Vintage 8mm Home Movies - Miami, Florida - Circa 1956

[Johnnyboy792]

Pretty Nice Vmax !!! I dont know what it is, but the colors of the 8mm seemed to be more vibrant than the super 8's of the 70's !

[LostandFoundTravel]

Big props - through time itself - to your father for the GREAT shots.

[kolbpilot]

All these adults would be in their 80s now, if alive at all. The hands of time. Wonderful stuff. I was in south Fla. in the early '60s, at 4 years old.

[iamgermis]

Wow, I edited some old family movies from Miami from the 1960's and we had so many of the same shots, Crandon park, horse riding, etc. Your quality is much better than mine.

Most of my videos were removed since I had music in the background. :(

Great stuff! Thanks for posting.

[PiccoloSandy]

brings back the memories. Grew up in Miami then. Citrus Grove elementary, Jr. H.S., Miami High class of '58. I instantly recognized Crandon Park! wondered if I would be in those, lol. Where is the FB page of growing up in S.Fla ??? I lived on NW 7th St and 25th Ave, when 7th Street was 2 lanes, no sidewalk. Thanks for posting this.

[jeffreyalman]

very cool - please visit our FB page about growing up in south florida seems I can not attach link sorry

[vmax135]

@jeffreyalman Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the clip. I checked out your FB page and it's awesome.

[StoneCold75]

Amazing video , thank you. This is as close as it gets for a "Time Machine" into the past of Miami for us who are too young to know what it was like then. I will say this though I disagree with one poster, Miami is nothing like this anymore..it is sad what happened to this once tranquil quiet beach city.

[uberwaffle]

that Kodachrome look is beautiful.

Nothing quite like it really.

Too bad kchrome is dead now.

[vmax135]

@uberwaffle The super-saturated feel Kodachrome provided was definitely amazing. I frequently try to emulate that look in my current videos.

[inagod]

how did you convert it ?

[vmax135]

@inagod I used a small tele-cine converter which allows you to project the film (I used my family's original 8mm film projector from the 50's) into the device and a set of mirrors, inside the converter, re-projects the image onto a backlit screen where you focus your video camera's lens (using the macro setting) and then just record as normal.

[inagod]

great,America in the 1950's thanks for posting

[vmax135]

@inagod No problem! Glad you enjoyed the clip.

[thebakerman1]

I transferred my family 8mm video's to DVD three years ago. It was quite an undertaking (50+ reels) but it was fun and well worth it. The film won't last forever but now that it's transferred it can easily be duplicated (which it was many times over for the family), or changed to other formats as time goes by.

My fathers Kodak Brownie camera made beautiful video for it's time and the original projector still works to this day. But that film won't last indefinitely. Hence, transfer it !

[vmax135]

@thebakerman1 That's awesome! I have quite a few other reels I've converted, I just haven't had the time to edit and upload them yet. The quality of the film is deteriorating fairly fast now, so I'm definitely glad I was able to preserve them all on video.

[Nomoreidsleft]

The old 8mm cameras had such good quality colour and resolution!

[vmax135]

@Nomoreidsleft Yeah, there's nothing quite like the texture and saturation of old 8mm Kodachrome film.

[fitzz1971]

I love this, must have been great fun to work on.

[vmax135]

@fitzz1971 Thanks so much, glad you enjoyed the clip. It's definitely a lot of fun to work on the restoration... I just wish I had more time to do it.

[moviemagg]

Michael, this video is awesome. You should add some music to this. Click on Audio Swap and make a selection.

[vmax135]

@moviemagg Thanks so much, Steve! I need to get some more of my family's old movies posted at some point... maybe I'll have some time after this season is over? And, unfortunately, I can't use the AudioSwap feature, because I have the YouTube/Google AdSense revenue sharing option turned on for my videos.

[ABigOneLikeDaddys]

Great ! Thanks for posting. . I would love to move to Miami, it is such a nice place; in your video, there are nice things that are still there today, elements of a slow and easygoing holiday lifestyle, things that are there today, too. . I like the weekly (week long) boat tour to Cuba and Nassau. As advertised for $75. on the wall of the building near the pier? . Is that much? sounds a lot for 1956, but maybe not; what say you? . Cheers. from, del-boy.

[vmax135]

@ABigOneLikeDaddys Thanks so much! Miami has certainly changed a lot since the mid-50's but it's still has it's own unique style... and there are still some places in South Florida that evoke the feeling of an earlier era. Weekly cruises to the Bahamas and Cuba were very popular in the 40's and 50's but I'm not sure what was included in the $75 that is being advertised in this clip... it may not have been a per person rate, they may be advertising a double-occupancy rate.

[ABigOneLikeDaddys]

@vmax135 Dear Michael, Thanks for your response. Thanks for your information about the Cruises. . Keep up the good work. The Christmas Tree (elsewhere on You-Tube) in Rockefella Plaza, 1954; looks good. . Cheers. from, del-boy.

[moilman]

Nice surprise! I was "Googleing" Old Miami Home Movies and your vid popped up! I am familiar with your weather videos and I subscribe to you but didn't expect to see this body of work too. Thanks!

[vmax135]

@moilman Thanks so much!!! I'm glad you enjoyed the old Miami clips. I still have several more I haven't had time to convert yet, but they're definitely nostalgic... especially if you grew up down here. Thanks again.

[flymia69]

Awesome! Loved the blimp and Airplane!

[spaceboy537]

Did you digitize these yourself? They look great. I've done two by just recording the projection off a wall with my video camera. I was wondering if there was a better way that didn't cost a fortune.

[minimaluhftv]

It was great to see this video! Yes I agree miami was a great "town" I was born and raised in Miami the only thing I can't stand are when people leave and call it the banana republic or what ever. Look if no one would have left Miami wouldn't have changed. I still life here and yes there's a change but why? Cause the people left and new ones without the old Miami memory came! For the person that put up the video... Thank you very much!

[peatones27]

Beautiful!!!...you did a great job!!!!

[reymatt76]

Oh Miami when it was safe and nice, not too long ago. It was such a wonderful city then.

[bozozoo]

I moved to FL in '65 Opa Lacka (nice town

then)

[zaidrim]

Great color footage. The Crandon Park Zoo. What Miami child did not ride that train. I recall taking my frist feild trip there during first grade at Riverside Elementary.

[johnreagannumber1]

Vivid pink flamingos, cruises to Havana ... those were the days ... Amazing to see this on YouTube.

What a brilliant upload in superb rich color that only Super 8 can deliver.

[clintonearlwalker]

@johnreagannumber1 Super 8 did have some kind of vivid color. I worked as a projectionist at a drive-in. My dad had a super 8 with a light on it so bright, whenever he shined it at anyone, they immediately covered their eyes. Got a whole box of films of people covering their eyes. :)

[johnreagannumber1]

Haha what a terrific story! I'm only just getting into Super8 filming and I expect to blind plenty of people for indoor shots ;)

[EnriqueH]

When I saw that train, it triggered an old memory and I showed my mom this video. She said, "Yes, you rode that. But you were like 1 or 2." When did this close down?

[alejandroomi]

This is a great piece of Miami History... did you notice the fact that on the Crandon Park Train (which I rode many times) there were Cuban and American Flags side by side! It shows the close link both countries had before Castro's Regime. THIS IS PRICELESS!

[kolbpilot]

Born in '58, I was at Homestead AFB w/my parents in '62 thru '66. Though my memory is limited, much that I remember is similar as in this film. I remember there were wide open spaces once we got off base. A much more rural & slower time. All that long gone now, never to return.

[JulianeMcLaughlin]

Thank you for posting this great vintage footage! ... Cheers, Julia

[aarfeld]

Thanks for posting this video. Having grown up in Miami in the '60s and '70s seeing this footage reminds me of my own memories of old South Florida.

[cyberteque]

Great footage!

I hope this inspires more people to digitise their old movies.

I have quite a few 8mm and Super8 cameras, one of them even has sound!

It's getting hard to get film and even harder to get it processed these days.

Black and white is right out!

Thanks for posting!

[stevanmarkovic]

Really cool, I really liked it. There was a world before Internet and digital camcorders.

[LindaKitch]

I love this!!

[dradioz]

great stuff....Miami was a great town back them...safe and fun

[liquidstl]

wow... how did u add color? This stuff is really cool.. almost like taking a time machine back 50 years

[vmax135]

Thanks Chris! That's actually the original color from the film. My father used 8mm Kodachrome color film from 1952 on... so, luckily, all of my family's home movies are in color. I have a few more that I'll be uploading when I get some more free time.

[chuckmanofgod]

@vmax135m, Thank you, I really do appreciate the videos you've added on YouTube. Many videos were black and white until the late 1960's. That's when I realized when black and white was being phased out. There's nothing like watching a 50 year old video and making it look like it is new. Many of us who weren't around back then get to see what it was really like.

[Moseslawgiver]

@liquidstl Seriously, did you really think film back then wasn't mostly color?

Color film has existed for ages, since the early 20th Century.

[tamalya]

Thank yo SO much. I thought that I would never again get to see that beloved train of childhood, or a glimpse of Cranden Park zoo again. You made dreams come true!!!

[Silverhorse32]

Very nice video, I remember as a kid, born in 1956, going down to Miami. My cousins use to work for Eastern Airlines and lived near the Opa Loca Airport. We use to stay near Hallandale beach near the old Castaways. We stayed at a motel called the Golden Arrow Motel, I'm sure that motel is long gone by now. I remember having to walk under the road (a tunnel) to cross to the other side.

I agree about seeing the old train at the Crandon Park zoo, sure brings back some great memories for me.

[marigold1930]

All the motel row motels are gone now. Replaced by Trump condos. It is very sad. Especially since the condos aren't even selling or renting well.

I used to stay on Collins at the Colonial Inn every year (3 x per year) as a kid.

[vmax135]

Thanks for the great comments! I'm very happy that my family's home movies have let you re-live some of your own South Florida childhood memories!

[moviemagg]

Some great footage from the early days of Miami before it became a jungle only to be known as the Banana Republic. I also have lots of great footage from the 70s in Miami Beach which have just been transfered to DVD.

[vmax135]

Thanks, Steve! You should post your '70s footage of the beach! I can't remember now, did you film during David?

[Bullseye5477]

I was born and raised in Broward County in 1954 and still live there. It's a shame that South Florida is now nothing more than a dirty clogged up toilet. As soon as the economy gets a little better we'll be selling our house and moving to north Florida. Great clip. Thanks for the memories.

[cyclonejimcom]

That film is real good quality for being over 50 years old. Miami in the good old days....

[vmax135]

Yep...I had originally transferred them to video back in the late 80's, but that was on Hi8. I wanted to convert them again using an HD camera to get the best quality now... since the original flimstock has begun to deteriorate rapidly over the last few years. Watching these definitely brings back good memories though. I have more clips coming... fishing at Key Colony in Marathon, Tampa/St. Pete, Silver Springs... lot's of fun, vintage Florida stuff.