It is widely known among Disney fans that the businesses advertised on the second story windows of Main Street, U.S.A. are all tributes to key individuals from Disney Parks history. At Disney's Hollywood Studios, however, those upper windows provide the Imagineers with an opportunity for a little humor while fleshing out the story of "the Hollywood that never was."
A great example is the window above. Found on Sunset Boulevard over the Villains in Vogue shop, one finds the headquarters for the International Brotherhood of Second Assistant Directors, or I.B.S.A.D. Pronounce those initials (I Be Sad) and this fictional organization becomes a comment on a movie making role that gets little respect... the person who assists the person who assists the Director.
In the same block on Sunset is also the Muscle Beach Bodyguard Service:
And just around the corner, Max's Classic Directing Academy, claiming to teach "The Latest Movie Techniques." This window is actually an homage to the 1950 film Sunset Boulevard. In it, Erich von Stroheim plays Max von Meyerling, a once-great Director who now spends his days as a butler catering to once-great actress Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson). The Academy's slogan, "Are You Ready for Your Close-Up?" paraphrases one of the great lines from the film.
Across the street and above Sunset Club Couture is Director's Best Friend, Inc., providing trained stunt dogs for motion pictures:
And finally, up the street a ways at the corner of Hollywood and Vine (and above the Hollywood & Vine Cafeteria of the Stars) is the office of Detective Eddie Valiant, the character portrayed by Bob Hoskins in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Fans of the film will remember the scene where Roger burst through the window shade of movie producer R.K. Maroon's office. Well, it looks like the silly rabbit must have made a similarly hasty exit from Valiant's place here at Disney's Hollywood Studios:
I must make a correction. In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Roger bursts through the Shades of R.K. Maroon's Office at the Maroon Cartoon Studios.
ReplyDeleteThis does not take away from the awesomeness of the reference. Who Framed Roger Rabbit is my all time favorite movie.
Oops. My bad. You are absolutely correct. It was R.K. Maroon's office, not Eddie Valiant's. I chalk it up to being too tired when I wrote the post. Sorry about that, but thanks for keeping me honest. I'll make the correction in the original text so anyone who doesn't dive into these comments will still get the right information.
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