MovieChat Forums > Little Fugitive (1953) Discussion > A place that is long gone

A place that is long gone

posted 15 years ago by Jay09101951
10 replies | jump to latest

I was born in 1951 and my older brother was born in 1947. Every easter vacation starting in the late 50's to the early 60's , My mother would give my brother 5 bucks and we would ride the old BMT subway cars from Queens to the last stop, Stillwell and Surf Ave, right in the heart of Coney Island. I still remember all of the rides , the parachute jump, Steeplechase park , all of the games on the boardwalk but most of all,Nathan's Famous, right across from the train station. While this was shot when I was almost 2,the way it was filmed captures perfectly the Coney Island I remember. Today, Nathan's is about the only thing left besides the Cyclone,the best coaster I ever rode. Steeplechase park is now the Minor league class A park where the Mets team, The Brookyln Cyclones play. Thank goodness Morris Engel was able to capture Coney before it became a toilet in the late 60's and is now a shell of itself. MGM tried to make a movie with a Coney Island scene , On the Town, but it's so obvious it was filmed on a Hollywood backlot, not on location by a Maverick such as Morris Engel. He used thousands of regular New Yorkers for his extra's, which just adds to the greatness of the film. If you didn't grow up or live in NYC in the 50's or early 60's,you missed alot. Even the Train Station was torn down and rebuilt 3 years ago. You can still ride the train to Coney and go to Nathan's but that's about it. Enjoy this movie and look at all of the people and all of the attractions that are all gone.

[–] kerrydragon 15 years ago

I just seen this movie for the first time,and found it unique and original.I have always been fascinated with Coney Island,but living far away from it,I never got a chance to visit.I was born in 1952 though and remember the look of amusement parks,back in the 50's.

[–] rstaight 15 years ago

Born in 1946, I rode the "parashoot" jump and it's still there along with the Wonder wheel that you still can ride. You can't beat Nathan's Famous hot dogs.

[–] Emunah 15 years ago

The only remaining landmarks of yesteryear is the wonder wheel, cyclone and nathan's hot dogs. They've been saying its the last summer of coney island for a long time, like 3 or 4 years, but each year they keep extending it one more summer. Apparently some billionaires want to build a new amusement park + some new condo's on top of whats there now. Hey I wish it were 1950 too, get to enjoy a real fun place for once out in coney island, because nowadays, its really terrible. I mean, its almost dangerous to go out there during summertime, always a ton of cops surrounding the place, its absurd. But hey, time goes on, things change, thats life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_I62568_WGk

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] holbrookp 11 years ago

Is there a film that shows Coney Island as the bad place you all say it is? I was somehow reminded of WARRIORS, by your remarks.

Incidentally, I, born in 1950, grew up on a farm in Ohio, so I never experienced Coney Island. As a kid, I heard about it all the time on TV but never could figure out what it was. I heard it was a fun place with rides, but the "island" got me, plus it was said to be in NYC. But how could it be an island and be in NYC? And what kind of island had rides and apparently nothing else? Or was there something else on that island? Confusing!

"Truth is its own evidence." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

[–] kikiteka 11 years ago

I love how thoroughly you analyzed this as a child! Anyhoo, to answer your childhood questions (though you may have already answered them long ago), Coney Island is not an actual island, but it used to be. It was a very small island just separated from Brooklyn by a creek. The gap between the island and Brooklyn was filled in with landfill in order to build the Belt Parkway in the 1950's, so now it's a peninsula. Large sections of the Island were zoned for amusement, so that's why people associate it with amusement parks, but people also live there. For instance, the Brighton Beach neighborhood is on the same peninsula.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 11 years ago

the opportunity to eat unlimited hot dogs (Chicago-style, please) and watermelon, ride a bunch of carnival rides, play midway games, and spend the night on the beach...all at a cost of about $10.00! This is my dream vacation.

Keep silent unless what you are going to say is more important than silence.

[–] bfan64 11 years ago

Jay09101951, I'm late reading this, but I appreciate your post. I was born in 1950 and saw this movie on TV when I was very young. I always thought it was filmed at The Pike in Long Beach, Ca. We had a lot of the same rides that Coney Island had.. even our own Cyclone Racer. And it was right next to the beach, where we also collected bottles for the 2¢ deposit.

I finally got to see this movie again.... the first time since the 50s. I could never remember the name, but I finally found it after much googling. It had a huge impact on me as a child and I really enjoyed seeing it again. It recalled a simpler time to be a kid in America. Not much money, but a little went a long way. The rides at the Pike were 10¢, or you could buy tickets. (15 for $1.00) My favorite was the carousel with the brass ring pull. Can you just imagine letting little kids hang off those wood horses trying to pull a brass ring in today's world? (I never got one, btw)

Good fun. Thanks again.

[–] Byrdz 9 years ago

Did you ride the B&B Carousel for 5 cents ? I see that they managed to save it and are reassembling it (or already did) somewhere else at Coney Island. I never rode the other carousels as they were a dime and my dad was cheeeeeep !

Did you buy soda at the 5 cent soda machine place with what seemed like hundreds of soda machines ? Great for the spending $$$ you got from all those bottles you collected.

Remember the ticket punch cards at Steeplechase? And the horrible "little person" who hit you with a stick as you exited the Steeplechase Horse ride ? We knew his wife and he really was a mean little man =( Remember the ladder with the "Two Red Bats" in a box at the top ??? Oh ! I was soooo mad when they tore it down to make a parking lot there! (Steeplechase, not the red-bat-box)

Never did go on the parachute jump but heard all about it coming from the 1939 NY Worlds Fair and was suitably impressed.

Love the movie and rewatch it periodically!

[–] beepstein 8 years ago

I rode the Parachute Jump in the early sixties! Sometime when you get a chance check out Hitchcock's comedy film "Mr. And Mrs. Smith". There's an amusing scene that takes place on the ride at the '39 world's fair! P.S. on another thread I wrote some reminiscences about Coney Island in reply to some of your remarks.