Empasco Pictures presents “New York The Wonder City,” a 1930s-era black-and-white silent film that opens with images of the city taken from water and a blimp takes the viewer sightseeing starting at mark 00:48. Mark 01:12 takes us to Broadway, “the longest street in the world,” that shows us “domes of commerce above the narrow streets” (as explained via title cards). We see scenes of bridges connecting buildings high above the busy streets, including Broad Street, as the camera pans up building sides and flashes on the New York Stock Exchange (mark 02:27). Trinity Church at Wall Street and Broadway is presented starting at mark 02:50, followed by shots of City Hall, the Woolworth Building, and Brooklyn Bridge (mark 03:58) looking toward Manhattan Bridge. Fishermen unload mackerel at Fulton Fish Market (mark 04:20) followed by additional views of skyscrapers and a look at the Lower East Side (which a title card identifies as “the Ghetto” at mark 06:02) as merchants wheel pushcarts full of merchandise down the streets and laundry hangs from clotheslines strung between buildings. This is followed by a visit to the Bowery (mark 07:05) where rooms at the Palma House are advertised for 40 cents a night and a restaurant advertises menu items ranging from a nickel to 25 cents. “Modern” express highways are captured starting at mark 07:53 while “local traffic” is confined to street traffic. By mark 08:33 we see various views of the 102-story Empire State Building, followed by the Chrysler Building and the Great White Way where Joan Crawford’s 1932 film “Rain” is advertised at the Rivoli Theater. We visit ritzy Park Avenue and the Waldorf Astoria Hotel before stopping at Central Park (mark 10:45) where equestrians head out for a ride. The film nears its conclusion with scenes at prestigious Columbia University including the dormitories and chapel, a ride on an NYC subway, a look at the “new” George Washington Bridge over the Hudson River (which we’re told is slated to open in October 1931), and watch as the SS Leviathan heads out to sea (mark 14:00).

We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 — President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.”

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