Once upon a time there was Coney Island
599346
I first saw this film 15 years ago on cable TV. I bought the DVD so that my children could see it. We go to Coney Island every now and then and while it is fun, Coney Island today does not compare to the Coney Island in this film.

Coney Island has had many incarnations, always as an amusement area. And Coney Island in the summer of 1952 is the background to this charming film. In Little Fugitive the Wonder Wheel, Parachute Jump and the Horse Race and more are in their prime. Only the Wonder Wheel is still running today. The Horse Race burned down and the parachute jump tower is a derelict.

And, since the background action is not staged, the people in this film are real. When those folks--teenagers in 1952 and senior citizens today--thought about the next generation, our world is the future they contemplated.

The commentary by director Morris Engel is a primer on how to make a serious low budget feature, interesting to any film student but also to any film fan.

Engel was also the cameraman. He shot the entire thing on black and white 35mm film using a hand held camera. All of the shooting was silent with the dialog, music and effects added in a studio later.

While writing this I looked on the web to see what happened to Richie Andrusco. I found this instead: when Morris Engel died in 2005 at the age of 86, the New York Times wrote of him as "the New York photographer and filmmaker whose 1953 film, 'The Little Fugitive,' established a model for independent moviemaking that influenced directors like John Cassavetes and Franois Truffaut..."

Also see&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/The-Films-of-Morris-Engel-Little-Fugitive-Special-Edition-Lovers-and-Lollipops-Weddings-and-Babies/dp/B0014D5QRE/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">The Films of Morris Engel (Little Fugitive: Special Edition / Lovers and Lollipops / Weddings and Babies</a>.
2013187
Like a hot kosher frank with all the works, "Famous Nathan" not only filled me up with a great story but delighted this viewer with a portrait of Coney Island through its ups and downs. Grandson Lloyd does his eponymous grandfather justice with a portrayal that is equally loving and unflinching. Lloyd Handwerker grew up in awe of the family patriarch and, by the looks of it, started making this film in the late 80s while he was in college. Nathan Handwerker, by contrast, grew up poorer than dirt in an Eastern European shtetl before finding his way onto a converted cattle ship alone while still a teenager, bound for New York. (Some of his siblings were to follow.) He died in 1974 but his voice is woven through the film, care of a reel to reel interview recorded by one of Lloyd's cousins who was himself hoping to chronicle some of the family lore. That voice, still heavy with a Yiddish accent, even into his 80s, brings to life a time in New York when the challenges were numerous and the possibilities seemed endless. In 1912, when Nathan arrived on these shores, Coney Island was like no place on Earth. It was like Disneyland crossed with a Google Lab at a time when lots of people still lived without electricity. Many launched enterprises and small businesses but through tenacity, business instincts and chutzpah, Nathan and his business went from a single small food stand to occupying a half a city block in one of the best locations in Coney selling hot dogs, fries and clams. When Nathan purchased the property under his business (for twice the amount that his lawyer thought was sensible) he said, "I didn't just buy a piece of land. I bought a business for my whole life and for my children to take on." That sentiment was as true as it was fraught.

The parallel story to Nathan's success is the internal struggles among family members and long time employees, many of whom felt and were treated like adopted familials. This was a (giant) hot dog stand where people got a job and stayed for decades. At the center of the conflict was the competing visions of Nathan's eldest son Murray (who would take the company public to launch a thousand franchises) and a number of managers (including Nathan's long suffering nephew) who express their regret that the whole thing couldn't have remained local. The matter of which direction Nathan himself preferred is tossed around like a hot knish. Although by some accounts tyrannical at times (if not fanatical) in the way he ran his business, the thing that mattered most to this mensch among men seems to have been giving people a chance and doing the right thing.

But stop reading reviews and Go watch this movie! You won't regret it.
3304661
these movies bring me back i used to see them in times square in nyc when i was a teenager back in 1978 wow what memories thanks for bringing them back
3505285
Reviewed by Lori Plach for Reader Views (10/07)

Every year about a million people cram into Times Square in New York City on New Years' Eve, while another billion TV viewers tune in to watch the ball drop and a new year to begin. There are bound to be plenty of stories of people who venture to New York City to take in all the lights, sounds and activities of the holiday season. "A Big Apple Christmas" gives you four stories of people who ventured to New York, not for love, but find themselves enjoying being in one of the United States' busiest cities.

In "Moonlight and Mistletoe" Sarah Montgomery has made friends with her neighbor in her apartment building. Lillian is an elderly lady with a big heart and way too much stuff. After Lillian's accident, Justin comes to help with Grandma's things. He hires Sarah to organize Grandma's belongings. How can he take this much time off in order to help Grandma, doesn't he even work? Why is he offended when Sarah tries to rid Grandma's home from children's poetry books?

In "Shopping for Love," Emily Jones just wants to forget Brian. She has been burned in a relationship and just needs some rest and relaxation, so she takes off to New York City. The farthest thing from her mind is literally falling into the arms of another Bryan. Why won't this Bryan just leave her be?  Every chance he gets he invites her to go shopping and seeing the sights.

"Where the Love Light Gleams" is a heartwarming story of Gwynn Michaud's trip to New York to see a tree from her land be the centerpiece of Rockefeller Center. As chance would have it, her daughter's roommate Maline is from New York and offers to house Gwynn during her stay in the Big Apple. Theophilius Stellaki is Maline's father and is a cranky professor, but being a proper gentleman, offers to accompany Gwynn to the lighting ceremony. Will he end up escorting her to more than just a tree-lighting?

"Gifts from the Magi" is by far one of the most romantic stories I have ever read. Elias Perez is youth pastor at the church where he grew up. Cecilla was one of the few girls who didn't make fun of Elias and his being sickly when they were kids. Throughout the Christmas season, the two work together on many projects. He's a friend to her so she asks who would possibly be giving her all these anonymous gifts like two dove candy bars and four cell phone pictures of pigeons.

After reading "A Big Apple Christmas," you won't be watching the ball drop on New Years quite the same way. Maybe there are stories like this one developing out there on Times Square. Even if you can't make it to New York to celebrate Christmas this year, you still can enjoy "A Big Apple Christmas!"

Book received free of charge.
1945178
Andrew Holleran is a beautiful writer.  His style is vivid yet dreamlike.  I read this book a couple of years after it first came out and I never forgot it.  Already the world was starting to change and yet that New York hedonsistic gay lifestyle had really spread to other gay urban areas.  I think most of us knew a Sutherland and a Malone.  Anyway, it is funny, moving and an amazing snapshot of what the gay lifestyle was like at the time.  To younger readers who dismiss this as the olden days, I say two words: Circuit Party.  Now, read the book the again.
2100584
Lovely pictures of the once upon a time NY skyline - before 911.  A must have for any designers needing information or ideas for a city like New York, or a New York that was.
1158072
To appreciate Manhattan to its fullest author Pete Hamill states you have to walk the streets.  Since Hamill has "paid rent" in various locations on the island he is qualified to tell us what changes various parts of "downtown" have undergone over the past several decades.  Downtown to Hamill runs from Battery Park at the southern tip of the island to approximately 60th Street.  Hamill provides us with the history of the various parts of Manhattan and the changes that have taken place in areas such as Union Square, Herald Square, Washington Square, in "the Village", and Times Square, formerely Longacre Square.  A huge victory for the city has been reclaiming Times Square from the druggies, feral children, porno parlors, and other seedy characters that inhabited the area mainly from the 1960's through the 1980's.  Since my experiences in New York City have been limited to brief visits in 1958, 1973, 1978, and 2004) I don't have the necessary background to visualize all the places that Hamill tells us about.  I did, however, find the book fascinating to read and picked up some historical tidbits I wasn't aware of.  From my own limited observations the difference in the Times Square area in 2004 was a tremendous improvement from what it was like in the 1970's.  Whether you are a veteran New Yorker or just interested in learning about this fascinating island, you will find Pete Hamill's "Downtown" to be an interesting and informative read.
222026
Former Brooklyn and Staten Island New York police officer, actor and entrepreneur Marc Cosentino takes the reader on an engaging, nostalgic and realistic ride through 1980s policing in his book Routine Patrol: The Forgotten Borough. 

Based upon some of his true life experiences the author takes you on a journey using a short story format. It is through the experiences of fictional characters Officers Capellano, and frequent partner Noto that the stories are told. As the author points out police work provides a front row seat to the greatest show on earth. Once the reader becomes accustomed to the specific terminology used by the NYPD the stories become easy to follow as the book tells it like it is from a police point of view.
2184667
Picture Coney Island in 1904. A young British girl is wandering around after coming to the states on a ship and separated from her ill mother. She has no home, no money and no food. Kitty is taken in by the wonderfully diverse group of freaks who call Coney Island home. Soon she is a regular at Magruder's Curiosity Cabinet where she is taken in by a transvestite, half man and a con man. There is a storm coming and it arrives in the form of a plague where the inhabitants of the island are used as political collateral. This diverse group will try to save the freaks and carnies of Coney Island and at the same time help Kitty find her mom. It is a historic epic where politics and privilege rule over the city's underbelly. Corruption and disease try to win over compassion and love.
3653643
This book is truly a delight - it opens the eyes to the magic that Coney Island possesses, and forces you to see it in a completely new light.  Told from the viewpoint of a man with strong Coney ancestry, this is really the "inside story" - from the Island's tawdry beginnings, through its turn-of-the-century glory days, the zany "nickel empire" of the 1920's, all the way into the 1950's.  I wish it could go on further, but no need for complaint - that's practically where Charles Denson picks up with his marvelous book on Coney - but that's another review altogether.
  Here, Edo McCullough talks honestly about Coney's glories, as well as its seamy underbelly - nothing is left out, and it isn't necessarily a "sentimental journey", after all.  But all the better - the seamy side is half the fun, after all.  From shifty politics, prostitution, crime and carnies, to the glories of Luna Park, Dreamland, and Steeplechase - the reader is in for a truly fascinating experience.
But be warned - once you pick the book up, you'll have a hard time putting it down.  Despite it's being packed with solid history, it's a very quick read - which, I think, is a very good sign.  Enjoyable education - who could ask for more?
1548192
This book is beautifully written and has wonderful photographs. It first came to my attention when BBC radio serialised it on Radio 4. The characters, lifestyle and stories around this lost world of side shows and 'ten in ones' are brought to life by the authors pen. He lived as part of a working troupe and treats his subjects with affection and respect. The reader comes away with a sense of loss, that this world, so often considered murky, or unseemly, has all but gone. There are lessons to be learned on relationships, business and psychology within these pages. The opening sentence is one of the best I have ever read. It got me hooked and as a result of reading this book I actually pursued learning some of the skills mentioned. Thanks to the amazing Side Show school in Coney Island and the remarkable Todd Robbins, I was able to touch the world Daniel Mannix lived.

I reccomend this book unreservedly, it should be required reading for anyone interested in America's recent history and anyone interested in concise, colorful writing.
3822625
This was my second reading of this classic, and it was even better this time around. The Henry family, the
central point about which pre WW2 America revolved captured the atmosphere that existed at that time
and in those places where members of the family found themselves.  Wouk does an amazing job of weaving
the fortunes and misfortunes of the family into many of the key hot  spots the the late 30's and very early
40's.  The entire story was mae more real for me as I happened to reread the book during
the world crises of mid 2014.  The names and places are different, but the story is just about the same.
2892441
Loved this book, growing up in the 60's in the Bronx was an adventure.  This book brought back a lot of memories, I loved and hated the characters, could hear them/could see them. Clubs w/local groups/bands were very popular.  When it ended, I wanted more, looking forward to a sequel.

<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/After-The-Wanderers/dp/0985450460/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">After The Wanderers</a>
2036688
After a sort of jumpy start, I settled into the rhythm of this story and was taken by the background of it, being set at Coney Island in 1909. Massie gets it right, which adds tremendously to the tale, as this is not an easy era to recreate with all of its nuances. The plot and characterizations were good, even though the story slowed in spots.
Good, conscientious research.
4824399
This book is a fast read. If you want nostalgia,the 1970`s,Brooklyn, Long Island, adventure, this is the book for you. Follow Stephen Compton,Debbie, and their friends come of age in a confusing era. This story will bring out your emotions and make you feel like you are back in your youth trying to solve the world`s problems. Very descriptive writing, a page turner with one adventure after another. The author brings you back to the 1970`s in an entertaining way. This group of characters try to tackle the issues of the day:Racism, Religion, Sex, Alcohol, Drugs etc. It is a must read with thought provoking topics and  makes you realize the similarities of today`s issues. Stephen Compton struggles with the ills of society and racks his brains to solve the deep issues facing mankind. This story makes the reader think back and re-evaluate their own decisions and at the same time you will be anxious to follow Stephen`s fate. The Borough of Churches will make you think, question and analyze our American experience, no matter what State you live in. This story is a fun ride through the streets of Brooklyn and Long Island. I love the way Brooklyn becomes one of the main characters.
4132887
I have visited Ellis Island but got to visit it again with this book.  It makes you realize what your grandparents and great grandparents had to go through to get here and live here all those years ago.
3021403
I was given this book as a gift, and I could not put it down. I stayed up till 2AM finishing it. It is full of fascinating information on how the area of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, came to be a divided war front between the Black community and the Chabad- Lubavitch community in the early 90's. It is an amazing look at Brooklyn, and Long Island from the 60's through the 90's. It is full of great characters that you will root for and some that you will shake your head at their villainous behaviors. Also a love story, this book will have you enthralled from page one. A very interesting look at Crown Heights and how the history led to the riots in the 90's, a subject that has much to be learned about and from.