Coney Island Documentary (Historical)

[@buserror1]

Absolutely adore this documentary... a huge, huge inspiration for my own work. This documentary contains its own rollercoaster, its own delights, its own horrors.

[@LucyLady1-di1nc]

When I was a little girl my dad took me and my brother fishing there in coney,we are brooklyn new yorkers

[@RonaldSavarese]

Very well done piece…..was born in Coney Island, 11/30/49 at the Harbor Hospital formerly the Half Moon Hotel…..grew up in Sheepshead Bay, didn’t know we were rich one block from Plum Beach…….Still cherish my friends, the families and Ravenhall…… and of course Steeplechase and Cyclone….. long live the 98 Boys…..

[@kenrick7289]

I was fortunate to have grown up in Coney Island in the 50s and 60s, before the decay and demise. Sixteen rides at Steeplechase Park for one dollar (10 rides on the weekend). The electric horses were a great experience; the clown house followed as the exit. Fond memories of ladies skirts exploding by Jocko the clown. The swing was another favorite. The boardwalk and parachute jump were unique. Foods of all varieties fueled my appetite. I rode all the great roller coasters (Tornado, Thunderbolt, and the ever present Cyclone). Steeplechase had its own coaster.

[@pussycat4423]

Ken, That's great you experienced Coney island when it was still great. With Steeplechase park, The clown house, freak shows still there. I was born too late I am afraid. But I have relatives who told me how fun the electric horses of Steeplechase was! All the best!

[@whoamarshrobert2781]

My great grandparents and grandparents experienced Coney, they lived in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. I heard a few stories and saw a few pictures. They'd love this documentary I think 🙂🍀

[@pandude53]

What was the name of the Steeplechase coaster? Can you recall? I was there in the 60's and in those days all three of the aforementioned coasters were still there including the bobsled one and the Virginia Reel. Alas I was way too young to ride ANY of them and how I would have loved to ride them all. I'm still enamored of the Cyclone which had to be the best of them all.Closest thing we have today to the Virginia Reel is the Tickler in Luna Park and it seems to count as a coaster credit.

[@lucyromano-cw9fv]

I experienced coney in 1970s

[@JB-ox7ib]

Omg. RIP beautiful Topsey 🐘 💕

[@melloangelwolf8611]

Ironically the animal activist back then thought electric execution was best method and the most humane

[@Jamie77ize]

Poor animal!!! Of course she had a bad temper in such an environment with those awfull people. Makes my blood boil!!!

[@MrJaybody-vd6eb]

The best documentaries of Coney Island, ever! Born way too late for its heyday but have memories of it from my childhood with my parents!

[@shelbymclendon4009]

I’ve never understood what was with the somewhat random abandonment of Coney Island in the 1970s, yet when one looks at the rest of the park’s history from its opening in the 1880s to present year of 2021 it seems like this touchstone of culture has survived anything the world has thrown at it.

[@llcoolj3778]

The city went broke in the 1970s - it wasn't just Coney. The whole city declined. It took a long time for the city to return - Coney even longer. I was part of that resurgence after 2001.

[@rengalafuze8700]

Love the way you state that.

[@discobean54]

Nor was it just NYC- it was every post-industrial city in the US- post industrial urban decay. Vacationing at local places went out of fashion in America. So much so that many old school resorts closed or became ramshackle. Add to this mix for CI that fact that the city was on its ass. The city being broke was only a part of it, industrial cities, in general, were being abandoned. Much of Brooklyn was built up and based in manufacturing and industry, the same as Philly, Trenton, etc. People were leaving and going elsewhere. Americans with money could afford to get on a plane to go away to Florida or Hawaii instead of going to the shore or go to Vermont or Aspen to ski instead of the Poconos. It's a very complex set of factors that led to where it was. The same thing happened in AC also. Both cities contemplated turning to legalizing gambling with the hope it may bring money to the town- AC did it, CI did not. Thank god. the crime, itself, from within CI the neighbourhood and surrounding communities was a huge deterrent for tourists, it was NOT a safe place, but it never did stop fully. Even throughout the 70s it was still a very bustling place in summer. A lot of the abandonment and deconstruction of the place as a large amusement park was simply in the gradual neglect, decay, defunct, destruction by fire from local vandals... it wasn't worth putting any money into anymore because of all that so nothing was rebuilt.

[@EDDIELANE]

This is such a weirdly moody documentary. I really love it!

[@blushdog]

The carousel music and vintage images really do it. They echo nostalgia and give a glimpse of a lost world rarely talked about or portrayed by modern media today. Excellent documentary overall especially for capturing that mood.

[@EDDIELANE]

@@blushdog One of my favourites.

[@MyITRcom]

One of the very best documentaries I have watched in my entire life of near 60 years.

[@sbbrph2651]

My Mom grew up in Wildwood NJ (30s and40s) and told me about boardwalk rides in the Olden Days!! These kind of rides are what she described! OMG safety first!!!🏖🎠🎡🎢

[@robpasbani]

Thank you for uploading such a high quality rip!

[@p6x2]

At 0:33, you get a view of the remains of the Stauch's Baths, where the "Warriors" graffiti is still visible... this is the movie that compelled me to come to New-York in 1983. The movie had been shot in 1979, was released in 1980 in Europe. I sat on the bench that was in front of the bath house, and went underneath the boardwalk, as the Warriors did just before that ultimate fight with the Rogues. Today, the Stauch's Baths building no longer exists, but I am sure Ajax and Swan are still somewhere around....

[@crchekouras]

I loved "Warriors" and have always wanted to go to Coney because of the movie.

[@momonomay3011]

i appreciate this comment, doing a graphic design project making a 60 second film about the warriors, came to this vid to find any thing coney island related i could include. this is even more perfect, thanks!

[@EDDIELANE]

So many layers of humanity in one spot.

[@TheSusan11233]

The bathhouse is still there on 1 side I also went under where u went so cool I also have a video of the exact area on my FB I have a whole story about under that board walk but the internet is too judgmental and im not quite ready to expose my past life of 1999 to 2004 maybe 1day

[@pussycat4423]

This Coney Island Documentary is one of my All time favorite History Documentaries. Sadly Coney Island is not as good as when my relatives went back in the day of the 1940's and 50's. At 39:20 it's awful they electrocuted TOPSY the Elephant. They would NEVER get away with that today with all the animal right's group's. Plus TOPSY the Elephant had every right to be mad when one man fed her a lighted cigarette. . Plus Great job and much respect goes to TOPSY's keeper NOT to take part in the murder of his Elephant ! It's Amazing they had elephants roaming through the parks back then alongside people. Thank's very much for the upload !

[@EDDIELANE]

Ive come back and watched this 5 times I bet. Makes me think Ken Burns, just because of the quotes and types of music.

[@GoodnightIrieMon]

Yep. They wouldn’t get away with blowing up women’s dresses today either.

[@briannewman6306]

Heartbreaking to see the demise of Coney Island. How I wished I could have been there in its heyday.

[@BrentStrathdeePehi]

I really enjoyed this video - a strange mix of theme park fun, technology, history and dark melancholy

[@armoris66]

From the opening scene of the Cyclone in the mist.......I was hooked 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@robertafierro5592]

Priceless footage..thank toy for all.the restoration and of course, sharing this gift with all.of us,viewers for no extra charge.

[@houdannycomedymagic8642]

So glad this is here! A mesmerizing docu.

[@bankoutlaw]

I been going to Coney Island dozens of times a year, every year since at least 1963. Does anyone remember the "Torture House" It was a few doors right off the Subway on Surf Avenue. It had a barker guy outside cracking a bullwhip as he ran his mouth enticing people to go inside. One of the outside displays showed an elephant stepping on a guys head, and a woman being put in a body shaped cage. Supposedly on the inside were all types of medieval torture devices. When my grandmother took me to Coney Island as a child, she let me go on any ride, play any game, shoot the guns, I even rode the Tornado, but she never allowed me inside the torture house. By the time I was old enough to cut school with friends and go to coney island, the torture house was gone. I'll never know what was inside. I remember once I rode the Carousel horse when it was on Surf Avenue, I caught the brass ring for a free ride, rather than take the free ride, I stole the Brass Ring.

[@thirabx6954]

Coney is the best. Thank you. I love Coney

[@jarjarkinks6599]

Was the tornado as good as the current cyclone? I don't know anyone who's ridden it

[@sbbrph2651]

Never got Coney Island,but got the ring on a carousel horse with a "real" tail in Ocean City,NJ(1960s) Wish we could have gone to Coney Island!!! (for a HOTDOG too)!!🥨🥜🌭🍕

[@survivalcraftstudio]

Coney island was closed in 1960 your unfunny

[@bankoutlaw]

@@survivalcraftstudio I believe I said 1963... Not 1960

[@sandrasoares9262]

The good old days. Love it.thankyou for your time today And have a wonderful day your fan Sandra

[@randyfreeze789]

Great documentary! The choice of music really brings you back in time!

[@catherinepowell4483]

i grew up watching this documentary on a vhs my dad taped over, i am so grateful to be able to watch it again

[@melloangelwolf8611]

If only I was born back then to see such a wonderful park

[@Dolores5000]

Horrifying poor topsy

[@kurtvonfricken6829]

This is a shortened episode of PBS’s American Experience.

[@saran3214]

I am trying to find that one, it was great.

[@fob1xxl]

Pretty disgusting what the did to the elephant.

[@katherine390]

Honestly the explotation of everyone and those animals was terrible

[@zoetmb8393]

Absolutely, but it was also pretty disgusting how many people had to live in those days, like in the tenements on the Lower East Side. No one ever seems concerned about that. There was also massive exploitation of children - 8 year old kids selling newspapers in the street, etc. In NY State, compulsory education was mandated until 1894 and wasn't fully mandated until 1913: In 1894 a law was passed that children aged 8- 12 were required to attend the full school year of 130 days. Children aged 13-14 that were employed had to attend at least 80 days. In 1896, the school year was extended to 160 days, In 1913, 180 became the magic number, and it hasn't changed since.

[@stafonvoncamron]

@@zoetmb8393 Children were smarter and grew up faster back then, 130 days of school got them there faster as it also gave parents less stress because their kids weren't home bugging them.

[@jorgecruzseda7551]

Edison was a Narcissistic man

[@machinegunangel]

They got what they deserved for what they did.

[@55e9st]

I used to love the bobsled , virginia reel and tornado rides

[@Peter-pv8xx]

Fun fact, Al Lewis ran for mayor of NYC a couple of times.

[@meowtwice1886]

This is where some of our Filipino ancestors were brought and forced to become a laughing struck, they would make them eat raw chickens, dogs. Some of these' peoples infants and young children were also brought with them:(

[@kumanderbalbas4079]

Yes im here because of kara david docu "perya"

[@wacobob56dad]

Coney Island started dying when those projects went up in the 60’s.

[@tinageiger6560]

Great documentary but what they did to that elephant was truly disgusting...maybe why the place burned down. KARMA!!

[@pussycat4423]

Tina, Hi I agree 100%. What they did to TOPSY the Elephant was unforgivable !

[@peteg475]

FYI: This is an edited version of this documentary which was intended for broadcast in less than one hour. the full documentary is actually 68 minutes. You get the full thing on DVD.

[@BlackRoomProductions]

12:30 song is Frost Circus by XTC.

[@Dolores5000]

This is really interesting

[@christianbrother4724]

I have never been to Coney Island ( always dreamed of visiting) but it looks like it has been restored.

[@HarbingerOfBattle]

It’s not a full restoration by any means, but it gives a half decent shot at it. And all the better for it in my opinion. If it was a 1 to 1 restoration OCEA would have a field day.

[@taylorchandler7058]

3:19 Feels like 3:00 in the morning when you watch it.

[@Tu_ta_lu]

Love that photos exist even though many documentaries like to say they all burned...

[@mariekatherine5238]

When was this made? The city did fix up Coney Island in the late 90’s, early ‘00’s. But it’s glory days are no more. My parents who passed only last year, ages 96 and 98, remember it from their childhood days. It does have the only roller coaster I’ll ride. In the 1970’s-about 2005, it was very seedy, a sketchy area where you didn’t get caught after dark. Nonetheless, I used to go every Labor Day weekend to ride the coaster, see the midway, the tattooed snake lady, and get corn on the cob, Nathan’s hotdog, an egg creme, and a vanilla ice cream cone to eat on the subway on my way back to Queens. Oh, and I’d go for a swim.

[@trainrover]

the psyop quotient had been heavily lumped into Man & His World, yet the significance of mightily early endeavours heaped onto Coney Island is truly meteoric..!

[@jediknight38]

Does anyone remember the Hell Hole? It was a ride that the Gravitron was modeled after that had a huge Muriel of scenes from Hell right out in front before it got painted over before the accident that closed it down permanently.

[@bigmiked6390]

Yes. I do

[@thirabx6954]

Yes Hell Hole Greek Gods!

[@sheilakaiser8511]

Wish they'd bring this back with out the animal abuse

[@Peter-pv8xx]

Is this the documentary that aired on PBS in New York a number of years ago? I remember watching and recording it on video tape which I still have, the problem is that I never labeled them so I'd have to run through them to find it, I remember Al Lewis aka grandpa being in it, they also did one on Palisades Amusement park in Jersey.

[@karenryder6317]

Maybe this was part of that PBS documentary? I think the longer one was one of Ken Burns' brother Ric's productions or am I confusing in with Ric's one on the entire history of NYC?

[@Vicky-m2k4k]

The Director of this highly acclaimed documentary of 1991 is Ric Burns. It would be nice if he was credited up front. It's the least we can do for someone who won't be getting any royalties and who has created a masterpiece.

[@rccgb]

Hi. Details added. Thank you for the request.

[@Vicky-m2k4k]

Brilliant; thanks guys. xx@@rccgb

[@gingergilreath6871]

Watched to try and see if I could identify some vintage metal seats that were allegedly "rescued from coney island ." Just, wow. Electrocuted elephants and exploited "midgets." There really is no such thing as the good old days.

[@yoyokum1483]

Wow...I'm traumatized. They literally ELECTROCUTED that poor elephant. On friggin purpose !!! Wtf???

[@laethann]

Mr.Baker is making me watch this

[@JulieAnderocci]

Too sad about topsie may she rest i. Peace

[@jashary15]

Basically, Coney Island started out as a hangout spot for lowlifes but gradually was transformed into one of the greatest amusement parks in the world.

[@stafonvoncamron]

All these people in the video are dead, which makes it somewhat depressing when you see the past verses now knowing that this year too will be in the past as well.

[@neilfraser1235]

I was just there today to ride the Cyclone.

[@thirabx6954]

Yes the Cyclone the ultimate

[@pandude53]

The greatest of them all (with the slight and possible exception of El Toro at 6 Flags Great Adventure) but frankly from an historical perspective I prefer the Cyclone

[@ProDewKedOfficial]

One time I was 5 But I was scared to go on it

[@indigenousnorwegianeuropa4145]

Very interesting I must say.

[@kakak547]

The warriors

[@mariekatherine5238]

Who knows, my grandparents could be in the crowds in this documentary. CI was THE place to go when you were poor, children of even poorer immigrant parents from Ireland, Poland, and Russia! My Dad’s side lived in Hell’s Kitchen, Mom’s on LES, all packed into decrepit tenements.

[@blossom1643]

Good documentary! It’s amazing & once again proves (to me) what I’ve always thought-People are Awful & I got No use for new York.

[@johnnymonjohnny10]

had no idea coney was that massive

[@rengalafuze8700]

The Coney Island I remember as a kid in the early 1970s was a NYC of "do as you please" but, in the sense of not having the police interfering at 8pm and telling everyone to go home. No permit? No problem! Today EVERYTHING is tightly controlled, probably because of the violence of the 90s. I think the violence got bad because of the close to elimination of the mob which controlled these kinds of things and the protest rap that was popular in those days. Party on the boardwalk with the DJ connecting his sound equipment to the street light until late night (or at any park or block for that matter).

[@shyamdevadas6099]

Nice...until the sudden cut and the lame end title. Why did you ruin it that way??

[@Piggy-Oink-Oink]

Uh just curious at 41:10 when "topsy' hit the ground how did they pick her up and haul her off. I mean she weighed as ,much as an elephant😃

[@GoodnightIrieMon]

The parachute ride looked like fun, though I’m not surprised they won’t re-open it in today’s litigious society.

[@johnnymonjohnny10]

Iwould give anything to have been there at the turn of the century,can you imagine ,walking thru the gates, light bulbs are the rage, all the attractions and real rides,the theme parks nowdays i think would pale in comparison maybe,i mean did you see the crowds at the beach

[@mariekatherine5238]

The human displays were in really bad taste, but we still do that today. In the 1990’s and 2000’s, we had shows like Maury and now, we have TikTok.

[@elliotwelz9793]

This is absolutely the best documentary about this incredible amusement park . But there is one MAJOR flow . The narrator needs to go to broadcasting school to learn how to talk . He has a awful flaw in his way of speaking . When he gets to the last word in each and every sentence , he lowers his voice so you can't hear that last word . Add to this that the back round music is so loud that you cant hear what he is saying anyway .

[@tbeautifulmelodies9820]

Hmm..? Dead bodies tossed in the Ocean back then too huh? Smdh! Individuals say “ back in my day life was good” foh

[@simpysompywomb5470]

well ofc their lives were good, they weren't the ones tossed in the ocean

[@viviartopeknotts4091]

Wow

[@ronjames-music]

I wrote an acappella vocal arrangement about Coney Island - Dreamland. Perhaps you might be interested. It's here on KZbin at: Ron James Music

[@ABDOSPIANO]

Sounds like Philip Bosco,

[@peteg475]

it is

[@gheetv9984]

They will Rob you on the boardwalk 🤣😂

[@zoetmb8393]

Nonsense. Unless maybe if it's 3am in the morning.

[@bab008]

And today it's half UNDER WATER because of the sea levels rising. Oh, wait. Nope! It's exactly like it was 100 years ago. Guess those sea levels aren't really rising. Big lie.

[@theblueflame7592]

At 14:54 that's me with my hand up. My date was an ex Nun. She was able to part the water at low tide so we could walk out for a city block with water on our left and on our right.

[@gabepaez9938]

part the water?

[@theblueflame7592]

@@gabepaez9938 Yeah, you know........the Moses thing. She had serious connections with the Boss above.

[@robertle3038]

Y'all "loved" it, but every feature is illegal now.

[@MegaSickcat]

Growing up in CI was the best!!! Just being that close to the beach made my childhood so amazing. It's sad to know that Steeplechase was demolished because of Fred Trump's greed.