Created by Harry D. Blanchard, a filmmaker who was based in Hartford, Connecticut, “A Little Cigar and How it Grew” is a silent, color film from the mid-to-late 1940s that highlights the tobacco industry of the Connecticut River Valley. The film breaks down all of the stages that go into manufacturing cigars from farming to harvesting to drying tobacco. Although silent, the film includes text slides describing what will be seen in the upcoming scenes. Connecticut River Valley is a tobacco growing region that stretches from Hartford, Connecticut to Massachusetts. Tobacco had been grown in this part of the United States for hundreds of years by Native Americans prior to the arrival of Europeans, with cigar tobacco being grown since the 1600s. In 1900, the Valley became the birthplace of shade tobacco. The film’s footage is taken from the tobacco plantation of Gus Magnusson and follows as his agricultural workers plant, harvest, and dry the crop.

Opening credits overlaid painting of man lighting up another man’s cigar (0:16). Gus Magnusson’s tobacco plantation in Connecticut River Valley (0:31). Gus Magnusson stands on a corner of his property wearing a gray overcoat and a trilby hat (0:51). Gray wood-paneling farm house (1:01). Camera pans other buildings and barns on the property (1:21). Tobacco seed planted in hot beds (1:26). Gus Magnusson looks on as agricultural workers spray the beds with what is perhaps a pesticide (1:39). Close up of pump and spray apparatus (1:54). Gus Magnusson summons a man with a wheelbarrow over to one of the beds (2:26). Preparing young plants for transplanting (2:36). Close-ups of young tobacco plants in beds (2:38). Setting up protective shade screen netting (3:00). Netting waves in the wind (3:14). Gus Magnusson struggles to tame netting in the wind (3:48). Transferring the young plants to larger fields (4:49). Man stands on perhaps 1940 Allis-Chalmers WC tractor (4:53). African-American and white laborers sit on the back of wheeled rake attachment and re-plant the crops (4:59). Black horse pulls three horse drawn planter seeders through tobacco field (5:54). Agricultural workers walk the field directing tractor plow attachment (6:07). African-American agricultural workers hoe the fields (6:28). Large red tractor drives through the net-covered fields spraying fertilizer (6:43). Young man seals the netting (7:18). Young man in dirt-stained clothing and smoking a cigarette serves another man soup or a beverage out of tin cans (7:24). Perhaps a Central Aircraft’s Bell 47 spraying fertilizer and pesticides over the fields (7:34). Automated sprinklers water the crops (8:10). Male and female agricultural workers unload off of back of semi-truck ready for harvest (8:23). Two women inspect the matured Connecticut shade and broadleaf tobacco plants (8:27). Workers pose with the leaves (8:35). Some workers stand on the side of the road to sharpen their hatchets (8:37). Harvesting the tobacco crops (8:43-9:34). Some workers hang off of a truck with a water jug besides a corn field (9:35). Tobacco plants harvested and hanging upside down on a trailer in a field ready for the barn and the curing process (9:47). Silver tips attached to wood planks to ease process of loading harvested tobacco bunches (10:03). Young man rides on roof of perhaps 1940 International Harvester D3 flatbed truck carrying harvested tobacco crops (10:47). Wooden tobacco drying barn loaded with harvested tobacco plants (10:58). Perhaps Gus Magnusson and his two daughters wearing gingham playsuits pose in front of the barn (11:22). Intense orange from massive flames contrasts against black night sky – drying barn destroyed by flames (11:48-12:30). Final text slide: cigars (12:32). Brief shot of young woman packaging cigars (12:40).

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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