HOME MOVIES: 1939 NEW YORK STATE

Genre: home movie

Year Published: 1939

Format: 16mm

Description: Shot in 1939 by an unknown American, this silent 16mm home movie contains images shot in central New York State including a visit to the World's Fair of 1939 starting at about the 11 minute mark. The images at the Fair include shots of the Unisphere and other buildings including the Italian and Russian pavilions. The film ends with shots of the illuminated fountains at night. The amateur filmmaker who made the film added titles throughout, some of which detail the natural splendors of Central New York as well as historical facts about the area. The film ends with footage from the 1939 New York World’s Fair which donned the theme "The World of Tomorrow." The fifteen minutes of footage comprises various clips from the sites and landmarks mentioned as well as texts that provide further details. Opening title card featuring illustrated tomahawk (0:09). Scenes of fields in Central New York, with African American farm workers contributing their labor. (1:14). Autumn harvest (0:30). Tractor harvesting crop (0:44). Farm hands harvesting crop in fields (1:13). Pile of harvested corn (2:56). Text discussing the formation of the Finger Lakes region of Central New York (3:02). Footage of the Finger Lakes (3:16). Text and illustration about Cornell University which is situated on Lake Cayuga and founded by Ezra Cornell in 1868 (3:28). Statue of Ezra Cornell (3:31). Scenes of Lake Cayuga (3:45). Cornell clock tower (4:01). Text discussing expansion of Cornell University campus to include the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture (4:07). Scenes from the campus (4:15). Sunset as seen from the campus grounds (5:47). Ithaca Falls waterfall (6:36). Forest scenes around Ithaca countryside (6:54). Text discussing well known men from the Finger Lakes region including William H. Seward, responsible for the purchase of Alaska, and Thomas Mott Osborne known for prison reform (7:22). Exterior of a prison complex (7:35). Text discussing the Great Lakes region of New York including text about the Niagara River which carries the waters of Lake Erie and the Upper Great Lakes to Lake Ontario (8:11). Footage of the Niagara River (8:23). Niagara falls (8:55). Text about the Horseshoe Falls or the Canadian Falls (9:39). Footage of the horseshoe fall (9:42). Text about the St. Lawrence River (9:54). Thousand Islands Bridge - native Americans named this region "Manitonna, the Garden of the Great Spirit" but was later named Thousand Islands by French explorers. (10:01). Scenes of the St. Lawrence River (10:07). Text discussing historical facts about the area (10:30). Text discussing the origins of the Thousand Islands area (10:44). Scenes of the 1939 New York World’s Fair that took place at Flushing Meadows - Corona Park in Queens (11:02). Shots of The Trylon and Perisphere structures designed by architects Wallace Harrison and J. André Fouilhoux (11:07). State University of Iowa R.O.T.C. Scottish Highlanders marching band (13:38).

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