Product Details

• Actors: Rick Sebak (narrator)
• Format: Color, NTSC, Full Screen, Closed-captioned
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video \ PBS Home Video
• VHS Release Date: September 28, 1999
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003ETL6
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #175,117 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

The Caterpillar. The Cyclone. The Whip. The Thunderbolt. The Cannonball. To amusement park buffs, the names of these legendary rides gives a roller-coaster rush of nostalgia and joy. From "handcarved carousels to vintage mechanical contraptions and rides they just don't make anymore," Great Old Amusement Parks is pure escapist entertainment.

Visit and go behind the scenes at the nation's oldest operating traditional amusement parks. At one time, 2,000 such amusement parks dotted the nation's landscape. They have, sadly, dwindled to 600, and this program's wonderful footage--past and present--is a reminder of what we're missing. Smaller than contemporary theme parks and older than Disneyland, such cherished establishments as Playland in Rye, New York, Cedar Point in Ohio, and Idlewild and Kennywood in Pennsylvania have thrilled and delighted generations. Their caretakers (with populist persuasion from activist amusement park buffs and historians) have not only kept them operating, but have painstakingly worked to keep their unique charms intact.

As this program observes, amusement parks are "not part of the ordinary troubled world." So strap yourself in (and keep your head and arms inside your easy chair at all times) and, in the immortal words of the commercials for Chicago's late, lamented Riverview Park, laugh your troubles away.

For more time-capsule Americana, check out An Ice Cream Show and A Hot Dog Program. --Donald Liebenson

Product Description

On a Hot Summer day, there may be no better place on earth than a traditional amusement park. A place where you can hop on a classic wooden coaster, reach for the ring as you whirl by on the merry-go-round, or cool down on the Caterpillar. In this documentary, you get to visit some of America’s most charming parks from Lake Compounce in Connecticut to Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk in California. You get to gallop on the Derby Racer at Playland, go with the flow on the Boat Chute at Lake Winnepesaukah, and rock on Deno’s Wonder Wheel at Coney Island. And of course there are coasters, including the Thunderbolt at Kennywood, the Cyclone at Astroland, the Raven at Holiday World, and San Diego’s Giant Dipper!

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