The Kid of Coney Island Fred Thompson and the Rise of American Amusements [Paperback]

A generation before Walt Disney, Fred Thompson was the boy-wonder of American popular amusements. At the turn of the 20th century, Thompson's entrepreneurial drive made him into an entertainment mogul who helped to define the popular culture of his day.
In this lively biography, Woody Register tells Thompson's remarkable story and examines the transformation of commerce and entertainment as American society moved into an era of mass marketing and large-scale corporate enterprise. Getting his start as a promoter of carnival shows at world's fairs, Thompson was one of the principal developers of Coney Island, where he created the majestic Luna Park. Register traces Thompson's career as he built the mammoth Hippodrome Theater in Manhattan, where he mounted many productions noted for their spectacular--and spectacularly costly--staging effects. Register shows how Thompson's fantasies appealed to the growing legions of Americans who found themselves in a world that seemed increasingly businesslike and profit oriented. He illustrates how Thompson aggressively marketed to adult consumers a world of make-believe and childlike play, carefully crafting his own public image as the boy who never grew up.
Colorful, well-written, and insightful,The Kid of Coney Islandbrings to life a kaleidoscopic era in New York history as well as one of its most striking characters.

Fascinating....[A] lively and valuable contribution to the study of modern amusements, consumer culture, and popular entertainment. --Lewis A. Erenberg, Professor of History, Loyola University,The Journal of American History

This wonderfully written, entertaining and unusually perceptive look at a forefather of 20th-century American leisure culture makes delightful reading out of serious scholarship....Ranging from the theoretical (the construction of white masculinity in popular literature and entertainments) to wonderful specifics (e.g. the alleged threat of teddy bl&