1954: Don-Betty, Ann, Spokane

Cfa collection: Armstrong Family Collection
Notes: Begins with two young men driving a white convertible on a suburban low-traffic street and pulling into a parking spot in front of a house. The next shot is near-identical, but an older man has replaced the former passenger and taken the wheel from the driver. Then, a sequence begins taking place in a lawn by a house with a woman, a man, and a toddler (Betty, Donald, and Ann Armstrong). The woman wears a gray coat and deep red culottes and carries toys in both hands. The toddler wears all white, including a snug-looking coat and bonnet, and takes several confident steps before losing its footing in a wide shot. The next shots are medium close-ups of the child standing and walking around. Then, we return to a wide, low-angled shot, that frames the baby on the left-hand side of the screen next to a man wearing a military uniform entering the yard through a side gate. He shuffles in, looking somewhat abashed, stuffing his hands in his pockets, before scooping the baby up in his arms. After a cut to a medium shot, the baby cries and the man obligingly puts the baby down. The two adults try to soothe the baby, both unsuccessfully. The baby appears to whimper, holding a spoon. The man, squatting, continues to try to get the baby to cooperate with being filmed, unsuccessfully; the baby backs away from him.
Subjects: Children; Family recreation; Automobiles
Places: North America > United States > Washington > Spokane
Language: English
Cfa elements: Reversal Positives, 50 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/22045