Street Life in 1930s America: Kids, Games & City Days (silent)

Creator: A/V Geeks 16mm Films

Description: Email us at footage@avgeeks.com if you have questions about the footage and are interested in using it in your project. A series of film/archival footage clips from the United States in the 1930s, capturing everyday urban street life. The clips show two main themes: Adult street scenes: Men in period clothing gathered on city sidewalks, including one browsing a street vendor's ties. Children at play: The bulk of the footage focuses on kids in a city neighborhood — playing marbles, riding trikes, drawing chalk on pavement, playing stickball in the street using parked cars and brownstones as a backdrop, sitting on stoops, and chasing each other. A few clips also show boys gambling with dice, carving into buildings, throwing rocks, and fighting. Urban backdrop: The street environment is a recurring element — littered sidewalks, brownstone buildings, open windows with curtains, and car traffic that repeatedly interrupts the children's stickball games. The footage ends with a boy roller-skating in the street and a man riding on the running board of a car. Overall, it's a candid snapshot of working-class city life and childhood in Depression-era America.

Online Copy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssC6dIgqygs

Metadata Source:YouTube