Amusing the Zillion

Cha Cha’s on Surf Avenue in Coney Island “Officially Closed”

February 6, 2013 by Tricia

Cha Cha’s Surf Avenue Bar and Grill, Coney Island. April 2012

Cha Cha’s of Coney Island, which relocated to Surf Avenue last spring after losing their lease on the Boardwalk, is closing for good. The announcement was made last night via the bar and restaurant’s Facebook and twitter:

Just to let everyone know, Cha Chas on surf ave is officially closed for Good!

Thanks!

— ChaCha's ConeyIsland (@ChaChasSurfave) February 5, 2013

Reactions from fans and followers ranged from “NOOOO!” and “I’ll miss those gogo times we had!!” to “Thanks for the good times over the years.”

As recently as January, the plan was to fix the place up after flood damage from Sandy and make a go of it. “OK! we had our meeting and the game plan is being set in motion to rebuild and open the old Cha Chas space on Surf Ave by spring. As info comes in we’ll keep everyone informed with the new and improved space on Surf Ave.”

Yesterday’s announcement did not give a reason for the closing. Given the challenges faced by businesses in their rebuilding efforts, we’d have to guess that Sandy is responsible for shuttering this Coney Island mainstay, which had survived the death of its manager “JT” and eviction by Zamperla. Cha Cha’s former Boardwalk location was the site of the original Club Atlantis and is now Tom’s Restaurant.

Coney Island After Sandy: Cleanup at Cha Cha’s Surf Avenue, November 17, 2012. Photo © Tricia Vita

John “Cha Cha” Ciarcia also owns Cha Cha’s In Bocca Al Lupo in Manhattan’s Little Italy. Last season, in addition to relocating his Coney Island bar to Surf Avenue, he put his name on Cha Cha’s Steeplechase Park on Thor’s Stillwell Avenue property. The park had carnival rides as well as an al fresco bar. Will Cha Cha’s name turn up in another location in Coney Island? That depends whether he still has sand in his shoes after Sandy. We’re not saying goodbye to Coney Island’s “Home of Wild Women and Wise Guys” and “Live Entertainment for the Hole Family” just yet.

Cha Cha’s Bar & Cafe on the Coney Island Boardwalk. June 1, 2009. Photo © Tricia Vita

Rare & Vintage: Girl to Gorilla Sideshow Banner

February 4, 2013 by Tricia

Girl to Gorilla Banner by Fred Johnson. Circa 1940s. Hideaway Antiques, Toronto

The Girl to Gorilla Illusion was one of the top-grossing grind shows on the carnival midway. Sadly, there are few if any working today. If you know of one, let us know! The last G2G that we saw was Jack Constantine’s and it was quite a few years ago. This vintage Girl to Gorilla banner signed by master banner painter Fred Johnson is being offered for sale by Toronto’s Hideaway Antiques. It gives an impressionistic idea of what to expect on the inside.

As the talker on a vintage clip of Harvey Fillmore’s Princess Uraana show posted by YouTube user ZAMBORA57 says, “You’re going to see a beautiful girl change before your eyes very slowly into an ugly male gorilla…From the top of her head to the tips of her toes you’ll see the hair grow. The Ape Girl. The Ape Girl. The Ape Girl. Anything can happen…” The illusion is done with mirrors but when the “gorilla” breaks out of the steel cage, the screaming audience runs out of the tent, attracting a crowd for the next show.

A Coney Island Classic: 60th Anniversary of “Little Fugitive”

February 2, 2013 by Tricia

New Posters for ‘Little Fugitive’ and Vintage Italian Poster from the Morris Engel Archive on display at Film Forum, New York City. February 1, 2013. Photo © Tricia Vita via flickr

“My Dad used to say his veins were full of sand from Coney Island,” said Mary Engel of her film-maker father Morris Engel at last night’s 60th anniversary screening of “Little Fugitive.” A new print of the Coney Island classic released by APD/Cinema Conservancy is screening at Film Forum through February 7th and a Blu-Ray is forthcoming from KINO. In the meantime, the film will be shown in Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and other cities over the next two months. (See schedule at the end of this post.)

On Friday night at Film Forum, Richie Andrusco, who played 7-year-old Joey in the 1953 film, participated in a Q & A after the screenings and signed posters for fans. Asked how he won the role, Andrusco recalled being in Coney Island with his brother when he was spotted by Morris Engel. The boy was riding the Steeplechase carousel and trying to catch the brass ring just as he does in a scene in “Little Fugitive.” When Engel phoned his mom to ask if he could be in the film, she replied, “How much is it gonna cost me?” Engel had to tell her, no, no, no, we’re going to pay you.

Richie Andrusco, who starred in ‘Little Fugitive,’ signing posters at Film Forum. February 1, 2013. Photo © Tricia Vita via flickr

The 1950’s as well as the early ’60s were a remarkably innocent time. Back then, a child could have the run of the midway and not be bothered by grown-ups. That’s the way it used be with carnivals and at fairs, too! In “Little Fugitive,” Joey spends 24 hours on the lam in Coney after being tricked into believing he’d shot and killed his brother Lennie. He rides the rides, plays the games, and gorges on food until his money runs out. Then he learns to collect empty soda bottles to earn the deposit money to buy more ride tickets.

“Little Fugitive” was nominated for an Academy Award for best motion picture story and won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival. French film director Francois Truffaut said of the film: “Our New Wave would never have come into being if it hadn’t been for Morris Engel’s fine movie ‘The Little Fugitive.’ It showed us the way.” It is also treasured by Coney Island enthusiasts for its child’s-eye view of their lost paradise: the carousel with its brass ring machine, the Parachute Jump as an operating ride, the view from under the Boardwalk. In this nightfall scene from the film, you’ll catch a glimpse of the vanished Tornado, Gyro Globe and World in Wax Musee, as well as the landmark Wonder Wheel, one of the few attractions in “Little Fugitive” which still operates today. It was wonderful seeing this classic film on the big screen!