Videos on rollercoasters and parks and movies that feature shots of them. If you have any additions to this page, please feel free to let me know. For videos, as much information as you have is generally appreciated (eg. title, publisher, price, ISBN number etc).
Please also note that the content herein is the copyright of their respective publishers and/or authors. I simply offer this page for the pleasure and convenience of my own readers. If you are like me, you will want your own copies of each piece of literature listed here for your own library (many of the entries, below, provide direct links to places such as Amazon.Com where you can purchase the books online).
Thanks...
Russell
russell@coasters.net
![[Front Cover]](videos/agrct_ft.jpg)
![[Back Cover]](videos/agrct_bk.jpg)
America's Greatest Roller Coaster Thrills in 3-D takes you on a wild tour of fourteen of the most exciting roller coasters in the nation. Each coaster was selected by the members of the American Coaster Enthusiasts (ACE), the most die-hard coaster riders in the land. Their choices range from the nostalgic "woodies" to the newest, gut-wrenching, tubular steel giants!
3-D technology creates incredible depth perception when the viewer users the enclosed glasses but the images are perfectly normal when viewed without. It's almost better than being on board!
Co-hosts Eric Boardman and Lisa Williams act as your guides to the featured amusement parks and for a real-time ride on America's Greatest Roller Coasters. Vital statistics such as speed, length, G-forces, number of inversions and unique, one-of-a-kind features are included for each coaster. You'll also enjoy special interviews with ACE president, Ray Ueberroth and Ron Toomer of Arrow Dynamics, the reknowned designer of five of the featured rides.
Featured Coasters are:
| Viper and Batman The Ride | Six Flags Magic Mountain |
| The Texas Giant | Six Flags Over Texas |
| Magnum XL-200, Mean Streak and Raptor | Cedar Point |
| Cyclone | Astroland, Coney Island |
| The Beast | Paramount King's Island |
| Top Gun | Paramount's Great America |
| Kumba | Busch Gardens, Tampa |
| Drachen Fire and Big Bad Wolf | Busch Gardens, Williamsburg |
| Thunderbolt and The Steel Phantom | Kennywood |
Note: For the best effect, 3-D glasses must be worn with the dark lens over the right eye.
Dim the lights, turn up the volume, strap on your seat belt and hang on! You're in for the video ride of your life!
Running Time: Approx. 60 minutes
Produced by: Telemedia Productions
Program Copyright: © 1994
Telemedia
Productions and Goldhil Home Media International
Distributed by: Goldhil Video, Thousand Oaks, CA
VHS,
DVD,
LD
Laserdisc Distributed exclusively by Image Entertainment
9333 Oso Avenue, Chatsworth, CA 91311
Extra 3-D Glasses Order Form
Roller Coaster technology has advanced so fast that in the two years since our original video, new coasters are reaching heights and speeds that are unbelievably exhilarating. The competition between amusement parks is so fierce that no cost is spared to thrill the visitors. And we've got the best of the new rides in this warp-speed exciting production.
Get ready to scream on AMERICA'S GREATEST ROLLER COASTER THIRILLS IN 3-D -- VOLUME 2! You're in for the video ride of your life!
Featured Coasters are:
| The Comet | Great Escape, Lake George, NY |
| The Great Nor'Easter | Morey's Pier, Wildwood, NJ |
| The Great White | Morey's Pier, Wildwood, NJ |
| Grizzly | Paramount's Kings Dominion, Doswell, VA |
| The High Roller | Stratosphere Tower, Las Vegas, NV |
| Jack Rabbit | Kennywood, Pittsburgh, PA |
| Loch Ness Monster | Busch Gardens, Williamsburg, VA |
| Mantis | Cedar Point, Sandusky, OH |
| Montu | Busch Gardens, Tampa, FL |
| Outer Limits Flight of Fear | Paramount's King's Dominion, Williamsburg, VA |
| The Phoenix | Knoebels, Elysburg, PA |
| The Raven | Holiday World, Santa Clause, IN |
| Timberwolf | Worlds of Fun, Kansas City, MO |
| Wild Thing | Valleyfair, Scakopee, MN |
Running Time: Approx. 67 minutes
VHS,
DVD,
LD
Program Content, Artwork and Summary: © 1996 Bricor International,
Inc. and Goldhil Home Media International.
Laserdisc Distributed exclusively by Image Entertainment
9333 Oso Avenue, Chatsworth, CA 91311
Extra 3-D Glasses Order Form
![[Front Cover]](vidthmbs/amer_screams.jpg)
1987 / Color and B&W / Approx. 30 min. / Not Rated
Buckle up America, you're about to go on the ride of your life! Vincent Price has found yet another way to make you scream as he takes you on a whiteknuckle tour of some of the country's wildest, fastest and most terrifying roller coasters.
You'll have a front seat view as you experience the twists, turns, loops and plunges of these pulse-pounding wonders. Plus, trace the whirlwind history of the amusement park - beginning with its humble origin at Coney Island, the spectacular success of the world's first theme parks in the 1950s... and beyond.
From the earliest wood-frame coasters to the sleek metal scream machines of today,this non-stop, topsy-turvy look at thrill rides is guaranteed to leave you breathless!
ISBN: 8122-71419-3
Format: VHS
Rhino Home Video
Exclusively distributed by MCA Distributing Corporation
![[Front Cover]](videos/cpmem_ft.jpg)
Cedar Point Memories, examines the 125-year history of America's oldest regularly operating amusement park through interviews, photographs, and rare film footage. The program traces the development of Cedar Point from its beginnings as the Great Lakes' preeminent bathing spot to its status as America's largest ride park and the one with the greatest number of roller coasters.
It all began in 1870 when bathhouse facilities were built on a strip of Sandusky beach on Lake Erie. The area was named Cedar Point for the groves of cedar trees that once outlined the peninsula. The resort continued to grow with the construction of the Grand Pavilion in 1888, which had bowling alleys, a dining room, beer garden, dance floor and musical and dramatic performances including top names from the "big band" era. The hour-long documentary looks at how the park has evolved and has been a source of family fun and memories even during wars and the Great Depression.
Cedar Point Memories weaves visual elements with personal recollections of former workers and visitors to create a true sense of the park in its early years.
Cedar Point Memories is distributed nationally by American Program Service and is under-written by Johnson & Higgins and Ohio, Inc. and Society National Bank, a KeyVorp Bank.
Format: VHS
Price: $24.95
Produced by WBGU-TV
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403
419/372-2700
![[Front Cover]](videos/cpgttp_ft.jpg)
Get to the Point is an entertaining and exciting collection of memories to take home from Cedar Point, the Midwest's finest amusement park.
Fall prey to Raptor, the world's biggest inverted roller coaster.
Ride the Magnum XL-200, the first roller coaster to break the 200-foot barrier.
Challenge the 161-foot-tall Mean Streak, a tangled web of twisted track.
Raft through raging rapids and plunge under waterfalls on Thunder Canyon.
Enjoy a nostaligc visit to Cedar Point's past through rare historical footage.
Relive a wonderful summer getaway even on the darkest, coldest days of winter. Get to the Point. Your whole family will enjoy the fun of a trip to Cedar Point!
To order additional copies, write:
For more information on Cedar Point, call 419/627-2350.
Price: $14.95
Total Time: 20:00 minutes.
Climb aboard the old electric miniature train. Take a dip in the largest pool in Pennsylvania. Then dance the night away at the Starlight Ballroom. Here's your ticket to the memories and magic of Hersheypark.
Hersheypark: Sweet Memories a documentary about a small picnic grove that grew into a world-famous attraction in the shadow of Milton Hershey's chocolate factory.
Hersheypark: Sweet Memories is a vintage tour of the park's transformation, beginning with the opening in 1907 and told through archival film footage, historic photographs, home movies and first-hand accounts of those charmed by the carousel's painted ponies and thrilled by the roller coasters' wooden dips and climbs.
Hersheypark: Sweet Memories is made possible, in part, by a grant from Aetna U.S. Healthcare.
Format: VHS
Price: $19.95 + shipping and handling
To order, call: 1-800-828-4PBS
Produced by WITF-TV
Harrisburg, PA
For more information on the program and its broadcasts, contact:
Louise Morgan
(717) 236-6000
1988 / Color / 30 min.
Travel on a fantastic journey across the country as you discover the magic and excitement of America's 10 greatest rollercoasters.
GO FOR A RIDE introduces a unique camera system which puts you in the front seat for al the loops, twists, spins and turns imaginable. Experience the colossal drops from an 11-story wooden legend. Relive the curves of a futuristic steel screamer. Dangle from a suspended coaster moving 50 feet per second. Now you can take home America's favorite rollercoasters and ride them over and over again.
Filmed entirely on location at:
Format: VHS
Gofar Productions Inc.
![[Front Cover]](videos/cprrts_ft.jpg)
Dangle helplessly in Raptor's fearsome grip as you swoop and soar through the air on the tallest, steepest and fastest inverted roller coaster on earth.
Watch in awe as the Raptor is born before your very eyes, through the wonder of time-lapse photography.
Treat children too small to ride to the real Raptor to the next best thing... a video ride that'll have them holding onto their seats.
Thrill to the disorienting experience of Raptor in your own home, at any time of the year.
To order additional copies, write:
Format: VHS
Price: $14.95
Total Time: 15 minutes
1988 / Color / 30 min.
Forget about your pause button as you race seemingly out of control down the first hill, corkscrew through the turns ike a rocket, then plunge into darkness only to emerge seconds later into another twisting, turning section of track.
Take a front seat on some of the fastest, most daring roller coasters in the United States. Travel to Magic Mountain in Valencia, California to brave the famous "COLOSSUS," the largest wooden roller coaster in the country, or "SHOCK WAVE," a wild, twisting excursion that you'll experience standing up.
You'll then journey south to Astroworld in Houston, Texas to fly like a rocket on "THE ACCELERATOR," a one-of-a-kind suspended roller coaster. Travelling at 50 feet-per-second, this coaster will propel you into the outer regions of fun. Also at Astroworld is the "TEXAS CYCLONE," a devilish coaster sporting a 92 foot vertical drop.
Zoom through the curves and hills on "VORTEX" at King's Island in Ohio as you're jostled from side to side, then turned upside down six times! Fast as lightning you'll go directly to "RACER," the first twin-track coaster to travel backwards.
On the eastern seaboard is Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia. Come face-to-face with "THE BIG BAD WOLF," a treacherous suspended roller coaster that will take your breath away and "THE LOCH NESS MONSTER" at 13 stories tall and travelling up to 70 miles per hour.
Ride a runaway train at Elitch Gardens in Denver, Colorado as you board "THE TWISTER," a first-rate all-time chiller, full of turns and tunnels.
You'll be suspended in the air, jostled from side to side, rocked and rolled nationwide. Ride your favorite coasters time and time again without having to fight the crowds or stand in line. The entire family will love this outrageous, spine-tingling, fun-filled journey.
ISBN: 41771-59795
Format: VHS
Gofar Productions Inc.
Distributed by Wood Knapp Video
5900 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA, 90036
![[Front Cover]](videos/cpast_ft.jpg)
Since 1870, generations of Midwesterners haven't considered the summer complete without a visit to Cedar Point. This collection of historic footate and fascinating details brings the past to life and celebrates the current excitement of the Number One amusement parks in the world.
Visit the sandy beach, the site of swimming fun and aviation history.
Explore the hotels that have played host to presidents and celebrities over the years.
Enjoy a look at the midways and rides that entertained your parents and grandparents.
Experience the renaissance that's taken Cedar Point to the forefront of the amusement park industry.
CEDAR POINT: A SUMMERTIME TRADITION ON LAKE ERIE is a nostalgic visit to Cedar Point's past through rare historical footage and an exciting look at the present. Your whole family will enjoy this trip through the years at Cedar Point!
To order additional copies, write:
For more information on Cedar Point, call 419/627-2350.
Price: $22.95 US
Format: VHS
Total Time: Approx. 35 minutes.
![[Wild Extreme Rides Series]](videos/wildrides.jpg)
Wild Extreme Rides Series (Box set: VHS)
![[Front Cover]](videos/wrides_ft.jpg)
![[Back Cover]](videos/wrides_bk.jpg)
Hang on Tight For The Ride Of Your LIFE!
Get your adrenaline pumping and your heart rate racing as you travel to incredible thrill parks coast-to-coast. Experience amazing speeds, supersonic G-forces, gravity-defying corkscrews, plus humps, camelbacks and loops, And that's just for starters!
Ride the Desperado and feel the white-knuckled terror generated by its terrifying 280-foot drop; put yourself through the thrills and chills of the Texas Giant; dare to hop aboard ferocious Raptor -- the world's tallest, fastest inverted rollercoaster. Get an eyeful of futuristic simulated rides and examine more than 100 years of coaster history. Strap in tight -- it's an incredible ride!
We're saving you the front car.
Running Time: 52 minutes
A Discovery Channel Presentation
Narrated by STACY KEACH.
Distributed by UNAPIX/MIRAMAR
200 Second Ave. West
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 284-4700
![[Front Cover]](videos/wrides2_ft.jpg)
![[Back Cover]](videos/wrides2_bk.jpg)
These rides will have you screaming for mercy!
Jump on board for an unforgettable ride on some of the wildest rollercoasters on the planet! Travel to London, Paris, Barcelona and across North America and experience the rush of death-defying aerial delights found in thrill parks all over the world. See how technology is helping designers push thrill rides to extraordinary new limits, perpetually creating rides that are bigger, higher and faster. Take the plunge -- and feel the speed!
Scream as loud as you can if you think it will help.
Running Time: 52 minutes
A Discovery Channel Presentation
Narrated by ERIC BOARDMAN.
Distributed by UNAPIX/MIRAMAR
200 Second Ave. West
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 284-4700
ISBN: 1-57523-478-5
VHS,
DVD
![[Front Cover]](videos/exrides_ft.jpg)
![[Back Cover]](videos/exrides_bk.jpg)
Experience The Gut-Wrenching Insanity Of Exterme Rides!
This is nuts! Go face-to-face with your deepest fears as you confront thrill rides based on over-the-top pursuits such as skydiving, bungee-jumping, white-water rafting and dragstrip racing. Pitt Fall, the world's tallest free-fall experience, sends you plummeting 250 feet; Skycoaster, a skydiving simulator, lets you soar like a bird; The Rocket throws your bungee cord in reverse, catapulting you skyward. Upside-down, inside-out. Launch yourself on rides you thought could only exist in your imagination!
Be Forewarned: Watching these extreme rides can be habit forming.
Running Time: 52 minutes
A Discovery Channel Presentation
Narrated by ERIC BOARDMAN.
Distributed by UNAPIX/MIRAMAR
200 Second Ave. West
Seattle, WA 98119
(206) 284-4700
ISBN: 1-57523-474-2
VHS,
DVD
![[Front Cover]](videos/wgrct_ft.jpg)
![[Back Cover]](videos/wgrct_bk.jpg)
American culture touches every corner of the globe and the fascination for gettng scared out of your wits on a roller coaster is no exception. Many of the biggest, baddest, fastest and scariest roller coasters are found outside the United States! Tubular steel inverted coasters, huge sit-down coasters that boast record speeds, exciting stand-up coasters, traditional wooden coasters - they're found all over the globe - and the very best are featured in this thrilling video!
Scream off the top of Pepsi Max - The Big One, in Blackpool, England, one of the world's tallest coasters; feel the wood-creaking, chain rattling thrill of La Montana Rusa in Mexico City and speed through the loops of The Dragon overlooking the South China Sea in Hong Kong! These and many more of the World's Greatest Roller Coasters will take you on your own personal jaw-dropping, white-knuckling ride.
3-D technology creates an incredible depth perception when the viewer uses the enclosed glasses, but the images are perfectly normal when viewed without. It's almost better than being on board!
So strap yourself in and dim the lights - you're in for te video ride of your life!
Featured coasters are:
Note: For the best effect, 3-D glasses must be worn with the dark lens over the right eye.
Running Time: 65 Minutes
Produced By: Bricor International, Inc. in association with Goldhil
Home Media International, Thousand Oaks, California
VHS,
DVD,
Laserdisc
Laserdisc Distributed exclusively by Image Entertainment
9333 Oso Avenue, Chatsworth, CA 91311
Extra 3-D Glasses Order Form
This section is dedicated not to the movies or videos about the theme park industry, but those that contain varying amounts of footage of some of our favorite rides in-action. In some cases, they present some very interesting and/or hard-to-find footage.
Bachelor, The
A couple shots of SFMM's Colossus (within the first seven minutes of the movie).
| Format | DVD | VHS | LD |
|---|
Beverly Hills Cop III
A large portion of this film was filmed at PGA. Particularly in Carousel Plaza, Hometown Square (towards Triple Play) and a stunt sequence on the old triple ferris wheel. (Editorial comment: the reason I bought this film for my own collection was because of the old park shots (because I live near the park and was around it at the time of the filming) and not for the movie itself)
| Format | LD | VHS |
|---|
Dangerous Minds
A couple shots of the Giant Dipper at The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
| Format | DVD | LD | VHS |
|---|
Death to Smoochy
Some snow shots with Coney Island Cyclone in the background (first ten minutes of the movie).
| Format | DVD | DVD widescreen | VHS |
|---|
![[Front Cover]](videos/hootie_ft.jpg)
Hootie and the Blowfish: Summer Camp with Trucks
The band takes a venture through Dorney Park.
| Format | VHS (ISBN 1-56832-049-3) | LD (ISBN 1-56832-051-5) |
|---|
Lost Boys, The
Some nice night shots of the Giant Dipper at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.
| Format | DVD | LD | VHS |
|---|
National Lampoon's Vacation (1983)
Shots of Magic Mountain (pre Six Flags). Includes the Revolution (pre-harnesses) and the Colossus (good shot from the parking lot before they flattened the double-camelback). The "original" John Hughes flick (well, his first well-known film), for all you fans of movies like The Breakfast Club...
| Format | DVD | LD | VHS |
|---|
Richie Rich
Iron Wolf from Six Flags Great America.
| Format | DVD | LD | VHS |
|---|
Rollercoaster
Thrills abound in this high-speed suspense yarn as Timothy Bottoms, a determined terrorist, beings to turn America's amusement parks into battlefields. The tension mounts as affable safety inspector George Segal attempts to track down the saboteur who has targeted the country's most popular rollercoaster, and its riders, for senseless destruction. The edge-of-the-seat excitement mounts as the battle of wits between Segal and Bottoms builds to an explosive climax. Co-starring Richard Widmark and Henry Fonda, the Jennings Lang production takes viewers on an unforgettable trip filled with sense-shattering twists and hairpin turns.
| Format | DVD | LD (ISBN 0-7832-0429-9) | VHS |
|---|
Smokey and the Bandit II
A couple minutes worth of the destruction of Greyhound at Lakewood Fairgrounds near Atlanta, Georgia.
| Format | VHS | DVD | LD |
|---|
Copyright © 1996-2003 Russell M. Van Tassell
All Rights Reserved
