Jay Stein, mastermind of the Universal Studios tram tour, dies at 88

“Can you conscionable springiness maine 1 of your leftover sharks?”

It was aboriginal successful Jay Stein’s tenacious pursuit to crook a throwaway concern into a saccharine spot for Universal Studios, past owned by Lew Wasserman’s powerhouse amusement steadfast MCA.

In 1975, Steven Spielberg’s “Jaws” was a taste sensation and Stein wanted to capitalize connected the movie’s success. He asked his colleagues successful movie accumulation for props truthful his crews could re-create the fictional Amity Island coastline successful the studio’s hilly backmost batch miles from downtown L.A.

“He convinced them: ‘Can you conscionable springiness maine 1 of the leftover sharks and I’ll enactment it connected the workplace tour, and we’ll get immoderate promotion retired of that,’ ” writer Sam Gennawey told The Times, recalling Stein’s brilliance and his pioneering usage of intelligence property.

Jay Stein with his wife, Connie, successful Oregon.

(Connie Stein)

Stein died Nov. 5 astatine his location successful Bend, Ore., according to his wife, Connie Stein. He was 88 and had been suffering from complications related to Parkinson’s illness and prostate cancer.

“He near a large spread — but helium besides near a fantastic legacy,” she said successful an interrogation Sunday. “Not a batch of radical person the accidental to permission a bequest that touches generations. But he’s inactive making radical grin each day.”

The tram tour’s shark attack, which terrified tourists erstwhile it debuted successful 1976, has agelong been a staple. It was among Stein’s galore taxable parkland enhancements during his much than 30 years arsenic a apical MCA executive, which included Universal’s propulsion into Florida to vie with Walt Disney Co.

The “Jaws” attraction helped cement Universal’s decades-long narration with Spielberg, a span that would see specified films arsenic “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,” “Jurassic Park,” “Schindler’s List” and “The Fabelmans.” It besides spawned different movie-themed attractions that included a “Waterworld” unrecorded amusement and a “King Kong” ride.

Stein insisted that the ape would spew “banana breath,” his woman said.

Within Universal, specified jolts and flourishes became known arsenic “JayBangs,” which Gennawey utilized arsenic the rubric for his 2016 publication astir Stein’s contributions to the industry, “JayBangs: How Jay Stein, MCA, & Universal Invented the Modern Theme Park and Beat Disney astatine Its Own Game.”

“Jay wanted to enactment you successful the movie,” Gennawey said. “He wanted to drawback you by the collar and shingle you a bit.”

The “Runaway Train” attraction connected the Universal Studios backlot tour, 1 of its galore exhilarating “JayBangs.”

(NBCUniversal Archives & Collections)

Stein was calved successful New York City connected June 17, 1937, to Samuel and Sylvia “Sunny” (Goldstein) Stein.

His begetter was a ticker salesman who moved the household to Los Angeles erstwhile Stein was young. As a teenager, helium occasionally skipped schoolhouse to spell to Hollywood Park Racetrack to stake connected horses. He had finagled immoderate blank study cards and utilized them to bring location self-inserted precocious marks.

But the scam was revealed erstwhile the household concisely moved backmost to New York and Stein was nearing the extremity of precocious school. His parents were summoned for a conference, wherever they learned Stein lacked the credits to graduate. Summer schoolhouse remedied that.

The household returned to L.A. Stein attended UC Berkeley, majoring successful governmental science, but helium near astir a semester shy of graduating.

He served successful the Army National Guard and adjacent the extremity of his service, successful 1959, helium began moving successful MCA’s mailroom. Initially helium wanted to get into movie production, but by the mid-1960s, helium was steered into the fledgling circuit unit.

The institution had launched the tram circuit successful 1964 to marque a small wealth from its ample existent estate. But immoderate executives viewed the endeavor arsenic tacky. Its prospects looked dim.

“It started retired arsenic 2 trams and a Quonset hut connected Lankershim Boulevard,” Stein told The Times successful a 2023 interview.

“Quite frankly, the tram was considered thing that interfered with tv production,” Stein said. “I worked for the accumulation bureau and was fixed the task of trying to coordinate however adjacent we could travel connected the backlot without interfering. Everyone I worked for said it was an annoyance and disruptive and volition not ever beryllium welcomed.”

Stein was capable “to person others of the benefits of having the workplace tour,” Gennawey said. “That’s what saved it.”

Early signage advertizing Universal Studios arsenic a tourer attraction.

(NBCUniversal Archives & Collections)

Gennawey considers Stein a cardinal pioneer of U.S. taxable parks.

“He was remarkably competitive. He recognized that Disney had its happening — but Universal could make thing antithetic and complimentary, peculiarly successful the aboriginal days,” Gennawey said.

Disneyland was, of course, a apical draw.

“But if you are a Los Angeles nonmigratory and had relatives coming successful town, you knew they [also] wanted to spot Hollywood,” Gennawey said. “But Hollywood was benignant of scary, truthful you took them to Universal Studios.”

Stein’s contributions person lone precocious been appreciated, according to Gennawey.

That’s mostly due to the fact that Stein subscribed to Wasserman’s edict that the “stars were the stars,” and executives should blend into the background. Stein besides retired early, leaving Universal by the mid-1990s, aft Japanese electronics elephantine Matsushita bought MCA.

Visitors enactment up for the workplace circuit of Universal Studios.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Stein disquieted that Universal’s caller proprietor (and a drawstring of consequent buyers) would neglect to admit the worth of the taxable parks, Gennawey said, an reflection that proved correct.

That changed successful 2011 erstwhile Comcast acquired NBCUniversal and began investing heavily.

The institution opened its $7-billion taxable park, Universal Epic Universe, adjacent Orlando, Fla., to raves earlier this year.

The taxable parkland portion — which includes destinations successful Los Angeles, Florida, Japan and China — has go 1 of the astir reliable nett engines for NBCUniversal. Last year, Universal taxable parks produced $8.6 cardinal successful revenue.

Stein is survived by his wife, lad Gary Stein, girl Darolyn Bellemeur, and their spouses, children and grandchildren arsenic good arsenic Connie Stein’s children and grandchildren.