Laugh Your
Troubles Away:
The Complete History of Riverview Park- Chicago, Illinois
|
|
I always thought it was odd that a park as famous as Riverview had some of the spottiest research done about it, both from the perspectives of film and print. For a long time Chuck Wlodawczyk’s book “Riverview: Gone But Not Forgotten” was the only book on Riverview and his video by the same name & George Berbert and Clarence Hintze’s video “Laugh Your Troubles Away: Riverview- Kingdom of Magic” were the secondary sources that focused exclusively on Riverview. While I enjoyed them (especially the latter’s video tour of the park after it closed but before it was auctioned) all lacked a story. They seemed to be more amalgamations of facts and images rather than a history of the park. Luckily for us Derek Gee and Ralph Lopez came out with a companion set (video and book) on the park. Each are really the first in their respective mediums to tell the park’s story- and what a wonderful one it is.
There were many things that I enjoyed in this video, but I will just mention a few. The first thing that amazes me is that I can not only take a ride on the Bobs, but get to see the trains up close and as they fly through the course. If anything is engrained in my head as “stereotypical Riverview” it is that shot of the Bobs as it flies down a turn in front of the station’s Grecian columns. I never realized that the jog from the station to the lift was so long on this ride! Another enjoyable coaster experience was the POV footage of the Flying Turns. I believe this was the first time I had received an on-ride perspective of the Bartlett-made rides and it was an eye-opener. For younger people like myself the concept of an urban park is much harder to grasp because there are less parks built within these environments today. I enjoyed the views of the park from the parachute drop as it not only let me appreciate the green canopy Riverview had, but also the factories and places of industry that surrounded the park. It helped put the park in a different perspective and allowed me to appreciate how Riverview was integrated with Chicago. Today it is easy to forget these parks were the fabric of the urban culture, not a half-hour past the suburbs on the interstate. For an independently made documentary the production was good and the inclusion of carousel music was a very nice touch. Overall I thought that this film, from the beginning of the sharpshooter park to the shots of it today, was well done and worth my money.
Click here to buy this video.
Amusement Park History, Copyright 2004.