Palisades Amusement Park: A Century of Fond Memories (inscribed by the author)

Vince Gargiulo

ISBN 10: 0813522242 / ISBN 13: 9780813522241

Published by Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick, 1995

About this Item

First edition. Inscribed without personalization by the author on the verso of the half-title page "Enjoy the memories! Best Wishes, Vince Gargiulo". Hardcover in red paper covered boards with black cloth spine lettered in gilt. 155 pp. Bibliography. Index. Illustrated with black and white and color photographs. Full of photographs, an account of the rich history of Palisades Amusement Park including the Tunnel of Love and the Cyclone roller coaster. Fine (bookplate front pastedown) in fine dust jacket.

Seller Inventory # E147436

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Palisades Amusement Park: A Century of Fond Memories (inscribed by the author)
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick
• Publication Date: 1995
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0813522242
• ISBN 13: 9780813522241
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: First edition.
• Condition: Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: fine
• Signed: Signed by Author(s)
• Seller catalogs:
  • New Jersey

About this title

Synopsis

In 1898, a rustic picnic ground on the New Jersey Palisades overlooking the Hudson River and Manhattan began a transformation into one of the greatest amusement parks in the world. Its attractions over the course of nearly seventy-five years of operation reflected the popular culture of a changing nation: from the turn-of-the-century high-diving horses of the twenties to the rock 'n' roll shows of the fifties and sixties, along with perennial favorites like the fun house and the Tunnel of Love, the famous Cyclone roller coaster, and the carousel. The Park was the place where many turn-of-the-century dwellers saw their first flying machines, and it was the backlot for several early motion pictures.
With the cooperation of hundreds of residents, former employees, and executives of the Park, Vince Gargiulo has provided a comprehensive history of Palisades Amusement Park. The Park's personnel included such notables as Arthur Godfrey and Buster Crabbe; W. C. Fields, Jean Harlow, Johnny Weismuller, and Jackie Coogan were among the many celebrity regulars. Top entertainers like Tony Bennett, Chubby Checker, Diana Ross & the Supremes, the Jackson Five, and Frankie Avalon performed for record crowds at its famed open-air theater. The Park inspired a hit song, Freddy Cannon's "Palisades Park," and it played host to numerous contests, such as the Diaper Derby and the Miss American Teen-Ager pageant. Every summer weekend thousands of visitors enjoyed "the world's largest salt-water pool," vinegar-soaked french fries, and the cacophony of sounds on the midways.

Synopsis

Presents a history of the New Jersey amusement park, describing nearly seventy-five years of such attractions as diving horses, rides, swimming, and movie productions.