The Kid of Coney Island: Fred Thompson and the Rise of American Amusements
Woody Register
Abstract
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. This biography tells Thompson's 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 ... More
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. This biography tells Thompson's 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. The book 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. It shows how Thompson's fantasies appealed to the growing legions of Americans who found themselves in a world that seemed increasingly “business-like” and profit oriented. The book 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”.
Keywords:
Fred Thompson,
popular amusements,
entertainment,
mogul,
popular culture,
commerce,
mass marketing,
corporate enterprise,
promoter,
carnival shows
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2003 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780195167320 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: October 2011 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195167320.001.0001 |
