[1940s CARIBBEAN CRUISE ABOARD MS KUNGSHOLM]

Genre: home movie

Year Published: 1940s

Description: This home movie from the early 1940s shows a trip in the Caribbean apparently made aboard the Swedish ocean liner MS Kungsholm. The film begins with a shot of what appears to be a United Airlines DC-3, before showing shots aboard the ship at sea, with well dressed passengers enjoying the sun on the deck rail (1:19). At (1:43) are shots inside the ship's control room including shots of the engine room telegraphs and a helmsman at the wheel (2:05). At (2:24) is a shot of the Swedish flag flying from the ship. At (2:40) passengers play shuffleboard on a covered deck. At (3:08) passengers are shown in a small boat on the way into town. At (3:51), ruins that are probably the Palace of Sans-Souci, or Sans-Souci Palace, principal royal residence of Henry I, King of Haiti, better known as Henri Christophe. At (4:24) a shot of the Citadel in Haiti. At (9:14) shots at the docks including teh Kungsholm in the distance. At (9:47) the ship's swimming pool in use. At (10:00) a woman writes a letter sitting in a chaise lounge. At (10:25) is a shot of the Havana, Cuba cathedral. At (10:53) the Opera House in Havana followed by shots of the ocean and Faro Castillo del Morro in the distance, followed by shots of Havana cafes and sights including at (14:10) the inside of Sloppy Joe's bar. At (14:53) a closer shot of the Castillo del Morro. At (15:10) the MS Kungsholm is shown as the film comes to a close. Sloppy Joe's Bar is a historic bar located in Havana, Cuba. The advent of Prohibition in the United States spurred its original owner, Jose Abeal Otero, to change the emphasis from food service to liquor service when American tourists would visit Havana for the nightlife, the gambling and the alcohol they could not obtain back home. Sloppy Joe's welcomed tourists for over four decades, and offered over 80 cocktails in addition to the bar's own brand of 12-year-old rum. During the 1940s and 1950s it was a magnet for American celebrities as well as tourists wanting to mingle with them. It has been described by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the most famous bars in the world" with "almost the status of a shrine." MS Kungsholm was an ocean liner built in Germany by Blohm & Voss for the Swedish American Line from 1928 to 1941 on transatlantic services from Gothenburg to New York City as well as cruising out of New York. In Second World War the US Government requisitioned it as the troopship John Ericsson.

Complete Record: This home movie from the early 1940s shows a trip in the Caribbean apparently made aboard the Swedish ocean liner MS Kungsholm. The film begins with a shot of what appears to be a United Airlines DC-3, before showing shots aboard the ship at sea, with well dressed passengers enjoying the sun on the deck rail (1:19). At (1:43) are shots inside the ship's control room including shots of the engine room telegraphs and a helmsman at the wheel (2:05). At (2:24) is a shot of the Swedish flag flying from the ship. At (2:40) passengers play shuffleboard on a covered deck. At (3:08) passengers are shown in a small boat on the way into town. At (3:51), ruins that are probably the Palace of Sans-Souci, or Sans-Souci Palace, principal royal residence of Henry I, King of Haiti, better known as Henri Christophe. At (4:24) a shot of the Citadel in Haiti. At (9:14) shots at the docks including teh Kungsholm in the distance. At (9:47) the ship's swimming pool in use. At (10:00) a woman writes a letter sitting in a chaise lounge. At (10:25) is a shot of the Havana, Cuba cathedral. At (10:53) the Opera House in Havana followed by shots of the ocean and Faro Castillo del Morro in the distance, followed by shots of Havana cafes and sights including at (14:10) the inside of Sloppy Joe's bar. At (14:53) a closer shot of the Castillo del Morro. At (15:10) the MS Kungsholm is shown as the film comes to a close. Sloppy Joe's Bar is a historic bar located in Havana, Cuba. The advent of Prohibition in the United States spurred its original owner, Jose Abeal Otero, to change the emphasis from food service to liquor service when American tourists would visit Havana for the nightlife, the gambling and the alcohol they could not obtain back home. Sloppy Joe's welcomed tourists for over four decades, and offered over 80 cocktails in addition to the bar's own brand of 12-year-old rum. During the 1940s and 1950s it was a magnet for American celebrities as well as tourists wanting to mingle with them. It has been described by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the most famous bars in the world" with "almost the status of a shrine." MS Kungsholm was an ocean liner built in Germany by Blohm & Voss for the Swedish American Line from 1928 to 1941 on transatlantic services from Gothenburg to New York City as well as cruising out of New York. In Second World War the US Government requisitioned it as the troopship John Ericsson.