Superstar Television - a Studios Original

Today we will take a look back at one of the original attractions at the MGM Studios, Superstar Television. This attraction was sponsored by Sony and was housed in the ABC Theater.

It was very interactive beginning with the holding area. Guests would try and get the emcee’s attention by acting excited and yelling. The emcee would cast guests and they would be taken backstage while the rest of the guests watched a film hosted by Alan Alda. Following the film, the guests were led into a 1,000 seat theater for the show.

The audience then watched the demonstration of bluescreen technology. The guests on the stage were shown acting in scenes from shows such as Cheers, I Love Lucy, Gilligan’s Island, the Tonight Show, and Bonanza. Eight television monitors would show the audience what the result looked like using chroma-key technology. The attraction comprised of about 6 such shows lasting about 30 minutes in total. A Disney cast member took care of the emcee duties throughout the show.

This attraction was retooled in 1997 to bring it up to date with newer shows such as Home Improvement. Sadly, the popularity of the attraction waned and it was closed for good on September 26, 1998. It was replaced in 1999 by the Doug Live! Show.

Superstar television came along at a time when the MGM Studios attempted to teach as well as entertain. I compare it to attractions like the old Backlot Tour, Animation Tour and Monster Sound Show that allowed the audience to learn how movies and TV shows were made. It was very entertaining as it was interactive and every sitting was different.

I really miss this attraction as I think it symbolized what the Studios stood for. It was about having fun while learning and was back in the day when the Studios actually did some filming and movie making. I hope someday, we can bring a similar attraction back to help us restore the Studios to a place that focuses more on educating us about film making.