travelogues

Come to LA! (Color, 1970s)  

They say there is a war between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The only problem is they don’t know anything about it in Los Angeles. The city everyone loves to hate has more amusement parks than any other city in the country. “Who cares!”, you say. Well this lively and oftentimes idiotic promotional piece, complete with Shaft-like wah wah funk soundtrack made by the Greater Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau tells you things you never knew about LA like: “Did you know when you come to LA you can be relaxed and casual?  Where else can you have lunch outside everyday? And Beverly Hills- just think people actually live here!”

Wow, a promotional piece capitalizing on all the clichés we’ve known grown to hate! Don’t miss the opening and closing bikini scenes. Truly trashy. Welcome to LA-oh yea-be right there! 

Steamers (1930s-1950s) These miniature replicas of steam locomotives are a truly fetishistic hobby. Why would grown men build these machines and ride around on them like bears on mini bikes? Find out why when you watch this freight train full of amateur clips in Kodachrome someone carefully collected over 3o years-and for what end? Our amusement of course.

“See More of America” (1970, Color, 12 min.)- Have you been waiting to take that perfect American family vacation for years?  Well now’s your chance and you don’t even have to get off your ass and into the car with screaming kids!  See more of America in this tourism promo film from the days of cheap gas and land yachts big enough to fit even grandma and grandpa in.

“Pan Am’s World” (1966, Color, 20 min.)- Jet around the world in this Pan Am promotional film from the heyday of luxurious air travel.  From Thailand to Paris, Australia to England, this film takes us everywhere, or at least everywhere Pan Am flies.  Plenty of great commercial fodder tossed with some spectacular footage from around the globe make this a travel mix-up not to be missed!

“Belles of the South Seas” (1946, B+W, 11 min.)-  Visit several clusters of islands (and their bare-chested inhabitants) in this Castle Films travel short.  Our quirky and slightly condescending narrator gives us the overview of what makes travel to these ‘exotic’ islands worth the effort.

The American Road (B+W, 1953)

“A Train Trip With Dick and Sandra” (1955, Color, 17 min.)- Join crew cut Dick and straight-laced Sandra on their 1955 journey from Denver to Sacramento to visit grandma and grandpa.  Part dry and goofy travel story, part stunning montage of scenery and ‘50s train luxuries, this film takes a peek inside the 1000+ mile journey through the Rockies, deserts, and Sierras via passenger rail.

 Rhumba Holiday  (B+W, 1947)

"Are you tired of wars and atomic bombs . . . ?"  The answer is a family trip to Cuba.  In Havana, the Presidential Palace and a message of welcome by President San Martin. Palm trees, the Morro Castle, fruit, Rio Cristal Gardens and swimming there.  The film ends with a hint of the nightlife at the end of the day.

“This World of Ours: Panama” (1956, Color, 11 min.)- Half tourism promo, half educational short, this film really makes it seem like Panama is nothing more than the canal that cuts the country in half.  Great footage of the countryside and canal, mixed with tourist perks and informational bits and pieces make this promo a great ‘show and tell’ short.

“The Swiss Riviera: Lake Geneva” (1956, Color, 12 min.)  This beautiful Kodachrome travelogue takes us to the shores of Switzerland’s Lake Geneva and shows all the wonderful people, places, and things to do at one stunning European vacation spot.  Nestled between mountains on all sides, the lake’s many attractions include boating, swimming, and of course, all those quaint little Swiss houses and people.

 “Fabulous Las Vegas” (B+W, 1954)  

Kinescope of Joe Graydon hosted show, recorded live at the legendary Congo Room at the Sahara Hotel and Casino.  Features Louis Prima and Keely Smith romping through “Hurry Home”, the Treniers with “Rag Mop” and more.  Includes a “newsreel” with Zsa Zsa Gabor… A nice little time capsule of pre-Ratpack Las Vegas.

A Journey (Dir.Bogdan Zizic, Color, 1972)

A meditation on time, life and death, human connection in this dreamlike, wordless film from Yugoslavia. Passengers on a train disappear one by one whenever the train emerges from a tunnel…

“Camera Thrills in Wildest Africa” (1939, B+W, 11 min.) No travel adventure would be complete without a trip to ‘wild’ Africa, as this short safari film tells us.  While the footage shows us a bunch of white guys driving around and harassing the wildlife, the narration tells a different story of the excitement and adventure these men are on, deep in the wilds of the African savannah.  According to this colonialist toned short, the wildlife of Africa is there to exploit for fun and games, so grab your safari hat and head into the thick of it!

USA Film (Color, 1977)

Directed by Eric Martin at the Carpenter Center for Visual Arts at Harvard University

the film collapses 4,000 coast-to-coast miles (From Washington DC to San Francisco)

into a high speed 17 minute single-framed opus incorporating found sound and radio

broadcasts creating a jittery, pulsating whirlwind of images.

You Asked for It: Tour of Hearst Castle (B&W, 1956)

When William Randolph Hearst died in 1951, he left behind an enormous collection of world treasures accumulated in a similarly sprawling estate. His private collection of artifacts, art, architecture spans across a large range of centuries, sources, and styles. In one sense, the castle acts as pastiche; in any given room one could encounter Mayan sculpture next to Rococo paintings, housed under an imitation Rennaissance dome. Hearst was at once a tourist accumulating these treasures, and a haphazard curator of a space that has since become an historic landmark that attracts a high volume of tourists to San Simeon. This television special, filmed shortly after Hearst’s death, chronicles his obsessive collections.

Thrills on Wheels (B+W, 1949)

Million Mile Driver Show (color, 1979)

Arch of St. Louis, little yellow/orange electric truck driving around, men fill it with flowers, plugs in to recharge, gets it’s battery replaced.

60’s autos on the road:  Rambler, Ambassador, 1966 Marlin, Pontiac... Pontiac GTO, Firebird

(Good shots of muscle cars)

Traffic Trials: HEaven won't wait 1980

Examines the six most dangerous driving practices which account for 95% of all auto accidents and traffic fatalities. Shows six representative drivers as they appear before a celestial judge to review the reasons behind their accidents. Observes that one was not looking where he was driving, another was speeding, one was distracted from watching the road by an emotional problem, another failed to maintain the  safety of his car, one was dunk, and one simply did not where her safety belt.

Winter Wonderland 1950s GE

GE Factory makes rotor for car engine, sheet metal on conveyor belt, metal cut, rotor goes through fire, women assemble parts, parts dipped in rubber, shots of dials and meters, parts boxed by machine.

Roaring Wheels 1950s

short film about different types of racing vehicles: miniature race cars, soap box racing, hot rods, motorcycle racing, jeeps, and finally real race cars (great shot of 50’s race car going over the Bonneville Salt Flats).