Classic Coasters and Parks: Let's Play Detectives!

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Classic Coasters and Parks: Let's Play Detectives!

Postby Gary » 02 Jan 2011, 21:36

WOW!!..and DOUBLE WOW!!..and TRIPLE WOW!! :D

Spot the famous rides, not so famous rides and wonderful parks from this trio of great YouTube cine films ...(Looping Star at Southport, Reel, Noah's Ark, Wild Mouse, Bobs, Scenic railway..etc etc..)

What the heck is the first ride we see in the third clip??

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHeLQ3Rnjuk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUKWyWfZqME&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Fzrj16JxY&feature=related


Happy New Year to all posters and readers :D

Gary
Last edited by Gary on 04 Jan 2011, 20:52, edited 1 time in total.
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Postby mesmoland » 03 Jan 2011, 17:35

Wonderful old films
A happy new year to you and all on the forum :D
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Postby Gary » 03 Jan 2011, 19:44

There are actually 4 parts to the classic coaster and park You Tube films: For some reason I missed the third part out in my first post. :oops:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHeLQ3Rn ... re=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUKWyWfZ ... re=related

New Clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnPuVhGCzBc&NR=1 (The Great Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach etc)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1Fzrj16 ... re=related

OK all you detectives out there..Now have a go at naming the rides and parks.

:?: :!: :)

Phil Gould has kindly explained the first ride you see in the last clip:

"..It is one of the unusual novelties from the Kursaal in Southend. It was there in the 50s and called Whirlpools. Later on its name was changed to the Rock 'n' Roll tubs. Not sure about the mechanism that operated the ride but the tubs travelled around a circular track and undulated from side to side, so the latter name was very apt. There was no seat belts or safety bar to hold you in. Just like the Reel, there was a bar around the outer edge of the tub and you had to hold on for dear life once the ride started. I think the ride survived until the main park closed down in 1973/74..."
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Postby kevinashe » 03 Jan 2011, 20:11

clip one was blackpool and southport clip two unsure of possibly morcambe clip three great yarmouth clip four unsure of start but end is blackpool.the ride that stands out was the helter skelter bowl which you went down the helter skelter and were dropped into a large wooden bowl at the bottom
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Postby marc » 04 Jan 2011, 17:31

Clip 3 show Mannings Amusment park at Felixstowe ( on the big wheel). Sadly the only the front building and Crazy House is still standing. The main building is still use as a Aracde, but the Crazy House is now used as a shop on the Sunday Market. The Park has ony 4 kids attrctions left as the main rides were sold in the 90s.
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Postby Gary » 04 Jan 2011, 20:44

The first clip shows Blackpool Pleasure Beach at a time when I first started visiting the park. I have great visual memories from the time.

I love seeing The Big Dipper with its Ball on the Turnaround (as opposed to the "Tear" that appeared soon after Leonard Thompson died.) I love also seeing images of The Hurricane Jets, Pleasure Beach Express, Reel, Monster, Calypso, Log Flume, the inside of the Fun House (The monorail used to run through it) and The Speed Boats.

The Speed Boats were actually motor boats that you steered around a course and were situated between The Reel and Funhouse.

For the first 4mins (approx) of the first clip I'm going to play detective and try and suss out what year it was filmed by looking at what we can (and can't) see.. :D

Here goes..Please feel free to disagree and add any comments.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHeLQ3Rnjuk&feature=related

I'm typing this as I think here. :D

The Log Flumes first appeared circa ' 67 as did the monorail and Leonard Thompson died in '76 so we can date the first part of the first clip between '67 and '76

Refining this a little:

I couldn't see any sign of Tom Sawyer Rafts which opened in 1973 and we know The Monster opened in 1968 /69..so we can probably now date the clip between '68 and '72. (Year before Tom Sawyer rafts appeared)

Astroswirl was there (Seen from top of Big Dipper) That would date the film at its earliest 1969 ish..

..I told you I am thinking this as I'm typing this :D

The Wild Mouse has an admission price in old money...Now then..hang on.. decimal currency came in in 1971.

We must be talking 1970 here..

Yeah..I'm going to plump for 1970

Good Game! Good Game! :D

Cheers

Gary
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Postby Nick » 09 Jan 2011, 10:47

These are great clips.

They are actually the Reverend Brailsford's cine films, mainly from the 1970s, but he does have some 1980s US theme park clips as well in his collection. I have a full listing of all the parks and rides with dates, from when I trsnferred them from cine to video back in the mid-1990s. I will see if I can dig them out and post them on here.
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Postby Gary » 09 Jan 2011, 19:50

Nick wrote:These are great clips.

They are actually the Reverend Brailsford's cine films, mainly from the 1970s, but he does have some 1980s US theme park clips as well in his collection. I have a full listing of all the parks and rides with dates, from when I trsnferred them from cine to video back in the mid-1990s. I will see if I can dig them out and post them on here.


Fantastic Nick! Thanks for that - Much appreciated. :D

I love clips like these: there's something about cine film isn't there?

In the meantime Phil Gould emailed me a couple of days ago with the following info:

With regard to part one and the fabulous shots of Blackpool Pleasure Beach we get to see the Jack'n'Jill Slide but the Calypso is on the second position (the old Ski Jump site) that it occupied at the park. I think these must have been filmed in different years as I'm sure the Slide never made it into the 70s. I have a souvenir guide to the Pleasure Beach which is from 71/72 and the Ski Jump is listed as an attraction but no sign of the Slide.


The Morecambe footage is fantastic. Just how I remember the Pleasure Beach although the Winter Gardens must have been filmed in a year that we didn't visit the resort.

Part Two opens with Belle Vue. I can pretty confidently say that the year is 1973. Wadbrook's Bennett Lifting Paratrooper only stayed for one season, ditto for the Looper. Great to see any shots of the park. Wish it was still there. Next to Battersea and this film must be from different years as the Big Dipper is in the shots to begin with but you can see its replacement the Cyclone Coaster in the final shots.

Now things get really interesting. Clarence Pier at Southsea - when it was an amusement park not a funfair. Then it's over to Peter Pan's Playground on the seafront at Brighton. You first see Heal's Big Wheel and Bennett Twist. Then The Figure Eight wooden coaster. This ride was previously inside the Pavilion on Grand Pier, Weston-Super-Mare. It only survived a few seasons at Brighton. In front you can see a Peter Pan Railway. This is followed by a shot of the Palace Pier's Ghost Train.

Next up is Pleasurama at Ramsgate. I love the art deco-esque Ghost Train. Onto Dreamland with shots of the River Caves, Sphinx and I even think the Haunted Swing - which was called the Rock'n'Roll house. Also the first superbob-style ride to arrive in the UK the Pop Express. The end of Part Two and beginning of Part Three are at the Kursaal.


After this we can see Butlin's Holiday Camp Amusement Park at Clacton. I can make out a Wild Mouse, Big Wheel, Lighthouse Slip and small Astroglide. I think this footage must have been filmed from the Big Wheel that was at Bailey's Amusement park which was on the seafront and adjacent to the Holiday Camp. This was originally owned by Billy Butlin too.

The Pleasure Beach at Great Yarmouth sees the old Fun House and Ghost Train along with a glimpse of the Alpine Chairlift ride, which was a dark ride that lasted for a few seasons. The Skegness shots must be early 70s. I remember the Ghost Train underneath the Pier but The Flying Coaster had left the Pleasure Beach by the time I visited the resort. As had, unfortunately, the Figure Eight wooden coaster at the North Parade park.

Part Four returns to the Kursaal and then Belle Vue. A little confusing as you can see the Bobs and the Looper in action. But pretty sure they were not at Belle Vue at the same time. Before returning to Blackpool and Southport it's great to see very rare shots of the New Dips at Wonderland in Cleethorpes. All absolutely fabulous footage.


One of the highlights for me was seeing the Star Looper in the carpark at Southport on the final clip. :D

..Memories..
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