Class Action Park

==Plot==

==Plot==

''Class Action Park'' chronicles the life of penny stockbroker Eugene Mulvihill, who is described as having become rich from [[pump-and-dump]] schemes. It outlines his path to opening [[Vernon Township, New Jersey]]'s Action Park in 1978. He envisioned it as a park with "no rules".{{Cite magazine|last=Syme|first=Rachel|title=The Thrills and Horrors of HBO's 'Class Action Park'|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-television/the-thrills-and-horrors-of-hbos-class-action-park|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|language=en-US|date=September 10, 2020|access-date=April 13, 2026|archive-date=February 18, 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260218212633/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-television/the-thrills-and-horrors-of-hbos-class-action-park}} The park was funded by fraudser [[Robert E. Brennan]], who had gotten his start working for Mulvill at Mayflower Securities, eventually becoming its president, and gaining a reputation as the "[[Penny Stock]] King." Mayflower was later suspended by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] for what ''[[The New York Times]]'' called "selling its customers worthless securities in a bankrupt electronics company." After being effectively kicked off Wall Street, Mulvihill purchased two ski resorts, Great Gorge, and Vernon Valley in Vernon Township, an "idyllic", 68,000-square mile area of over 20,000 people whose open terrain had attracted investors such as [[Hugh Hefner]], who opened a [[Playboy Club]] in the early 1970s, where entertainers such as [[Tony Bennett]] and [[Wayne Newton]] performed. After New Jersey legalizd casino gambling in 1976, investors though Vernon could become another [[Orlando, Florida]] or [[Las Vegas]]. [[Donald Trump]] as mentioned for having considered investing in the park at one point, only to backed out after finding Mulvihill's vision for the park was too risky. Because of New Jersey's short winters, Mulvihill becaem a pioneer in artificial snow-making, constructing one machine out of a jet engine, before deciding to build water rides to exploit the warm summers.

''Class Action Park'' chronicles the life of penny stockbroker Eugene Mulvihill, who is described as having become rich from [[pump-and-dump]] schemes. It outlines his path to opening [[Vernon Township, New Jersey]]'s Action Park in 1978. He envisioned it as a park with "no rules".{{Cite magazine|last=Syme|first=Rachel|title=The Thrills and Horrors of HBO's 'Class Action Park'|url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-television/the-thrills-and-horrors-of-hbos-class-action-park|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|language=en-US|date=September 10, 2020|access-date=April 13, 2026|archive-date=February 18, 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260218212633/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-television/the-thrills-and-horrors-of-hbos-class-action-park}} The park was funded by fraudser [[Robert E. Brennan]], who had gotten his start working for Mulvill at Mayflower Securities, eventually becoming its president, and gaining a reputation as the "[[Penny Stock]] King." Mayflower was later suspended by the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] for what ''[[The New York Times]]'' called "selling its customers worthless securities in a bankrupt electronics company." After being effectively kicked off Wall Street, Mulvihill purchased two ski resorts, Great Gorge, and Vernon Valley in Vernon Township, an "idyllic", 68,000-square mile area of over 20,000 people whose open terrain had attracted investors such as [[Hugh Hefner]], who opened a [[Playboy Club]] in the early 1970s, where entertainers such as [[Tony Bennett]] and [[Wayne Newton]] performed. After New Jersey legalizd casino gambling in 1976, investors though Vernon could become another [[Orlando, Florida]] or [[Las Vegas]]. Because of New Jersey's short winters, Mulvihill becaem a pioneer in artificial snow-making, constructing one machine out of a jet engine, before deciding to build water rides to exploit the warm summers.

Former Action Park guests and employees recalling the park's more dangerous rides, such as the Cannonball Loop, the SuperSpeed Waterfalls, the Alpine Slides, and the Tarzan Swings, as well as the park's general atmosphere and culture, which reflected the culture of the 1980s and that of New Jersey as a "[[Wild West]]" where such a park was able to exist. The life of Eugene Mulvihill is also chronicled, including a discussion of his legal issues, which often involved Action Park. For example, a land dispute with the state of New Jersey is said to have been resolved after the state got tired of dealing with him.{{Cite web|last=Greenblatt|first=Leah|title=HBO Max theme-park documentary 'Class Action Park' is a wild ride: Review|url=https://ew.com/movies/movie-reviews/class-action-park-documentary-hbo-max-review/|website=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=August 25, 2020|access-date=April 13, 2026|archive-date=October 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009013439/https://ew.com/movies/movie-reviews/class-action-park-documentary-hbo-max-review/}}{{Cite news|last=Phillips|first=Michael|title=You must be this high to ride...|newspaper=[[Winnipeg Free Press]]|url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/movies/you-must-be-this-high-to-ride-572270842.html|language=en-CA|url-status=live|date=August 31, 2020|access-date=April 13, 2026|archive-date=April 14, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250414021738/https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/movies/2020/08/31/you-must-be-this-high-to-ride/}}

Former Action Park guests and employees recalling the park's more dangerous rides, such as the Cannonball Loop, the SuperSpeed Waterfalls, the Alpine Slides, and the Tarzan Swings, as well as the park's general atmosphere and culture, which reflected the culture of the 1980s and that of New Jersey as a "[[Wild West]]" where such a park was able to exist. The life of Eugene Mulvihill is also chronicled, including a discussion of his legal issues, which often involved Action Park. For example, a land dispute with the state of New Jersey is said to have been resolved after the state got tired of dealing with him.{{Cite web|last=Greenblatt|first=Leah|title=HBO Max theme-park documentary 'Class Action Park' is a wild ride: Review|url=https://ew.com/movies/movie-reviews/class-action-park-documentary-hbo-max-review/|website=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|language=en-US|url-status=live|date=August 25, 2020|access-date=April 13, 2026|archive-date=October 9, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009013439/https://ew.com/movies/movie-reviews/class-action-park-documentary-hbo-max-review/}}{{Cite news|last=Phillips|first=Michael|title=You must be this high to ride...|newspaper=[[Winnipeg Free Press]]|url=https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/movies/you-must-be-this-high-to-ride-572270842.html|language=en-CA|url-status=live|date=August 31, 2020|access-date=April 13, 2026|archive-date=April 14, 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250414021738/https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/movies/2020/08/31/you-must-be-this-high-to-ride/}}