New York: The Wonder City 1938

[inuyasha1sasuke]

The 1 dislike is obviously a redneck~ ;D

[Geostrategic1]

The general era is always given away by the cars, ladies hair and dressing styles.

[NP4Mayans]

This was likely a professionally made silent movie intended for home use. Most home movies had no sound. Castle Films was a big marketer of this kind of "home video" long before TV. Other themes were silent cartoons and comedies.

[BraunMannn]

3:28

Even in the lower east side, shameful behaviour of guardian or parent; hitting that child, now-a-days child abuse is reported to child wealfare.

Cheers.

from,

del-boy.

[PhilMahnken]

Phil M.

What can you8 tell me about that large male nude statue in the City Hall pictures?

[BraunMannn]

@PhilMahnken

Dear Phil, try x-tube, and cut out the middleman.

Cheers.

from,

del-boy.

[OSTARAEB4]

I'm reminded of those unique songs of New York like, "East Side, West Side all around the town... Trip the light fantastic on the sidewalks of New York, me and Katie O'Rourke"..

"The hit parade and ballyhoo, the lullaby of Broadway" Back from the days of Mayor Jimmy Walker, Fiorello La Guardia.

Ah,,, the gridlock, the blaring horns of a gridlocked intersection when you're watching the light knowing you're NOT getting through the intersection. Anyone remember Norm-N-Nite with doo-wap oldie

[OSTARAEB4]

(con't) instead of those ugly hanging street lamps. I even miss those old yellow-black street signs that were in place for about forty years! Her skylina has always impressed me with the building of sixty, or eighty stories and how they do this amidst the daily flow of a city of 8.2 million! She's like no other city! I miss her, my first love!

[OSTARAEB4]

Amazing pulse of a grand city! I agree that it's definitely before the war. The cabs look like 1932-33, with an occasional 1937 car passing by. Buses were double-decker until about the early 1950's. Most of the Avenues were two-way until the early 1960's. I wish they kept Penn Station, The Astor and Claridge Hotels in Times Square, and I wish for nostaglia they'd bring back those old two direction signs. In the past fifteen years or so, they've brought back a modern version of T-arm street lamp

[SatchmoSings]

How could they build so many tall buildings back then?

I thought tall buildings were a newer invention.

[fromthesidelines]

Castle Films was another major distributor of 16mm "home movie" entertainment, from the '30s through the early '70s. This was just one of their many "travelogue" reels over the years, available in silent (with intertitles) and sound versions. In the days before TV, if you didn't listen to the radio, you probably pulled your 16mm projector out, lowered a makeshift screen in the living room, gathered the family, threaded the film into the projector, turned off the lights...and---

[cloudberry121]

Wouldn't it be marvelous to be able to jump into these films and spend a month in each time and place?

I would be traveling forever! :-)

[GQOfficial]

Theres Something about the 30s fashion of New York thats so cool. They had a pretty cool style

[silx2000]

very good. Thanks for the vid.

[Michaelxxx1936]

Nice film. Thank you for sharing.

[ganeshasha03]

I am not an American, but I cam as an immigrant, I didn't believe the energy filled NYC until I visited it.

NYC is truly an international city , every time people cross over the street during signals , we can see all the races and nations and tribes crossing, there is truly an energy to this city . It is reverberating, there is saying in south India , there are so many great people and nation , let us welcome them all .. NYC is an example of this ..

[piemouth1]

Anyone know what that guy is hitting at 03:32?

[MajorSecord]

it looks like it might be a kid touching the produce.

[skymunro]

what the hell are you talkin about?!!? there is no kid in that frame!!

[bdienstag]

definetely slapping a kids hand

[musicnearthelake]

I enjoy viewing nostalgic films of long ago and being able to see many areas, people, life styles from the past. Thanks so much.

[skymunro]

from long ago? The 30's isn't exactly that "long ago," especially when people of the silent and Greatest generationd are still alive. Alot of those places still look the same, minus the vehicles and people of the time.

[amaraca]

New York can be great, it can also be a real hole. @ redonionsauce: I am a native New Yorker, born in Manhattan. I grew up normal, BECAUSE I don't associate with most people of the city. Strange people make New York kindaa exciting, kindaa tiresome. I love Brooklyn so much, but so expensive now. There is a "world" outside the city, which is one reason to leave for a year. Explore a bit. Work elsewhere.

[skymunro]

With that kind of disassociated, pompous arrogance you sure dont sound like youre a native. In a city of 8 million people and you somehow think you're the only one whose shit doesnt stink? A real Nye looks at the city today compared to 15-20 years ago and sees it quite the contrary. There is a lack of substance and character, the city is a plastic shell of what it was and is suppose to be. Go fuck yourself, stay far outside MY city, born and raised, we docked in 1873 and been here since.

[amaraca]

@ Skymunro: You were born in Jersey, so cut the bullshit. Lick the shit from my anus, then floss the bits from your teeth. It's idiots such as you whom the city suffers. Go fuck yourself, the city of New York can do better. Guess what idiot, if you live in New York City at the moment, make that city a wonderful place. Your job in life. Stop ranting about the pale reflection of the glory days, understand that the old NYC is dead. DEAD. DEAD. Thus, make something new, instead of being an animal.

[skymunro]

Excuse me you fuckin shit!??! I went to PS 158 in elementry, York prep (the old one when it was on 85 bet Park & Lex, 93-95) I went to Wagner JHS, I went to A&D HS, (57th and 2nd) I went to Leadership and Public Service (Trinity pl) I went to RLS (74th bet CPW & Columbus) I graduated the Elan School (I got sent to a residential treatment program for 2 years.) Moved back, went to Curry College, lived in Boston for 6 years, moved back 3 years ago. My family docked in 1873, been in NYC since!!!

[amaraca]

You are insane. And you are a pedophile.

[skymunro]

Im a pedophile!??! If I say something to make you feel uncomfortable its to exploit a weakness..go fuck yourself kid, get off mommy and daddys computer, and stop using it as a weapon. lt's a tool, which you abuse and should have taken away. Werent you told not to converse with strangers!?!?

[dzonikg]

so beautifull ,i wish i can turn back time and go there for 10-20 days...

[cannuckistan]

It just seems to me that everything, from architecture to attire to peoples' manners, was more elegant back then. I don't really think our era has much on that one.

[MajorSecord]

....yeah, the way people presented themselves in public says a lot. Today it seems everyone is obese with baseball hats and t-shirts covered in advertising. In years to come, anthropologists will ponder what the hell happened in the latter part of the twentieth century.

[amaraca]

I disagree. There are plenty of intelligent people in New York who have manners. You just need to find them.

[redonionsauce]

Native New Yorkers that is.

[MajorSecord]

Penn Station--what a crime to tear down an elegant work of art and replace it with the tasteless, hideous replacement Madison Square Garden. In Europe they have sense enough to maintain their worthwhile cultural history--cheers to the NYC Landmark Preservation people who stand up to the greedy developers and their whores in office.

[Maserati7200]

I agree! I wish I could've lived to see the old Penn Station!

[MajorSecord]

I love the way the city looked before it became a forest of square-block-sized hideous glass monstrosities. The granite, limestone and terra cotta towers were architecturally interesting and the stepped-back styling allowed the sun to reach the street below. Gotham City today seems cold and souless compared to the pre-WW2 era.

[kz1000ps]

Amen.

[Vintersemestre]

this is really great. i'd love to travel back in time!

[redonionsauce]

No computers, Iboxes, I pods. Only NYC had public transportation. During the depression, it was worse than the last few years of our recession.

[CrummyCurtis]

This film is from the 30's, not 1945. The ladies' fashions give it away.

[travelfilmarchive]

Thanks - you're right. It's 1938.

[inkey2]

@CrummyCurtis you are right.....it is very late 1930s. I am a car nut....and every car is late 1930s or earlier

[CrummyCurtis]

@inkey2 Like archeologists, we've combined the fashions and the cars to come up with the right era!

[fromthesidelines]

This was produced by Castle Films (founded by Eugene W. Castle), one of the world's leading distributors of 16mm {and eventually, 8mm} "home movie entertainment" from the '30s through the '70s- cartoons, newsreels, "sportsreels", "selected short subjects", highlights from feature films...and travelogues. This, incidentally, is a "silent" edition, with intertitles; a sound version was also available.

[cathycva]

This is spectacular!

[Rach84]

how come in the beginning of the video the SOL's torch was smoking?

[dgaisan]

but I wanna tell ya that 60 years ago people were making less money. so I suppose that 3,20 was kinda expensive..

[inkey2]

@dgaisan Re: your comment 2 years ago....yes, 60 years ago people were literally making less money but they weren't paying for cable Tv, internet connection, two cars, double car insurance, double gasoline and double maintenance, cell phone, cell phone for each child, etc .....all the things that we in the year 2010 have come to view as "essential".....

[YougeneDebs]

At 3:20, shave and a haircut = two bits! 60 years later, a haircut alone is $10.

BTW; there was no sound.