HOME MOVIES: 1940s

Genre: home movie

Year Published: 1930

Format: 16mm

Description: These home movies come from the estate of Albert A. Binney, Sr. a long-time resident of Montecito and Los Angeles, California. In 1930, Binney co-founded Binney, Chase & Van Horne, a successful insurance business that was still in operation through 2018. These home movies show various family activities but the locations and people in them are unknown. Apparently the family was fairly affluent (just to afford home movies required a certain amount of largesse) and based on their clothes and lifestyle, one can assume they were not a typical American family from the period which, of course, is considered part of the Depression. The family had homes or offices in several places over time, including at 2180 W 21st St in Los Angeles, 150 N Van Ness Avenue in Los Angeles, and 208 West 8th Street in Los Angeles. The film starts with a birthday party, looks like the late 1930s or early 1940s. At :27 the kids are shown with an elaborate log cabin type fort or playhouse, probably out of the Sears catalog. A boy opens a present, looks like a painting kit at 1:13. At 1:30, elaborate table for the birthday. At 1:47, a boy is shown in a Taylor Tot baby stroller / walker. At 3:02, shots at the beach with a motor yacht visible in the background. At 4:40, two men ride in small sailboat. At 5:14, a girl runs through a field of wildflowers. At 6:36, shots in the mountains, possibly near Lake Louise in Canada. At 8:32, a young girl poses in a Brownie type halloween costume. At 9:12, a boy rides an inflatable horse at the beach, while other children ride on a surfboard or longboard / paddleboard. At 11:57, a group of young girls march past in costume, probably as part of a Spring celebration. They are joined by boys in soldier costumes. At 16:12, shots at the Pine Inn Hotel, in Carmel-By-The-Sea, California. Shots in Carmel follow. At 18:45 a man snaps still photos with a camera. At 22:10, shots of a baby in a crib. At 26:51, a boy rides a large three wheeled bicycle or tricycle. At 27;10, the bike is seen again, this time it is evident it has a sidecar. At 29:00, the front of a house is visible, looks like it is probably the family home at 150 N Van Ness Avenue. At 29:20 it looks like the family gathering for Christmas Eve. At 30:13, a young girl is shown in a crib with her doll. At 30:44, a boy plays badminton. At 32:20, an African American maid or nurse is seen. At 35:35, shots aboard a passenger vessel. At 36:09, a view of what appears to be the SS Princess Marguerite, a Canadian Pacific Railway steamship which was torpedoed and sunk in 1942. At 36:37, a view of Victoria, British Columbia and the Empress Hotel. At 38:07, shots of a glacier. At 39:10, a bear is shown roaming through town. At 39:48, kids and then the entire family are shown on Christmas Eve. At 41:21, shots of the family tree and presents. At 41:32 a streamliner train toy is visible. At 42:00, shots in a pine forest. At 45:14, a baby girl plays with a ball. At 45:20, the best part of the reel -- ladies pose in incredible 1940s fashions, showing a wide array of evening wear, furs and formal wear and at 47:05 a wedding dress. At 49:44, a man (probably Albert Binney Sr.) is seen posing with his child, he is wearing a military uniform so it is likely shot during WWII. At 52:44, a boy and a girl pose in what appears to be a photography studio. At 54:00, shots out the window of a moving train, in British Columbia in the Canadian Rockies. At 55:15, shot for a sign for Iceline Trail, Yoho National Park. At 59:00 a little girl sits atop a tortoise. At 1:01:00, a shot of a beautiful sunset.

Complete Record: