The Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue is one of the most popular dinner shows at the Walt Disney World Resort. Located in Pioneer Hall at the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds, the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue is performed three times a night, seven days a week at 5:00, 7:15, and 9:00 pm. As with many other advanced dining reservations (ADR), guests call months in advance for one of the coveted seats and there is almost always a cancellation line at each show. Ron Miziker, who was the creator of many classic pieces of entertainment for the Walt Disney World Resort and was involved in every new show at the Resort, was one the creators and writers of the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue. According to D23, in 1973, shortly before the Hoop Dee Doo was created, the Star Spangled Washboard Band, a New York-based group of country-western musicians, began performing at Pioneer Hall. During the time the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue was being planned, written, and readied for Pioneer Hall. Walt Disney World started auditioning college students from the summer intern program - the Disney/CalArts Work Experience. The Disney/CalArts Work Experinece was an 11-week work experience program in entertainment that involved both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. During this time auditions were for the three female and three male character performers. Those roles were: Six Bits Slocum and Dolly Drew (comic relief), Jim Handy and Flora Long (the singers), and Johnny Ringo and Claire de Lune (the dancers). According to Ron, the script for the Hoop Dee Doo was a collaborative effort. The writers, as with many Disney shows and productions, tried to incorporate something that was a nod to the Disney legacy. In the Hoop Dee Doo Musical Revue it was Davy Crockett. Davy was woven with bear puns and jokes. THE MUSIC The principle songwriter was Tom Adair. Tom’s first work with Disney was in the fall of 1954. In 1956 his first big project was to write words for George Bruns' score for Sleeping Beauty. When the Mickey Mouse Club started production, he wrote a few songs for the first season, collaborating mostly with Jimmie Dodd. Over the years Tom picked up enough music theory from his many associates to try handling some composing. His work can be heard on The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show, then Hazel and The Ann Sothern Show. While working on the latter he met writer James B. Allardice, with whom he formed his newest partnership. Together they wrote scripts for some of the most popular television sitcoms including My Three Sons, I Dream of Jeanie, Gomer Pyle, The Munsters, Maude, and, F Troop. He also wrote Annette Funicello's first hit record, "How Will I Know My Love?" Most of the songs in the show are parodies of actual songs previously recorded by top artists. One of those songs is the opening song of the show – “Hoop Dee Doo.” The song, written by Milton De Lugg and Frank Loesser, was first recorded by Perry Como in March of 1950 on RCA Victor Records. Most of the Hoop Dee Doo song's original music score was kept, but the words were changed to suit the show. And it is typically the song that you will hear most of the guests humming or singing on the way out of Pioneer Hall. Another popular song in the show is the “All-State Song.” According to D23, two years earlier, a tune called the "All-State Song," was written for an unproduced Magic Kingdom live experience in Frontierland. The song was resurrected for the Hoop Dee Doo show. The “All-State Song,” which was a take-off of the American Folk song, “She’ll Be Coming Around The Mountain,” written in the 1800’s, was written with a verse for every state in the U.S. as well as verses for some of the more visited foreign countries including Canada. Each performer was given a set amount of states / countries and they memorized those verses. The way it worked was when all the performers moved into the audience and talked with the guests – they would indentify a guest and mention their state to the crowd. THE FOOD The salad course, along with the cornbread, is pre-set on the table. When the players come bursting through they get the show started and continue until the main courses are ready to be served. At that time the servers come through the dining room – literally slamming small metal kettles of fried chicken, smoked barbecued pork ribs, mashed potatoes, and country-style baked beans not on your table but right down on your plates. For dessert, originally it was apple pie, but now the Pioneer Hall Players not only introduce the dessert – strawberry shortcake – but the servers come parading off the stage with the dessert to the tables. Info from wdwinfo.com

• published: 23 Mar 2015
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