[1950s HOME MOVIE HORSEBACK RIDING & HALLOWEEN COSTUME PARTY (SILENT)]

Here is a 1950’s era silent 16mm family home movie. It is a well preserved Kodachrome color time capsule featuring images of kids and adults at a dude ranch, shots around the family garden and home bound Halloween party as various family members give a dress rehearsal show for their chosen costumes. Kids crawl across the carpet for Christmas presents as the year fades to winter holidays. The family home is ranch style equipped with wooden saloon doors and the women wear retro cocktail party dresses with short hair bob cuts. The opening section shows brief passes over flower blossoms in the family garden transitioning into youth on long eared donkeys and adult cowboys in studded western gear on stunning quarter horses and palominos. Home decor is captured for the Halloween party and the middle section tours the family’s costumes. Bugs Bunny makes an appearance amid rodeo style and oriental style dress. Christmas passes and the final section shows blooming pink cherry blossoms.

00:00 Quick shots pass around the yard (:09) lined with brick, wooden patio furniture and clean trimmed grass. Kids ride long eared donkeys (:22); a young girl in blue eyes the filmmaker (:22). The rancher cuddles a small burro’s head (:31). The young group passes buses and a yellow train car (:38). Women in retro dress dangle around ranchers, hay bales and a red pick up truck (:45) as donkeys chew on the hay bales (:51). A rancher in studded cowboy gear, deep seated in the western style saddle rides a Palomino past the group (1:11). A female rider follows on a short stubbier breed likely the quarter horse (1:16). Stunning shots capture the rancher stepping from the Palomino (2:07). A boy partially dressed in his cheetah costume (2:15) passes in and out of saloon style wooden doors. Dark yard scenes show Halloween decor set out for the party (2:23). Candy corn sits on the living room table (2:32) and a tiny scarecrow on the kitchen counter (2:39). An older family member shows off her oriental style dress equipped with a hand fan (2:49). A kid in a bunny suit chomps on a carrot stick (2:53). A young girl waves for the camera with a paper fan and face mask (3:09). The classic Bug’s Bunny costume follows (3:32). A boy in cowboy attire rips a pistol from his gun holster (3:57) before the Cheetah returns in full gear (4:04). A clown (5:24) and tiny pink fairy waving a gold star (5:44) precede another bunny suit (5:50) and pirate (5:59). It turns to winter holidays and a baby toying with a paper apple decorated tree (6:36) and a wrapped Christmas present (8:17). A male family member guides the drooling toddler by the hands for the camera (8:57). The cherry blossoms (9:24) and lesser bougainvillea (9:37) close the film.