Coming Attractions: The Last Days of Coney Island

No, this isn't another Joe Sitt and Thor Equities post. It's about an animated film apparently being created by director Ralph Bakshi called "The Last Days of Coney Island." The film is described on IMDB as "a hardboiled tale of a NYPD detective, the Lady of the Evening he alternately loved and busted, and the seedy characters that haunt the streets of New York City's run-down amusement district." We take no credit for coming across this. That goes to the person who posts on the Coney Island Message Board as made_in_coney78. Dick Zigun of Coney Island USA notes, in the same thread, "Ralph Bakshi visited the sideshow last year and introduced himself. Said he was working on a coney movie and wanted to use the sideshow. I gave him my card. Wondered if it was a combo of live film and animation...never heard back from him." Bakshi has made dozens of films, among them Heavy Traffic and Fritz the Cat. The latter was an x-rated animated film about a libidinous cat. According to IMDB, Bakshi was born in Haifa, but grew up in Brownsville after his family came to New York to escape World War II. He went to Thomas Jefferson High School and the High School of Industrial Arts and graduated, from which he graduated with award in cartooning in 1957. You can check out his website here.

CONEY ISLAND BONUS: There is continued talk of running a ferry from Battery Park to Coney Island. Read about the latest on the possibility of ferry service to the Coney Island Aquarium "and other beach destinations."