What was Coney Island like in the 1940s?

A large banner advertises the Headless Girl, 
a convincing sideshow magical illusion.

Coney Island was a beach and amusement park in Brooklyn, New York that was a hopping spot in the 1940s.

Soak up some atmosphere with the vintage newsreel below. Here was a place where recreation, amusement and deception played together, in the games and the various pitches and come-ons.

If you’re a Coney Island or amusement park buff, also take a look at this previous Deceptology post which links to an informative Fortune magazine article that profiles the place in more detail: Visit Coney Island in the summer of ’38>>

Coney Island of the 1940s
"The world’s greatest fun product, with its beach miles long all peppered with people…"

You can download this video directly from the Internet Archive>>