Posted onJune 5, 2025|Comments Off on An Explosive Experience: The Rocket Roller Coaster & Other Exciting Attractions at the Ocean View Amusement Park
By Keely Sinclair, HIST 368 Intern and Mellon Foundation Grant Recipient
Visitors exploring the Ocean View Amusement Park
The Ocean View beaches have served as a location for families to relax and swim during hot Virginia summers for years. Although the land is now occupied by apartment buildings, homes, and a shopping center, it was once home to the famous Ocean View Amusement Park. The Ocean View Amusement Park was founded in 1896 and shut down in 1978. The park was created by the Ocean View Traction Company to bring customers to the new trolly car line. During this period, the park consisted of seating areas, a small figure-8 roller coaster named “The Serpentine,” and of course, scenic views of the beach. In 1905, Richmond businessman Otto Wells purchased the park and transformed it into the bustling, spectacular amusement park long-time Ocean View residents recall fondly to this day. By the 1930s, the park hosted thousands of people every summer. Popular amusement park ride creator J.A. Fields said in 1928 that the Ocean View Amusement Park was “the most modern and attractive park in the South.”
In 1942, Wells sold the park to successful businessman and optometrist Dudley Cooper. Cooper planned to close it down, however, the naval base nearby encouraged him to keep it open because the men stationed there enjoyed the park. In 1978 during an interview with Old Dominion University, Cooper recalled that “The Navy was very much interested in [Ocean View] for the recreation of the men who were embarking in this area for overseas duty,” prompting him to keep the park open. Cooper worked tirelessly to make the park a success, something that was made even more difficult as a result of the WWII era economy. However, thanks to his hard work (ranging from 12 to 18 hours a day!) and military connections, he was able to keep the park afloat until the end of the war. In the 1950s, the park reached its peak popularity. Until its closing in 1978, The park was open every spring and summer. Families from all over Virginia visited the park to enjoy the 77ft high roller coaster, side shows ranging from monkey acts to thrilling high-wire performances, and to eat sugary amusement park food like the famous Doumar’s ice cream cone.
Dudley Cooper
In 1942, Dudley Cooper bought the Ocean View Amusement Park from Otto Wells, as he had been interested in the park since he was young and had wanted to buy it for some time. Before purchasing the park, Cooper practiced optometry and rented out properties to people for years, and he continued to do so even after purchasing the Ocean View Amusement Park. Cooper also helped three black businessmen in the area create the Seaview Amusement Park in 1946. Due to segregation laws, African Americans were not allowed to enter the Ocean View park, but Cooper was able to work with local African American businesses and individuals to create a park where African Americans could enjoy much of the same entertainment that was found at Ocean View, including rides, side shows, and concession stands.
Fun Fact: Cooper’s office was located in the Ocean View Amusement Park and was described as having “all of the color and glitter of the midway outside.” The middle of the office was decorated with a horse from the merry-go-round, the ceiling was painted to resemble a circus tent, and one wall had a large mural of the park painted onto it.
Portrait of Dudley Cooper
RIDES, LOCATIONS, AND EVENTS AT OCEAN VIEW AMUSEMENT PARK
THE ROCKET
“There is a Roller Coaster in Ocean View Amusement Park, near Virginia Beach, that sonnets should be composed about. In its white cloak of cracked paint it has the rarest of roller coaster majesty, lattice work piled upon lattice work, a pure monument to thrill.” These are the words of journalist Marion Clark in his 1975 Potomac article reviewing roller coasters across America. In the article, he sings his praises to roller coasters from roller coasters across the country, with The Rocket getting a glowing review from the roller-coaster-enthusiast. His sentiments were shared by tourists and locals alike, who spent their summers enjoying the thrills of riding the roller coaster.
The famous Ocean View amusement park roller coaster was first built in 1911 and named Leap-the-Dips. This roller coaster was 77 feet high at its tallest point. In 1914, the ride was damaged by a fire and rebuilt with some slight upgrades. Later in 1928, new safety mechanisms were added and the ride was made 13 feet taller. The name was also changed to the “Skyrocket.” A few years later, it was renamed again to simply “The Rocket.” Renovations in 1947 included new foam-padded seats, likely in response to passengers sustaining injuries while riding. In February of 1958, another fire started in the park and damaged the west end of the rollercoaster. However, it was once again rebuilt. The Rocket was a staple of the park, drawing tourists there for years.
Cooper’s son, Charles Cooper, declared that The Rocket “may have been the most durable coaster in America.” Due to the vast number of repairs and upgrades it received over the years, the roller coaster was almost too sturdy by the time of the park’s shutdown, as when crew members tried to demolish the ride in 1978, they had to saw through multiple support beams in order to do any damage. Despite the wild popularity of The Rocket, many were still afraid of it, with parents refusing to let their kids board the ride, according to Charles Cooper. Why was the roller coaster given so many repairs? For one, the park suffered numerous fires over the years, each one causing slight damage to the ride. As a result, the rollercoaster was continuously rebuilt, repaired, and updated with modern safety equipment. In September of 1936, when the park was still owned by Otto Wells, the Chesapeake-Potomac Hurricane swept through Norfolk, causing $30,000 dollars worth of damage to the park ($5 million in today’s economy).
DOUMAR’S
In 1907, Doumar, the famous inventor of the waffle cone in 1904, opened a small shop at the Ocean View amusement park. On the shop’s first day, 22,600 ice cream cones were sold, and these numbers only grew throughout the summers spent there, with Doumar’s ice cream stand selling around 23,000 ice cream cones every day in the summer. In 1933, a hurricane swept through the area, severely damaging the park and its attractions, including Doumar’s Ice Cream stand. After this event, Doumar’s moved to a new location near Monticello Avenue. This location was larger and included indoor seating and a drive through. Doumar’s is still located there today!
Acts
The Dudley Cooper collection contains a multitude of correspondences between Cooper and other acts interested in performing at the park. Most performances at the park were not permanent; every year new and exciting acts would set up at the Ocean View Amusement park to entertain guests. Acts ranged from high-wire acts by performers such as The Lovely Miss Rachel and the Navvaros, Leo and Josephine Gasca, and Erik, the “Golden Boy of the High-Wire,” to animal shows featuring chimps and even a reptile exhibition building. 1952 Correspondences between Cooper and the Expositions and Fairs Incorporated group show Cooper’s interest in their acts, which included an “Alligator Skin Boy,” a “Girl Without a Head,” and a girl who “hypnotize[ed] crocodiles and snakes.” Cooper also showed an interest in getting a collection of electric eels and piranhas for the park.
Suicide Simon
Captain Leo Simon was an ex-flame diver (someone who sets themselves on fire and then dives into a pool of gasoline) with fiery red hair and a matching mustache before he decided to change paths and perform a different act. Simon’s new act went as follows: he climbed into a wooden box and lit 1 ½ dynamite sticks over his head, blowing up the box with him inside it. This act caused him to go almost completely deaf, and his front two teeth were missing due to an accident years prior.
Memo from Leo Simon to Dudley Cooper
“Three Star Production – Clown Cavalcade” and “Candy the Clown”
The Clown Cavalcade was a three man company of professional clowns consisting of Benny and Freddy Heitmann and Don Meeker. Freddy started out as a part of the cleanup crew on the Ringling Bros. Circus and later worked with the elephant acts, where he sustained multiple injuries from handling the animals. When he left the circus, he started his own clown production with his brother Benny. Benny had been a brick mason and musician before joining his brother’s company. The two brothers had dabbled in live comedy as well, playing shows at the Cocoanut Grove Playhouse.
Don Meeker, a taxi driver and father of five, used to play as “Sparky the Fire Dog” for the Fire Department Carnival. He decided to become a clown after dressing as one for his son’s school carnival. The clown outfit his wife made him was a huge hit, and he decided to try calling a character named “Poopdeck Pappy” on WAVY-TV to ask if he needed to get a license to become a professional clown. He was then given a job as “Candy the Clown,” at the Portsmouth shopping center and soon joined the two brothers in their group. Candy the Clown became a staple of the Ocean View Amusement Park, with his face being present on advertisements and signs everywhere. A doll of the character is currently located inside the Ocean View Station Museum inside of a cart from The Rocket roller coaster.
In 1978, the park closed down after 80 years of operation. Because The Rocket was being demolished anyways, Playboy Productions, a studio working on a “suspense thriller” movie titled “The Death of Ocean View Park” blew up the beloved roller coaster as Ocean View residents looked on. Interestingly, it took the crew multiple tries to actually get the roller coaster to explode, and they even ended up needing to physically tear it down and weaken the support beams in order to fully destroy it. Cooper’s son found it ironic that, “people were afraid to have their children ride the roller coaster because they thought it didn’t look safe. It was so strong, they couldn’t even blow it up. It was pulled down”. In that same year, the park shut down entirely.
The End of the Park
After 83 years of success, the park’s popularity began to die down. Bigger parks like Kings Dominion and Busch Gardens opened, drawing tourists away from the older park. However, the Ocean View Amusement Park got the spotlight a few more times before it closed. In 1976, the movie Rollercoaster was shot at the park and a few years later in 1978, The Death of Ocean View Park was shot there.
Bibliography
“Clown Act To Open at Ocean View.” The Virginian-Pilot. Dudley Cooper Papers, Series VII – Scrapbooks, 1963,1964.
“Doumar’s Drive Major Word of Mouth With Their BBQ, Ice Cream, and Story.” Truested, May 21, 2019.
Dudley Cooper Papers. Series I – Correspondence, Accidents and Injuries 1944 to Advertising 1943-1958. MG 31, Box 1, Folder 8.
Dudley Cooper Papers. Series I – Correspondence Advertising to Construction & Repairs, 1963-70, Box 2, Folder 4.
Dudley Cooper Papers. Series VI: Miscellaneous – Articles to Closing the Park. MG 31, Box 14, Folder 2.
Dudley Cooper Papers. Series VII: Scrapbooks, 1948-49, 1949-52. MG 31, Box 15. “Amusement Park Sued for $50,000.” The Virginian-Pilot. Aug. 8, 1949.
Dudley Cooper Papers. Series VII: Scrapbooks, 1949-54, 1953-55, 1954. MG 31, Box 16, Book 1. “The Most Roller Coasters Ever.” Potomac. 1975.
Dudley Cooper Papers. Series VII: Scrapbooks, 1955-56, 1960. MG 31
“Easter Day Parade at Ocean View; Sunday, 3 P.M.” Ocean View, Seaside and Seaview Amusement Parks Collection. Series VII: Scrapbooks, MG 31, Box 22, Folder 3.
McHugh, Jim. “Optometrist Ogled, Made Success in Funspot Field.” The Billboard. Dec. 9, 1950. Dudley Cooper Papers, Series VII: Scrapbooks, 1948-49, 1949-52. MG 31, Box 15.
Ocean View, Seaside and Seaview Amusement Parks Collection. Series VII: Scrapbooks, MG 31, Box 22, Folder 1.
Robert H. Mason. “Old Flame Man Now Jars Self With Dynamite.” Ocean View, Seaside and Seaview Amusement Parks Collection, Series, VII: Scrapbooks, MG 31, Box 22, Folder 3.
By Special Collections and University Archives Graduate Assistant, Daniel Conner
Photograph taken from the February 13, 1969 edition of the student newspaper the Mace and Crown picturing James Earl Jones during his 1968 The Great White Hope performance.
Few actors have a voice as recognizable and beloved as James Earl Jones. For many, or at least for myself, his career extended into childhood memories through his distinctively voiced roles of Mufasa in The Lion King and Darth Vader in Star Wars. Others may remember him from classic films like Coming to America, The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, The Sandlot, and Field of Dreams. No one can deny his impact on American culture over the past 50 years.
Sadly, Jones passed in September of 2024, but he gifted the world an incredible legacy that I’d love to celebrate in this post. Specifically, I’ll be referring to a 1969 Mace & Crown article by Richard L. Lindell, II, “Jones: a radiating presence,” which includes his personal interview with Jones during his headline Broadway run with The Great White Hope in 1968.
Lindell began his article by contextualizing Jones, an actor yet to pierce into the mainstream. Prior to Jones’ massive cinematic successes, he was a renowned Shakespearean actor who starred in a variety of Joseph Papp’s New York Shakespeare Festival productions. From there, Jones managed to receive a few small roles in large films, such as Dr. Strangelove, but it was his theater performance in The Great White Hope that ultimately opened doorways for Jones, including the 1970 film of the same name. For those who have yet to explore the film or play, it’s a dramatic portrayal of Jack Johnson (renamed Jack Jefferson and played by Jones), a Black boxer widely considered to be an unstoppable force during the height of the Jim Crow era in the early twentieth century. At the time, white fans and journalists resented Johnson’s success against white boxers, leading to their search for a “Great White Hope.” Additionally, Johnson’s victories catalyzed race riots throughout the United States, bringing to question how a Black person could be successful in a world built in opposition to them. The boxer represented a trough of ideals that transcended the world of boxing, embedding him in American society for years to come.
Photograph taken from the February 13, 1969 edition of the student newspaper the Mace and Crown picturing “Jane Alexander, James Earl Jones, and Jimmy Pelham (background) in The Great White Hope.
Taking a step out of the history and into the interview, James Earl Jones was incredibly keyed into the story of Jack Johnson and how vital he was as Black role model. In a world of integration, Jones sought the continuation of Black individuality and expression that could easily be suppressed in a society lacking Black representation. Jones said, “That’s one of the things I like about playing Jefferson. He’s a Negro and makes no bones about it. He is not affected by the white man’s world around him until he wins the championship. By winning the championship, he is required to do things according to the white man’s way. He does not want to do this so, of course, he has a good deal of trouble in making the adjustment.” Jones preached the imbuement of Black culture into roles played by Black actors, in the hopes of increasing representation and relatability to these plays and films. Jones’ sentiments came from an observed loss of Black expressiveness from role models, pointing out civil rights activist Julian Bond as a prime example. Jones said, “But that Julian Bond. He’s something unreal. He doesn’t exemplify the Negro at all. All that cool and suave approach to things. A Negro has all these deep and inherent feelings of passion within and to stunt them with the Julian Bond approach doesn’t get it. There shouldn’t be all these attempts to shunt these feelings. Let them come out.” Many of his role models, such as Malcolm X and Otis Redding, were preachers of Black expression, and in X’s case, he feared the silence that came with integration. These influences played into his performance, but no experience likely had more impact than his childhood.
Jones was born into extreme poverty, only managing to escape it when his mother surrendered Jones to his grandparents. After his adoption, Jones remained virtually mute for years. It was precisely these painful experiences that fed into the passion Jones so confidently spoke of. For the final quote in Lindell’s interview, he asked Jones about a scene in The Great White Hope where Jones was required to completely break down. Jones said, “A whole battery of impulses hits me at that moment. I’m thrown back into my childhood. In a moment like that, I’m asked to bare myself, my soul, through acting. That’s not something I could fake. I know if I go, the audience goes. It has to happen.”
Interviewer and Mace and Crown staff member, Richard L. Lindell, II (left) at work. Old Dominion University Photographic and Multimedia Collection
by Jessica Ritchie, Head of Special Collections and University Archives
Loki and Mobius search for answers in the TVA archives in Season 1 of Loki
For the past several years, I have had the pleasure of developing and teaching courses about archives, special collections, and preservation management for ODU’s Master in Library and Information Science program. Last summer, I incorporated a new project in my LIBS:610 Seminar in Archives and Special Collections that was focused on the use of archives in creative media. Students were asked to write a short opinion paper describing and analyzing the use of archival materials and/or rare books in a creative media production of their choice, including feature films, television series, documentaries, podcasts, video games, novels, or other programs intended for a national audience.
I was delighted that the students seemed to really enjoy the assignment, with several of them saying it was their favorite assignment of the course. Given that this was an opinion paper and not a research paper, I was very impressed by the thoughtfulness of their work and their ability to take on some of the more challenging aspects of the texts they selected.
Scene set in the archives in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
I found it interesting that the students shared very similar takeaways from their exploration of archives in creative media, despite the genre and format they selected. Students exploring fictional storytelling reported being surprised how often primary sources featured in film and television productions. In many feature films, regardless of genre, characters engage with primary sources to learn critical information that advances the narrative, contributes to character development, or uncovers hidden truths that are central to the story. In her essay on Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, Adrian Mohr notes that archival documents, while incomplete, play a fundamental role in advancing the film’s plot:
“Due to their incompletion or mutability, the archives fail the movie’s protagonist at various times. Nonetheless, they play an essential role in his investigation and uncovering a conspiracy threatening the entire galaxy.”
Adrian Mohr
In addition to advancing the narrative, students pointed out that archives are critical for developing the visual storytelling and authenticity of create media productions. Filmmakers often rely on archival video footage, photographs, and primary sources documents to develop the visual style of a film, including creating sets, costumes, props, and other visual elements that create an authentic sense of time and place. In this way, archival materials develop a sense of immersive visual storytelling that is critical to the authenticity of films, television, and even video games. Archives are also used to construct authentic concepts of identity, which are fundamental to character development and the societies in which the characters live. In his essay on the game Stardew Valley, Donovan O’Daniel explores how “memory institutions of Stardew Valley reflect the purposes and struggles of their real-world counterparts.” In order to rebuild the society of Stardew Valley, the player of the game has to rebuild the collection of books and artifacts central to establishing the town’s identity. The player is required to take on the role of a curator and approach collection development from both a nostalgic and forward-focused viewpoint.
Players of the game Stardew Valley have to help the new curator rebuild the stolen collections of their towns’ memory institutions.
In documentary films and podcasts, students noted that archival materials often play a critical evidentiary role by reinforcing the authenticity of the story. In addition to visually or auditorily telling a story, archival materials are sometimes utilized by documentary filmmakers to credibly challenge an accepted narrative of an event, person, or entity. They are also critical resources for interrogating and contextualizing memory, including negotiating and renegotiating complex identities. In her essay on the documentary Saigon, USA Linh Nguyen explores how archival materials contribute to establishing authentic and nuanced experiences of Vietnamese Americans:
“Archival materials significantly enhance the storytelling of this documentary by providing a rich, authentic backdrop that contextualizes the narrative of many perspectives- the old and young generations. By incorporating footage, photographs, and documents, the documentary can vividly illustrate the lived experiences of Vietnamese refugees, their journey to America, the younger generation’s point of view of Vietnamese, Vietnamese Americans, and Americans, as well as protests and rallies.”
Linh Nguyen
In addition to developing students’ skills in media literacy and archival theory, the exercise helped students explore more nuanced aspects of how archives operate in society through the lens of creative media. Even fictional stories invite us to make important connections to the real world. In his essay on Blade Runner 2049, Caleb Lane explains how the protagonists’ visit to the fictional archive of a science fiction film is similar to what we experience in our reality, where the histories of marginalized communities are often unaccounted for or difficult to locate:
“When K arrives at the Wallace Corporation Archives, he gives the File Clerk the replicant’s serial number as well as the lock of hair discovered inside of the buried box. The Clerk then places it inside a scanner, which then provides him with a small amount of information. If the viewer is paying attention to the details of the scene, the File Clerk obtains the record’s shelf location. This shows that the workers of the Wallace Corporation Archives took the time to organize each record in way that is accessible to staff and visitors. The File Clerk informs K that the hair belonged to a ‘pre-blackout’ replicant, which makes finding any information on her difficult. This idea of fragmented information as a result of an event or marginalization of a group of people is a reality that we face in the real world.”
Caleb Mohr
An archivist helps the protagonist access information in the archives in Blade Runner 2049
Finally, while many creative media productions rely on archives and/or archival institutions to their stories, students discovered that they rarely show or reference the archivist caring for the materials. This is true across all media, including documentaries and podcasts, where archivists are key contributors of content to the production. Students proposed several theories that explain phenomenon, including the idea that revealing the archivist would disrupt the immersive aspect of the media production. Some students felt that the nature of archival labor is inherently “behind the scenes,” while other students were unhappy that the archivist was obscured in the process. In my personal opinion, the invisibility of archival labor is a contributing factor to the chronic underfunding and devaluation of the profession, despite our critical contributions to creative media output and the economy it sustains. In her essay on episodes “695BGK” and “39 Shots” of the Criminal podcast, Stephanie Hernandez explores the paradox of invisible archival labor:
In Criminal, the archivist who cares for the materials used is not seen or mentioned. However, this absence emphasizes archivists’ often invisible yet critical role in preserving and providing access to historical records and documents. Archivists’ work is fundamental to creating these podcast episodes, as they rely on these archival materials to tell accurate and compelling stories. The detailed reports, testimonies, photographs, and official records used in the episodes are all products of archival work.
Stephanie Hernandez
Interested in learning more? Many of the productions are available at the ODU Libraries or can be streamed/purchased online. In celebration of National Archives Month, we have partnered with our colleagues in charge of the Naro Video Collection to curate a special shelf featuring several of the productions that were selected by the students! Stop by the first floor of Perry Library to browse the shelf, which includes the student recommendations and other films selected by Special Collections and University Archives Staff.
Here is a complete list of the texts selected by the students:
Feature Films
The Mummy
The Monuments Men
Blade Runner 2049
The Wave (Norway)
The Batman
The Sentinel
The Da Vinci Code
The Da Vinci Code: Angels and Demons
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Documentaries
Federer: 12 Final Days
Scandalous: The True Story of the National Enquirer
Saigon, USA
Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution
A Revolution on Canvas
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse
“The 3 Sailors Trapped in the USS West Virginia” by the YouTube channel Real Horror
Television Series and Mini-series
The Interpreter of Silence (Germany)
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Podcasts
Criminal
Red Valley
The Magnus Archives
In the Dark
Video Games
Stardew Valley
Honkai: Star Rail
Valiant Hearts: The Great War.
Novels
The Selection, a series of five young adult novels written by Kierra Cass
by Special Collections Metadata Specialist Kathleen Smith
Convention 2000 Barbie donated by Margo Horner
The annual summer blockbuster movie season is here. A lot of interesting movies are coming out for summer 2023. The movies include the final installment of the Indiana Jones movie series (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), a Pixar animated movie featuring the elements of nature (Elemental), a biopic about a famous physicist (Oppenheimer), and a movie based on a well-known fashion doll (Barbie). The latter is a fantasy movie featuring actor Margot Robbie in the title role alongside Ryan Gosling who stars as Barbie’s boyfriend, Ken.
Besides having her own movie, Barbie is a well-known worldwide pop-culture icon, a stylish doll who can be anything and anyone that a young child can imagine. I had many Barbie dolls and accessories as a child myself. Amongst the many Barbies I had was, Malibu Barbie in her aqua bikini swimsuit, Western Barbie in a silver and white cowgirl bodysuit, and Kissing Barbie-a doll that actually “kissed” and came with her own special lipstick.
Here’s a brief history of Barbie, she was created in 1959 as an alternative to the traditional baby dolls and paper dolls. Barbie’s creator, toy company executive Ruth Handler, saw her daughter Barbara playing with paper dolls. Barbara often assigned the dolls with adult roles. Handler saw this and realized a grown-up doll would have potential in the toy doll market and with some inspiration from a German “adults-only” toy doll named Bild Lili, the Barbie doll was born. For over sixty-years, Barbies have come in a variety of identities and career roles (from Ballerina to Superstar to Astronaut to Doctor, etc.), as well as representing diverse backgrounds and cultures. Also there have been special edition Barbies as famous women in history, art, science, and athletics, as well as representing special occasions and events.
Back of the Convention 2000 Barbie Box
While processing the newly acquiesced Margo Horner political memorabilia collection, I have come across very unique and interesting items such as campaign buttons featuring Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog, nail files with candidates’ names on them, a liquor decanter made to look like the Democratic donkey, Hillary Clinton and Ruth Bader Ginsburg action figures, as well as boxes of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese honoring the 1996 Democratic National Convention. I have also come across a Barbie doll-yes you read right-a Barbie doll. The Barbie that I found was a “Convention 2000 Barbie” that commemorated the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. This Barbie is dressed in a sharp, professional red dress and wearing a lanyard pass that reads “2000 National Convention- ‘B’ [B as in Barbie]-Delegate.” On the back of box which is blue, there is information about this special Barbie, which was presented to delegates who attended the convention from August 14-17, 2000 (the same Barbie was also presented to delegates in a red box at the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Margo Horner was a delegate at this convention, representing Arlington, Virginia. Horner has attended numerous Democratic National Conventions as a delegate, including New York City, 1980; Chicago, 1996; Denver, 2008; and 2012 Charlotte.
By Lara Canner, Curator of Music Special Collections
As Taylor Swift once sang “I think he did it but I just can’t prove it…”, true crime and music go hand in hand. There are hundreds of ballads based off horrific crimes: Nirvana’s “Polly”, the Smiths “Suffer Little Children” and Sarah McLachlan’s “Possession”, to name a few. Music invites passion, heartbreak, darkness, and yearning. It is no wonder that musicians have found a font of inspiration from terrible crimes and their instigators. Yet, not only has music immortalized tales of the horrific, but musicians are also the victims of true crime stories and the initiators.
True crime storytelling is having a cultural moment, but where do you think the researchers for the multitude of podcasts, books, and documentaries have gotten their information? Enter archives: the keepers of knowledge. Special Collections and archives are responsible for preserving and making accessible historic record, ranging from newspapers, court documents, organizational records, oral histories, and even films from television stations. Without an archive there would not be documentation for amateur investigators to pour over, map and theorize. There are so many in fact that archivists from the University of North Texas created an entire series called “True Crime in the Archives.”
If you are searching for your music true crime fix (featuring archives!), here is a list of podcasts, books, and documentaries to checkout.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the Bronx is Burning by Jonathan Mahler
BMF: The Rise and Fall of Big Meech and the Black Mafia Family by Mara Shalhoup
Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind
Hit Men: Power Brokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business by Fredric Dannen
Notorious C.O.P.: The Inside Story of the Tupac, Biggie, and Jam Master Jay Investigations from NYPD’s First ‘Hip-Hop Cop’ by Derrick Parker and Matt Diehl
CrimeSong: True Crime Stories From Southern Murder Ballads by Richard H. Underwood
Unprepared To Die: America’s Greatest Murder Ballads And The True Crime Stories That Inspired Them by Paul Slade
Party Monster: A Fabulous But True Tale of Murder in Clubland by James St. James
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry
The Axeman of New Orleans: The True Story by Miriam C. Davis
Documentaries:
The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears on Hulu
FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened on Netflix
I Called Him Morgan on Netflix
Surviving R. Kelly on Netflix
ReMastered: The Two Killings of Sam Cooke on Netflix
Music can inspire intense feelings causing us to cry, sigh, and dance for joy. Intense feelings can inspire music creating songs of sadness, love, and hope. Archives that specialize in music are filled with songs of terrible heartache and stories yet unsung. Even Old Dominion University Special Collections holds secrets too if you are willing to look.
As a seventh grader nearly thirty-five years ago, I used to watch She-Ra: Princess of Power after school every day. I was thrilled to find that Netflix had a new rebooted version titled She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. I have been watching the reboot and I found it much better than the original version, with the characters having more diverse backgrounds and backstories.
In the reboot, a former soldier of the evil Horde, Adora is trying to find her identity and purpose in life on the planet Etheria after coming upon a magic sword which transforms her into the mighty warrior She-Ra. Helping her on her journey are Princess Glimmer and Bow who are fighting in a rebellion against the Horde.
One of the characters, Bow an archer and technology whiz, grew up in the Library of the Whispering Woods with his two fathers George and Lance, the library’s historians/archivists. This is featured in the second season episode “Reunion,” when Bow secretly runs off to visit his fathers. Adora (She-Ra) and Glimmer follow Bow’s tracks and find him in the archives, where they learn unique artifacts and ancient pottery. Not giving much more away, this is an episode I consider to be a favorite because it features a library and archive complete with artifacts and rare books. The vase and other pottery on display there remind me of the ancient Cypriot pottery in ODU Special Collections’ Dudley Cooper collection that is on display in our Reading Room in Perry Library.
ODU Professor Jared Benton’s Ancient Arts and Archaeology class visited the Libraries’ Special Collections and University Archives to analyze ancient Cypress pottery
It was a great thrill to watch this episode, because I work in an archives department within a university library, and I like seeing libraries and archives being represented animatedly. If you are binging on Netflix during the stay-at-home order and are into libraries and archives, you might want to watch this!
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Accept
