AQUA FEST

[Music] america the people the places the names the faces this is america [Music] good evening ladies and gentlemen this is jack douglas for tonight's armchair vacation somewhere in america we have something different yet colorful and exciting in store for all of us now this special program will combine the world's finest underwater show with the world's greatest all-around water show in a beautiful spectacular aquafest [Music] wikileaks springs the shrine of the mermaids is located on the gulf side of florida north of tampa and speaking of mermaids looky here [Music] you do believe in mermaids don't you you bet we believe in mermaids or at least we will before the performance has ended and here approaching the giant spring are more mermaids girls between the ages of 18 to 25. the setting is magnificent but nothing takes place on the surface of this enormous freshwater spring the show is entirely underwater and viewed by the spectators from comfortable seats in that auditorium now most of the auditorium is submerged some 16 feet below the surface the glass by the way is three inches thick to withstand the fantastic water pressure well it's nearly showtime and the first group of mermaids from among the 20 who will be seen await their cue at the submarine well there's the fanfare and the greatest underwater show on earth is about to begin [Music] the welcome to wiki is amplified throughout the auditorium and cues the mermaids they'll end the pool by diving into and through the submarine well [Music] what appear to be ropes are actually air hoses these enable the mermaids to stay underwater indefinitely well fortunately the mermaid doesn't have to worry about the giant clam known as calamity jane ouch fact is calamity has to sleep with one eye shut all because of her friend professor bubble trouble now bubble trouble is an insomniac poor fellow and he's forever getting up to see what time it is apparently it's time to get up for the water lilies are beginning to unfold and they awaken the sleeping beauties [Music] while we're waiting for some of the show's highlights consider these amazing facts about wiki watching this underwater grand canyon was created by nature not by man the death of the spring is unknown professional divers have gone 400 feet without seeing bottom and more than 168 million gallons of water flows through the spring every day 168 million gallons and winter or summer hear this the water temperature is exactly 74.2 degrees mirror mirror we see double and we should since there are two mermaids demonstrating the underwater version of this old vaudeville routine and routine is what's in store for professor bubble trouble it's the monday morning wash and this is probably the only underwater wash line in the world [Music] and now one of the shows truly picturesque segments the high wire act it's lovely to watch and although there isn't any danger involved the mermaids have to be quite skillful to maintain balance because of the current for as i mentioned the water in this huge subterranean cavern is constantly on the move let's watch [Music] at intermission time the curtain goes down rather it goes up millions of air bubbles but let's not waste the intermission let's see the real interior of florida on a brief cruise of the wiki watchy river aboard the side paddle wheeler the congo bell [Music] this old shack is called crater's landing the river at this time of year is quite deep yet the water is so clear you can see bottom very easily the river abounds with wildlife you know there are no billboards here no telephone poles no skyscrapers as it was so has it been preserved and in these peaceful surroundings interrupted only by the slush of the paddle wheel i began to appreciate all the more why the american indian resisted the unrush of civilization for as long as he did now watch this magnificent creature as it seeks its nest on a limb of a cypress it will make an upright landing as it reaches the nest the riverboat pilot brings along slices of bread for a family of raccoons and there's going to be some competition for that second half of the slice the fish are also nibbling at it this rustic robinson crusoe type shack shelters several wild boar now they roam the nearby woods but when the congo bell sounds her horn they come a running their reward is an apple now in the next scene watch the piece of pipe closely and you'll see an apple tumble out yes he got one too the huge black bear isn't allowed to roam the riverbanks he's fenced off to protect the smaller wildlife so they really make sure that he gets fed confidentially he just assumed they kept their measly old bread and just let him lose to chase a few raccoons and this cool cat isn't cool at all the florida puma and incidentally the puma is very much at home in the everglades [Music] well the congo bell makes a turn at the bend of the river and takes us back to the auditorium for more mermaids and merriment and we're just in time to see professor bubble trouble setting up his music stand for the overture now he's making a mess of things as usual but the musical mermaids hardly need a conductor [Music] [Applause] [Music] apparently bubble trouble likes a different kind of music that huge object dimly visible behind the mermaid isn't a whale but a fiberglass conch shell big enough for the mermaids to stand inside it's an air chamber used by the mermaids when they want to rest or to change costumes the mermaids do have a pet bow a mechanical dolphin propelled by an air motor [Music] oh all right let's have an underwater drink but as you can see bubble trouble is having trouble with his bubbles but seriously how are these mermaids able to eat and drink underwater we put the question to one of the lovely mermaids well i believe the secret of drinking pop underwater is to exhale all of your air into the bottle that when you do that that forces the liquid or the soft drink into your mouth and it's very easily done after a while becomes second nature just like drinking on land now tell us about the first time you tried drinking underwater was it easy to do no sir when i was when i was first learning um i was drinking and drinking and swallowing and swallowing and i thought that the bottle may surely be empty but when i lifted away from my face it was still completely full and i had just been drinking the water that was around me and that was because i hadn't exhaled my air into the bottle now since these mermaids spend literally hours each day underwater women in our audience especially might be interested to know how the girls manage with their hair here's the answer well the water is very drying to our hair and we do require a few more oil treatments than if we had a normal everyday office job and we do require a few more washings to our hair wash it about twice a week and that confuses people because they figure with us being in the water so much that we shouldn't have to wash our hair thank you mermaids one and all you put on a show that's worth seeing over and over again at wiki watchy springs the shrine of the mermaids next the world's greatest all-around water show at cypress gardens and some of the most breathtaking action water films that i at least have ever seen now the show at cypress gardens changes every few months so even if you've seen it before i'm sure we have some surprises for you gardens in winter haven florida is not only the best known outdoor entertainment attraction in florida one of the most famous in the world and the biggest and best all-around water show on earth now before showtime you can walk around the magnificent gardens or cruise the inlet waterways and canals throughout the gardens the emphasis is on beauty along the banks you'll see dozens of these charming young ladies wearing antebellum costumes and their job consists merely of looking pretty and waving to the visitors from the 50 states and foreign countries as well [Music] most spectators prefer to be seated on the lawn at the edge of the beach and the fanfare gets the show underway now first some precision boatsmanship it's an interesting way to catch the attention of the spectators make the latecomers hurry for a seat and it also clears the water for the skiers and other performers [Music] now the show is formally underway a swan ballet is performed on skis by a lovely blonde and blue miss judy scott [Music] you know all of us i think get a charge out of seeing an expert make a miscue i guess they appear more human when they do make an occasional flop watch [Music] a trio now featuring the pink lady another beauty miss brenda reed notice that the tow lines are attached to the life jackets of the two skiers so that they can use their arms to hold this reed a lot it's nice work but it's not a picnic so [Applause] [Music] now the tempo picks up and the men take over to put on a dazzling exhibition of jumps and turns here's the action much of it in slow motion [Music] now watch the top of the picture closely for some truly remarkable shots [Music] to show you the action from the viewpoint of the skiers we mounted a camera on one of the skis and here's the water and the hazards as they appear to these skiers the audience of course never sees this only the camera could show what the skier sees [Music] after that tense and sometimes terrifying experience we're in for some laughs with the cypress gardens clowns [Music] okay in this year's routine the clowns portray escaped convicts and they're constantly being chased by a keystone cop who of course never succeeds in catching them [Music] so [Music] [Music] this unique vehicle which operates on land and water is called the amphicar it's made in west germany from the ridiculous we go back to the sublime the lovely aqua maids the aquamates change costumes throughout the performance [Music] [Applause] [Music] now an act that has become a trademark of cypress gardens the pyramid of nine three men and six aqua maids [Music] what appears to be just another water skier is actually the introduction to skiing without skis watch as he spreads his legs and releases the skis [Music] now backwards if you please [Music] [Music] next still barefoot but from a standing start on the beach [Music] finally and perhaps most difficult of all a start from the water here at the very start the pressure against the body is terrific [Music] when he's had enough he lets go the tow line and somersaults and hard the flying kite man originated at cypress gardens some years ago and this attraction seems to increase in popularity as the years go by it's a novel way to see the countryside he'll soar up to 500 feet sometimes more there are two flying kite men at cypress gardens and their skill and daring has prompted their pals to coin a chilly rime that goes like this he floats through the air with the greatest of ease if the kite collapses he won't need his skis well he won't need his life jacket either [Music] [Applause] [Music] every great show should have a showstopper and this year the crowds at cypress gardens have gone wild over three marvelous skiers who perform crazy eights patterns representing the figure eight here ladies and gentlemen is one of the most skillful and thrilling water acts of all time [Music] well the performance is over and it's time to wave back as the young southern bells smile goodbye but if you get the chance you come back to the lake lake eloise when the crowds and the skiers have gone for the day it's a sundown setting you'll not soon forget and it brings down the curtain on your aquafest [Music] during this aquafest armchair vacation we have presented only the highlights of the entertaining shows at cypress gardens and wiki watchy springs now the show's naturally run much longer i'd especially like to thank the performers at cyprus and wikih they're not only attractive young people but superb athletes as well until then this is jack douglas saying thank you so much and good night ladies and gentlemen boys and girls [Music] [Applause] [Applause] you