Comic Relief: Ferris Wheel Scenes

Please indulge me... this "comic relief" is for my own therapy. As my previous post explained, I was an extra for a commercial filmed at a local amusement park. I spent three days from noon to beyond midnight (last night until 2:00 a.m.) riding rides and walking the park.

I love most amusement park rides, and thrilled at riding them over and over for the numerous takes, but the Ferris Wheel gives me palpitations. It stems from my childhood when I rode one for the first time... my brothers thought it was funny to rock the seat back and forth, making me feel like I would fall out. From that point on, the ferris wheel became one of my least favorite rides.

So imagine my hesitation when I was told to ride the ferris wheel for filming. I wasn't sure I could handle one ride on there, let alone an undetermined amount of times round and round. Gulp. Thankfully as I approached the one in the park, I realized it was a different version. Instead of the open style seat with just a little bar across the front, it was more like round bowls with umbrellas over them. Umbrella gondolas. Sigh of relief. I felt secure.

However, even though I survived--quite pleasantly--the daytime filming, when we returned to film that same ride at night, I felt apprehensive as we rotated through the dark sky.

Here's a photo I snapped with my phone before boarding. You can see the gondolas way up there.

A cameraman was on a gondola next to mine and I'm certain any shots of me revealed a very somber woman. Not the same woman who just a short time earlier had been screaming with delight as she spun through roller coaster loops and begged to keep on going even after seven consecutive rides. No, this woman was inwardly pleading for the ferris wheel ride to end.

Sometimes to overcome a fear, it helps to find the humor in it, or see it from different perspectives, so I found some movie clips to help in my therapy.

First from Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins (1985). I enjoyed this film. Superb supporting role for Joel Grey too.

I would feel safe enclosed in the cages of this ferris wheel, but please don't ever make me ride it like Remo does.

Remo Williams in training:

In my search for clips, I came across a comedy I've never seen. How did I miss this John Belushi film? I added it to our Netflix queue. My trauma is nothing compared to what the characters experience on this ride!! 1941 (1979):

This next clip from Charlotte's Web (2006) is sweet. Awww...maybe I wouldn't feel nervous on such a ride if my sweetie was next to me! He would never rock the seat. And I would never wish it to end.