04/18/2025
Adventureland Adventures 7 – Promotion & TV
In 1988, when I began my journey with Adventureland Park, there was a sign near the entrance to the theater that announced my show as Sheriff Sam’s Magic Review. My name wasn’t on it. I didn’t even get to choose the name. But I realized that the park wanted to fill the room six times a day and they needed the show to do that. My name was not enough, instead a “Magic Review” was more interesting to a larger number of people.
Over time, the sign changed though. I was recognized as the host of the Fox 17 Kids Club show and the marketing department started using my name. They first used my business card to display a logo and the byline, “Ben Ulin, His Comedy is Magic.” Later, after my show in the Palace, they switched to announce Ben Ulin, Magic and Mysteries. Today, the physical sign is gone, and we now have a signboard that sits in the path and signs on the door windows that display my logo – Ben Ulin’s Magic and Comedy Show. I’ve come up in the world!
In 1989, I was approached by the park and asked if I would allow a camera crew into the theater to record a part of my show for a tv commercial they were putting together. After looking things over, the director determined that the stage lighting wasn’t going to work and asked if I could bring one of the illusions outside to film it. I didn’t have any of the current props that could easily be moved off stage, but I had a smaller one, known to magicians as the Temple of Benares, that would work. It wasn’t in my show; I was still working out a routine for it. It was a colorful, dollhouse sized box, with artwork on it that made it look like a palace. Performing the illusion, involved running several swords through it and showing it empty by opening doors on the front, ultimately an adult assistant would appear from within.
We carried this prop outside, putting it right in front of the doors. I was to “make a magical gesture.” My assistant’s job was to stand up from within, opening the roof, and smile at the camera. The director stopped some guests walking by and asked them to stand around the prop as we did this. This worked out well and they used this short clip in commercials for many years after.
So, my big commercial debut for the park, shown for years was doing a trick that I never did in the show, never performed outside, never would have done surrounded by people… the trick that never was!
Another television project connected to Adventureland; was a game show called the Family FunZone. This was taped at Adventureland on the "FunZone" outdoor amphitheater, which had been constructed specially for the show over the dolphin pool, preceding the building of the Underground ride. This show was successful enough to continue a live version of it over the next two years. I was still performing the magic show at Sam's Saloon and would have to run back and forth from theater to theater. I was very involved in this project, as host, writer and game designer. Consequently, I was asked to be the spokes talent for a Family FunZone commercial. Both the commercial and the show were aired throughout the Midwest.
In 2003, I was going to celebrate the 10,000th show at Adventureland. I wanted to set up a stunt to commemorate it.
Van Hardin with the Van and Bonnie show on WHO radio had once asked me if there was a way, he could do the Sawing a Lady in Half trick, using his morning show partner, Bonnie. When he first asked about it, I was not able to help. But I had recently added a prop that would be perfect for this request. I was not sure how it was going to relate to my 10,000th show. So, I offered to do a mindreading stunt where Bonnie would try to hide an object anywhere in the park. I would read her mind and find it. If I were successful, she would agree to let Van cut her in half. If I could not find it, Bonnie would cut Van in half. They agreed to it, I did an interview with them to promote a special morning to perform the stunt and celebrate our show.
On the day of the stunt, Van and Bonnie aired their morning radio show from the Adventureland Palace Theater to a special live audience that came to witness the event. While Van and I stayed on stage, Bonnie was driven around the park on a golf cart by a member of the security staff. She had a diamond donated from a sponsor. I had given her some rules to hide the diamond. I did not want it to end up in a restroom or someplace it might accidentally get moved. I also suggested that it be placed somewhere near a landmark that the radio audience could visualize.
When Bonnie returned, she and I walked around the park. I asked her to hold my wrist as I picked up on her thoughts. We occasionally checked in with Van to discuss the progress. I struggled because Bonnie did not follow my rules exactly. It could have been disastrous. In the end, I had to do some real mind reading to find it (or maybe I just got lucky.) Either way, Bonnie ended up stepping into a magic cabinet on the Palace Theater stage where Van shoved her top half off her bottom half, to a cheering crowd and their statewide radio audience.
More to come…
