04.16.2025 BOB GURR: TO DISNEYLAND AND BEYOND!!! With FRANK WOODWARD & BOB GURR!
MONSTER PARTY SALUTES THE LIFE AND CAREER OF A CREATIVE VISIONARY!
JAMES GONIS, SHAWN SHERIDAN, LARRY STROTHE, and MATT WEINHOLD celebrate the legendary artist who designed many of the most iconic attractions at Disneyland Theme Parks. But as you’ll soon learn, his work and legacy far surpass the gates of The Magic Kingdom. MONSTER PARTY is proud to present… BOB GURR: TO DISNEYLAND AND BEYOND!!!
While pursuing a career in car design, Bob got the call from Disney to create ride cars and animatronics for Disneyland. The Autopia cars! The Matterhorn bobsleds! The Haunted Mansion Doom Buggy! The original Disneyland monorail! The internal mechanisms of Abraham Lincoln for Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln! All designed by Bob Gurr!
After a long career as an "Imagineer," Bob left Disney to start his own company and bring us the original (and best!) King Kong Encounter for Universal Studios and the sinking pirate ship at Treasure Island Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas!
In this enlightening and inspirational episode, Bob Gurr sheds light on his early life, artistic style, work ethic, philosophy, and remarkable thirst for knowledge. We also get a slew of surprising anecdotes, including a monorail encounter with the past Vice-President of the United States… RICHARD NIXON! Whatever happened to that guy?
For this very special "podfrontation," we are happy to welcome two incredible guests!
The first is an award-winning producer, director, and writer, who has brought us such films as MEN IN SUITS, LOVECRAFT: FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN, and the upcoming BOB GURR: LIVING BY DESIGN. Let's hear it for friend of the show... FRANK WOODWARD!
Our second guest is the author of such sought-after books as HOW TO DRAW THE CARS OF TOMORROW, DESIGN: JUST FOR FUN, and BOB GURR: LEGENDARY IMAGINEER: LIFE AND TIMES-DISNEY AND BEYOND, and he's currently the host of the YouTube series, THE BOB GURR SHOW! Please welcome... You guessed it... BOB GURR!
THE HAPPIEST PLACE ON THE INTERNET IS... MONSTER PARTY!
Guest(s): Bob Gurr & Frank H. Woodward
Follow Bob: Bob Gurr (@bobgurrofficial)| Bob Gurr | The Bob Gurr Show
Follow Frank: Frank H Woodward (@frank.h.woodward) | Frank H. Woodward
KEY TOPICS DISCUSSED:
Listeners learn about Bob's design philosophy, which he calls "terminal curiosity" , and his advice to always say "yes" when asked to do something you've never done before.
Bob tells a surprising story from his youth as a paperboy in Studio City, where one of his most difficult customers to collect 75 cents from was actor Lon Chaney Jr.
Bob provides a firsthand account of Walt Disney's unique management style, recalling how Walt would assign monumental tasks—like creating the Western Hemisphere's first monorail —to people who had never done them before and then simply walk away , trusting them completely to figure it out.
The conversation covers Bob's impressive career after leaving Disney, where he created massive attractions like Universal's Kongfrontation and the sinking pirate ship at Las Vegas's Treasure Island Hotel & Casino.
Bob discusses his current projects, including his own YouTube talk show where he delves into the careers and personal histories of his guests.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:18 - The hosts of Monster Party welcome listeners to the show.
00:00:57 - The hosts introduce themselves: Matt Weinhold, Shawn Sheridan, Larry Stroth, and James Gonas.
00:01:46 - The first guest, award-winning director Frank Woodward, is introduced. He is on the show to discuss his new documentary, "Bob Gurr, Living by Design".
00:02:50 - The main guest, legendary Disney Imagineer Bob Gurr, is introduced.
00:03:26 - Frank Woodward explains how the documentary came about after Bob's manager, Ernie Alonzo, approached him with the idea.
00:05:15 - Bob Gurr recalls "threatening" Frank to create a one-page synopsis and pitch it to him in 90 seconds, which Frank successfully did.
00:11:20 - Bob Gurr explains his concept of "terminal curiosity" and details his extensive daily routine of reading news from various international and domestic sources to stay informed.
00:17:35 - Bob shares stories from his time as a paperboy during World War II, where his customers included movie industry figures like Albi Works and a frequently drunk Lon Chaney Jr..
00:21:51 - A discussion begins about the creation of the Autopia ride vehicles. Bob explains that he was only supposed to design the car's body, but was quickly put in charge of redesigning the entire chassis by Roger Brogie Sr..
00:26:23 - Bob reveals that of the 37 original Autopia cars, only two were left running after the first week of operation, forcing him to analyze every failure and redesign parts all summer.
00:28:40 - Bob describes Walt Disney's management style, explaining how Walt would assign monumental tasks like designing the Western Hemisphere's first monorail simply by saying, "get started on ours right away," and then walking out.
00:33:11 - Bob recalls that the iconic, sleek design for the monorail came to him in about 10 minutes one morning at his house.
00:34:39 - Bob discusses his philosophy of having a single, pure vision for a project, avoiding "design by committee" which he feels leads to muddled results.
00:39:52 - Bob explains the failure of the Rocket Rods attraction, which replaced the People Mover, attributing it to "blue sky" hubris where momentum outpaced practical problem-solving.
00:43:31 - The conversation turns to the failure of Luigi's Flying Tires at Disney California Adventure, a successor to the original Flying Saucers ride.
00:44:14 - Bob explains the critical design flaw of the new flying saucers: by making them large enough for two people, the weight ratio of the vehicle to the rider was thrown off, making it nearly impossible for guests to make them move.
00:50:49 - Bob contrasts Walt Disney's supportive approach to failure with that of Michael Eisner, who would threaten people's careers. Bob says Walt's attitude was, "Well, we sure found out why this is not going to work. So why don't we just get going? Let's see if we can figure out how to make it work".
00:54:19 - Bob tells the story of how he "kidnapped" Vice President Richard Nixon on the monorail, taking him for a ride without his Secret Service detail present.
00:57:42 - Frank Woodward announces the premiere of the documentary "Bob Gurr, Living by Design" at the Alex Theatre in Glendale on April 26th.
01:00:05 - Bob Gurr discusses his life philosophy, explaining that "hope" and "wish" are the worst words because they imply inaction. He advises that instead of reacting with anger, one should respond with a practical plan, which in turn helps the body's immune system by reducing stress.
01:00:54 - The hosts begin a listener shout-out segment, starting with their friend and Patreon member Gary Norris, who is a major Disneyland fan.
01:02:13 - A shout-out is given to Bob Gurr's contribution to ride vehicles, specifically highlighting the Haunted Mansion "doom buggy".
01:02:55 - The hosts fondly remember the extinct attraction "Adventures Through Inner Space," noting that the doom buggy's ride system originated from that ride's "Atommobile".
RESOURCES/LINKS MENTIONED:
Films
Men in Suits: This title is mentioned as one of guest Frank Woodward's "classic documentaries".
Lovecraft, Fear of the Unknown: This is cited as an award-winning documentary also directed by Frank Woodward.
Bob Gurr, Living by Design: This is Frank Woodward's latest documentary and the main topic of the episode. Its premiere is announced as taking place at the Alex Theater in Glendale.
Jurassic Park: Bob Gurr mentions working with Steven Spielberg for about five months on this film.
Television
The Imagineering Story: Frank Woodward mentions this documentary series as a project where people may have seen Bob Gurr before.
Bob Gurr's YouTube Show: This is first mentioned in Bob Gurr's introduction, noting that he currently has his own show on YouTube. Later in the episode, the hosts refer to it as "The Bob Gurr Show" and discuss its format.
Charlie Rose: Bob mentions that he learned a lot about how to conduct interviews for his own show from watching Charlie Rose.
Larry King's Show: Bob references Larry King's interview style and minimalist set as another influence on his own show.
Johnny Carson Shows: Bob notes that he also watched Johnny Carson's shows to learn about how a talk show is supposed to be done.
Books & Other Media
Design: Just for Fun: Frank Woodward mentions that Bob gave him a copy of one of his books, which Frank read over a holiday to create the documentary's outline.
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