This film “Schley Ride to the West Indies” is the second part of a four-segment feature filmed by Wisconsin amateur filmmaker Norman Schley. An accountant by trade, Schley also founded a travel industry film company called Picturelogue. Like many of his other films, this one was intended to be screened in front of a live audience, while Schley read from a prepared script. So, you will note that it while the soundtrack contains a lot of music, no narration is heard.

This portion focuses on the island nation of Jamaica. This reel opens with picturesque shots of waters along the coast with a speed boat cutting through carrying a water skier (:10) in Port Royal, Jamaican. Small goats (:24) and horses move through the area (:40). Native Jamaicans hack away at sugar cane stalks with a machete (:56). The stalks are then strapped atop donkeys for transport (1:40). A cluster of young Jamaicans crowd the camera man (2:11). Female field workers pick cotton from stems (2:34). Sightseers visit Fort Royal (3:27) which was believed to be the first fort in Port Royal. A Jamaican woman sells intricate jewelry to tourists (3:52). A bird’s eye view shot of the port follows (4:35). A sign shows a boat house and sail house which had been damaged in the earthquake in 1843 (4:42). Outside in the streets, within a cluster of native youths, one boy holds a bowl of fish in his hands and a bucket of fish upon his head (6:46). Bell hops cart luggage from a tourist’s vehicle to bring them into a resort (7:35). An Airport follows (7:48) with flags from Pan Am (7:59) and LIAT. Planes are refueled with a Shell fuel truck (8:06) as a BWI West Indies Airways plane sits in the background. Scenes are captured from a plane moving towards Kingston (8:31). On the ground, a traffic cop guides traffic (8:52) with a Rolex shop in the background. A female employee polishes a vase in a glass shop (9:14). An all Jamaican market is viewed (9:31) known as Victoria’s Craft Market. A statue of Charles T. Metcalfe is seen in William Central Park (9:48) followed by the Bank of Nova Scotia (9:52), the Royal Bank of Canada (9:55) and the Bank of Jamaican (10:02). Hope Gardens (10:24) is one of the largest public green spaces in Kingston housing some of the areas most exotic botanical collections. Views from within the gardens show “Welcome to Jamaica” spelled out in flower blossoms (10:41). Hope Zoo is captured (11:21). Within the zoo are pink flamingos (11:27), Red and Green McCaw parrots (11:39) and a pair of toucan birds (11:45). The Jamaican, US and British flags wave next to one another (12:06). The iconic Checker taxi cab, originally from New York, is shown (12:10) which have become nearly obsolete today. Employees rest around an empty pool bar at a resort (12:13). In Spanish Town, The King’s House is viewed (13:45). The Rodney Memorial (13:16), constructed in Admiral George Rodney’s memory follows. Rodney was the Commander in Chief of the West Indies Naval Station of 1782. The camera zooms in on his statue (13:52). Walls of the ancient Jamaican Folk Museum (13:44) preclude a building known as the Renown House (14:12). A traffic signs diverts the road to either Ocho Rios or to Claremont (14:19). Another sign follows directing viewers to Spanish Town (14:25); the largest town in Middlesex Jamaica. Fern Gully (14:30) is known as one of the national wonders of Jamaica hosting hundreds of varieties of ferns. A traditional bamboo canoe is operated by a Jamaican man with two tourists riding along (15:12). Tourists enjoy refreshments and tobacco in the outdoor seating area of a resort (16:17). The ALCAN Aluminum Mine near Spanish Town Jamaica (16:45) is viewed. Dunn’s River offers bathing beaches and miles of waterfalls (18:26). Tourists then arrive at the Marrakeshi Beach Hotel in Ocho Rios (19:10). A hydropower water wheel is captured in action (19:44). Tourists enjoy sandy beaches under red and white umbrellas (20:12). Jamaicans wash clothes in a nearby stream (20:29). The film concludes with a note informing viewers to take an intermission (20:44). To continue the film with the third segment: https://youtu.be/VeIly78I7tw

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