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UnknownConey Island (ca. 1940s)

The great amusement zone in its heyday.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Unknown
Sponsor: N/A
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: Amusement parks; Coney Island; New York City: History

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: ERD - - March 2, 2006
Subject: Captures the Mood
This is an excellent film that captures the mood of Coney Island when it still at its height in 1940. Luna Park, burnt down in 1944, and the Steeple Chase,thrown down in 1964, are shown.
It was at a time when New York City was one of the best places to live in.

Reviewer: Arensky - - February 2, 2005
Subject: Zowie! Coney Island Caviar
What a feast this little movie is. The was a time when Coney Island conjured up the definitive definition of fun for every one. The rides, the food, the beach, the boardwalk -- Disneyland never saw the day. How I wish I could go back and ride that old "woody" roller coaster once more or taste a real Coney Island hotdog.

Castle Films had contracts with Paramount, Universal and United Artists and would sell 10-minute cutdowns of features to individuals. I think they had short versions of nearly every Hopalong Cassidy western in their catalog. In fact, the music used during the tiger taming scenes is the "Dance Of The Furies" from the opera Orfeo by Christoph Willibald Gluck, used as chase music in the first six Hoppys.

I think it would be safe to say that this film was originally a Paramount release and home rights were sold to Eugene Castle for distribution through camera stores. At any rate, "Coney Island" is well worth a download and its a keeper.

Ed

Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - June 30, 2003
Subject: Coney Island
This newsreel featurette is a real slice of life from the heyday of the amusement park. Usually these kinds of films portray activities that are fun to do but lame to watch. But this one is actually quite fun to watch, perhaps because the old classic amusement park culture has disappeared for the most part. In this film it lives again, and you get to visit the sideshows, complete with freaks (check out the wonderful advertising posters for these shows), ride all kinds of common and bizarre rides, eat traditional Coney Island food such as hot dogs and frozen custard (prices start at 10 cents!) and even get a souvenir picture postcard taken of you and your friends. The place is packed and everybody seems to be having a great time. This film is one of the best pieces of nostalgia I've seen in a long time, and that's saying a lot for what is essentially just an old Castle Films newsreel featurette.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - April 7, 2003
Subject: Now THIS I lvoe.
I just LOVE OLD AMUSEMENT PARK FOOTAGE!!! This is one bonanza of it, as we see the grand-daddy of them all, Coney Island, in all it's glory. We start at the beach, where there's not a spot to be found. There must be thousands of people there! We then turn to the sideshows and freakshows, where we get to see a glimpse of the "pinheads' (I think they were in Freaks?) anyways, after THAT the ride footage starts, and oh man, what rides they are! We have the spinning rides that take you up in the air (with no harnesses!) and the roller coaster, but the rides that looked totally fascinating were the ride where you sit in the middle with a bunch of people while the ride spins around, you gradually get sucked off to the middle to the sides (and colliding into people as well) as well as the spinning discs which TOTALLY looks fun. Oh MAN! EASILY one of the best films on this site!

Reviewer: xrayspex - - September 15, 2002
Subject:

Shotlist

Brooklyn, N.Y.

* 11:01:52:27- 11:02:13:25
Nice montage of Coney Island boardwalk. Starts with image of soldier taking
his friends' photo. All around them are people, and behind them we see
"Ocean Baths." Cut to a close up of two young women and men (they look
stylish) in a close circle talking_behind them we see "Hyman's Bar &
Grill." Cut to an overview of a crowded section of the boardwalk.
. 11:02:14:03- 11:02:59:08
Crowd of smiling people standing around and looking up. Cut to MCU LA
carnival or sideshow barker speaking into microphone and pointing while
holding tickets. TU to pointer at freak show sign "Smallest Grown Ups On
Earth". People buying freak show tickets. Cut to lurid circus freak show
posters: "Madam Zenda: World's Greatest Mind Reader", "Prof. Frank Graf:
Human Art" (tattooing; poster only), "Marian: Headless Girl From London"
(extremely lurid and practically indescribable), "Winsome Winnie: Fat
Pretty And Jolly" (the circus fat lady), many others including "Zip & Pip:
2 Georgia Peaches". Cut to very rare footage of midget PINHEADS (Zip & Pip,
apparently) on display in the freak show. Cut to people milling about on
Coney Island street.




Brooklyn, New York Hot dogs Frankfurters Eating Amusement parks Roller coasters Rides Beaches Leisure Recreation