Enchanting Mystical World of Amusement Parks
“It seems cruel, cruel, to give us such a vision; to let us dream and drift through heaven for six months, and then to take it out of our lives.” Eric Larson about Chicago World’s Fair
“The world is like a ride in an amusement park, and when you choose to go on it you think it's real because that's how powerful our minds are. The ride goes up and down, around and around, it has thrills and chills, and it's very brightly colored, and it's very loud, and it's fun for a while. Many people have been on the ride a long time, and they begin to wonder, "Hey, is this real, or is this just a ride?" And other people have remembered, and they come back to us and say, "Hey, don't worry; don't be afraid, ever, because this is just a ride." Bill Hicks
My Dad was born in 1903 when Luna Park on Coney Island opened its gates to thousands of interested visitors. If he were a few years older, I wonder what the experience would have been like for him to enter such a dazzling event at about four years old, the same age I was when I visited Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm for the first time in 1958.
Imagine being a four-year-old kid back in the day, heading to Luna Park when everyone was still rolling around in horse-drawn carriages and using oil and gas lamps. It would've been like stepping into time - into a whole new marvelous world with those mind-blowing electrical displays, especially when everything else around you was so old-fashioned. You were living in a magic trick. Your mind was blown as you looked at everything lit up like a fairy wonderland! Everywhere you look, dazzling lights are dancing and flashing, and it's like stepping into a magical realm where even the darkness can't hide because the place is just glowing. Luna Park was like a dream brought to life by the lights, massive rides, entertainment, and colorful attractions stretching out before you. From the vast Ferris wheel to those crazy roller coasters doing loops in the distance, it's a sight you'll never forget!
Now, fast forward to the 1950’s. You're a kid going to Disneyland, but hey, at home, you're cruising around in a car and flipping on the lights with electricity. Suppose you're like my family. You even had a black and white TV where you were glued to the floor in front of it when The Mickey Mouse Club, which debuted in 1955, came on the screen. Of course, your favorite Mouseketeers were Karen and Cubby, who were closest to your age. Sure, Disneyland is still super cool, but it's not like, "Whoa, how did they do that?" It's fantastic because you're already living in a modern tech world. Everyday life for you is like living in the Lunar Park during 1903.
When I was 4, I left Disneyland traveling in a car, returning home to watch Karen and Cubby, but in 1903, my father would have left Luna Park going home to oil-filled lamps and riding back in a horse and buggy. It would be like going from the Space Age back to the Stone Age in the blink of an eye. But the dreams inspired by your experienced impossibilities give you a bright imagination for the future.
It’s difficult to imagine many amusement parks and fairs built in the mid to late 1800s. Families reveled in the fun and joy of over 300 grand-scale amusement parks that dotted the American landscape from the 1860s to the 1920s, averaging five per state. Yet, their glory was short-lived, as many succumbed to fire or demolition. Notably, Coney Island boasted the three major amusement park spectacles, displaying a middle to upper-middle-class lifestyle portrayed by the thousands of well-dressed visitors. No tennis shoes, shorts, and walk-mart T-shirts were worn, despite narratives showing immigrants as mostly impoverished and toiling long hours without extra income to attend a theme park. This era of amusement park splendor predated the Industrial Revolution's zenith, leaving historians puzzled about how labor, primarily reliant on horse and buggy, managed the construction of iron, steel, and concrete marvels. The original Luna Park on Coney Island captivated visitors with its stunning array of rides, towering structures, and buildings aglow with 250,000 electric lights. Opening its gates in 1903, the park swiftly became an iconic destination for thrill-seekers and families alike.
Meanwhile, exhibitions in Brazil (1908) and Kansas City (1907) illuminated the night sky with captivating displays of electric brilliance. They were fueled by the 1901 Pan-American Exposition, which inspired the first Luna Park in Coney Island; a frenzy of park construction began, including iconic venues like White City, Luna Park, and Electric Park in the early 20th century. By 1905, the number of amusement parks tripled from 1899, and by 1919, it doubled again to 1500. These parks featured attractions like shoot-the-chutes, roller coasters, Ferris wheels, and pavilions, often engaging in fierce competition to attract visitors. Walt Disney notably drew inspiration from the Kansas City Electric Park, considering it the primary influence for his first park creation — Disneyland.
But long before Walt Disney imagined Disneyland, in 1894, the California Midwinter International Exposition marked the West’s entrance into the amusement park and world fair scene debuting in San Francisco, celebrating the wonders of California. Though little remains of this remarkable event today, it was a vision brought to life in fantastic record time, thanks to the inspiration of Michael de Young, the publisher of the San Francisco Chronicle. Drawing from the success of Chicago’s White City at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition, de Young transformed his dream into reality in just under six months. Located in what is now known as the Music Concourse, the heart of the fair boasted an impressive Electric Tower made of steel and inspired by Paris’ Eiffel Tower, standing 266 feet tall and offering adventurous visitors a panoramic view of the fairgrounds and the budding park. The fairgrounds were a melting pot of architectural styles, from minarets and Moorish and Turkish villages to Spanish mission influences, representing a diverse array of cultures and aesthetics. The fair opened its gates on January 27, 1894, spreading across 160 acres and dubbed The Sunset City. A staggering 180 buildings were erected in half of a year, showcasing not only California’s counties but also highlighting selected foreign countries and other states. Fairgoers were understandably filled with wonder at the sights before them. It's hard to believe, but back then, no bridges spanned the San Francisco Bay, and the city's population still hovered around 300,000 people. Both the Golden Gate Bridge and Oakland Bay Bridge were in the future. Brave souls could climb the ElectricTower for a bird’s eye view of the fairgrounds and the budding park below. The fair buildings showcased exotic cultural and architectural styles, ranging from minarets and Indian-inspired designs to the classic Spanish mission style. It was all magical, but the biggest trick was how all this was constructed from materials, including steel and iron, in a short amount of time with only a few passages to San Francisco, which is practically an island. The building of the fair itself was, of course, an incredible feat. After the fair ended, it was demolished except for the Art Museum and the Japanese Tea Garden. The Art Museum was eventually torn down in 1936.
Sixty-one years following the opening of the California Midwinter International Exposition in1894 Walt Disney opened Disneyland in 1955 to the screams of the joy of 100’s of children running through the gates of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle as Disney stood smiling and waving, greeting his first guests off to his flagship theme park during the grand opening. Our family visited Disneyland once a year, and I hold fond memories of my visits dear to my heart. After we were married, Jonathan and I lived about 10 minutes from Disneyland in Fullerton, north on Harbor Blvd, up the hill near Hillcrest Park. From there, we could see the beautiful Disney fireworks each summer evening. We had season passes, so a few times a week, we would go to Disneyland at about five during the parade and dinner, allowing us to get on our favorite rides without the inconvenience of standing in long lines. Sometimes we'd eat, and sometimes we wouldn't. In our early twenties, we knew how to do Disneyland right! We'd be out of there and home before Tinkerbell spread her wings across the sky - for guests, a perfect ending to a day living in a fairytale. 🧚
I never imagined some day I would be part of a theme park entertainment spectacle. A headline performer where visitors would stream into the park to just to see. A part of me leaving with them. Jonathan had worked at Disneyland during his teens in college and had duties like MCing the Jungle Ride, where he used his theatrical training to entertain parkgoers. It was always fun to go there with Jonathan because of his knowledge of its history and geography. Of course, he knew the good places to eat and surprised me one night while we were poor college students dating by taking me to the Blue Bayou, an expensive restaurant for two on-a-budget college students. It helped him work down the street at a specialty dinner theater called 1520 AD as Merlin in this interactive dinner theater. So Jonathan had a good understanding and grounding in the inner workings of theme parks. But it wasn’t until 1991 that The Pendragons performed their show in a theme park. We performed in Florida at Universal Studios in a show named The Pendragons Illusions of Mystery. Ours was one of the twenty shows featured during Universal Studio’s first Halloween franchise show called Fright Nights, performed on the Animal Actor’s Stage. The following year, we returned for Halloween Horror Nights. Here, we performed such feats as our bullet catch, inspiring one reviewer to write, “These magical artists will enchant one and all with effects and illusions that defy the laws of nature.” Ours was the first show on Animal Actor’s Stage, where, throughout the day, fantastic animal shows featuring incredibly talented cats, dogs, and birds were delivered to delighted audiences. A fact I didn’t learn until recently. This began a long relationship with Universal Studios, and while on that path, making lifelong friends.
Universal Studios offers a unique blend of movie magic, thrill rides, and immersive experiences that differentiate it from Disneyland and other theme parks—known for its immersive experiences based on popular movies and television shows. Visitors can enter the worlds of franchises like Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, and Back to the Future, experiencing rides and attractions inspired by these iconic themes. Thrilling Rides and Simulators are often more intense and exciting rides appealing to older audiences and adrenaline seekers than Disneyland’s emphasis on broader audiences with a focus on family-friendly attractions. While Disneyland aims to entertain guests of every age, Universal Studios caters more to teenagers and adults, particularly those interested in film and pop culture. So our Universal Studios show was sexier and much more edgy, intended for more mature audiences than a family magic show seen at Disneyland. It Pole Suspension, a type of levitation was performed about 30 feet above the audience. Yes, I’m afraid of heights. We were allowed much creative expression and encouraged to be different and cutting-edge. It earned us the tagline - The Pendragons- The Cutting Edge of Magic. A few of my costumes were risqué by family standards, but that is the image Universal Studios was promoting. A little aside here: following each show, we would attend a meet and greet where we would meet audience members and autograph and take photos. A show would not go by when we wouldn’t be met by an overzealous religious guest lecturing us about the virtues of performing magic. These people never distinguish devils' cunning ways by disguising themselves as light from a magician pretending to perform magic and informing you ahead of time your work is for entertainment only.
About twelve minutes of The Pendragons show at Universal Studios Hollywood 1994
For three years, we joined the Universal Studio team to produce our magic show at both Hollywood and Florida locations. Then, in early 1994, Don Burgess, head of special events, and Jim Timon, Vice President of Universal Studio Theme Parks in Hollywood, contacted us to produce a summer-long show to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Universal Studios Hollywood Theme Park with Hollywood Summer Nights. Cinemystique: Illusions of the Night, starring The Pendragons, became the name of our show performed old Adventures of Conan set inside the Castle Theater. I was told by both Don and Jim our show was the most reliable and one of the best during this significant time in Universal theme park history. Our show was presented like clockwork. Timing is everything in theme parks; moving large amounts of people from one attraction to the next is a science all its own. At the beginning of the season, statisticians knew without guesswork the number of visitors expected in the park daily. That was fantastic magic because they were uncannily accurate in their predictions. So, our show was timed at precisely 28 minutes. 4 - 7 shows a day, one after the other, from early afternoon to evening. We were all in pretty good shape. Our alluring and sultry performance leaned on enticing choreography involving fluid and sensual movements accentuating the dancer’s body's natural curves and rhythm. Our opening number was bold and daring, asking the audience to step outside their comfort zone at a theme park by watching me challenge fire. Every piece of magic was vital and stood on its own. The videos I’ve posted are not of our total performance, but it's what I found online. I need to digitize my old VHS tape of the show and repost it in the future. But here you get a taste of our presentation.
The following spring, we were in the early stages of planning another summer at Universal Studios when Jonathan and I were invited to the Academy of Magical Arts Award Show by the Magic Castle to accept The Magician of the Year Award - its top award and which is equivalent to winning an Oscar. We brought Don Burgess and Jim Timon to the Beverly Hilton as guests. It was here, along with Jonathan, that I introduced my magic friend, actress and model, and someone I've written about in my previous posts - Margo to Jim. Let me be at first sight; they married about a year later. Margo is like my sister, so being a matchmaker has extraordinary magic. It was the last magic trick I'd perform for Universal because, for logistic and financial reasons, we couldn't make it happen again. The friendships remained, and for years, we toured with three of our dancers and assistants, Michael Trent, Mariana Ferraro, and Mariah Bonner, whom I maintain contact with today.
When I think about the influences a park from the late 1880s would have on society, my mind wanders to its significant impact on popular culture. Visitors looked into the future and saw many spectacular new developments, including dishwashers, moving sidewalks, and incubators for babies ( that's right, incubators for babies and 100’s of babies were displayed to demonstrate the new miracle devices). In 1893, crowds flocked to Chicago to glimpse what lay ahead. The Chicago World’s Fair unveiled many new products, which still grace shelves today. Notable among them were Juicy Fruit gum, Cracker Jacks, spray paint, and Shredded Wheat. Also showcased were electrifying innovations that would reshape American lifestyles, including fax machines, telephones, electric railways, neon lights, bed warmers, fans, radiators, and the all-purpose electric belt. Although nothing is fictional about this future, crowds went home in their horse and buggies, absorbed in the fantasy of simplifying their lives someday with these miracle devices. It’s like they stepped into the future at those parks and fairs. Imagine if those people could have fast-forwarded to a day in the summer of 1994 at Universal Studios theme park and see The Pendragon’s Metamorphosis and comparing it to Houdini’s from 1903, followed up on taking a spin on Back to the Future ride? Reminding them of HG Wells's book The Time Machine, published in 1895 in their era. The concept of time travel has always intrigued people, and Back to the Future capitalized on this fascination. Like HG Wells’s The Time Machine, the story’s imaginative portrayal of time travel captured viewers' imagination and sparked discussions about the possibilities of time travel. First introduced to us at these early turn of the century parks, is time travel a glimpse of what lies ahead in our future? Time will tell.
Charlotte,
What a wonderful read on a rainy Saturday afternoon. I love how you think. Time think. Incredible history! My favorite. What amazing accomplishments and progress you made in the field of performance and magic, with a big peek into how things are ran in the theme parks! Of course, you completely sent me back to 1969, at eight years old, where my mom would dress my little brother and I in Christmas clothes and we would attend our "first" backlot Disney Christmas Party for employees! In other world moments, we walked up to every character lined up on a walkway, giving us Christmas treats and into a building where we were treated to the future of Disneyland. I remember, to this day, seeing a lady's floating head in a glass bubble talking to us as this would be the "future" Haunted House, and then walking through what was (back then) flashing neon lights, created in arches, as if we were spinning, for the future ride Space Mountain which wouldn't happen until the late 70's. Little did my dad know he'd head up that project for the first one in Florida that opened in 1975, ours opening in 1977. You brought me back to the magic in so many ways. I enjoy all your stories and pictures and can't imagine what it must have been like. Or what it must have been like at the big world fairs, and other amusement parks in history, dragging around all those clothes they wore!! You step outside of yourself and say, "we did that! I did that! they did that in history! Incredible Charlotte. Thank you. This is what life is about. Gratitude. oxox
As always, awesome! Thank You