Wildwood Boardwalk 1974 (Kong, Planet of the Apes, Haunted House...)

[tompiccard]

I was the magician at one of Freddy Mahana's attractions called the PALACE OF ILLUSION's Featuring Maya the Gorilla Girl..Performed some 4000 or more 10 minute magic shows that summer..1973__Mahana built the haunted house, the star trek thing, the Big gorilla and lots of the other attractions they had there..after 1973 I ran one of the 3 Guesser Joints that Wayne Muller put on the pier right near the cinema 180..that ran for several summers..Great memory's..I made a shit pot load of money.lol

[Glenn1441]

My family and I were there that summer. 1974. What fun! I distinctly remember the Star Trek / Planet of the Apes ride... when the lights dimmed within the spaceship, the 'Enterprise' crew became apes from the movie, among the most popular movie franchises of the time. The Haunted House was one of the best I experienced in any amusement park. And I remember the 'trampoline park,' a novel idea whereby you could 'rent' a trampoline by the half hour. Four kids. One trampoline. Too much fun! Thanks!!

[mmedefarge]

Wow, that does bring back memories! Wildwood & Seaside Heights had the best rides, back in the day.  I was good for anything that spun you around like a centrifuge. Thanks for the ride.

[jerseytomato100]

the star trek ride now sits outside of a harbor in Hancock's Bridge, NJ.

[jerseytomato100]

Is Mister Sunshine in this??? lol

[fhood]

My family always vacationed in Wildwood every June in the early to mid-1970s when I was around 6 years of age. We always stayed in the Ranch House Hotel not too far from the beach. Next door to the Ranch House was the Blue Dolphin restaurant (I think that's correct). My favorite rides on Hunt's Pier were the Whacky Shack, Golden Nugget Mine Ride, and the Pirate Ship. The Ranch House Hotel burned down many years ago from what I remember reading.

[rwk360]

Yes, the early 1980's. I lived it. Wildwood was at it's peak in terms of the variety in amusements, all the haunted attractions on every pier. It was an exciting time. Castle Frankenstein, Lost World, Crazy House, Hitchcock Manor, Castle Dracula, Whacky Shack, Pirate Ship Skua, Haunted House, Dante's Inferno, Dr. Blood's House of Horror. All those existed on the piers in 1980. Plus besides Morey's Pier and Mariner's Landing you also had Nickels Midway Pier, Hunt's Pier, Fun Pier, Sportland Pier.

[Queenrocksification]

lol my grandmom was on planet of the apes and a monkey dude kept following her so she punched him in the face.

[pepperedbanana]

I go here every year and I'm from the middle east

[euromacman]

Does anyone remember the Hell Hole on Sportsman's pier?

My family started going to Wildwood in the 50's. I can remember when Wildwood Crest was mostly sand dunes and every year we came back a few more of those great hotels would pop up. I haven't been back since the mid 70's.

Wow, what memories!

If I remember correctly there was Playland, Marineland, Hunt's and Sportsman's piers. I also remember that horible tragedy when Mars burned down. :-(

[rickbar123]

ANYBODY REMEMBER THE MANOR BAR ?????

[brucecannonable]

i remember dodging puke in the hellhole!

[AJPepsi]

Wish i lived in the 70s in Wildwood, what a place, Wildwood today is nothing compared to this.

[ultrakool]

i loved ww as a kid. fun memories. i could have done without that mile walk to the water at low tide, though. lol

[Mikey3046]

Old school Wildwood. There will never be nothing like it again. I used to go back in the Frankenstein Castle days, remember that? lol

[Bigstoney]

Thanks for sharing this!!!!!

[oeidirsceoil]

Watch the tram car please! My aunt had a house at 120 Schellenger Ave (very small house) and worked at Neils; Pirate ship was great as well as Planet of the Apes. Hell Hole, Wild Mouse...white roller coaster was the best! Thanks for the fun!

[bsh1111]

Thanks for the trip down memory lane, we stayed at Rosie's apt. house every year when I was a kid .do you remember her playing that old player piano in the hallway.

[OceanKingNY]

@bsh1111 No, I don't remember the piano at all. The spot that Rosie's house was on is now a parking lot. The man who runs the lot remembers her well, so say hi to him the next time you're in Wildwood.

[violetville21229]

I stayed all summer in '74. What a blast. I stayed at my uncle's on Maple (Ave?), the Blue Maple. I worked at Spiro's, Ringo, and probably five other places (ha!). That's where I got hooked on "great" pizza - Mack's. Every pizza I"ve had since is compared to Macks. None come close.

[JP5466]

Memories of a much simpler time, long ago, far away and gone forever.

"All my best memories, come back clearly to me, some can even make me cry... just like before... it's yesterday once more."

[XDrummerSteve]

Just a comment, the reason the workers on the piers are foreign is because for many years now the Morey family would travel to other countries...usually to meet with amusement ride engineers and designers, to see what they can bring to the boardwalk. As part of their agenda, they would recruit young people to come work the summer for the Moreys. Their airfare was paid and on occasion, they were given a place to stay plus a weekly paycheck. It quickly became a Wildwood tradition.

[CombatMTv3]

As if the boardwalk wasn't cool enough now, i can't imagine this. If i had a time machine this would be my first stop.

[BDRUMMER]

I loved that spinning UFO ride. I think that was even before Close Encounters came out!

[OceanKingNY]

Yes, "Close Encounters" was released 3 years later in 1977. This ride was based on "Star Trek" (original series) and "Planet of the Apes" (popular movie franchise at the time). But the spaceship looks like the Jupiter 2 from "Lost in Space." It all added up to a lot of fun!

[BDRUMMER]

Yeah, I was 7, and I liked "technical looking" things like that but didn't get to see grown up sci-fi movies until Star Wars in '77. I love how WWNJ has always had movie tie-ins at rides and games. Still remember a game operator announcing "Rogerrrrr Rabbit" prizes near Hunt's in the 80s.

[chazcov08]

Watch the tram car, please... watch the tram car, please...

[jjobie]

Wow...amazing :)

[poppy357gsp]

oceanking thats great stuff you got there thank for the memories can t believe that was rosey she always said 'THIS IS ROSEYS PLACE ' GOD BLESS HER

[poppy357gsp]

was that lady rosey from rosey's place

[OceanKingNY]

Yes, that's the famous Rosie of Glenwood Avenue!

[RBansky]

Our family stay on the boardwalk in an apartment building that had (8) units and was between 17th & 18th and the boardwalk. The structure that is currently there is Montego Bay. The building had Air Conditioning but you really did not need it. You would open the windows in the place and get one heck of a breeze.

If you were not careful it would actually slam the doors the the apartments.

There was not TV just the radio you brought down with you and my Dad listened to of course WCMC.

[PensiveSojourner]

I remember WCMC. 1230 AM I believe it was. I actually toured the station while down there on year.

[OceanKingNY]

Thanks for reminding me about the radio station. I remember if you bought tickets for a show at the Convention Center and you said, "I listen to WCMC," you got a discount!

[redwinmedia]

@RBansky Was it "The Tides" motel maybe?

[priscillatgraceland3]

ty 4 this that ride king kong tormented me forever ashame its all different now

[ChrisMctwist]

wish I was around at that time to go to Wildwood..it seems like Wildwood was wayyy better back in the day....I wasn't even an idea at that time tho 0_o aha

[rickbar123]

now its condo-wood

[powscience]

We visited every summer til '82 I think...I finally came back with MY wife and daughter in '05. This is great stuff..I was certainly there in the summer of '74! Thanks!

[poppy357gsp]

i remember staying at rosies place she would say this is rosies place all the time brings back memories thanks bro

[OceanKingNY]

You're wecome! That's so cool that you stayed at Rosie's house on Glenwood Ave., too. It's a parking lot now, but you can still see the trace of the house's foundation on the sidewalk there.

[wildwood135]

its sad when people take down the classics, for no reason. I am young and i love older stuff. I really wished they never teared them down

[OceanKingNY]

Yes, it's sad to see the old attractions go (the Golden Nugget Mine was taken down this winter), but some of them take such a beating from the seaside summers and winters (like Kong) that they have to be removed before they fall down. And of course, many other Wildwood attractions are lost to those boardwalk fires....

[phillygrl69]

OH! Thank you so very much!!! My grandmom had a home in Wildwood..and each and every summer everyone in my family would gather down there...stay at the house..& walk to the beach & boardwalk. Seeing this video has brought back all of the memories in my mind to life...once again! I can share a lil bit of my childhood now w/ my children. Again, thank you and God Bless..

[OceanKingNY]

You're welcome. Wow, how lucky to have family who lived in Wildwood. Free room and board! More money for the boardwalk! You must have had some great times there, as we all did....

[sdi1267]

Wow! My mom and dad took me there every 2nd week of July from 1971 through 1980. I remember those rides. We stayed at the Conca D'Or Motel in Wildwood Crest. I remember that we would catch the latest James Bond movie at the theatre on the boardwalk, hit many of the rides, hang out all day on the white sand beaches, and have dinner at great restaurants ( The Crow's Nest and the Captain's Table in Diamond Beach are the one's that come to mind)

Great Video!

[OceanKingNY]

My family used to stay in the Crest the first couple of times we visited. Many blocks had no sidewalks at that time, just dirt roads. Of course it looks nicer now, but the way it looked then really made you feel like you were in a little beach town...

[bazelope]

Ah, the good old days when English was the first language of the Morey's Pier ride workers and most of the tourists didn't have 75 gang tattoos. The good old days when kids had fun without carrying concealed weapons and weren't burdened with those pesky house arrest electronic anklets. The good old days when the jewelry and T-Shirt vendors on the boardwalk didn't resemble members of the Taliban. Hey, 12 year old: You missed the last of the great days in Wildwood: The early 1980's!

[jerzeebook]

Good post and miss the 80's so much ! Things will never be the same in this great country ! God bless the good ole days!

[bazelope]

Oh yeah, just "wonderful"....... pretty soon we'll need prisons on every corner like Starbucks. All of this crap is the residue of a political system that does not protect its people from themselves. How can anyone justify people pro-creating when they can;t even feed themselves? Dumb people will always be dumb and dumb people have babies at three times the rate of intelligent people. You can connect the dots from there,

[Cloudjumper]

@bazelope You see how the world was changeing....isnt it wonderfull???

[Tofu1Kid]

I am 12 years old and I like the old wildwood beter

[dylansdad65]

"WATCH THE TRAIN CAR PLEASE"

[ourbloodykisses]

tram not train.

[62willie]

Gonna miss the Golden Nugget. Loved going on that ride when i was a kid. I miss it all together. Golden Nugget, the Flyer, Keystone Cops, the Pirate ship.I dont go to Wildwood anymore.Its not the same.

[OceanKingNY]

I know how you feel. I guess each generation prefers the Wildwood of their childhood. Today's kids will also want Wildwood to stay exactly as it is now, and they'll resent any changes to it. And I guess the generation before us preferred the Wildwood of the 1940s and 1950s.

[electricland]

The "Planet Of The Apes" ride was great. The seated man on the controls would turn into an ape as the saucer spun around. You would seat there and wonder what would happen next with the apes coming out.

[OceanKingNY]

Yes, the pilot was in the control booth in the middle of the saucer. As the saucer rotated, it got dark inside while a light show played and relaxing music played. When the lights came back up, the pilot in the booth had turned into an ape, and he told us we'd been tricked. Then apes would start banging on the hatch from the outside, before they boarded to enslave us. Great fun! LOL

[sbd416]

I cant tell you how much great enjoyment as a child I had when My Mom and Dad would take my brother,2 sisters and I down there every summer on day trips.Sad no one today will ever experience the Golden Nugget,or the Catepillar which would cover you over while you were riding on it.

[OceanKingNY]

Yes, I was just in Wildwood last month (Aug. 08), and it's so sad to see the Golden Nugget still sitting abandoned on the empty Hunt's Pier. Wish someone else would buy Hunt's and develop it... or at least move GN to Moreys Pier. How many more years will Hunt's remain vacant? It makes the boardwalk look kinda shabby.

[scipiomask]

I love Wildwood and wish i could have gone on those cooler rides that they've replaced. ):

[OceanKingNY]

All of the "cooler rides" in this video (King Kong, Planet of the Apes, the Haunted House) were designed by the same man, Fred Mahana. He created many Wildwood rides and attractions over the decades before he passed away in 1999. Google him to see all of the contributions he made to the boardwalk. He brought a lot of fun to millions of people... but very few people have ever heard his name.

[scipiomask]

Yeah, I've heard his name before. I have a book called "Amusement Parks of NJ", and they talk about a lot of the rides in your video. Fred Mahana designed a ride called "Hitchcock Manor". They need to replace Jersey Junkyard with that. Sadly, Hitchcock was burned down.

[OceanKingNY]

I remember riding Hitchcock Manor in 1980 and 1981, and it was fun. I still laugh when I remember one of my friends saying "That's disgusting!" as we passed a particularly gruesome display. I think it had been changed from Fred Mahana's original concept (all Hitchcock movies) to more of a generic horror ride by then.

[Luckymike3163]

OMG - Time Travel. THANK YOU and Ralph from Funchase thank you too. You guys are helping restore so many memories. And I'm probably the only person on the planet to freak out at a glimpse of the old "Wildwood Welcomes World" message on the water tower. As a kid that was a beacon that always meant we were really, really back at the shore! Had totally forgotten about that message. Awesome, start to finish!

[OceanKingNY]

Yes, I always liked that "Wildwood Welcomes World" message too. It seemed so friendly and inviting, like the town itself was saying hello. I know the sign is gone, but is the water tower still there? (I forgot to look last time I was there.)

[Luckymike3163]

Both aqua towers still there! (Cylindrical in NWW & curvy in WW) Hadnt been there since 81;just returned last mo. for 1st(very sentimental) visit in 27 years! Cape May,too. Cant believe change in WW,some for worse,but still special to those who love it/have happy memories. Cape M seems to have improved whats always been great/WW seems to have lost its way a bit. Knew about the loss of many classic motels but hurt to see. Like going to a reunion where everyone you were wanted to see had died. :(

[OceanKingNY]

Last time I was in WW (2006), things still looked pretty good. The Moreys piers looked great. It was disappointing that Hunt's Pier was still almost vacant, except for Golden Nugget. And of course, the loss of Castle Dracula left a huge hole in the boardwalk. But new amusements and attractions will come along sooner or later. Wildwood always seems to reinvent itself.

[Luckymike3163]

So true, Ocean King. Aside from the horrible hole where Hunt's Pier was, the thing that most shook me up was the destruction of more than 100 of the motels. Unbelievable, even if i do understand why it happened. But you're right, it does reinvent itself and a new generation will have their memories, too!

[phil2172]

yes it's still there. i see it every year when i go.

[metromonthly]

The haunted house was very cool. We went multiple times the first year it was open.

[OceanKingNY]

You know, I have no memory of what was inside the haunted house. Do you remember?

[metromonthly]

When you entered the haunted house you went down a darkened corridor and this stringy material brushed against your face. It felt like cobwebs and you'd try to brush it away. Creepy surprises like that kind of set the stage for some of the things that followed. The HH was staffed by young people who delighted in scaring the crap out of you - all in good fun. They'd jump out of the dark and everyone would scream. Funny thing is that I don't remember much else, but those two things stand out.

[OceanKingNY]

Well, you remembered more than I did. I think when I saw the HH from the outside, looking so foreboding, with all the ghoulish cast members, that nothing inside could possibly live up to the anticipation I had. That's probably why I don't remember. "Planet of the Apes" was more fun; I enjoyed watching the reactions of people who were riding for the first time.

[funchase]

You're killin' me over here. Spectacular, amazing and fantastic... thank you so much for sharing this wonderful footage - I'm absolutely silly over it! Billy Joel was a nice touch.

[OceanKingNY]

Glad you liked it. I used your WW site to help identify which pier each attraction was on.

I loved "Planet of the Apes" that year and I went on it as often as possible during that vacation. Those ape guys were crazy-fun, as was the witch girl from the Haunted House. Many happy memories. I'm sure many other people have pix and movies of those attractions.

As for Billy Joel: he released this album the same year, 1974.