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Southwest Territory (Six Flags Great America)
Southwest Territory is a Wild West themed land at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. The roughly eleven-acre area opened in 1996 for the park's 20th anniversary, and was the largest expansion since its opening in 1976. Originally set to be built as "The Great Southwest" in 1979 under Marriott's operation, the area never came to fruition and the area was stalled. When Southwest Territory was built, it was built in three phases. Set in an 1800s themed Wild West town, the area features six attractions, including the roller coasters Raging Bull and Viper, along with multiple flat rides such as Chubasco and Ricochet. History The Great Southwest concept (1977-1982) During the initial planning of Marriott's Great America in Gurnee, a seventh themed land, ''The Great Southwest'', was intended to be added the park as its first major expansion after opening. The land was planned to open in 1979, but the plans never materialized. Early signs of another land came in 1977, the p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Six Flags Great America
Six Flags Great America is a amusement park located in Gurnee, Illinois, within the northern Chicago metropolitan area. The amusement park originally opened as Marriott's Great America on May 29, 1976, as one of two theme parks built by the Marriott Corporation. Six Flags acquired the amusement park in 1984 after the theme park division was an earnings disappointment for Marriott. The sale gave Six Flags rights to the ''Looney Tunes'' intellectual properties. In 1972, the Marriott Corporation bought rural land near the Tri-State Tollway and had officially announced the theme park to the public the following year, in 1973. The new park would be built near identical to its sister park in Santa Clara, California, now named California's Great America. Designed by architect Randall Duell, the park was designed in a "Duell loop," in where the park was laid out in a full circuit circularly, as employees worked out of sight, in the middle of the park. Opening attractions and areas ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hypercoaster
A hypercoaster can mean one of two things: *Any continuous-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop measuring greater than 200 feet Or, more narrowly: *Any complete-circuit roller coaster with a height or drop between 200 and 299 feet (61 and 91 meters). The term was first coined by Arrow Dynamics and Cedar Point in 1989 with the release of the world's first hypercoaster, Magnum XL-200 featuring a height of 205 feet (62.5 meters). It was followed by Pepsi Max Big One five years later featuring a height of . Other roller coaster manufacturers developed models with custom names, including ''Mega Coasters'' from Intamin, ''Hyper Coasters'' from Bolliger & Mabillard, and ''Hyper-Hybrid Coasters'' from Rocky Mountain Construction. The competition between amusement parks to build increasingly taller roller coasters eventually led to giga coasters, which is a roller coaster with a height or drop between 300 and 399 feet (91.5 and 121.5 meters), and strata coasters, which is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joel Surnow
Joel Surnow (born December 18, 1955) is an American television writer, producer and director. He is the co-creator of the action series '' La Femme Nikita'' and '' 24''. Life and career Joel Surnow is of Jewish descent. He was raised in Michigan, and later Los Angeles. Surnow attended the University of California, Berkeley for two years, and eventually graduated from UCLA film school in 1976. Soon after graduation, he began writing for film; he then switched to television. His breakthrough came when he began writing for ''Miami Vice'', in 1984. By the end of the year, Universal Studios, which owned the show, assigned Surnow to '' The Equalizer'', as Supervising Producer, about a CIA officer turned vigilante. He has five daughters, two from a previous marriage and three with his current wife. Surnow was the co-creator and executive producer of the 1997–2001 television series '' La Femme Nikita'', which was the top-rated drama on basic cable its first two seasons. In addi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blazing Saddles
''Blazing Saddles'' is a 1974 American satirical western black comedy film directed by Mel Brooks, who also wrote the screenplay with Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Norman Steinberg, and Alan Uger. The film stars Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and audiences, was nominated for three Academy Awards and is ranked No. 6 on the American Film Institute's '' 100 Years...100 Laughs'' list. Brooks appears in three supporting roles, Governor William J. Le Petomane, a Yiddish-speaking Native American chief and "a director" in line to help invade Rock Ridge (a nod to Hitchcock); he also dubs lines for one of Lili Von Shtupp's backing troupe. The supporting cast includes Slim Pickens, Alex Karras, and David Huddleston, as well as Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise, Madeline Kahn, and Harvey Korman. Bandleader Count Basie has a cameo as himself, appearing with his orchestra. The film is full of deliberate anachronisms, from the Count ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
F Troop
''F Troop'' is a satirical American television sitcom Western about U.S. soldiers and Native Americans in the Wild West during the 1860s that originally aired for two seasons on ABC. It debuted in the United States on September 14, 1965, and concluded its run on April 6, 1967, with a total of 65 episodes. The first season of 34 episodes was broadcast in black-and-white, and the second season was in color. The series relied heavily on character-based humor, verbal and visual gags, slapstick, physical comedy, and burlesque comedy. The series played fast and loose with historical events and persons, and often parodied them for comical effect. Some indirect references were made to the culture of the 1960s, such as a "Playbrave Club" (a parody of a Playboy Club) and two rock and roll bands (one which performs songs written in the 1960s). Setting and story ''F Troop'' is set at Fort Courage—a fictional United States Army outpost in the Old West, from near the end of the American ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maverick (film)
''Maverick'' is a 1994 American Western comedy film directed by Richard Donner, written by William Goldman, and starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and James Garner. Based on the 1957–1962 television series of the same name created by Roy Huggins and originally starring James Garner, the film stars Gibson as Bret Maverick, a card player and con artist who collects money in order to enter a high-stakes poker game. He is joined in his adventure by Annabelle Bransford (Foster), another con artist, and Marshal Zane Cooper (Garner), a lawman. The supporting cast features Graham Greene, James Coburn, Alfred Molina and many cameo appearances by Western film actors, country music stars and other actors. Released theatrically by Warner Bros. on May 20, 1994, the film was both a critical and commercial success, having grossed over $183 million worldwide. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Costume Design. Plot In the American Old West, gambler Bret Maverick is on his way t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Intamin
Intamin Amusement Rides is a design and manufacturing company in Schaan, Liechtenstein. It is best known for creating thrill rides and roller coasters worldwide. The Intamin brand name is a syllabic abbreviation for "international amusement installations". The company has offices throughout the world, including three in Europe, three in Asia, and two in the United States. Intamin supplies numerous styles of roller coasters, vertical rides, water rides, immersive rides, swing rides, and observation attractions to amusement parks. The company has installed scores of roller coasters in several countries. Intamin designed and built the first river rapids ride, known as Thunder River, and marketed the first freefall ride (developed by Giovanola) and drop tower. Products and technologies Intamin's product range spans two broad categories: rides and transportation. Amusement rides Roller coasters Intamin created the first hydraulic launch system (known as the Accelerator ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giant Drop (Six Flags Great America)
Giant Drop is a drop tower ride located at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee, Illinois, United States. Manufactured by Intamin, the ride opened to the public on April 26, 1997, as part of a three-phase plan for the park's Southwest Territory area. The attraction opened alongside Dare Devil Dive, a skycoaster attraction, in the County Fair section of the park. Set in the Loco Diablo Mine, the ride is themed as an ore excavator built by the fictional Southwest Mining Company. The ride received a temporary re-theme in 2017 under the name Drop of Doom featuring virtual reality headsets in partnership with Samsung. At a height of , the ride is the second tallest attraction at Six Flags Great America, behind Sky Trek Tower at . History Development and construction As part of a three-phase plan for the Southwest Territory themed area, the ride was the second phase of the area, following the first, the opening of Southwest Territory, which opened in 1996. Plans to construct ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pirate Ship (ride)
A pirate ship is a type of amusement ride based on pirate ships, consisting of an open, seated gondola (usually in the style of a pirate ship) which swings back and forth, subjecting the rider to various levels of angular momentum. A variant where the riders must pull on ropes to swing the ride is known as a swing boat. The first known predecessor of the ride was invented by Charles Albert Marshall of Tulsa, Oklahoma between 1893 and 1897. This ride was originally called "The Ocean Wave". The Ocean Wave was first used in the Marshall Bros Circus in 1897. The circus was run by Charles and his brothers Mike, Will, Ed, friends, and family. Height requirements Height requirements for this type of ride vary from park to park. For example, Hersheypark, which has a Huss Pirate Boat, has a height requirement of or more to ride, while at LaRonde, which also has a Huss Pirate Boat, riders must be or taller. Huss recommends that the lowest a height requirement should be is , but park ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
HUSS Park Attractions
HUSS Park Attractions (legal name: Huss Park Attractions GmbH) is a company that specializes in developing and manufacturing amusement rides at a factory in Budapest, Hungary. History of the original Huss Company HUSS Maschinenfabrik was a German company founded in 1919 in Bremen and originally made new and replacement parts for ship engines. The company began to create amusement rides in 1969 and continued until 2005. In 1981, Huss Maschinenfabrik purchased Arrow Development from the Rio Grande Railroad, merging the two companies to form Arrow Huss. The company got into financial trouble partially due to heavily investing in Darien Lake theme park in New York and the 1984 Louisiana World Exposition in New Orleans.O'Brien, Tim. ''Legends: Pioneers of the Amusement Park Industry'', Ripley Entertainment Inc., 2006, p:225 Arrow Huss filed for bankruptcy protection in 1985, and 13 of the company's American officers negotiated a buyout. In 1986, the takeover was approved by the cou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ricochet (Six Flags Great America) 1
A ricochet ( ; ) is a rebound, bounce, or skip off a surface, particularly in the case of a projectile. Most ricochets are caused by accident and while the force of the deflection decelerates the projectile, it can still be energetic and almost as dangerous as before the deflection. The possibility of ricochet is one of the reasons for the common firearms safety rule "Never shoot a bullet at a flat, hard surface." Ricochets can occur with ''any'' caliber, but short or round ricocheting bullets may not produce the audible whine caused by tumbling irregular shapes. Ricochets are a hazard of shooting because, for as long as they retain sufficient velocity, ricocheting bullets or bullet fragments may cause collateral damage to animals, objects, or even the person who fired the shot. Variables Ricochets occur when a bullet or bullet fragment is deflected by an object rather than penetrating and becoming embedded in that object. Ricochet behavior may vary with bullet shape, bullet m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spanish Missions In The Americas
The Spanish missions in the Americas were Catholic missions established by the Spanish Empire during the 16th to 19th centuries in the period of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. These missions were scattered throughout the entirety of the Spanish colonies, which extended from Mexico and southwestern portions of the current-day United States to Argentina and Chile. The relationship between Spanish colonization and the Catholicization of the Americas is inextricable. The conversion of the region was viewed as crucial for colonization. The missions created by members of Catholic orders were often located on the outermost borders of the colonies. The missions facilitated the expansion of the Spanish empire through the religious conversion of the indigenous peoples occupying those areas. While the Spanish crown dominated the political, economic, and social realms of the Americas and people indigenous to the region, the Catholic Church dominated the religious and spiritual re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
