Made in 1946, this 16mm silent home movie was made by an amateur who must have known quite a bit about how to make films — it includes a credit roll and title cards. The film begins in Bremerhaven, occupied West Germany, with shots of American military dogs in an improvised pound. These were likely “war dogs” used by U.S. soldiers in the European Theater.

At 1:46, you will see footage of war-torn Germany with numerous bombed out buildings. At 2:08, shots of the docks where the cameraman boarded a ship bound for the U.S., the USS General Grant. Various port activities are seen followed at 2:50 with shots on board the Grant. (N.B. it’s a little unclear which ship the USS General Grant really was… possibly the USS U. S. Grant (AP-29), a transport ship that saw service with the United States Navy in World War II).

At 4:15, there is footage of an abandon ship drill aboard the vessel with lifeboats being prepared and the crew at muster.

At 5:26, New York Harbor is seen including at 5:56 the tug Eugene T. Meseck . Scenes of New York are seen at 6:16 including Wall Street, the Bowery, the elevated railway and Pell Street. There’s also a shot of the Rockefeller Center, Empire State Building and views from the Empire State’s observation deck. At 7:43, there is footage shot aboard an elevated subway car. At 8:53, artists and dealers are seen including working with models.

At 8:57 New York’s Municipal Airport is seen, and at 9:08 the Manhasset, Long Island residence of the shooter — whose name was apparently McConnel — is seen. This portion of the film includes domestic scenes with kids and family. At 10:59, the scene switches to Coney Island where you will see great shots of Howard Johnson’s, various restaurants and attractions including the famous side shows and amusement rides. At 11:44 you will see the famous parachute ride, and at 12:15 a miniature locomotive and train and the Wonder Wheel at 12:35.

At 13:24, the scene switches to Washington, D.C. This portion of the film is in poor shape, but shots of various sights are seen including the Lincoln Memorial (14:20), Washington Monument, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (16:00) and more.

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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