I was told today from a reliable source that Terry Sanders' character "Ada" was cut because Brad Thomas through she was "Ghoulish." You want to see "Ada" come back to SDC? Send SDC an email requesting they do so. Simple as that. They get enough emails, they will seriously consider doing so.
I am officially offended!! Why, she is thar spitt'un image of my ma!
Who is ada? Is there a link somewhere that we can click on and see?
go to your search engine and type in "homer lee" and Terry's website will pop up. He has several photos of "ada" a crazy hillbilly woman with long black hair, weird eyes, messed up teeth, and wearing a gingham or calico dress, with black boots. Each time I see a picture of Terry as "Ada" I have to laugh.
Ah yes, I could see where Mr. Thomas was coming from... but it could be really funny if it was done right. I never saw the act myself.
(http://www.homerlee.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/IMG_2664.jpg)
"Ghoulish?" Are you sure he didn't say "girlish?" ;D
Looks like half the parents of kids in my class. :o
OK, well not half, but some. :D
People always make comments about how a generation ago, society wasn't so crude, or offensive. However, Silver Dollar City seems to work in reverse of this philosophy. Back in the 1970's, and 1980's, Silver Dollar City always had gags that were a bit more "edgy."
However, as time goes on, Silver Dollar City seems to retract more, and more of their ideas, and take a more conservative approach. I understand the concern to be tasteful, but let's not turn Silver Dollar City into a padded rubber room.
I suppose the point I am trying to make is, bring back Miss Ada Mae Wheeler! :D
I hear you! In my day on park, we had "icebreaker" lines to start conversations with guests like these...(to a red head) "Oh my gosh, you stood out in the rain too long and your hair rusted!" or (Man wearing sandals) "Mister, you better get up to the leather shop and get a new pair of boots. Your toes has done wore through them you got on!" (Someone wearing a clear plastic rain poncho)
"You must be new here at Silver Dollar City, they ain't taken you out of the wrapper, yet!" All three comments are about the way someone looked. Don't know how those lines would go over today, or if they would even be allowed. All I can say is in my time on park, they worked, they got a positive response, and everyone had a laugh. :)
I hear ya Junior. My personal opinion? Too many people are up tight & dont wanna be bothered. Thats too bad cuz they sure is missin' alot.
Junior---I remember going to SDC when i was a kid (early-mid 70's). I was wearing a kid's Union kepi-style cap that they use to sell in the HH. Anyway as I walked passed one of the Hillbilly street characters, he asked if I was a Yankee. I said yes. He threatened to shoot me once he got his shotgun put back together (it was in pieces and he kept fumbling around with it)! I told him he couldn't shoot me because I had been deputized by the Marshall. I have to admit, he did scare me a bit...but my mom and dad got a big laugh out of it. Can you imagine the uproar, if someone threatened to shoot a kid on park today???
The great thing about your icebreaker lines was that although you were making fun of the way people looked, you weren't degrading them...if anything the comment was making fun of your character.
I love SDC, but sometimes I wish I could, for one day, take my kids back to the SDC of 30-40 years ago, just so they could see what it was like for us.
Does anyone remember the guy who would walk around the crowds and "accidentally" bump into people? he would squirt disappearing ink on your shirt. Is he still around?
That "Yankee vs. Confederate" thing was a lot of fun. I used to do that one myself! I used to approach the parents of good looking girls in lines at the various attractions I worked and asked the dads if I could marry their daughters. When dad said yes, I'd pick the girl up in my arms and act as if I were going to carry her to the Wilderness Church. Then I'd ask dad about the dowery...and unless the spin dad put on it was good, I'd drop the girl like a sack of potatoes! It always got a great reaction from the family I'd "picked on" as well as the others standing in line.
I had emailed SDC about the "Ada" charecter amongst other things and recieved this back....
Thank you for your email. We are not aware of any such rumor.
Please know we always appreciate hearing from our guests, whether the comments are positive or constructive criticism.
Every year we make changes to our product line up based on the input and feedback we receive from our guests which is why your comments are so valuable to us and why they are greatly appreciated.
We assure you that we will continue to listen to and consider all points of view from our guests as we strive to constantly improve. Again, thank you for taking the time to share your opinions with us.
So it looks as if Ada is here to stay!!!! hip hip hooooraaayyy!
I have it from a good source Ada was dropped from performing. Sorry I cannot say who that source is.
oh come on J, spill it! you know you wannna.......still hate to think suce a fun charecter is booted.. :(
Nope! Don't want the "powers that be" to slap somebody around. ;)
I've got to add that I'll miss the character...love that "unibrow." Ada was a lot of woman! :D
Realizing that I may be in the minority amongst this group, I have to say that I am not sorry to see the character of Ada go from the City. The performer in question is talented in many respects and has created some pretty good characters in his time, nevertheless, I don't believe SDC is an appropriate place for him to display his penchant for cross-dressing. He has tried it in shows before and been shut down, now it appears that he has been shut down again.
I feel that it is no different than young boys dressin up as girls on halloween. My nephew is 13 and dressed as a woman pirate complete with anatomically correct woman chest. Its a hoot. Not some weird tranny thing (not that there is anything wrong with that) It is pure fun. ;D
There is absolutely nothing wrong with a person dressing in the clothes of the opposite sex. If there was, we gals would have to stop wearing trousers.
Besides, men as women is a centuries-long tradition in theater (as is women as men). I don't see anyone complaining about Peter Pan being played by a woman. Seems to me as if there's some double standard going on here.
Quote from: Junior on November 10, 2010, 04:10:23 PM
I have it from a good source Ada was dropped from performing. Sorry I cannot say who that source is.
I've had multiple sources tell me the same thing, Junior.
As far as the cross-dressing goes...if Ada were a buxom blonde then that would be a totally different thing, but guys playing gals as a gag??? What about Milton Berle?
Terry is an actor. He was trained in drama at Southwest Missouri State University at Springfield. Graduated in 1980. The cross dressing thing is an act. He's married with two sons. I don't have a problem with it. Some of Terry's college professors also trained Aunt Judy, the SDC storyteller. By the way, those same professors trained other SMSU drama students John Goodman (Rosanne), Tess Harper (Golden Globe winning actress), and Kathleen Turner (Body Heat, Peggy Sue got Married). Terry's in pretty good company. I'm proud to say I picked up a few acting techniques from watching him perform, and I applied them to playing Junior Dugan at SDC.
Yup, he's an actor. And I have no problem with his female characterizations...his Joan Rivers impersonation is fantastic. However, one female characterization that he did in a show at SDC some years ago was downright indecent and rather embarrassing to the rest of the actors on stage with him. Why even go down that road? I just don't think they have a place at SDC.
Males playing female roles is not uncommon at all. In fact, back during the Shakespearian time, almost all female roles were played by males.
In 2010, it is a bit different since we live in a hypersensitive society. As we all know, if you offend just one person in a crowd, then everyone else must bend over backwards to cater to the viewpoints of that one person.
Terry was playing a character, not living a "lifestyle." Although Ada Mae Wheeler leaving Silver Dollar City is news, it is not new news. It has been mentioned a few times around here on these forums already.
Just for kicks, here is the Facebook page of Miss. Ada Mae, however I am not certain if it is ran by Terry himself, or just a huge fan. http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Ada-Mae/105749849459605?v=wall (http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Ada-Mae/105749849459605?v=wall)
I understand where Zephon is coming from. His viewpoint is legit. Having been an insider at one point, I can say you do have to be careful which direction you go with a character on park. The incident Zephon touches on regarding the other actors being uncomfortable on stage is something I was not aware about, and no doubt it took place many years after I left the park.
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An interesting tidbit to throw out...the worn out boots Ada and some of Terry's other characters wear are, I belive, the original boots Terry wore when playing Junior Dugan. He has gotten a lot of use out of those boots over the years...he wore them playing Melvin the Chicken Thief in the Courthouse Theater Show back in the early to mid 1980s.
And I really wish they'd bring the Courthouse Show back! Hilarious!
Yeah, I wish they would also. But the general feeling is that it would not be PC to electrocute someone on stage. IMO, they're misjudging, in this particular case, what the audience would tolerate.