Defunctland: The History of Disneyland's America Sings

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Happy 4th of July! To celebrate, I discuss a patriotic addition to Defunctland, America Sings.

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[TheEpic]

Debbie's death is one of the most grotesque accidents in theme park history. Something about being crushed to death and screaming while everyone around her is distracted by cheerful music is just really awful.

[janerecluse]

When I saw this title, I was wondering how you would handle Debbie's story, and I'm very pleased that the answer is, 'with class.' Not only in how you talk about it, but in how you fit it into the video, allowing people to skip and then not gooping it up with sad/scary music like it's a horror movie instead of the facts on how a real person met an extremely premature end.

[talking_dog]

My grandfather was actually in the theater at the time of debbies death (as a guest not a cast member) he heard her screaming but thought it was just a child from another theater. He was heartbroken when he found out what actually happened. He was so upset that he was in the building at the time of her death and couldn’t help her. As far as I know, he hasn’t gone back in that building since and I don’t blame him. Rest In Peace Debbie. :(

[rubberwoody]

closed 2 days for "cleaning"

erie

[nyotamwuaji]

that seems like a REALLY serious design flaw if the theater can kill someone. how was that not spotted as a potential hazard before the incident?

[Phantomwise]

Just wanted to thank you for being so respectful to Debbie Stone. Her death has been sensationalized so your video was a breath of fresh air. Otherwise, what a well-researched video! I wish I could have seen this attraction in person.

[godzillab]

The first time I heard about Debbie's death it was written as if it were an urban legend. It was on some website several years ago. That is tragic and horrifying to think about.

[FoxInferno]

Not gonna lie, I was a bit scared of this one, knowing what happened to Debbie. Excellently handled though, Kev, and a great video to boot.

[sinnerssandwich]

I get wanting to change the Mexican accent, but get a singer who can do an understandable Texan accent.

[nana-tamago]

I had no idea about Debbie's death. So when I saw the warning at 6:33 on a video about a seemingly innocent singing ride I was genuinely taken aback

[MatecaCorp]

My mom knows the family of the girl who died. It was a terrible accident, and we still pray for the family sometimes. You're right about those disgusting stories about her. It's just plain wrong to say things like that about someone, and it hurts her family a lot.
Anyway, this was a great surprise video, and I'm looking forward to the next one.

[RinzlerHoC]

Out of all the Disney history videos and blogs I've seen concerning America Sings, yours has to be one of the most respectful and tasteful in regards to the death of Miss Stone. Thank you so very much for showing such tact while still remaining informative.

[mailerdemon]

I can't believe I'd never heard of the controversy around this ride. That is extremely grim.

[benjaminwambeke]

Many of these comments are just thanking him for being so respectful to the death of Debbie Stone and I think that says a lot about the Disney community, so thank you all for recognizing that this is indeed incredibly heartbreaking and must be treated with respect towards the family and the history

[thewingedhussar]

I think a turkey would have been better instead of a Owl accompanying the bald eagle since the turkey was the other contender for the title of American national bird.

[thasociopath]

Wow this is crazy, but my wrestling coach and western civ teacher in high school was a cast member at disneyland during this time. I can remember during a free day him telling stories about working there. Mostly mundane stuff like meeting his wife there and partying after hours, but he also told us about the gruesome America Sings death, even drawing a diagram on the dry erase board showing how she got caught. I remember him saying he wasn't friends with Debbie but knew of her, and quit the park shortly after because of the way they handled her death. Man, I completely forgot about that until stumbling on this video. Small world I guess.

[FaydOgolon]

One of the things I recall about this attraction was that the transition from stage to stage was very smooth. I did not know until after we left the building that it wasn't the stage that was moving, it was us! I honestly could not feel any vibrations from the floor.

[Defunctland]

Happy 4th, Defunctland Community! I hope you enjoy the surprise episode! Have a great day!

NOTE: To those that are not familiar with my previous videos, the "homosexual fast dancing" is a reference to my video on Videopolis. It is not a homophobic joke.

[tannerin]

really love the designs of the animatronics, it’s a shame they’re forever linked with this incident

[JarethTheGoblinKingForever]

To be honest I'm glad the "footage" of Debbie Stone used in this video was fake. Considering what happened to her I don't think anybody ever needs to see the real thing. It's very sad, I can't imagine being a parent and having to hear about that.