Shot by filmmaker Norm Schley during a trip to the Southwest, this roll of footage shows scenes shot in Houston and San Antonio, Texas and Arizona. Schley was a resident of Wisconsin who ran a successful accounting firm, and during time off would travel the USA and the world shooting travelogue films. A talented cameraman and a true showman, Norman would present his films with live narration at various venues. Note: this particular reel shows “cutting room floor” materials that didn’t make it into films for one reason or another. In this case, some of the footage you’ll notice has an out-of-focus element in the right side; this is actually a camera lens on a turret that Norm didn’t realize was visible during filming.
The start of the film is in Houston, including at 1:20 scenes at Rice University. The Art Deco City National Bank Building, completed in 1947 and designed by Alfred C. Finn, is at 1:43.At 1:47 the Foley’s department store is shown. At 1:52, another Art Deco or streamline moderne building is shown (location unknown). At 2:14 the City Hall building is shown. At 2:18 the Shamrock Hotel, the largest hotel built in the United States during the 1940s, is shown. Rows of searchlights are shown at the building’s base. At 2:50 a modern swimming pool is seen, and at 3:37 the Goodyear blimp flies overhead. At 3:43 the film changes to another area. At 5:12 a young woman attempts to stop some boys from throwing her into the swimming pool. At 5:40, horseback riding is shown at a dude ranch. At 7:12 Yucca type plants are visible. At 8:11, part of the San Antonio Riverwalk is shown and at 8:59 the Alamo. At 9:40, the El Conquistador Hotel in Tucson, Arizona is shown. This resort was demolished in 1968 and replaced by the El Con shopping center. Shots follow of the hotel’s grounds and at 10:36 a man in a suit plays golf. At 11:13 the pool. At 11:49 another resort is shown, possibly the Biltmore in Phoenix, also with a golf course (12:15). At 14:20, sunbathers lie by the pool. At 15:55, two boys dressed in cowboy outfits approach the camera; they are served by a waiter in formal uniform. At 16:35 is a shot of a saguaro cacti. At 16:36, the Camelback Inn, established in 1936 by Jack Bell Stewart and John C. Lincoln, is shown. At 17:15, a shot of the swimming pool. At 17:27, cowboys round up horses in a stockade. At 19:03 a cowboy feeds the horses hay. At 19:25, the Camelback resort’s corral. At 20:18, a troubadour singing cowboy serenades his buddies while another adjusts a horse’s shoe.
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
