Filmed in 1945, this silent, amateur 16mm home movie begins with images of the city of Baltimore on August 14, 1945, — Victory in Japan or VJ Day. The May Company building is seen draped in flags, banners, and war bonds promotional signs. At :31, you can see the sign reading “Japan Now Beat Thanks” and at :37, flags are handed out. At 1:01, there is a shot of the Washington Monument and then a brief tour of the nation’s capitol including the White House, as it appeared on or just after V-J Day. Surprisingly, the city and its monuments seem very empty.

At 1:52, a few model planes are shown, and a woman happily poses with a large one one on her head.

At 2:41, a large building resembling the Pentagon is seen, followed by what might be Washington National Airport.

Family scenes take up the rest of the reel. At 6:27, a man in a military uniform gets a huge hug from his daughter — and waves from the family. Possibly he is just home from the war, although his uniform does not appear to be military (anyone recognize it?) At 7:20, the ladies in the family pose for a shot.

At 12:48, the film transitions to show a trip West to Reno, Nevada, downtown is seen at 14:28 including Harold’s Club.

At 17:43, Los Angeles is seen from Griffith Park. At 18:00, a woman poses from the Griffith Observatory. Downtown Hollywood is seen at 18:20 including Hollywood Blvd. and the Chinese Theater.

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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, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com