Woody Register

The Kid of Coney Island

Fred Thompson and the Rise of American Amusements

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

A generation before Walt Disney, Fred Thompson was the "boy-wonder" of American popular amusements. At the turn of the twentieth 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. He also 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.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Oxford University Press, USA
• Seitenzahl: 400
• Erscheinungstermin: 21. August 2003
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 234mm x 156mm x 28mm
• Gewicht: 572g
• ISBN-13: 9780195167320
• ISBN-10: 0195167325
• Artikelnr.: 22005084

Autorenporträt

Woody Register is Professor of American Studies at Sewanee, The University of the South. He lives in Sewanee, Tennessee.