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

I have been restoring/preserving some of my family's old 8mm home movies, and this is vintage footage of my mom and brother (filmed by my dad) in and around Miami, Florida in the mid 1950's. The clip includes embarkation for a Bahamas cruise (on the ship SS Florida) from the Port of Miami... which, at the time, was located just off Biscayne Boulevard at the site of the present day American Airlines Arena and Bicentennial Park... the Miami News tower (now known as the 'Freedom Tower') can be seen in the background along with glimpses of the tops of the old Columbus and McAllister hotels. Other parts of the clip show the Goodyear blimp, a Cuban airliner taxying at Miami International Airport and scenes from the old Crandon Park Zoo and kiddie train ride on Key Biscayne.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Miami
• Florida
• 1955
• 1956
• 1957
• Mid
• 1950
• 1950's
• 50's
• Old
• Restored
• Restoration
• Preservation
• Historical
• Archive
• Archival
• Footage
• Life
• Lifestyle
• Cruise
• Cruising
• Cruises
• Cuba
• Havana
• Vintage
• 8mm
• Home
• Movies
• Color
• Family
• Mom
• Dad
• Brother
• Biscayne
• Boulevard
• Port
• Of
• Ship
• SS
• Bahamas
• News
• Freedom
• Tower
• Columbus
• McAllister
• Hotel
• Goodyear
• Blimp
• International
• Airport
• Cuban
• Airliner
• Crandon
• Park
• Zoo
• Kiddie
• Train
• Ride
• Animals
• Lion
• Lions
• Flamingo
• Flamingos
• Horse
• Horses
• Key

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.