Shot in 1943 by an unknown person named Moore, these 16mm silent movies show a peek behind the scenes at what appears to be the Culver and possible MGM Studios during WWII, when both were actively producing films in support of the war effort. We don’t know who Moore was, but he might have been training to be a combat cameraman. There are several slates visible in the film, at least one of which identifies Moore as belonging to the First Motion Picture Unit of the U.S. Army Air Forces.
At :42 a camera crew gets ready, and at :50 “Stage 3” is visible. At :58 movie sets are visible along a studio street. At 1:11, “Stage 5” is shown. At 1:36 what appears to be a cathedral set is shown, and at 1:55 men in military outfits joke with a woman serving coffee. At 2;12 a cigar store and Eagle Drugs store are seen — both movie sets. At 2:27 some debris set up for a shot are shown — complete with sign. At 3:26, buildings which still exist on the Sony Studios are shown, and at 3:38 part of the Culver Studio is visible. At 3;51 tarpaper shacks are set up near the Pacific Military Academy — probably as part of a movie set or to house trainees working for the First Motion Picture Unit. The Pacific Military Academy (PMA) was situated on a hill just north of Culver City, at Cardiff and Cattaraugus, after a short time in Culver City (c 1925) at 6450 Washington Blvd. Culver City’s founder, Harry H. Culver, established PMA in honor of his late father, Gen. J. H. Culver, U.S. Army Volunteers. At 5:02 the shacks are assembled rapidly. At 5:49 Old Glory waves over the PMA. At 6;34 are shots looking from the PMA. At 6:45 the camera crew gets to work. At 7:02, great shots of an American flag. At 7:27 are shots of a unit of soldiers going on a hike into what is likely the hills of Culver City near the MGM backlot. At 8:30 a soldier drinks a bottle of milk, spits part of it out and has a little fun. At 8:59 soldiers are seen with a large format bellows camera. At 9:42, a cameraman with a Bell & Howell type 16mm movie camera is visible in the weeds. At 10:12 soldiers assemble again. At 10:57 a slate is visible marked “1st M.P.U. A.A.F.” meaning 1st Motion Picture Unit, Army Air Forces. The name on the slate is T.M. Moore and the date is December of 1943. At 11:00 are shots of an inspection, with an Air Force officer turning over everything, searching for dirt on the top of the closet, and bawling out his subordinate for being a lousy soldier.
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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
