Before television, newsreels like this one filmed in Coney Island circa 1945 were shown in movie theaters. The film starts with the Wonder Wheel (described by the narrator as “a mass of iron lace”) and ends with the Parachute Jump (“the highest in the whole United States”) and the Cyclone (“mountain climbing on wheels”). Among the long-vanished rides that appear are the Virginia Reel, Looper, Whip, Octopus, Caterpillar, Rocket Ships, a carousel with a ring machine and the original Steeplechase horse race.
Related posts on ATZ…
September 9, 2012: On the 5th Anniversary of the Closing of Astroland
August 27, 2012: Video of the Day: Raw Footage of 1960s Coney Island
August 16, 2011: Video of the Day: “IT Girl” Clara Bow in Coney Island
March 10, 2011: Video: Seasons of the Cyclone Roller Coaster by Charles Denson
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