What was the name of this ride? (Greedy Bros)

coalesce99 · October 30, 2010, 09:46:01 AM

I remember the guy saying "don't shoot anyone with that Canon" to my dad. Hah!

That's me (green shirt) and my brother (blondie) of course.

marolinesdad · October 30, 2010, 10:27:17 AM

Greedy Brothers Excursions I think....

History Buff · October 30, 2010, 11:36:54 AM

Wow...great pictures. I had to look to see if I was in one of them. This was the Greedy Brothers, where riders rowed around the structure on the edge of the lake (now the target structure for Geyser Gulch). It seems a Greedy brother was on each boat to narrate and warn rowers with his version of the dangers that faced them. There was a storyline and backstory to this ride, and it was probably the wettest of all the rides at the time. For such a low impact, low cost ride, the story was effective with me as a kid. Of course, you can't help but notice there were no visible life jackets - - - oh how times have changed!

The best part of your picture is the view of the lake pre-GG. I love the "rock" outcroppings on that edge. You can more easily see how that skyline could look with a different attraction along that shore.

Junior, was that structure in the lake before the Greedy Brothers moved in? Was it part of the DB story? And can you explain the relationship the GBs had with RD? It seems the stories were intertwined.

Ozark Outlaw · October 30, 2010, 12:00:39 PM

Wow, very cool! I have never known anything about this ride. What a great find! Who were the Greedy Brothers exactly, and why were they such a huge part of every ride back in the 1970s, or so?

Thanks for sharing the pictures, they are wonderful!

Junior · October 30, 2010, 02:30:19 PM

Nice shots of Greedy Brothers Excursion...it was only around for a year, 1984. That was also the last year for the diving bell. Big changes over the winter of '84, both the diving bell and greedy brothers were removed, and the lost river put in place and opened in spring of 1985. 1984 was the last year I worked on park at the diving bell playing Junior Dugan.

Junior · October 30, 2010, 02:33:26 PM

By the way, the structure in the lake was built for Greedy Brothers. Sorry, I cannot remember the storyline for that attraction. I only know when we had groups of people on our wharf to boo at Eli Tolts' submersible across the lake, that the Greedy Brothers passengers were instructed by their guide to boo back at us. Like I said, Greedy Brothers was only there one year, and then, POOF...it was gone!

How-doFolks · October 31, 2010, 05:47:26 AM

Gosh, i cant recall if i ever rode this or not.. Prob'ly not. 1984 i would'a been 19 yrs old, not'a good year in my Life.

Junior · October 31, 2010, 08:05:38 AM

Seems like Greedy Brothers was somehow tied to the Diving Bell plot/storyline. I really thought Lake Silver was gettin' kind of crowded in 1984 with the Greedy Brothers, the Dugans, and Eli Tolts' all looking for a lost treasure. Nobody ever found it, either!

jmc75 · October 31, 2010, 11:20:56 AM

cool pictures
I do not even remember that one

rubedugans · November 01, 2010, 08:08:16 AM

NICE!!!! (jealous) most of my shots are of the queue, and the general area, no closeup shots of the ride itself.

Concept/ Back Story from what I have in my files:

Press Release: "ALL NEW, Greedy Bros. Treasure Excursions, a fun filled boat ride for the family!"

Greedy Bros. Treasure Excursions
"Join the reliable Greedy Brothers in the search for the century!"

(Photos to come later this morning)

MissinTheGreenTrams · November 01, 2010, 09:20:28 AM

were these boats on a track or were you rowing on your own....and what if you were poor rowers and ran into the rocks in the water near the structure or slow rowers? The line for that would stink on ice. What if you had one rower that was a rower in college and one like me who isnt all that fantastic.....and your boat went in circles??

Ozark Outlaw · November 01, 2010, 10:45:38 AM

And to just branch off on MissinTheGreenTrams' questions, why was everyone given a paddle? Were they practically used, or was it just for fun, and show?

rubedugans · November 01, 2010, 11:03:20 AM

No track, no lifejackets, adults received paddles, and you went on a predetermined route around Lake Silver. It was one of the wetter rides (until Lost River came about) as geysers would end up erupting and soak the whole boat. It would be somewhat like a rafting trip where the guide steered, and everyone else regardless of side would paddle and propel the boat. Disney had the canoes on their lake, SDC had the paddled boats.
The brothers were loooking for treasure, and the boats would depart from between the scrimshaw and directly next to shanty town-old playground (between the scrimshaw and the toy store.)

Here is the queue

and the boat leaving to the docks

Ozark Outlaw · November 01, 2010, 01:56:45 PM

Quote from: rubedugans on November 01, 2010, 11:03:20 AMIt would be somewhat like a rafting trip where the guide steered, and everyone else regardless of side would paddle and propel the boat.

Ah, okay now that makes more sense!

So basically the guest would paddle the boat, and there would be an employee "crew member" who steered you through the course? That sounds very intriguing! For such a small little park on the southern ridge of Missouri, Silver Dollar City was quite imaginative, and intuitive with its simple pleasure rides, and attractions.

rubedugans · November 01, 2010, 02:04:32 PM

It was on a much smaller scale than WDL "Indian War Canoes" later renamed "Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes" which lasted from 1956-present (I believe) but have closed at WDW in 1994.

Lake Silver does not have the obstacle of a Mark Twain RiverBoat (which by the way is on a submerged track) which has the right of way to the smaller fiberglass canoes- that like the Greedy Bros.- are manpower and are on a predetermined course.