This silent 1957 color film — possibly an amateur shot home movie — chronicles the visit of Vice President Richard Nixon to welcome the arrival of the Mayflower II. The replica ship arrived at Plymouth on June 13th after a storm at sea. In addition to Vice President Richard Nixon, all the former Governors of Massachusetts attended the event. The Mayflower II was a replica of the original Mayflower ship that brought the Pilgrims to the New World in 1620. It was built in Devon, England in 1955 in a collaboration between Englishman Warwick Charlton and the Plimoth Patuxet living history museum. It is currently housed at the Pilmouth Patuxet in Plymouth Harbor, Massachusetts.
The film begins shots of the Mayflower II at anchor (00:08) and Plymouth Rock (00:23). At (00:52) the grandstands and troops in dress uniforms are visible, in preparation for a parade. At (1:09), Vice President Nixon is seen traveling in a Plymouth Belvedere convertible. At (1:44) Nixon waves appreciatively at the crowd. At (2:08), Nixon is flanked by unidentified men in suits, possibly former governors of Massachusetts. At (2:21) Nixon confers with a junior pilgrim. At (3:07) he shakes the hand of a National Guardsman. At (3:27) Nixon gives remarks. At (3:48) more shots of the ship. At (4:30) a group of men in historic replica clothes walk to the grandstand area. They are possibly captain Alan Villiers and the crew of the Mayflower II. At (5:27) a Chinook type twin rotor helicopter flies overhead. At (5:48) a smiling Nixon is seen in the crowd. At (6:44) more shots of the vessel at anchor. At (7:41) the parade begins past Plymouth Rock with police escort. The St. Williams band is seen at (8:44) and following that the Boston Grenadiers (9:32). At (10:19) the winners of the Pilgrim Maid contest are visible on a truck. At (10:30) a replica steam locomotive drives past, followed by a Salvation Army mobile canteen and additional bands. At (11:06) a Pocahontas impersonator talks to a pilgrim impersonator. At (11:27) floats rumble past including one at (11:44) for the Pembroke Declaration and at (11:59) one celebrating the first cows in Plymouth. At (12:12), Supreme Chief Sachem Ousa-Mequin II of the Massasoit tribe float. At (12:16) the Plymouth Rock Hotel is shown. At (12:25) a float for Lakeville and at (13:00) Provincetown and another for Wareham. At (14:46) a man shoots with a 16mm Kodak K100 Motion Picture Camera. At (15:01) closer views of the Mayflower II, including shots of visitors arriving at the ship via small boats and whalers. The boat at (17:49) seems to include dignitaries, possibly Richard Nixon as well. At (18:36), Richard Nixon leaves the scene in the convertible seen earlier. The film ends with a shot of the sign for Winslow Street.
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
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
