of them, like I said earlier. And like I also said earlier, the first one of them happened on July 8, 1980. And it was an 19 year old's name, George Larson Jr. And he was writing the alpine slide, like we discussed earlier. And I guess like he wasn't employed by them, but like he was like adjac alpine slide, like we discussed earlier. And I guess like, he wasn't employed by them, but like he was like, adjacently employed by them.

Like he was like, I think he worked at a ski resort or something. On a soul-tinger or something. Exactly. No, he was an employee on the mountain, I guess. Let's just say that. Okay. But he was riding down and, you know,

he took a curve or something too quick and fell off and smacked his head on a rock on the side of it. And he was in a coma for like eight days and ended up passing to the hospital. And that was like a freak accident, right? Or whatever, you know, at that time, there were like, whatever, stuff like that does happen.

People do die. How long into the park is this that is passing? 1980, so this is two years after the park opens, right? Like this is like, where they're just actually really starting a big, right? 1980s, that's when the motor city opened and all that, right? Like 78 was when they officially opened. Yeah.

Right. So like, isn't that an old man too though, man? Like I don't know. Kind of, yeah. But back then again, like this was things, I bet if you look up like deaths from abusive parks in the 70s and 80s, there's probably a hundred, man.

That's true. And there's a bunch of small ones all over the country. Yeah, exactly. So it wasn't that like nothing too crazy. But July 24th of 1982, 15 year old George Lopez drowned in the tidal wave pool. Yep, with all the, yeah, like, I don't know exactly the details, but, you know, he wasn't able to be saved, drowned in it.

And then not even like, but again, you're four years in. Yeah, exactly. And this is, and there's been two, yes, and then, two years of each other, a week later, right, August 1st of 1982, 27 year old Jeffrey Nathan, got out of his tipped kayak and the kayak course and then stepped on one of those fans or like the electric box of the fans underwater

and there was some exposed wires he got electrocuted suffered from a hard attack and like was killed instantly. Bro, I legit was like, and somebody would get shocked from electric fans of water. Why would you even think? I mean, I guess if you could try to case them, that's a thing. Like, you kind of think of like 70s things, you know, like, or something. I don't disagree with that. But even like, okay, so lay a cage. This is why Oshah exists, man.

Like seriously, this is why Oshah is like that exists. Like all those regulations are written inshah is like that exists. All those regulations are written in blood because of things like this. So when you think, why do you got to do all these crazy safety things nowadays, what you are going to do at an amusement park or something like that? It's because of people that have died. Because of exactly like this. Why can't you tie an alligator to a fire

hydrogen exactly exactly yeah why can't because probably someone did that and then they got so many of the exactly yeah but thankfully they closed the kayak ride down after that after that for tonight but okay so two years later after that in 1984 a guest suffered a heart attack from what they think he jumped in to the pool from the Tarzan swing and then like the cold water shocked him and he had a heart attack from it. You know, I just snap, yeah.

So this was probably like, you know, an older person, but still like that, you know, another death at the place. Well, that impact on your chest. Exactly. Cold water. Like if you're dealing with fear and anxiety over it, which nobody I guess can really know

is mental state in that moment, but possibly. It's adrenaline, man. Just adrenaline. Just jumping into a pool. You know, like, yeah. Exactly. And then you feel that coldness. That's what I'm saying, bro.

All of it at once like that. Like maybe it was like a summer day, it was hot. You know, and then you jump into this 50 degree pool like yeah that's instant like and like water is different man like if you feel like 50 degree water that is way different than 50 degrees outside and even 50 degrees man like we're Michiganders you know that's that's t-shirt weather for us right but no 50 degrees is it's pretty cold right it is when that first hits but then after a couple months when you're like more adjusted to have to be inside you're like I It's pretty cold, right? It is when that first hits, but then after a couple of months

when you're more adjusted to have to be inside, you're like, I don't want to snap into that right now dog. Oh yeah, man, at the end of winter menu, you had a 50 degree weather, you're like, oh, this is great, you know? You're like, what's up, baby? Yeah, so the last two deaths, though, occurred again from drowning and they tied away, pool.

And it was on August 27th, 1984. So the same year as the hard attack. 20 year old, Donald DePast, of drowning in there on July 19th, 1987, 18 year old Gregory Grandchamps passed. Yeah. Their legal troubles really didn't begin though until 1984.

Like what that was, but they're probably like, all right, this is like, this is getting kind of messed up. And it, but really it wasn't even because of the injuries and deaths. It was because of insurance fraud, like that, like the people that owned the company were like, hey, where you're gonna throw all the money? fraudulent, that's some of the insurance, yeah.

Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute, exactly. I know, I know three people have tried and kids are breaking their legs every month. Yeah, but yeah. You're gonna fuck with the money right now. Get the fed.

It's immediately. Pretty much, pretty much, yeah. And I mean, and it became known that like, you know, like I said, like people started calling it nicknames and stuff, like people knew that it was like a dangerous park, right? But it wasn't until 1996 when it was finally shut down because it was forced in a bankruptcy. So it wasn't even like, you was finally shut down because it was forced into bankruptcy

So it wasn't even like you know the state didn't shut it down Yeah, it was part of the bankruptcy from like but it was like there was like a bunch of D-go better Well, I mean yeah, it's still open. You can still like there's still like a golf course It like put up a golf and like a few rides and stuff are still open. It's not called action park anymore But yeah, of course yeah,, through many hands and all that, but like, there was a bunch of legal, like people were suiting like crazy and all that. Like, it wasn't just like, you know,

they mismanaged it. But still 1996, man. Like, man, it's almost freaking 20 years that 18 years they're open. Like, that's insane. But yeah, so yeah, that's Action Park, you know. Too bad we weren't there or alive to witness it, but yep, got you want to leave us out and with that We want you to break a leg and join us over on our social media's Facebook Instagram

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Man, I can't wait. I'm gonna go up and start that damn movie right now. First we feast, then we sell. Brain soda. Brain soda.