AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: CONEY ISLAND (TV)
Summary
This Ric Burns documentary chronicles the rise of the South Brooklyn beach resort, Coney Island -- which briefly functioned as the populist, raucous turn-of-the-century hub of the coming "modern world" -- its later incarnation as America's favorite amusement center, and its waning popularity by mid-century. Utilizing archival photographs and film footage, as well as interviews with those offering insight into the allure of Coney Island in its heyday, this documentary explains the meteoric rise and gradual decline of this "national playground."
Highlights of "Sodom by the Sea" include: a history of the rise of Brooklyn beach resorts in the 1870s, spearheaded by Coney Island builder, John McKane; the creation of the resort's trademark treat, the hot dog; the invention of the roller coaster in 1884; Coney Island's late nineteenth-century popularity explosion due to New York's large, impoverished population seeking diversion, and Thomas Edison's invention of the incandescent light.
Highlights of "City of Fire" include: the building of Steeplechase Park by impresario George C. Tilyous; footage of the park's wild attractions; how rivals Frederick Thompson and Elmer "Skip" Dundy built the overwhelmingly successful Luna Park, known as "Electric Eden" for its many incandescent lights; how New York politico William Reynolds built the moderately successful futuristic amusement park "Dreamland," which included a city of midgets, early baby incubators, and hundreds of movie theaters; footage of the electrocution of Topsy the elephant; how Dreamland burnt down before opening day in 1911; the bankruptcy of Frederick Thompson which causes him to lose him Luna Park; and the end of Coney Island's "pioneer" days.
Highlights of "Nickel Empire" include: actor Al Lewis's recollections of working at Coney Island as a barker, and his memories of the freak shows; the history of Park's Commissioner Robert Moses attempt to turn Coney Island -- often called "the poor man's Riviera" -- into serene park land because he despised its noise and squalor; and actors Eli Wallach and Vincent Gardenia's memories of the importance of Coney Island, especially to immigrant families.
The concluding untitled segment examines the sociological and industrial reasons for Coney Island's decline, and the closing of Steeplechase Park on September 20, 1964, as its lights darkened tier by tier for the final time.
Cataloging of this program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: February 4, 1991 9:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:09:19
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:40008
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Amusement parks - New York (State); Coney Island (New York, N.Y.); Resorts - New York (State); She Made It Collection (Judy Crichton)
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV Series,
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Judy Crichton … Executive Producer
- Margaret Drain … Senior Producer
- Ric Burns … Producer, Director
- Buddy Squires … Producer
- Lisa Ades … Co-Producer
- Tricia Reidy … Associate Producer
- Richard Snow … Writer
- Brian Keane … Music by
- Kevin Purrone … Instrumentalist, Pianist
- Brian Klarman … Instrumentalist, Pianist
- Max Rudin … Instrumentalist, Pianist
- Marion Meadows … Instrumentalist, Soprano Saxophonist
- Walton W. Amey … Instrumentalist, Stanley Crosscut Saw
- Paul Rotante … Instrumentalist, Clarinet player
- Philip Bosco … Narrator
- Andrei Codrescu … Voice
- Vincent Gardenia … Voice
- Judd Hirsch … Voice
- Nathan Lane … Voice
- John Mahoney … Voice
- Jerry Orbach … Voice
- George Plimpton … Voice
- Lois Smith … Voice
- Frances Sternhagen … Voice
- Eli Wallach … Voice
- Elmer Dundy
- Al Lewis
- John McKane
- Robert Moses
- William Reynolds
- Frederick Thompson