Dating to 1940, and shot by an unknown American tourist, this beautiful Kodachrome home movie shows travel scenes that include a visit to New York City, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The film includes images of the Empire State Building and Times Square. It begins with shots in New York City of what appears to be the Waldorf Astoria Hotel at (:27) including the front entrance. At (:43) are shots from the observation deck of the Empire State Building. At (:51) the Chrysler Building is visible in the distance and at (1:13) views of Central Park and the Hudson. At (1:30) gusts of wind blow across the exposed observation deck. At (1:51) two ladies, and then a lady and a man, pose in a sheltered part of the deck. At (2:16) shots of New York streets, followed by Times Square at (2:23) with a “Planter’s Peanuts” billboard visible in the background. At (2:56) are night shots of Times Square. The movie theater on the far left is showing Charlie Chaplin’s “The Great Dictator” which was released in late October, 1940. At (3:06) a spectacular neon sign advertises Wrigley’s Spearmint Gum. At (3:47), the film shifts out of the city and into a more rural area. At (4:00), two men, one of them in a U.S. Army uniform (possibly a new recruit?) pose for the camera, followed by a young lady. At (4:54) shots out of a moving window of a train show countryside with snow on the ground. At (5:15) the Glacier Park Lodge is seen, and the Glacier Park railroad depot (5:33). At (5:42) are shots in Seattle including the Spring Apartment Hotel and the Hotel Hungerford. At (6:11) a woman poses with a Christian or Catholic Priest at an observation point. They look out of neighborhoods of housing. At (7:00) is the De Young Museum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. At (7:38) a couple strolls through the flower gardens in Golden Gate Park. At (8:22) shots at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles; in the far distance at (8:27) the Hollywoodland sign is visible. At (9:27) views of homes in the Hollywood Hills. At (10:00) a boy in a wife beater t-shirt shakes hands with younger girls, and from that point forward, shots at a swimming pool including the boy in an inner tube. Father watches from the side of the pool, smoking a pipe.
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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
