This silent film is a home movie that shows a trip to Southern California that dates to 1954. The film starts with a shot at :20 of Mann’s / Grauman’s Chinese Theater with “There’s No Business LIke Show Business” which debuted in December of 1954. At 1:08 the names of the famous are seen in the concrete at the theater. At 2:05 the Hollywood sign is visible in the distance. At 2:15 are shots from near the 101 Freeway of the approach to the Hollywood Bowl, and the entrance to the Bowl is seen at 2:30. At 2:35 the empty expanse of the Bowl is shown. At 3:18, driving on the streets of Los Angeles to the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, entrance at 3:30. At 4:39, a sweeping panorama of Los Angeles / San Fernando Valley from the Park. At 5:21 a replica of the David statue and other statuary are shown. At 6:20 the famous Farmer’s Market on 3rd and Fairfax is shown. At 6;52 Ciro’s nightclub with the Mills Brothers mentioned on the sign is followed by shots of the streets of Beverly Hills and mansions. At 8:49 the Warner Bros. Theater is seen in Hollywood. At 9:06 what might be the Santa Monica breakwater is shown. At 9:45 a large movie set or backlot is shown, looks like it was for a WWI movie. At 10:00 Martin’s Livery stable is seen on the back lot. This is the MGM studio in Culver City backlot or “Forty Acres”.. At 10:20 a ruined mansion is seen, actually the set of “Gone with the Wind” — Tara. Ruins of other buildings are visible in shots at 10:37, possibly from the famed “Burning of Atlanta”. At 10:57 a scenic background painting is visible. At 11:22 the Thalberg Building at MGM is shown.
At 11;40 stunning images of Hollywood neon are seen including the Hollywood and Vine sign (11:45), Brown Derby coffee shop, restaurant and record room, Stan’s (12:06), the Cafe de Paris (12:11), and Cinemascope as well as Coca Cola (12:23). At 11:37 the Cinerama Theater is shown. At 12:38 the Knott’s Berry Farm is seen and at 12:43 a petting zoo and porpoise attraction. Panning for gold is shown at 14:30. An Indian in full headdress waves to the camera. At 18:04 a steam engine pulling Rio Grande passenger cars comes past. At 19:00 other Native Americans pose for the camera. At 21:00 is a visit to the San Juan Capistrano mission.
At 23:46 the film shows San Diego Harbor with many Navy ships visible including a submarine tender at 23:59. At 27:19, Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco is shown. At 28:10 the Coit Tower is seen as well as views of city streets and the International Settlement at 28:00. this was a relatively short lived entertainment district within San Francisco, located along a one block stretch of Pacific Avenue between Kearny and Montgomery Streets, whose popularity lasted from 1939 to 1960. The film ends with a brief shot of Chinatown.
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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
