What’s Going On With King Kong at Islands of Adventure? (Ep. 120)

Jim and Eric dig into a busy week of Universal news, from unexpected trouble with the King Kong animatronic at Islands of Adventure to fresh signs of expansion behind Dark Universe at Epic Universe. They also check out Universal Monsters collectibles at Sonic, a new CityWalk hot dog destination, and The Traitors taking over part of Universal’s Great Movie Escape. Then Jim continues the story of Abbott and Costello, revealing how Lou Costello’s push to change the comedy team’s financial arrangement helped set the stage for serious tensions behind the scenes.

NEWS

• The King Kong animatronic at Skull Island: Reign of Kong is damaged during maintenance, leaving questions about when the attraction will fully return.

• New construction behind Dark Universe fuels speculation about Epic Universe’s first major post-opening expansion.

• Fat One’s Hot Dogs and Italian Ice prepares to open at Universal CityWalk with Joey Fatone on hand for the festivities.

• The Traitors brings themed décor to Universal’s Great Movie Escape as NBCUniversal promotes the series across CityWalk.

• Sonic celebrates Halloween with a Universal Monsters Wacky Pack collection featuring Frankenstein, Dracula, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and more.

FEATURE

• Jim explains why Universal eventually honored Abbott and Costello with their own building on the studio lot.

• Lou Costello pushes to change the team’s traditional salary split after their films become enormous hits for Universal.

• Abbott and Costello tour the country selling more than $85 million in war bonds during World War II.

• A devastating 1943 phone call sets the stage for the troubled final chapter of the comedy team’s story.