The Progress City Radio Hour

The Progress City Radio Hour picks up our fife and drum for another celebration of the Fourth of July! In this patriotic episode we'll look back at how Disney parks celebrated the Bicentennial, and examine some very early concepts for Epcot's American Adventure. We'll also walk you through a lengthy televised spectacle of Americana from 1991. History, music, and more - strike up the band, it's the...

The Progress City Radio Hour sets sail down the mighty Mississippi for more wild west excitement in Frontierland! In part two of this month's episode we look at how Mark Twain influenced Walt Disney's youth. We'll also look at Frontierland dining options from Disneyland's past, hear a catchy ditty about Nature's Wonderland, and continue our retrospective tour of Walt Disney World's Frontierland! H...

The Progress City Radio Hour hits the dusty trail in search of frontier adventure! In part one of our Frontierland episode we look at the musical legacy of some of Disney's western offerings and revisit the televised exploits of Texas John Slaughter. We also begin our trip back through time to Remember the Magic of Frontierland's past at Walt Disney World. History, music, and more - prepare for th...

The Progress City Radio Hour wakes up the glee club and returns to the wilds of Adventureland! In part two of our Adventureland episode we examine the careers of two individuals who had a great influence on this land's history - Imagineer Harper Goff and horticulturalist Bill Evans. We'll also revisit the filming of the Disney classic The Swiss Family Robinson, and Jeff holds a Polynesian feast! H...

The Progress City Radio Hour starts the show rolling and embarks on a safari into Adventureland! In part one of our Adventureland episode we look at the True-Life Adventures which first inspired this exotic land and Remember the Magic™ of some of the area's past offerings. We also look at the history and lore of the Orange Bird, and examine Walt Disney World's citrus ties. History, music, and more...

Here we return to our Progress City Town Hall two-part interview with Imagineer and historian Tom Morris. In part two of our talk we discuss a number of major projects that he worked on, most notably Disney Studios Paris, DisneyQuest, and Hong Kong Disneyland. We also discuss his huge new research project about the roots of Imagineering, and some of the important names you may never have heard abo...

This month, the Progress City Town Hall brings you a two-part interview with Imagineer and historian Tom Morris. Tom not only worked on a wide range of projects from EPCOT to Hong Kong Disneyland and beyond, but he's embarked on a major research project about the roots of Imagineering. In this part of our talk we discuss several of his early projects including World of Motion, Journey into Imagina...

The Progress City Radio Hour returns to Fantasyland in the second part of our 50th anniversary retrospective! This week we examine some unbuilt attractions from "The Fantasyland That Never Was" and continue to Remember the Magic™ of past Fantasyland offerings such as Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and the Skyway. This month's special guest, historian and Imagineer Tom Morris,...

The Progress City Radio Hour sprinkles some pixie dust and heads straight into the happiest land of them all! In part one of our Fantasyland retrospective we look at the European adventures which inspired Walt's storybook tales and Remember the Magic™ of some of Fantasyland's past offerings. This month's special guest, historian and Imagineer Tom Morris, also drops in with some insight into the de...

This month's Progress City Town Hall continues with part two of our interview with designer and former Disney Imagineer Eddie Sotto. Eddie started at Disney in 1986 and rose to be Senior Vice President, Concept Design. In this episode we discuss his memories of Michael Eisner, talk about why someone leaves Imagineering, and analyze some of the issues facing the industry today. From one Progress Ci...

This month's Progress City Town Hall features our interview with designer and former Disney Imagineer Eddie Sotto. Eddie started at Disney in 1986 and rose to be Senior Vice President, Concept Design. In our wide-ranging talk we discuss everything from the unique appeal of Knott's Berry Farm to what, exactly, he was cooking up in his Imagineering Concept Development Studio. From Six Flags Power Pl...

The Progress City Radio Hour marches right down the middle of Main Street for a look at this area's influences and history! We'll examine what there is to see in Marceline, Missouri, take a trip with Walt to the 1948 Chicago Railroad Fair and Greenfield Village, listen to the soundscape of Main Street, and Remember the Magic™ of past Main Street offerings such as the Walt Disney Story and Penny Ar...

This month's Progress City Town Hall features our interview with former Disney Imagineer and executive, Bob Holland. Bob got his start during the construction of Epcot Center and retired after 26 years as the Vice President of Resort Development. He talks us through many of his projects from the built to the unbuilt, and tells tales of an array of architectural personalities as well as Disney icon...

The Progress City Radio Hour hops aboard the monorail for a tour of Walt Disney World's Vacation Kingdom in the early 1970s! We'll look at how the Walt Disney World experiment began with Denver's Celebrity Sports Center, explore how the Seven Seas Lagoon was developed, examine some unbuilt resort hotels, and Remember the Magic™ of past offerings at the Contemporary Resort and Polynesian Village Re...

The Progress City Radio Hour powders its wig for a look at Liberty Square and Disney's relationship to the presidency! We'll stroll the halls of history examining how Walt interacted with the presidents, look at how his Imagineers created the Hall of Presidents, recount important presidential moments at Walt Disney World, and Remember the Magic™ of Liberty Square's past. History, music, and more -...

The Progress City Radio Hour strikes up the band and hits the parade route for a retro Christmas viewing party! In this trip down holiday memory lane we discuss a classic Progress City favorite, the 1986 Walt Disney World Very Merry Christmas Parade. See what the resort was like as it celebrated its 15th anniversary, as well as the 50th anniversary of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. History, musi...

The Progress City Radio Hour decks the halls and dishes the figgy pudding for our very first Christmas episode! In this festive spectacular we welcome some very special guests including Director of the Walt Disney Archives Becky Cline and historian and author Jeff Kurtti. Our wacky neighbor Jay even drops in with some wintery film recommendations for the Disney fan. History, music, and more - dont...

The latest installation of the Progress City Town Hall features our interview with Disney music producer and historian extraordinaire, Randy Thornton. Randy walks us through his career at the Disney studio, including some of his big projects and how he evolved the theme park soundtrack album. You'll also hear stories about the greats from Tutti Camarata to Annette to Richard Sherman, and get a hin...

The Progress City Radio Hour keeps the hits coming and flips the disc for a new trove of musical treasures! We return to 1980's The Official Album of Disneyland/Walt Disney World, this time examining the musical influences and historical development of each track on side B. Our aural odyssey takes us from brass bands to America Sings to Mr. Lincoln, and features some clips from our interview with...

This episode of the Progress City Town Hall features our interview with musical maestro and entertainment producer extraordinaire Don Dorsey. Don walks us through his career of legendary entertainments, beginning in the days of America on Parade and culminating in EPCOT's iconic IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth. You'll get the inside scoop on the Main Street Electrical Parade, the Electrical Wa...

The Progress City Radio Hour warms up the hi-fi and spins a platter full of musical delights! We take a deep dive into side A of 1980's The Official Album of Disneyland/Walt Disney World, complete with in-depth looks at the musical influences and historical development of each track. From the Main Street Electrical Parade to the Country Bear Jamboree we hit all the stops, and feature a few choice...

This episode of the Progress City Town Hall features our interview with themed entertainment veteran and former Imagineer Bob Baranick. Bob takes us from his days before Disney working on regional attractions such as the Six Flags Power Plant through his time as a model builder for Disneyland Paris's Phantom Manor and beyond. You'll hear tales of his stint as an art director at Disneyland, includi...

The Progress City Radio Hour grabs its musket and coonskin cap and heads off into the wilderness! We have a wide frontier of adventure awaiting you including the life and lore of Davy Crockett, a visit to Frontierland circa 1956, a trip through Marc Davis's unbuilt Fort Wilderness attraction Adventure House, a stop at Trail's End, and a bit about a never-built Frontierland attraction from former I...

This episode continues the Progress City Town Hall featuring part two of our interview with long-time Disney executive Frank Stanek. In this episode, Frank takes us from the construction of Walt Disney World through his time leading the development of the Tokyo Disneyland project, and gives us a rare insight into the transition from Ron Miller's time at Walt Disney Productions to the dawn of the E...

Join us for our inaugural Progress City Town Hall, part one of our interview with long-time Disney executive Frank Stanek. In Frank's 25 years at Disney he went from part-time pancake flipper at Disneyland to corporate vice-president of research and planning, and along the way influenced such projects as the 1964/65 New York World's Fair, Mineral King, Walt Disney World, and Epcot. He also led the...