The sunlit landscapes of “Golden California” is brought to the viewer via this 1930s black-and-white picture. “A land of magic at the rainbow’s end” is how a title card introduces California as Pacific Ocean waves crash upon the rocky shoreline at mark 00:15. San Diego is the first “port of call” (mark 00:42) and we learn how the city was the first settlement on the Pacific Coast. At 1:09, the steamship SS Pennsylvania is seen in Long Beach harbor. The film quickly takes us to the harbor at Los Angeles and scenes of the sprawling metropolis “that now numbers a million and a quarter inhabitants” (mark 01:15). We see the white marble City Hall as well as Hollywood (mark 01:37) and a quick look inside some of the film studios including Fox, the Culver Studios and RCA. After LA comes a visit to San Francisco (02:13) which still clings to its gold rush roots while welcoming passenger ships and rail lines. The narrator touts the “modern highways” that connect the shoreline to the valleys, surrounding mountains, and missions across the state. There are scenes from the home of General Jose Castro in San Juan Bautista (mark 04:00) and spas recalling the state’s Spanish roots, as well as a Los Angeles market with Mexican wares that cater to natives and tourists. San Francisco’s Chinatown is spotlighted (mark 05:35) where old customs mingle with “modern” life, and we see Chinese in traditional clothes and those in Western outfits before moving on to the garden at Golden Gate Park (mark 05:55). We see blossoms in the valleys and snowcapped mountain tops as well as breathtaking views of giant sequoias (mark 06:55) and Yosemite Valley. A prospector pans a river for gold at mark 07:35, and we see other profitable endeavors such as oil derricks — providing “liquid black gold” — and citrus groves. “Californians, whatever their work, are outdoor people,” the narrator reminds us at mark 08:22, and we visits a racetrack, golf course, tennis court, and of course, the beach.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
