Summary

CONEY ISLAND USA

Source Archive Films by Getty Images
Title: CONEY ISLAND USA
File Number: VTM-48-I 1 inch; NET-541 Beta SP (at 01:20:44:00); DigiBeta
Color: Color
Type: Documentary
Year: 1958
Description: Color 1958 A day in the life of Coney Island. This film tantalizes with its roving eye, exploring the hidden crannies of the amusement park, but doesn't quite satisfy, as the CAM never stays in one place long enough to give specific locales and attractions sufficient description. Largely composed of short takes, with silly insert shots of automated animatronic fun house figures to pad it out to 20 minutes. Valuable shots do peek in here and there, however. Directed by Valentine Sherry. 00:43:41:00 Color 1958 An idle Coney Island in the still morning: tire tracks and empty garbage cans on deserted beach two garbage men, one combs beach, other tends to garbage can early-morning boardwalk empty street in FG of Cyclone various rides and attractions, gated storefronts in alley. 00:45:25:00 Color 1958 The day begins: man inspects Cyclone track men oil and test various rides man wipes fun house mirror storefronts are opened up Wonder Wheel begins to spin man removes tarps from bumper cars. 00:47:08:00 Color 1958 ws Street lined by attraction booths, including one called "Girlie Revue", pan shot. 00:47:27:00 Color 1958 ms Elevated subway train (BMT or IND line) pulls into its last stop at Stillwell Avenue Coney Island passengers get off onto station platform good shots, rare for the color. 00:47:43:00 Color 1958 ms Man opens sliding gate which reads "Welcome to Coney Island Playground of the World". 00:47:49:00 Color 1958 Automated animatronic sculptures and dioramas, harlequin figure barker men wave people forward, etc. 00:48:22:00 Color 1958 Amusement park ride montage: the Hurricane Virginia Reel Wonder Wheel Cyclone, with POV shots bobsled-style Centipede ride tattooed arms selling tickets arcade filled with rides Gyro hand spins cotton candy candy onto stick the "Human Roulette Wheel" ride. 00:51:09:00 Color 1958 ms ws Sunbathers resting crowded beach crowded boardwalk people wade in surf children play in waves. 00:51:40:00 Color 1958 ws Crowded boardwalk, TU to Wonder Wheel ferris wheel gondola cars swing as wheel spins. 00:51:55:00 Color 1958 ms Barker gesticulates in front of airplane ride, under sign reading "20 cents". 00:52:29:00 Color 1958 Amusement park ride montage: Steeplechase ride, two shots Parachute Drop ride, rise and fall, LA airplane ride a roller coaster. 00:53:15:00 Color 1958 Freak show side show: signs read "world's strangest married couple", "human automobile tire", "human ostrich" barker with microphone points with cane crowd ogles exotic dancer women, poor shots. 00:53:50:00 Color 1958 Barker at podium. 00:53:53:00 Color 1958 Amusement park ride montage: carousel teacup ride. 00:54:37:00 Color 1958 ha Teenage boys and girls on beach groom themselves and change clothes, preparing to leave two women walk down street, both carrying young children. 00:55:09:00 Color 1958 Parachute drop, night scene. 00:55:40:00 Color 1958 Automated animatronic wax figure of fortune teller woman moves its hand over tarot deck life-like, sort of creepy. 00:55:54:00 Color 1958 Various neon signs of attractions light up Coney Island at night, such as "Steeplechase", "play the races", "Wonderwheel", "Pleasureland" automated animatronic dolls figures move, CUs. 00:56:18:00 Color 1958 Sign reads "For Girls Only: 1 cent" girl looks into a nickelodeon nickelodeon shows muscular man lifting weights. 00:56:33:00 Color 1958 Sign reads "guess who this is" the "half-man, half-woman" freak, shows both sides of its body sign reads "Albert Alberta". 00:56:47:00 Color 1958 Sign reads "sex appeal meter: how attractive are you to the opposite sex?" 00:56:56:00 Color 1958 "Jack Donohue, the human automobile tire" man's stomach distends as other man presses down on floor pump man stretches and flattens his malleable and flabby stomach balloon comes out of clown face painted on wall, inflates and explodes pops. 00:57:22:00 Color 1958 Coney Island food: pizza maker stretches out dough for a pie crust sign reads "Tony's Pizzeria" tomato sauce is ladled onto the raw crust ears of corn are stacked in pot of boiling water sign reads "waffles 10 cents" a waffle iron, brief shot. 00:57:38:00 Color 1958 "World's strangest married couple": fat woman in Hawaiian grass skirt dances with black midget man in front of signs saying "Prince Arthur" and "Princess Lala." 00:58:04:00 Color 1958 Fire eater wears fez, extinguishes flaming skewers in mouth sign reads "human volcano." 00:58:20:00 Color 1958 Shooting gallery boy with strained expression holds gun another boy plays skeeball. 00:58:36:00 Color 1958 Wax museum: figures in "Snyder and Gray murder" diorama black musicians and KKK men diorama man with bound wrists torture chamber diorama. 00:59:11:00 Color 1958 Arm getting a tattoo arm getting a "mom" tattoo, ECU, good shots decorations on wall of tattoo parlor. 00:59:39:00 Color 1958 Weird automated animatronic mannequins figures: circle of women goes around man in the middle scary animals automated animatronic man and woman lie in bed very bizarre, garish color. 01:00:04:00 Color 1958 Stripper woman performs exotic dance number in front of mirrors while holding glass of wine, removes outer garments, wears bikini good garish, sleazy feel. 01:00:46:00 Color 1958 cu Rows of hot dog wieners sizzle on grill. 01:00:53:00 Color 1958 Montage of the dazzling, moving lights of rides (most in time-lapse fast-motion), street scenes, fun house mirrors, fireworks, etc., swirling nighttime energy of Coney Island. In admiration of the spectacle, the narrator says. "Look-a! Look-a
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