originally posted on 12/4/2020
Action Park, by Andy Mulvihill with Jake Rossen.
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Infamous New Jersey Thrill Park Is Detailed to Delightfully Unbelievable Scale
It is spoken in whispers like an urban legend. Those who never attended stand in defiance that such a place could ever have existed. Those old enough to have been actual guests can confirm it is all true.
Enter Andy Mulvihill, son of owner and (mad) genius/creator of Action Park, Gene Mulvihill. By the end of the prologue, it is clear to the reader that this book was going to tell the full story. No one can know the inside details like a family member who worked at the infamous park as a teenager.
Action Park’s motto was “You Control the Action.” Mulvihill’s vision was to create something unique and beyond the typical theme parks that were sprouting up across America in the 1970s. After acquiring a ski resort following a failed bank loan, Mulvihill quickly became disenchanted with a property that could only operate less than 100 days a year — IF the weather cooperated. Looking to make more of a year-round destination, Mulvihill eventually created a bizarre wonderland of first-of-their-kind or homemade attractions. Despite their inherent risks, crowds flocked to them.
Son Andy witnessed it all. Those who know the industry well may not find the concept of a place with the first alpine slides or go kart tracks and the like to be that outlandish. But with no rules, meager safety features and a maniacal thirst to see people throw common sense out the window, Action Park and the man behind it are legendary — realistically, for all the wrong reasons. For example, Mulvihill describes a homemade tank attraction that shoots tennis balls at 100 mph — often at attendants — as “Wimbledon meets Vietnam.”
Chapter after chapter illustrates what made Action Park so infamous. It was a perfect storm of boundary-pushing attractions, ruffian clientele and an almost lack of safety rules. What could have worked at most any other park seemed to go off the rails at Action Park.
What makes this book a brilliant read is the fact the author, Andy Mulvihill (along with Mental Floss staff writer Jake Rossen), tells the inside story from a family perspective. In admiration of his father’s successful work ethic, he is also trapped in the chaotic environment of working in the face of danger. His adolescence and young adulthood were defined by working — and living — at Action Park.
Growing up into young adulthood, Mulvihill entered the business world having faced unthinkable challenges just to get through each day. The writing is outstanding, and at times, readers are on the edge of their seats.
The subtitle to the book — “Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America’s Most Dangerous Amusement Park” — summarizes it all for the reader. This park and its madcap founder’s quest for the ultimate destination for fun is a journey. Even this book can’t contain every story. But it’s a fascinating tale — and told from beginning to end. The reader will laugh out loud, gasp and find eyes widened in disbelief. It’s a book on the amusement park industry like no other. And in that respect comes highly recommended. It’s a must for any New Jersey resident or anyone who ever visited Action Park just as confirmation that the infamous park did indeed exist.
— Tim Baldwin
ACE News Editor
@#$%&!
#ACENews