Lowdown on the Plus-Up - A Theme Park Podcast
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Lowdown on the Plus-Up - A Theme Park Podcast
@lowdown-plus-up.bsky.social
We take on all aspects of theme parks - Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, 6 Flags - discussing them in historical context and then finding ways, to quote Walt Disney, to "plus them up!" https://www.lowdown-plus-up.com
Join us for all things Universal as The Lowdown on the Plus-Up pays tribute to the late Jay Stein.
What a story! What a life!

Link in the thread.

#UniversalStudios #JayStein
November 28, 2025 at 8:20 PM
This week we salute Jay Stein on The Lowdown on the Plus-Up. He passed away on November 5th at the age of 88.
If Walt Disney invented the American theme park, Jay Stein modernized it. While other companies chase Disney, Disney seems to be chasing the Universal that Jay built.
Link in the thread.
November 24, 2025 at 3:33 PM
Jay Stein - Universal Theme Parks First Visionary: Dead at 87.
The news is trickling in, but it looks like Jay Stein, the most important person in theme parks after Walt Disney, has passed away.
More in the thread...
November 7, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Corrections from recent episodes:
Sinister Seymour wasn't in a 3 Stooges movie. He was a voice for "The New 3 Stooges" cartoon.

Wolfman Jack grew up in Brooklyn, not Jersey.

Irving Kirschner wasn't a producer of "Star Wars". Kirschner directed "The Empire Strikes Back."

More in thread...
October 31, 2025 at 8:17 PM
Before Elvira was the Queen of them all, Vampira!

We couldn't do a show about Knott's Scary Farm without talking about her. Here's a little taste of her TV show (in the comments).

It's the newest Lowdown on the Plus-Up podcast: Knott's Scary Farm!

#KnottsScaryFarm #Vampira
October 30, 2025 at 12:43 AM
Before Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights, before Oogie Boogie Bash and Mickey’s Not So Scary, before Six Flags’ Fright Fest there was Knott’s Scary Farm.
Join us as Pete and Kelly explore the wild and wonderful history of the Godfather of Theme Park Haunts!
Link in the thread. #KnottsScaryFarm
October 28, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Last time on The Lowdown on the Plus-Up we invented a theme park based on Ray Bradbury's writings. This week, we invited a Ray Bradbury expert to tell us the reality of the relationship between the great writer and theme parks, Walt Disney, and lots more!
Dr. Phil Nichols joins us!
Link below...
October 21, 2025 at 2:48 PM
With AWS knocking out half the internet earlier, I thought I'd hit this again...

In 1937 Orson Welles read a poem live on the radio, Though few people recall the event now, it changed everything.
My piece on "The Fall of the City."

Link in the thread...

#OrsonWelles
#CitizenKane
#WaroftheWorlds
October 20, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Last time on The Lowdown on the Plus-Up we invented a theme park based on Ray Bradbury's writings. This week, we invited a Ray Bradbury expert to tell us the reality of the relationship between the great writer and theme parks, Walt Disney, and lots more!
Dr. Phil Nichols joins us!
Link below...
October 20, 2025 at 3:17 PM
In 1937 Orson Welles read a poem live on the radio, under extremely strange circumstances.
Though few people recall the event now, it changed everything.
My piece for Fanfare on "The Fall of the City."

Link in the thread...

#OrsonWelles
#CitizenKane
#WaroftheWorlds
October 19, 2025 at 11:46 PM
A couple of errata for this ep of The Lowdown on the Plus-Up:
Bradbury's book about the making of "Moby-Dick" is "Green Shadows, White Whale."
We mispronounced an Imagineer's name; it's Joe LanZISero.)
The story that made Marta Becket famous was in National Geographic, not Time or Life.
Mea Culpa.
October 9, 2025 at 2:38 PM
We talk about Marta Becket quite a bit in our new episode: Here's Ray Bradbury talking about her, too!
youtu.be/P869Tf-h9m0...

Listen to the new Lowdown on the Plus-Up, Ray Bradbury’s Theme Park — The Great Electric Time Maze wherever you get your podcasts! #Disney #RayBradbury #ThemePark #EPCOT
October 8, 2025 at 11:52 PM
We talk about Marta Becket quite a bit in our new episode: Here's Ray Bradbury talking about her, too!
youtu.be/P869Tf-h9m0...

Listen to the new Lowdown on the Plus-Up, Ray Bradbury’s Theme Park — The Great Electric Time Maze wherever you get your podcasts! #Disney #RayBradbury #ThemePark #EPCOT
Amargosa (2000) - Clip - Documentary - Marta Becket - Ray Bradbury
Clip from the Great documentary about Marta Beckett and her "Amargosa Opera House and Hotel" in Death Valley. I stayed at the "Amargosa Opera House and Hotel...
youtu.be
October 8, 2025 at 11:51 PM
Lowdown on the Plus-Up presents: Ray Bradbury's Theme Park - The Great Electric Time Maze

lowdown-plus-up.com/
October 5, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Disney has been weirdly obsessed with the Alien franchise since the '80s.
Now with Alien: Earth, they have finally merged with the Xenomorph.
Was it worth it?

boardwalktimes.net/a...

#Alien
#Disney
September 17, 2025 at 6:34 PM
We were surprised to see the great Jeri Taylor's face during the "In Memoriam" section of the Emmys.
An important Star Trek writer who wrote one of TNG's greatest episodes, "The Drumhead" as well as creating the Cardassians and presiding over Voyagers best years.
#StarTrek
lowdown-plus-up.com/
September 15, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Today would've been the 105th birthday of the greatest of all Disneylanders, Wally Boag.
If you loved the Golden Horseshoe Review, or The Enchanted Tiki Room, or gunfights in Frontierland; you loved Wally.
Lots about him and his contributions on our episode: Calamity Boag!

lowdown-plus-up.com/...
September 13, 2025 at 6:41 PM
2 of our favorite things in the world are Star Trek and Doctor Who. Did you know about the very subtle crossovers between the 2 this year?
The Doctor told Belinda that he ought to "go visit" the Star Trek Universe....

More Star Trek goodness on last week's episode!
boardwalktimes.net/t...
September 11, 2025 at 8:53 PM
When we did our last episode, it hadn't even really occurred to us that we were approaching Star Trek Day!
But hey, synchronicity, right?!

Check it out.

boardwalktimes.net/t...

#StarTrek
September 9, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Reposted by Lowdown on the Plus-Up - A Theme Park Podcast
person on reddit looking to hire for art in GTA style high contrast, but about appalachia, so posting example. did this as a fan art originally for @lowdown-plus-up.bsky.social and their very fun history of the jet pack episodes. I have yet to watch The Rocketeer. archive.org/details/the-... #art
July 30, 2025 at 9:18 PM
Kelly's in the engine room of The Enterprise for our new episode: Star Trek - Roddenberry's Dream Escapes the Screen!
Join us!
boardwalktimes.net/t...
September 3, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Coming soon on The Lowdown on the Plus-Up...

#startrek
#themeparks
September 3, 2025 at 2:06 AM
Happy Labor Day!
We have a new episode in the pipeline and it's related to this picture.

lowdown-plus-up.com/

#startrek
September 1, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Kelly wrote this article about the complicated and troubling history of the only song in Disney's "The Lion King" to originate on the African continent, and how Lebo M paid tribute to it.
boardwalktimes.net/d...

#Disney
#LionKing
August 26, 2025 at 6:52 PM
We're back! It's part 2 of our look at The Jungle Cruise at DIsneyland!
Join us for Jungle Cruise: Evolution - The Indy Years!
boardwalktimes.net/t...
#Disneyland
August 14, 2025 at 5:35 PM