The Progress City Radio Hour
Arts & Culture Podcasts
Hosts Jeff & Michael Crawford take you through a century of Disney history, with a focus on Walt Disney and his many works. From animation to live-action film to theme parks and Imagineering and beyond, we present deep dives into our monthly topics while also interviewing fascinating individuals who have contributed to the Disney legacy. With a look to the past, and an eye to the future, hop on the monorail and join us for a great big beautiful tomorrow! Disney history, music, and more - broadcasting from beautiful downtown Progress City, U.S.A.
Location:
United States
Genres:
Arts & Culture Podcasts
Description:
Hosts Jeff & Michael Crawford take you through a century of Disney history, with a focus on Walt Disney and his many works. From animation to live-action film to theme parks and Imagineering and beyond, we present deep dives into our monthly topics while also interviewing fascinating individuals who have contributed to the Disney legacy. With a look to the past, and an eye to the future, hop on the monorail and join us for a great big beautiful tomorrow! Disney history, music, and more - broadcasting from beautiful downtown Progress City, U.S.A.
Language:
English
Website:
http://progresscityusa.com/
Episodes
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 55 - Town Hall: Bob Garner
1/24/2023
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!
Duration:01:04:33
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 54 - Harvest!
12/20/2022
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...
Duration:01:51:20
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 53 - Town Hall: Doris Hardoon, Part II
12/6/2022
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!
Duration:02:10:23
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 52 - Town Hall: Doris Hardoon, Part I
11/15/2022
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...
Duration:01:41:22
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 51 - Communications!
11/1/2022
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...
Duration:01:35:45
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 50 - Fifty Happy Episodes!
10/18/2022
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!
Duration:02:13:37
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 49 - Town Hall: Peggie Fariss, Part II
9/20/2022
This episode we're bringing you part two of our Progress City Town Hall with veteran Imagineer Peggie Fariss! Peggie started at Disneyland in 1965 as an attractions hostess, and in her amazing fifty-year career she worked on any number of fascinating projects. In part two of our talk we discuss more of her role in putting together EPCOT's planning conferences, her work helping create the Disney Gallery, the art of dealing with corporate participants, and her time at Disneyland Paris! Head...
Duration:01:52:21
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 48 - Town Hall: Peggie Fariss, Part I
9/6/2022
This month we're very excited to bring you a two-part Progress City Town Hall with veteran Imagineer Peggie Fariss! Peggie started at Disneyland in 1965 as an attractions hostess, and in her amazing fifty-year career she worked on any number of fascinating projects. In part one of our talk we discuss the origins of Peggie's Disney career, her time in Florida previewing Walt Disney World in 1969, her role there as the resort opened in 1971, and her work helping develop EPCOT programming in...
Duration:01:50:38
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 47 - The Great Locomotive Chase! Part II
8/23/2022
We're on the rails again as we continue our exploration of the production of the 1956 Disney feature The Great Locomotive Chase. Join us, Walt, and Fess in the mountains of Georgia and North Carolina for a look at the locals Walt recruited to take part in the film, some of whom he tried to bring back to California with him! We also look back at the film's multiple premiere events, and Jeff speaks to Bill Kurtz III, whose grandfather was technical advisor for the film and who himself made an...
Duration:01:42:16
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 46 - The Great Locomotive Chase! Part I
7/26/2022
This month we're doing something a little different on the Radio Hour, and taking a deep dive into the production of the 1956 feature The Great Locomotive Chase. This film was a passion project for Walt, who spent two weeks playing with trains on location in the mountains of Georgia and North Carolina. Join us and our third co-host Fess Parker for a look back at the production, the locomotives, and life on set along the Tallulah Falls Railroad - and for an in-depth assessment of just how...
Duration:00:45:02
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 45 - Vacation!
6/28/2022
It's time to hit the road for summer vacation, Disney style! We'll look at roadside Disney classics from Florida's welcome centers to Walt Disney World's preview center itself. We'll also hitch up our RVs at Disneyland's long-lost Vacationland campground. We revisit the Country Bear Jamboree Vacation Hoedown, and speak to artists Jason Grandt and Scott Tilley about their Little Golden Book about Disney's Orange Bird. History, music, and more - gas up the Airstream and grab all the brochures...
Duration:02:37:09
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 44 - Voyages Extraordinaires!
5/24/2022
This month, the Progress City Radio Hour is setting sail for adventure with tales from the golden age of scientific romances, and the grand old man himself Jules Verne! We'll look at the making of the 1954 Disney classic 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and revisit how that film was first represented at Disneyland with a movie set tour. We'll also look at Verne's other brushes with Disney, from Tokyo's Mysterious Island to Paris's Discoveryland. And to top it off, we'll visit the greatest...
Duration:00:59:00
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 43 - Brushes With Genius!
3/29/2022
This month, the Progress City Radio Hour looks at some of the creative geniuses who have worked with the Disney studio over the years. From surrealist legend Salvador Dalí, who worked at Disney on the film Destino in 1946, to composer legends like Stravinsky and Prokofiev, many famous names sought to work with Walt in his heyday. We also look at notables of later years, such as Michael Eisner's stable of world-renowned architects and Ray Bradbury's influence on EPCOT Center! History, music,...
Duration:02:28:32
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 42 - Town Hall: Tim Delaney, Part II
3/15/2022
In this episode we welcome back veteran Imagineer Tim Delaney for part two of his town hall! We cover a lot of ground in this one, from EPCOT Center and The Living Seas to Discoveryland in Paris. There are also lots of personal stories about the boom days of Michael Eisner and Frank Wells. Hydrolators prepare for descent, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!
Duration:01:53:46
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 41 - Town Hall: Tim Delaney, Part I
3/1/2022
This month we're happy to bring you a two-part Progress City Town Hall with veteran Imagineer Tim Delaney! Tim began at Disney in the 1970s, and worked on everything from Epcot Center to Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland, and beyond. In this part of our talk we discuss how Tim was inspired by Walt's classic Tomorrowland television episodes, his early years at Imagineering, and some of the fascinating people he met along the way. Hop on the Moonliner and prepare for takeoff, it's the...
Duration:01:15:43
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 40 - Tomorrowland!
2/15/2022
The Progress City Radio Hour turns forward the clock and jets into the new year with a visit to the great big beautiful Tomorrowland! We start off with a look at Walt's own Tomorrowland programs of the 1950s, and how they influenced the American space program. We'll also examine Walt's friendship with visionary architect Welton Beckett, tour the early entertainment offerings of the Magic Kingdom's Tomorrowland, and look at abandoned plans for the EPCOT Future World Theme Center! History,...
Duration:02:04:04
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 39 - A Progress City Christmas 2021!
12/20/2021
The Progress City Radio Hour spikes the eggnog and hoists the mistletoe for our second annual Christmas episode! This year our festive spectacular features visits from two of our Town Hall guests from 2021, legendary Walt Disney World performer Pat Terry, Jr. and renowned Disney horticulturalist Scott Girard. Author and historian Marcy Carriker Smothers also drops by to talk about her newest book about Walt Disney and Disneyland. History, music, and more - from all of us to all of you, it's...
Duration:00:55:45
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 38 - Walt Disney World Is 50! Part IV
11/23/2021
In this episode we wrap up our trip back through time to celebrate Walt Disney World's fiftieth anniversary! The last installation of our multi-episode event examines the 1990s - a decade of many ups and downs for the resort and for Disney itself. Not for nothing was this period known as the Disney Decade - there's a lot to talk about and a lot of developments to cover, so buckle in! History, music, and more - everything announced today in this podcast will definitely be built, it's the...
Duration:03:10:58
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 37 - Walt Disney World Is 50! Part III
11/2/2021
Join us as we continue our journey through fifty years of Walt Disney World history! For this momentous occasion we're embarking on a multi-episode event which will take us through the decades to revisit moments from the resort's past. For part three we look at the 1980s - a decade of much change at Disney and at Walt Disney World. And we welcome Michael Eisner and Frank Wells to the family! History, music, and more - hullo, I'm Michael Eisner, it's the Progress City Radio Hour!
Duration:02:37:25
The Progress City Radio Hour - Episode 36 - Walt Disney World Is 50! Part II
10/19/2021
Our Walt Disney World golden anniversary celebration continues! For this momentous occasion we're embarking on a multi-episode event which will take us through the decades to revisit moments from the resort's past. For part two we explore the years between the resort's opening in 1971 and the debut of Epcot Center in 1982. It's a decade of expansion and of much promise, as well as much silliness. History, music, and more - let us take you on a moonlit ride, it's the Progress City Radio...
Duration:02:16:56