- Date:
- 19uu
- Main contributors:
- Richard Leslie Gair (1892-1970)
- Summary:
- McRobbie-Gair Family Home Movies : Film consists of travelogue sequences mainly of the Eastern United States and Canada, with footage from New York, Washington D.C., Virginia, Illinois, and New Mexico. The film opens with shots of the New York City skyline and Times Square at night with an amazing light show of entertainment and advertising signage. We see the marquee of several historic movie theatres, including the Loew’s State Theatre and the Strand Theatre, showing 'Only Angels Have Wings' (1939) and 'Indianapolis Speedway' (1939), respectively. Other notable footage includes a segment of the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair. There is also footage from George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate in Virginia, Chicago, IL cityscapes, and wonderful footage of Niagara Falls. Moving north to Canada the film captures shots from Montreal, Toronto, and Québec City. Notable sequences include shots of Montmorency Falls and Château Frontenac in Québec City. Finally, the film travels to the American Southwest of New Mexico, including the cities of Gallop and Albuquerque. The film captures in amazing detail an “Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial” in Gallop, according to a title card, which includes ritual dancing, games (including tug-of-war and foot and horse races), and a rodeo with broncos and bulls. Footage consists of a combination of color and black and white film stock with title cards inserted for new locations and cities.