This fascinating home movie dates to the 1940s and was shot by an unknown amateur filmmaker. It contains footage of New York City including the area known as “The Bowery” on the Lower East Side — famous as NYC’s skid row. The film begins with shots of a park (:08) with kids at play, and men sitting on park benches. Behind them looms the tower of the Empire State Building (:45), which opened in 1931. At (:52) a woman walks past with a child — behind them a billboard is visible for an event at the Polo Grounds. At (1:13) another view of the Empire State Building. At (1:19) more shots of the park including a perambulator, and New Yorkers sunning themselves with the Empire State Building again visible in the b/g (1:37). At (1:48) the sign for the Fifth Avenue Hotel is seen and the cafe called Jardin du Perroquet, located at Fifth Avenue at Ninth Street. At (2:09) a look down Fifth Avenue with its bustling traffic. At (2:39) close shots of the Empire State, possibly shot from Madison Square Park. At (3:08), impressionist shots of the Third Avenue Elevated subway line, with the Bowery area visible below, including the Palace Hotel, located at 315 Bowery St., which was known (at one time) as the largest flophouse for homeless men on the street. At (5:32) the New York Jewelers Exchange building, the largest retail jewelry exchange outside of New York City’s diamond district, is shown. At (5:39) a sign for Canal Street. At (5:57) the main entrance of the Exchange is visible on the left. At (7:18) a man forlornly smokes a cigarette while he waits on Bowery St. At (7:46) a “bum” passes by camera, behind him is the Shamrock Bar and Grill. At (7:50) the Columbia Billiard Table Co. is visible, with piles of garbage out front.
The IRT Third Avenue Line, commonly known as the Third Avenue Elevated, Third Avenue El, or Bronx El, was an elevated railway in Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City.
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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
