How Abbott & Costello (and a Baseball Bit) Saved Universal (Ep. 56)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Tv & Film, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 20 June 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jim Hill and Eric Hersey step up to the plate with the unbelievable true story of how a simple comedy sketch—Who’s on First—helped pull Universal Studios back from the brink of bankruptcy. Along the way, they cover the box office power of How to Train Your Dragon, a surprising coaster IP twist, and the last remaining piece of the Jaws ride hiding in plain sight. Abbott & Costello’s rise from burlesque to box office saviors How Who’s on First became a studio-saving sensation Fast & Furious coaster car reveal—and Orlando’s unexpected pivot The Dragon’s Father’s Day box office fire and epic synergy New Halloween Horror Nights house starring Jason Voorhees A mysterious old bathroom with Jaws-sized history From the backlot to the ballfield, it’s one of the most unexpected—and most entertaining—episodes yet. Support Our Sponsor: Be Our Guest Vacations Planning your next Universal vacation? Be Our Guest Vacations is a Platinum-level Earmarked travel agency with concierge-level service to make every trip magical. Their team of expert agents plans vacations across the globe, from Disney and Universal to cruises and adventures, ensuring you have the best possible experience without the stress. Book Now Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	My name is Kaden Sinclair.
0:19.0	Some people call us American royalty.
0:21.6	We were liars.
0:22.6	A new series on Prime Video.
0:24.6	We were happy. We wanted for nothing.
0:27.6	Based on the best-selling novel.
0:29.6	Something terrible happened last summer, and I have no memory of what or who hurt me.
0:35.6	No one in my family will tell me. When you're left for dead,
0:39.0	you want answers. We will liars. New series, watch now, only on Prime Video. Welcome back to the
0:46.2	Epic Universal podcast. I'm entertainment writer Jim Hill, and this is the podcast where we cover the
0:52.1	latest universal news, rumors, and history. And as always, I'm joined by Eric Hersey, who,
0:59.0	thank the Lord, lives in a house that's high up on a hill because
1:03.0	Wheeling had some interesting weather this past weekend. Is that correct?
1:07.0	Yeah, Jim, that's never good news when Wheeling hits the national news. And that's what
1:11.7	happened this, I guess, this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, we had honestly flash floods. So if
1:17.8	anybody's been paying attention to any of the national news, you'll get a little West Virginia.
1:21.5	It seemed like Wheeling was hit real hard. Honestly, five minutes away, they completely wiped out
1:27.2	a few neighborhoods. Thankfully, we were away, they completely wiped out a few neighborhoods.
1:29.0	Thankfully, we were indoors and did not have any damage, but there are some, you know,
1:34.4	friends and family, friends and friends of family that were hit pretty hard here. So we're,
1:39.5	we're lucky.
1:40.1	Yeah, that said that it did impact at least one member of the hersey family miles who would be
	...

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