This 1980 color film, produced at the height of the New York State Department of Economic Development’s “I Love New York” campaign, features a whirlwind montage of the state’s tourism offerings narrated by actor E.G. Marshall (TRT: 28:13).
Extended montage: A large red heart. A foundry, industrial factory workers, tapestry weavers, refrigerator assembly, polishing eyeglasses, apples on a conveyor belt, cathode ray tubes, pottery, silversmithing, boat manufacturing (0:06). The Empire State Building. A colorful map of the state of New York appears with Milton Glaser’s iconic “I Love New York” logo (1:32). Rivers of upstate New York during autumn. A sandy beach. Manhattan skyscrapers. Waterskiing, diving. Children playing tug of war. A waterfall (1:55). Ice skating at the rink at Rockefeller Center. A Santa Claus outside Gimbel’s, another in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Carnival rides. A stunt show (2:54). A glider plane, a sailboat. A churchouse wedding. The Statue of Liberty (3:41). Montage ends. The map zooms on the “Niagara Frontier.” Niagara Falls. Aerial views of Buffalo (4:13). Old Fort Niagara (5:26). “Chautauqua/Allegany.” The Chautauqua Institution, a non-profit arts education center offers weaving and dance classes (5:47). Melting ice, frosted trees, snow covered fields (6:25). “Finger Lakes.” Rochester New York. The George Eastman House. A public dance performance. Rochester’s “Great Raft Race.” Lilacs in Highland Park. Sonnenberg Gardens & Mansion State Historic Park. Tourists view verdant gardens of colorful flowers (7:14). A children’s baseball game. A marching band competition (9:10). A grape vineyard. Letchworth and Stony Brook State Parks. A waterfall on the Gorge Trail (10:05). A bookseller’s table from the Cornell University Campus Store. The Cornell campus’ clock tower, Cornell Chimes. Student pedestrians (10:51). The Corning Inc. glassworks. Glassblowing, firing, and etching (11:27). “Central” New York. The Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. Doubleday Field hosts a baseball game. The Farmers Museum in Mohawk Valley. Scenes of agriculture: Tractors, grain silos, fields of crops, a dramatic sunset (12:07). “1000 Islands.” Waterfront homes and waterskiers. The Saint Lawrence Seaway. Shipping freighters. Small motorboats (14:06). Sailboats. A fisherman on a dock. A pontoon boat (15:14). “Adirondacks.” An autumn panorama. Skiers ride a chairlift, navigate a winding slope (15:40). A downhill skier at high speed. A cross-country skiing race. Snowmobiles. A snowshoe race. A game of ice lacrosse. A group sledding on a ladder (17:15). A downtown holiday parade. More daredevil skiers and snowmobilers performing jumps (18:22). “Capital/Saratoga.” The Egg performing arts center in Albany. High rise office buildings and fountains. Thoroughbred horses at Saratoga Race Course. Jockeys burst out of the starting gate. Race fans watch from the stands through binoculars (18:56). “Catskills.” Lakes and mountains. Deer. A golf course. Catskills resort hotels from afar, and within. A banquet hall offers live music (20:13). Tennis courts. Golfers (21:15). “Hudson Valley.” The United States Military Academy West Point. A military marching band guides men through drill formations (21:21). An Army Cadets (or Black Knights) football game. A fumble (23:03). “Long Island.” Montauk Point Lighthouse. Sand dunes and beaches. Fishing enthusiasts (23:21). Beachgoers sunbathing, swimming, playing volleyball (24:08). A big red apple represents New York City. Aerial photography of Manhattan. The Empire State Building. St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Urban architecture and pedestrians. A “Cookie Coach” (24:40). A dog barks from an apartment window. A remote control boat in The Pond at Central Park. A horse-drawn carriage ride (26:00). Roller skating. A frisbee spinner (26:26). Downtown nightlife: The Shubert Theater, “Beatlemania,” Times Square, Howard Johnson’s. The World Trade Center in silhouette (25:40). A review of previous locales (27:11). A cow in closeup, young men pose for a photo. A red sunset (27:40).
The “I Love New York” song was composed by composer Steve Karmen, a prolific writer of commercial jingles of the 1970s. The “I Love New York” logo was conceived by graphic designer Milton Glaser in a taxi cab while on the way to the pitch meeting. He gave his work to the city for free.
