Edward L. - Wicked Branson

Welcome to wicked Branson!
Never tell anyone what you are about to learn.

Illustration by Edgar Drane.

Published by The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2017 by Edward L. Underwood and Karen J. Underwood, with Johnny Pinney

All rights reserved

Photos by the authors unless otherwise noted. Illustrations by Edgar Drane.

First published 2017

e-book edition 2017

ISBN 978.1.43965.965.6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2016942430

print edition ISBN 978.1.46713.711.9

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the authors or The History Press. The authors and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Branson is a special place for families. And by that I mean its where the elderly go to spend time with their parents.

Julie Mahr Brinson

Wicked Branson is dedicated to you, Julie, for your kindness, strength and love of life. (And for doing a season in Branson.)

CONTENTS

FOREWORD

I was chosen to host the Investigation Discovery TV series True Nightmares because I know a bit about the darker side of human nature. On this show, I tell real tales of bizarre murder and mayhem, but none of them compares to the experience I had in a small town in southern Missouri.

I spent the longest summer of my life in Branson, Missouri. I was hired to host a new stage show, Ripleys Believe It or Not: Live on Stage. The producer told me to clear off my calendar because I would be doing the show for at least five years. That five years turned out to be fifteen weeks from Memorial Day until Labor Day. During those weeks, I experienced the rabbit hole that is Branson.

When an animal is backed into a corner and feeling its existence threatened, it will fight to survive with a terrifying, banshee-like fury. Theres a similar quality to much of the fun showbiz in Branson. Onstage these folks are sweet as pie and filled with love. Offstage they will gut anyone who gets in their way.

Our show performed twice a day to meager audiences. As the name of our show would imply, we featured unusual, offbeat acts. One of them was a bluegrass fiddler who was also a contortionist. He played Orange Blossom Special with one leg wrapped around the back of his neck. It was a quirky and good act. You would think it would be perfect for Branson, but you would be wrong. As part of the introduction of the act, I mentioned that he did yoga. We had people get up and walk out of every performance because of this. To these folks, the fact he did yoga meant that he was a devil worshipper.

The only good thing about the experience was that the checks cleared. We limped along through the summer, but the show closed right after the season ended. I was told that when school started, the audiences were made up of older people who were not as progressive in their attitudes.

At our final performance, I had my car parked at the stage door with the motor running. I am not joking about this. When the curtain came down, I stripped out of my costume, dressed as rapidly as I could, quickly thanked the crew, jumped into that car and sped off. I was fifty miles down the road out of town before the audience had left the theater. I hope you enjoy this book about this unique little town.

TODD ROBBINS is an American author, lecturer and performer. He has entertained millions with his extensive knowledge of carnival chicanery, magic, sideshow stunts and the darker side of history. Todd is currently the host of True Nightmares on the Investigation Discover television network. Find him online at toddrobbins.com.

INTRODUCTION

My experience here in Branson has been one of extreme contrasts. On one hand, the natural beauty is truly breathtaking. From rolling hills to scintillating lakes and the spectacular range of colors during the change of seasons, the bucolic setting feeds my soul.

Living here is genuinely like being in a funhouse with distorted mirrors that create various illusions and delusions. Nothing is as it seems. The ubiquitous presence of southern music and humor is a thin veneer that this town is painted with to please the millions of visitors who pass through looking for true hillbilly heritage. My family is actually from the Arkansas Ozarks, and precious little of what is on display in this borough is either genuine or representative of the intelligence and resourcefulness of our mountain pioneers.

We have some incredible talent here, like roses among thorns. I have enjoyed mellifluous, rich voices; top-notch bluegrass instrumentalists; spectacular productions; and awe-inspiring magical moments. Such moments are in stark contrast to the struggle that goes hand in glove with the effort required to make it in the Branson business climate. Consequently, it isnt always the best and most talented who survive. I will never figure out what makes this kooky place tick, but I do know that I have seen enough sequins and waving flags to last a lifetime.

KAREN UNDERWOOD

When I first visited Branson, Missouri, as a tourist, I was amazed at how much business was going down in so many forms. Hotels, resorts, timeshares, car and boat rentals, rides and amusement parks, lakes and fishing, the blend of nature and neon and all those shows! It was like a wonderland of show business. There were so many acts in so many theaters, so many billboards and so many rack cards that a drive down the famous Highway 76 strip was a sparkling blur of color and excitement.

When I came to Branson to work inside the industry, it totally perplexed me. The more I saw the less I understood about the ways things got done in Branson. Pockets of success were the exception to vast black holes of financial failure. I had a lot of experience in theater management and marketing, as well as as an entertainer and writer. But nothing I had learned seemed to apply to Branson.

During our time in Branson, Karen and I appeared in no less than five separate shows. Each one was targeted at a specific demographic audience under the umbrella of Branson-styled options. Some of the shows were better than others. None of them was particularly satisfying to present due to the business conditions you are forced to cope with and the kinds of audiences generated by those conditions. I began to wonder how all this happened and if the enigmatic pieces somehow fit together. Thats when we began researching Bransons past in an effort to understand its present.

What we discovered was quite enlightening. From the towns earliest days and its glory days to the present day, we started to see some patterns emerge. We hope you will enjoy the discoveries we made. I have had, and continue to have, a great deal of fun living and working in Branson. Sometimes I laugh with Branson, and sometimes I laugh at Branson. Sometimes I choke on the irony of Branson. It is our desire in sharing these stories and insights into wicked Branson that you will appreciate the gap between the reality of the town and its image. Nothing we are about to reveal will sour you on Branson or cause you to lose your sense of wonder and enjoyment when you visit. If anything, we simply hope you will be entertained by these stories and that you come to appreciate just how much hard work, determination and sacrifice it takes to make Branson a fun place for you and your family to visit.