The Progress City Radio Hour

In this Town Hall we're thrilled to speak with Derric Johnson, founder and long-time leader of the Voices of Liberty at EPCOT's American Adventure pavilion. Learn about his early Disney experiences in the 1970s, special moments over the years with the Voices of Liberty, and his time directing the annual Walt Disney World Candlelight Ceremony. History, music, and more - it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

To honor the recent passing of Disney Legend Richard Sherman, this special episode of the Radio Hour is a tribute to the iconic and unforgettable Sherman Brothers. We'll take a look at some of their lesser-known work, from their time before Disney to projects such as Tinpanorama and Summer Magic, to, yes, even SMASH FLOPS! History, music, and more - bring your tuppence, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

Ahoy! We continue our nautical theme with the return of former Imagineering and Disney Development Company exec Bob Holland! Bob joins us to talk about the early days of the Disney Cruise Line, from the shipyards of Italy to Castaway Cay. Set sail for new magic - it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

The Progress City Radio Hour sets sail for a nautical exploration of one of Disney's best features - its boats! Our salty tales include the life of Disney Legend Admiral Joe Fowler, the origin of Disney boat attractions at Arrow Development, a glimpse of life aboard a FriendShip launch, the creation of Disneyland's Submarine Voyage, and a tribute to Miss Tilly! History, music, and more - cast off the bow line and gun it Mr. Baxter, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

The Progress City Radio Hour returns to the slopes for more snowbound adventure! We have a wintry mix of tales including a trip to Switzerland with Walt to film on the slopes of the Matterhorn, a look at Disney's involvement in the 1960 Winter Olympics, and a conversation with Greg Glasgow and Kathryn Mayer about their book, Disneyland On The Mountain, about the never-built resort at Mineral King. History, music, and more - fire up the fondue and grab that tow rope, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

The Progress City Radio Hour mulls the wine and sets out the relish tray for our 2023 Christmas episode! This year we're hosting two very special historians and authors, Steven Vagnini and Foxx Nolte! We talk about their past, current, and future book projects, and take a look ahead at 2024. History, music, and more - from all of us to all of you, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

Former Imagineering Show Writer Scott Hennesy returns in this month's Progress City Town Hall! In this episode Scott answers some lingering questions from last time before taking us to Tokyo to discuss his adventures there. From Juicy Lucy to Chandu, there's a lot to talk about. Pack your duffle - it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

This month on the Progress City Town Hall we welcome former Imagineering Show Writer Scott Hennesy! Scott comes from a long Disney lineage, and in his time at Imagineering worked on such classic attractions as Kitchen Kabaret, Journey into Imagination, Cranium Command, and more. In this interview we talk about his history, his early Imagineering experiences, and some of his projects for Tokyo Disneyland. Cha-cha-cha, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

Let's return to EPCOT Center for a patriotic extravaganza like no other! Join us for a look at the creation of the groundbreaking attraction The American Adventure, and the history of Americana-themed spectacles that preceded it in the 19th and 20th centuries. Then take your seat for a history of the beloved singing group Voices of Liberty! Grab those rose-colored bifocals and spare a dime - it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

Our 40th anniversary retrospective of EPCOT Center gathers one little spark of inspiration to make some memories! Follow Figment to the Dreamport as we explore the development of the classic attraction Journey into Imagination, and find out about previous Kodak promotions both at Disneyland and at the World's Fairs. And fire up the filmstrip because we're remembering the EPCOT Educational Media Company! Just an ordinary day, but all at once we're on our way - it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

We're riding on sunshine as we continue our 40th anniversary retrospective of EPCOT Center with a look at a few of the faces of energy! Cross the bridge future bound as we explore the development of the classic attraction Universe of Energy, and find out about previous energy exhibits both at Disneyland and at the World's Fairs. And take an off-topic side trip to The Chummery for the dulcet tones of the Saltwater Express! Feel the flow cause here we go, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

In this Progress City Town Hall we welcome back animator and Audio-Animatronics programmer Davy Feiten for part two of our epic interview! This time we go into detail about the Country Bear Jamboree and its seasonal shows, plus more of Davy's work on attractions such as Visionarium. Put some pants on that bear, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

This month on the Progress City Town Hall we're thrilled to welcome audio-animatronics wizard Davy Feiten! Davy started his career as an animator before coming to Imagineering to work on EPCOT Center, where he programmed American Adventure, World of Motion, Universe of Energy, and more. In this interview we discuss those experiences, as well as his work on Splash Mountain and on attractions for Disneyland Paris. Watch out for those tapdancing dinosaurs, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

It's fun to be free as we continue our 40th anniversary retrospective of EPCOT Center with a celebration of the fifth freedom - mobility! Heed the call of the open road as we talk about the development of the classic attraction World of Motion. Find out about sponsor General Motors, and their previous brushes with Disney and World's Fairs. And take a listen to the silliest souvenir video ever made. Free in mind, free in spirit, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

For this month's Progress City Town Hall we're pleased to introduce you to director, producer, and writer Bob Garner! A showbiz veteran, Bob was responsible for documenting Imagineering's work leading up to the opening of EPCOT Center. Among his many credits are the EPCOT preview center film, The Living Seas, the Captain EO preshow film, and much more. Tie down Mickey because Bob is in town, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

We continue our 40th anniversary celebration of EPCOT Center with a look at the pavilion which today most holds true to its original intent - The Land! We'll look back at how the pavilion came to be, and some of the concepts which were abandoned along the way. We'll also talk about original sponsor Kraft, and how they had a presence at World's Fairs and with Disney long before EPCOT. We'll look at the pavilion's research under consultant Carl Hodges, and we'll revisit EPCOT musical muse Bob Moline. History, music, and more - make believe you're a tiny little seed and mayo up that salad loaf, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

In this episode we conclude our two-part Progress City Town Hall featuring veteran Imagineer and Disney Legend Doris Hardoon! In her long career, Doris worked on projects ranging from EPCOT to Shanghai and beyond. In part two of our talk we discuss her work on EPCOT galleries, the Autry museum, Port Disney, WESTCOT, Hong Kong Disneyland, Shanghai Disneyland and more - whew! Pack your bags for a round-the-world journey, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

This month we're happy to bring you a two-part Progress City Town Hall featuring veteran Imagineer and Disney Legend Doris Hardoon! In her long career, Doris worked on projects ranging from EPCOT to Shanghai and beyond. In part one of our talk we discuss her early life as a pop singer and model in Hong Kong, her early career in themed entertainment, and her work with Rolly Crump and others on EPCOT's The Land. Vacuum the wall carpet and I'll meet you at the potato stand, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

We begin our 40th anniversary celebration of EPCOT Center with a look at the theme of its signature pavilion, communications! We'll look back in time to see the history of the Bell System's past offerings at World's Fairs and Disneyland itself, and talk with Imagineer Peggie Fariss about the level of research that went into the creation of EPCOT's Spaceship Earth. To top it off, we'll examine how Spaceship Earth developed from the "Future World Theme Show" to the attraction we know and love today. History, music, and more - hug a Phoenician and beware the electronic babble, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!

This is it, folks - our fiftieth episode! Can you believe it? To mark the occasion we're looking back at two fiftieth anniversary celebrations of the past, 1973's 50th anniversary of Walt Disney Productions and 1978's 50th anniversary of Mickey Mouse. History, music, and more - nifty at fifty, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!