1939-1940 San Francisco Golden Gate International Exposition

Rare and unique vintage color home movies of the 1939-1940 San Francisco Golden Gate International Exposition. Provided with permission from a friend's family, (Tom H.) This 1939 'World's Fair of the Pacific' was created in San Francisco to celebrate the building of the Golden Gate Suspension Bridge and the San Francisco --Oakland Bridge. It was a 'a great two year party' that I understand also showcased San Francisco's emerging place as a center for the Pacific Rim.

The Expo was built on a 400 acre man-made island in the middle of San Francisco Bay, to be known as 'Treasure Island, the Luminous City'. The centerpiece attraction was the 400 foot tall "Tower of the Sun", the 80' Pacifica statue (emphasizing unity among Pacific nations), designed by Arthur Brown. It is surrounded by courtyards showcasing Science, Agriculture, Industry and Art.

This movie shows the huge outdoor pageant called the "Cavalcade of the West" with its many actors, stagecoaches, cowboys, redcoats, politicians debating, etc. There are scenes of the "Tower of the Sun", Pacifica statue, many fountain displays and lighting effects at night, and scenes from what was billed as the "GayWay" (see the sign!) , that featured 50 exhibits over 40 acres, including rides, various attractions, monkeys, a Ripley's Museum, and the infamous Sally Rand Nude Ranch. Several websites offer more information if you are interested. (Thanks, Tom, for sharing this historic footage.)

Category:

Education

Tags:

• San
• Francisco
• 1939-1940
• Golden
• Gate
• International
• Exposition
• Pacifica
• GayWay
• Treasure
• Island
• Tower
• Sun
• Cavalcade
• West

[jskaufmann1]

My Dad was the redcoat that fired the 'shot heard 'round the world' at the exhibition.

[mikeos1]

Was this one of those home movies taken by one of those millionaire Wright Brothers in the 1930s? Just watched a BBC documentary featuring them called "Color film of the 30s"

[MidwestMex]

cool, I just watched Cavalcade of San Francisco on TCM classic movie channel. Great stuff