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Post by RedeyeJedi on May 20, 2006 0:13:44 GMT -5
Hi All: I'm hoping everyone's collective Boardwalk knowledge can help with this one:
For years my brother and I have talked about the era on Morey's Pier in the 1980s when nearly every ride was beautifully airbrushed. All the work was clearly done by the same artist and it seemed like it all happened at once:
- The Sea Dragon had a scene of Vikings fighting a sea monster that had smashed their ship to pieces. The largest Viking had a "No Free Rides" tattoo you could see as you exited the ride on the rear ramp.
- The Enterprise had a space scene at the center of which was the face of a helmeted astronaut screaming from (I always imagined) excessive g forces.
- The crowd barriers in front of the Jumbo Jet had more tame but no less beautiful space scenes of rocketships dipping and weaving through huge rock structures on the surface of some alien planet.
- And finally, the facade of Dante's Inferno was airbrushed with some of the most terrifyingly graphic scenes taken straight from the book of the same name. I remember being petrified just standing outside the ride.
The artwork on all these rides added so much to the experience because they created a little narrative ---- a backstory of sorts. Something for you to imagine about while you were on the ride. In my then-kid's mind, because of the mural, the Sea Dragon didn't have to be just a big swing, it could be an attack of some horrible creature from the deep. The Enterprise didn't just spin you around, it was what a doomed test pilot felt just moments before hitting the ground at Mach 3.
Does anyone else remember these murals? Or better yet have pictures of them? Or best of all, know who the artist was? Here's hoping.........
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Post by DjDoornob on May 22, 2006 9:47:28 GMT -5
I totaly remember those paintings- and i feel the same way about them- they were AWESOME. It was the Flitzer though, not the Jumbo Jet- they also had a different facade painting for it that was Formula One themed- but that wasnt nearly as cool as the space fighters. I havent found too many pictures- you can find some of Dante's, but nothing too detailed. If you dont know about these sites check them out, you may find some pics- www.funchase.comwww.mrboardwalk.netwww.laffinthedark.comalso try a google image search for Dante's Inferno
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Post by FlyinGN on May 22, 2006 12:05:39 GMT -5
I remember em back as a child too. Some awesome painting was done in the past..
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Post by RedeyeJedi on May 31, 2006 21:56:23 GMT -5
Thanks for the sites, DJ!
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Post by mrboardwalk on Jun 5, 2006 8:38:04 GMT -5
The art work you speak of was done by a local artist that we use to just call "the wiz" I can try to find out his real name. However he has been dead for a number of years now. The artist “Pete Beiling” is doing 90% of the art work now.
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Post by RedeyeJedi on Jun 7, 2006 12:52:23 GMT -5
Thanks Mr. Boardwalk!
I'd love to get the real name of "The Wiz", when you get it.
Also, I looked on most of the boardwalk sites but have yet to find many shots of The Wiz's handiwork on the rides mentioned above. If anyone has any other sources, I'd appreciate it...
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Post by RedeyeJedi on Jun 7, 2006 12:56:33 GMT -5
Also, I think the Star Wars facelift of the Planet of the Apes ride might also have been airbrushed by The Wiz...
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Post by DjDoornob on Jun 8, 2006 8:46:48 GMT -5
I once sent a similar message to the people at Laff in the Dark (Dark Ride enthusiast site), asking about dark ride art... they replied that a guy named "The Wizard" was one of the more famous artists (obviously the same person). Googling "The Wizard" and "Airbrush", a site does come up that supposedly has a gallary, but the link is down... just thought I'd give you a little to work with.
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Post by DjDoornob on Jun 8, 2006 8:49:41 GMT -5
Also, check out the laffinthedark.com article on Zombie Castle in Rye Beach... you can see some of The Wizard's work.
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Post by RedeyeJedi on Jun 15, 2006 0:44:51 GMT -5
Thanks again, DJ! I'll check it out...
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Post by pineapple on Jun 22, 2006 18:33:13 GMT -5
Hey RedEye! I too was taken by Dante's Inferno when i was younger. When i went back in '04 and saw that Dark River had been done over Pirate style, I thought it might be a good idea to snap some shots of Dante's just incase it met the same fate. Anyway, these were taken 9/5/04, and the artwork says that it was done by Pete Beilings. As MrBoardwalk had mentioned, he's doing a lot of the work on the boardwalk now, but I don't know if he was the original artist? I read somewhere that Dante's Inferno had been updated, but I haven't been to Wildwood since so it might have changed since I took these. I'm also pretty sure that the women in these photos were originally topless. It seems crazy to think that looking back, but I'm pretty sure they were when I was a kid! I read somewhere that the art had to be "cooled off" by staff members, and bikini tops are pretty easy to add. Anyway, if in your search you happen to find any Dark River photos, that'd be awesome! I actually just made my first post about Dark River... in fact, it's pretty much the reason I found this board/Doo Wop fans in general! www.bishoptechnologies.com/random/IMG_1943.jpgwww.bishoptechnologies.com/random/IMG_1944.jpgwww.bishoptechnologies.com/random/IMG_1945.jpgP.S. These files are huge! (5 megapixels) So I can't really host em too long cause of bandwidth issues... so grab em while you can!
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Post by CondorAlex on Jun 22, 2006 21:27:04 GMT -5
Pineapple, the facade in 2004 was redone in the beginning of that year, and yes, the people were originally in their birthday suits and painted over when it was first painted. The ride has met the same "fate" as the Dark River, except it is much more relative to its "Inferno" roots. It is now called Dante's Dungeon, and contains a totally redone outside, but is still complete with (albiet a different look) Dante himself spewing out smoke at the top of the ride, as well as the three headed demons. The interior is completely different other than the track layout, but it is still entertaining and perhaps, scarier.
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Post by Crippled_Visions on Jun 22, 2006 22:45:07 GMT -5
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Post by pineapple on Jun 22, 2006 22:57:02 GMT -5
Oh sweet!, I thought there was art before Pete Bieling's! So this thing has changed a few times now.... i just posted on how it's weird how things are changing! Thanks for the pics!
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Post by DjDoornob on Jun 23, 2006 9:01:55 GMT -5
Nice pictures! Yeah the facade painting has changed a bunch of times over the years- but the earlier ones were much more grousome and risque. I haven't found anything definitive on the net, but if you check out www.funchase.com, www.mrboardwalk.net, and www.laffinthedark.com in addition to the darkinthepark link crippled gave you, you can find some pictures of dantes in differnt paint schemes. The new dante's dungeon is a cool ride- definitly did a nice job on the interior, but I liked the old facade much better.
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