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Post by wildwanderer on Sept 29, 2006 15:56:13 GMT -5
I just had to post this. I was watching one of the cable movie channels the other morning and they were playing "Rollercoaster", the one with Henry Fonda in it. It came out in 77. I went to see it then and this was the first time I saw it again since probably the eighties. Anyway keeping on subject, I thought it was interesting seeing the old rides and the ride signs in it. It brought back memories of all the old piers in WW. Even down to the background music of the amusements. I guess you could call that movie without the sinister plot a walk down amusement memory lane.
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Post by thelastresort on Sept 29, 2006 16:23:36 GMT -5
ahh yes, good movie. Every time I go around an upper turn on a roller coaster, I can't help but thinking of that first scene where the guy blew up the portion of the track in the turn, so when the coaster hit it, it went flying. scary.
The roller coaster in the movie named "revolution" was a big deal because it had a loop, which was not that common in the 70's, the "Super Duper Looper" at Hershey was the first one I remember. Also, one of the parks was Kings Dominion, I remember going there with my cousins who lived in VA shortly after the movie came out also. Good times.
PS, I still like that song "Big Boyyyy" that the band sings in the movie, had sort of a Cheap Trick sound to it, I wonder if I can find it on YouTube.
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Post by hulk007 on Sept 29, 2006 21:28:14 GMT -5
Henry Fonda was not in Rollercoaster, it was George Segal. A very young Helen Hunt played his daughter and Timothy Bottoms was great as the bad guy blowing up the rollercoasters.
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Post by nance on Sept 29, 2006 22:12:22 GMT -5
Yes!!! I remember that movie! Actually, that was pretty good. You just wonder where these kids get these ideas, don't you?
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Post by JerseyDigger29 on Sept 29, 2006 22:58:11 GMT -5
A lot of nostalgia for me with the movie Roller coaster: In 1972, I was stationed at the US Navy School of Music in Little Creek, VA (Right next to the Chesapeake Bay/Bridge Tunnel). About a couple miles west of the main gate was the little town of Ocean View, which contained that beautiful old roller coaster in the amusement park named "Ocean View Park." (It sat right on the southern edge of the Chesapeake Bay, with a cute little beach front, but no boardwalk). Being stationed so close, we went on that roller coaster several times. It reminded me a lot of Wildwood's Jack Rabbit, except that the cars didn't go through a tunnel at the bottom of the first drop. Anyway, in 1972 there was talk locally that they wanted to demolish the amusement park because of its age. It was exactly as it looked in the movie, right down to the vendors. Kind of looked a lot like the Wildwood boardwalk probably looked like in the 30's and 40's, without the boards of course. So, later on in the seventies, after I had long since been transfered away from Little Creek, the owners of Ocean View Park decided that if they were going to demolish the park anyway, why not do it in style and arranged to film the movie there - and blow up the place! According to IMDB.com, the demolition of Ocean View Park was used in two different movies: (1) "Roller Coaster" with George Segal, Timothy Bottoms, and a teenage Helen Hunt, and (2) "The Death of Ocean View Park," with Mare Winningham. If I remember correctly, (Roller Coaster was on TV a couple of days ago, talk about Deja Vu for me), in Roller Coaster, they crashed the roller coaster and in the second movie they completely blew up the whole park. I was really bummed out when I saw the second movie because the park held a lot of memories for me when I was stationed there. Another little bit of celebrity trivia related to the "death of Ocean View Park:" In one of them ("Death of", I think) there was a really beautiful local Norfolk, Va. teenage girl who got a part in the movie as an extra. If you see the movie, look for a really pretty teenage girl with long blonde hair taking tickets at the entrance to the park. Her real name is Tara Buckman. Talk around Norfolk was that Tara wanted to be an actress. A while later, she appeared in the Burt Reynolds movie "Hooper." In the scene where Burt and Jan Michael Vincent are drag racing their truck down the highway backwards with people jumping from truck to truck at high speed, the stunt girl in the back of the truck with the long blonde hair was Tara. How's that for useless trivia?  Thom  |
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Post by Robert on Sept 30, 2006 0:41:48 GMT -5
You know, so many classic amusement parks bit the dust and a lot of old coasters, too. There was a rash of park closings in the late 70's 80's probably because the owners were reaching retirement age (like what happened with the Hunt's) or the parks couldn't afford the insurance anymore or the land became too valuable and was acquired by a developer. There are a few small parks scheduled to close after this season, Erieview Park, Ohio, Pavilion, Myrtle Beach, and William's Grove near Harrisburg, PA wasn't open this year and won't open until a buyer is found, the man who ran the park since 1973 decided to sell the park and concentrate on the speedway. All of those parks have a classic dark ride, Erieview has a classic Bill Tracy dark ride built in 1963, the same year Hunt's Whacky Shack was built, the ride was relocated from West View Park near Pittsburgh, PA in 1979 when that park closed, and rebuilt as a one floor ride called Fright Zone for 1980. At West View it was a two floor known as Haunted House. The ride goes up for auction this October. Pavilion has a multi level ride called Haunted Hotel, it was built in 1978 as Haunted Inn and remodeled in 1992 into the Hotel. William's Grove has a one level ride called Dante's Inferno (no it's not like the Morey's ride in any way, it's more like an old Pretzel dark ride) Laff in the dark website has articles about all those rides. I just wish when parks close they would find good new homes for their dark rides instead of trashing them like some parks did.
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Post by thelastresort on Sept 30, 2006 9:10:54 GMT -5
Henry Fonda was not in Rollercoaster, it was George Segal. A very young Helen Hunt played his daughter and Timothy Bottoms was great as the bad guy blowing up the rollercoasters. Dude, you're right about Segal, but Henry Fonda did have a minor role. So did Richard Widmark (believe it or not, he is still alive, great actor) www.imdb.com/title/tt0076636/Oh yes, it was one of the few movies presented in "sensurround". Ok you kids under 30, what is this? (no cheating -- don't look up this term on Google) |
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Post by beachrat on Sept 30, 2006 20:46:26 GMT -5
One of my all-time favorite movies! I always watch for the scenes at King's Dominion - we visited there a number of times when I was a kid, and it's fun to pick out the different rides we were on. (especially the Rebel Yell - a fabulous out-and-back racing coaster).
Here's a bit of trivia for you - the fire scenes supposedly at a park in Pittsburgh were really filmed at King's Dominion. The producers wanted to film at Kennywood, but the park wasn't interested. Memories of the big Ghost Ship dark ride fire were still too fresh, and the park didn't want the publicity.
And I have to say - "sensurround" - HEE! Never thought that lived up to its billing.
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Post by crazyaboutwildwood on Sept 30, 2006 22:33:17 GMT -5
ahh yes, good movie. Every time I go around an upper turn on a roller coaster, I can't help but thinking of that first scene where the guy blew up the portion of the track in the turn, so when the coaster hit it, it went flying. scary. The roller coaster in the movie named "revolution" was a big deal because it had a loop, which was not that common in the 70's, the "Super Duper Looper" at Hershey was the first one I remember. Also, one of the parks was Kings Dominion, I remember going there with my cousins who lived in VA shortly after the movie came out also. Good times. PS, I still like that song "Big Boyyyy" that the band sings in the movie, had sort of a Cheap Trick sound to it, I wonder if I can find it on YouTube. Good memory Last Resort! Big Boy, Fill Er Up, Throw her away and get a new one, The mississippi, and so much more from this great band called Sparks. I have most of there Cds. They are very popular in Europe. This is one of my favorite bands. Anyway Big Boy is off the album called Big Beat, released in 1976. Sparks were trying to cross over into the American market but never had any luck. Great Band! |
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Post by nance on Sept 30, 2006 23:58:05 GMT -5
Very interesting information. I feel like I'm back in school learning all this history! I never knew they actually did blowup the coaster in that movie!! You can "pick-up" alot of trivia in older movies; things that no longer exist; like the twin towers.
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Post by thelastresort on Oct 1, 2006 22:11:02 GMT -5
ahh yes, good movie. Every time I go around an upper turn on a roller coaster, I can't help but thinking of that first scene where the guy blew up the portion of the track in the turn, so when the coaster hit it, it went flying. scary. The roller coaster in the movie named "revolution" was a big deal because it had a loop, which was not that common in the 70's, the "Super Duper Looper" at Hershey was the first one I remember. Also, one of the parks was Kings Dominion, I remember going there with my cousins who lived in VA shortly after the movie came out also. Good times. PS, I still like that song "Big Boyyyy" that the band sings in the movie, had sort of a Cheap Trick sound to it, I wonder if I can find it on YouTube. Good memory Last Resort! Big Boy, Fill Er Up, Throw her away and get a new one, The mississippi, and so much more from this great band called Sparks. I have most of there Cds. They are very popular in Europe. This is one of my favorite bands. Anyway Big Boy is off the album called Big Beat, released in 1976. Sparks were trying to cross over into the American market but never had any luck. Great Band! I'll check out the album, thanks! |
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Post by hulk007 on Oct 2, 2006 17:25:41 GMT -5
Henry Fonda was not in Rollercoaster, it was George Segal. A very young Helen Hunt played his daughter and Timothy Bottoms was great as the bad guy blowing up the rollercoasters. Dude, you're right about Segal, but Henry Fonda did have a minor role. So did Richard Widmark (believe it or not, he is still alive, great actor) Yes, Widmark is about 90. I don't think he has done any acting in a while however. You can also spot a young Steve Guttenberg in a minor role. www.imdb.com/title/tt0076636/Oh yes, it was one of the few movies presented in "sensurround". Ok you kids under 30, what is this? (no cheating -- don't look up this term on Google) |
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Post by hulk007 on Oct 2, 2006 17:27:16 GMT -5
Wow, I never knew Sparks was even a real band. Were they British?
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