Coney Island (documentary)
Encyclopedia
'Coney Island is a 1991 documentary film traces the history of Coney Island
from its 1609 discovery by Henry Hudson
, to its 1870s incarnation as a respectable beach destination for city-dwellers and showcase of the new developments ushered in by the machine age to the turn of the century, when amusement parks and innovative attractions would attract hundreds of thousands of people each day to the gradual demise of the amusements.
The film is narrated by Philip Bosco
and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and broadcast nationally on PBS
as part of the American Experience
program in February 1991
On camera appearances include Al Lewis, Vincent Gardenia
, Eli Wallach
, Elliot Willensky
, Frederick Fried and Mae Timpano. Voice overs actors include Judd Hirsch
, Nathan Lane
, John Mahoney
, Jerry Orbach
, George Plimpton
, Lois Smith
, Frances Sternhagen
and Andrei Codrescu
.
. As visitors increased, amusements were built, including a tall observation tower, the Coney Island Elephant
hotel, early rollercoasters, carousels, and arc lights to enable nighttime swimming.
Politician John Y. McKane controlled approval of much of the building for years until he was removed from office for election fraud.
Just before the turn of the century, George C. Tilyou built Steeplechase Park
, the first of the three major amusement parks of Coney Island. At this point, Coney Island was attracting around 250,000 people on a summer Sunday. Luna Park followed in 1903, debuting its popular "A Trip to the Moon" ride. The park was decorated with thousands of electric lights, which were still a novelty at the time. Luna Park was also known for the electrocution death of an elephant named Topsy. Thomas Edison
performed the electrocution and filmed it. In 1904, Dreamland was opened by William H. Reynolds. It featured historical reenactments, a dwarf village with 300 residents and an infant incubator for premature babies, designed to show off this latest scientific development. Just seven years later, a devastating fire destroyed Dreamland and initiated the slow decline of Coney Island. The death of George C. Tilyou in the aftermath of World War I
saw a reduced level of innovation in the new attractions at Coney Island, though the crowds only got bigger. During the Great Depression
, many of the existing attractions, amusements and midway prizes were reduced in scale to save money. As World War II
ended, the new ubiquity of the personal automobile allowed families to easily vacation at less crowded beaches in the Greater New York area. In 1946, Luna Park closed. Steeplechase park limped along until closing in 1964.
Chicago Film Festival's Silver Hugo Award
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
from its 1609 discovery by Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson
Henry Hudson was an English sea explorer and navigator in the early 17th century. Hudson made two attempts on behalf of English merchants to find a prospective Northeast Passage to Cathay via a route above the Arctic Circle...
, to its 1870s incarnation as a respectable beach destination for city-dwellers and showcase of the new developments ushered in by the machine age to the turn of the century, when amusement parks and innovative attractions would attract hundreds of thousands of people each day to the gradual demise of the amusements.
The film is narrated by Philip Bosco
Philip Bosco
-Personal life:Bosco was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of Margaret Raymond , a policewoman, and Philip Lupo Bosco, a carnival worker. Bosco went to high school at St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City. He attended the Catholic University of Washington, D.C. Bosco married Nancy...
and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and broadcast nationally on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
as part of the American Experience
American Experience
American Experience is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service Public television stations in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American history...
program in February 1991
On camera appearances include Al Lewis, Vincent Gardenia
Vincent Gardenia
Vincent Gardenia was an Italian American stage, film, and television actor.-Early life:...
, Eli Wallach
Eli Wallach
Eli Herschel Wallach is an American film, television and stage actor, who gained fame in the late 1950s. For his performance in Baby Doll he won a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe nomination. One of his most famous roles is that of Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...
, Elliot Willensky
Elliot Willensky
Elliot A. Willensky was an American composer, lyricist and music producer from Bayonne, New Jersey. He wrote Michael Jackson's first solo hit "Got to Be There" and the Jermaine Jackson/Whitney Houston duet "If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful." Willensky composed the music for the 1999 off-Broadway...
, Frederick Fried and Mae Timpano. Voice overs actors include Judd Hirsch
Judd Hirsch
Judd Hirsch is an American actor most known for playing Alex Rieger on the television comedy series Taxi, John Lacey on the NBC series Dear John, and Alan Eppes on the CBS series Numb3rs.-Early life and education:...
, Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane is an American actor of stage and screen. He is best known for his roles as Mendy in The Lisbon Traviata, Albert in The Birdcage, Max Bialystock in the musical The Producers, Ernie Smuntz in MouseHunt, Nathan Detroit in Guys and Dolls, Pseudolus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to...
, John Mahoney
John Mahoney
John Mahoney is a British born American actor, known for playing Martin "Marty" Crane, the retired police officer, father of Kelsey Grammer's Dr...
, Jerry Orbach
Jerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard "Jerry" Orbach was an American actor and singer. He was well known for his starring role as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the Law & Order television series and as the voice of Lumière in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. As well, Orbach was a noted musical theatre star...
, George Plimpton
George Plimpton
George Ames Plimpton was an American journalist, writer, editor, and actor. He is widely known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review.-Early life:...
, Lois Smith
Lois Smith
Lois Smith is an American actress whose career in theater, film, and television has spanned five decades.Smith was born Lois Arlene Humbert in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Carrie Davis and William Oren Humbert, who was a telephone company employee...
, Frances Sternhagen
Frances Sternhagen
Frances Hussey Sternhagen is an American actress. Sternhagen has appeared on and off Broadway, in movies, and on TV since the 1950s.-Personal life:...
and Andrei Codrescu
Andrei Codrescu
Andrei Codrescu is a Romanian-born American poet, novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and commentator for National Public Radio. He was Mac Curdy Distinguished Professor of English at Louisiana State University from 1984 until his retirement in 2009....
.
Synopsis
Coney Island began as a resort destination in the early 1830s and gained popularity in the 1860s as advances in travel technology reduced the time it took to get there from other parts of New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. As visitors increased, amusements were built, including a tall observation tower, the Coney Island Elephant
Coney Island Elephant
The Coney Island Elephant was a hotel and brothel built in the shape of an elephant, and located on Coney Island.In 1885, the Elephant Hotel, also known as the Elephantine Colossus, was built by James V. Lafferty and was 122 feet high with seven floors and had 31 rooms.The hotel became associated...
hotel, early rollercoasters, carousels, and arc lights to enable nighttime swimming.
Politician John Y. McKane controlled approval of much of the building for years until he was removed from office for election fraud.
Just before the turn of the century, George C. Tilyou built Steeplechase Park
Steeplechase Park
Steeplechase Park was an amusement park in the Coney Island area of Brooklyn, New York from 1897 to 1964. It was one of the leading attractions of its day and one of the most influential amusement parks of all time.-Beginnings:...
, the first of the three major amusement parks of Coney Island. At this point, Coney Island was attracting around 250,000 people on a summer Sunday. Luna Park followed in 1903, debuting its popular "A Trip to the Moon" ride. The park was decorated with thousands of electric lights, which were still a novelty at the time. Luna Park was also known for the electrocution death of an elephant named Topsy. Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. In addition, he created the world’s first industrial...
performed the electrocution and filmed it. In 1904, Dreamland was opened by William H. Reynolds. It featured historical reenactments, a dwarf village with 300 residents and an infant incubator for premature babies, designed to show off this latest scientific development. Just seven years later, a devastating fire destroyed Dreamland and initiated the slow decline of Coney Island. The death of George C. Tilyou in the aftermath of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
saw a reduced level of innovation in the new attractions at Coney Island, though the crowds only got bigger. During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, many of the existing attractions, amusements and midway prizes were reduced in scale to save money. As World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
ended, the new ubiquity of the personal automobile allowed families to easily vacation at less crowded beaches in the Greater New York area. In 1946, Luna Park closed. Steeplechase park limped along until closing in 1964.
Critical Reception
Time magazine called the film one of the top ten television programs of 1991, and the Chicago Tribune called it "one of the best documentaries you will ever see."Awards
Organization of American Historians Erik Barnouw Award in 1992Chicago Film Festival's Silver Hugo Award