Talk:Marineland of Florida

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Time for an update, folks -- the article is obsolete! 147.70.242.21 22:28, 11 November 2005 (UTC)

The date that the park reopened is incorrect -- I myself went there sometime in 2005, and all the attractions/shows were opened. Could someone find the true date for this? Shaon 21:46, 16 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Commentary moved from talk page

The following was added to the article. I moved it here b/c it's more appropriate for the talk page. Do feel free to incorporate the material into the article, but please don't address the reader. See WP:STYLE for further info.

There are a few factual errors in the present copy. The original name of the attraction was Marine Studios, not Marineland. It was so named because of its design as a motion picture facility, not a theme park or marine "attraction" per se. However, its being the first facility to house marine life similar to an ocean environment, the construction and opening was publicized worldwide. An estimated 30,000 visitors flooded the facility that day. Training of porpoises began in the late 1940s (not the 1960s as stated) after one of the night watchmen, C. M. Walker, noticed the mammals responded to certain movements of his hands. An animal trainer named Keller Breland was hired by Marine Studios to attempt to train porpoises. In the early part of the 1950s, trained porpoise acts were introduced to the public. Other trainers over the years included Andre Cowan, Lester Taylor, and Fred Lyons. In the 1970s following the opening of Walt Disney World in the Orlando, FL, area, Marineland's attendance grew to nearly 1,000,000 annual visitors. The growth of central Florida attractions in the early 1960s was a boon to attractions in the central and north Florida area. From the late 1950s through the mid-1980s, attendance ranged from the 600,000 upwards of the 1,000,000 mark. The 300,000 annual attendance figure noted in the other information was visitation from the 1940s and 1950s. Had 300,000 been the norm, Marineland would NOT have been able to remain in business since an attendance of 400,000 was the "break even" figure for most of its existence. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings was married to Norton Baskin who operated the Dolphin Restaurant at Marineland from the period of the late 1940s into the early 1960s. Ms. Rawlings died in the early 1950s. One of the first remote color television programs ever aired nationally by NBC was Marineland Circus. The hour-long special featured Rosemary Clooney, Lloyd Bridges and Buster Crabbe. Over the years, Marineland became a popular place for television programs and commercials, magazine articles, and radio broadcasts. Its extensive photo and film file of marine life provided images to major publication and motion picture companies.