Santa Catalina Island & Avalon California (1938)

Synopsis

This 1938 black and white film about Santa Catalina Island was produced by Charles E. Ford, and photographed by Los Angeles photographer Robert Connell. A map shows the location of Catalina (:30). The SS Catalina steamship (Great White Steamer) is boarded by men and women in 1930s clothing, including hats. The view of the harbor buildings and the Santa Cruz Breakwater Lighthouse are shown (:33- 2:15 ). Whales swim beside the ship ( 2:24 ). It passes Long Point and anchored sailboats ( 2:32 - 3:00 ). A Douglas Dolphin seaplane flies in and lands on the ocean ( 3:06 - 3:22 ). Steam pours out of the ship’s smokestack ( 3:28 ). The Catalina moves into a dock at the Bay of Avalon. A group onshore is shown singing to the arrivals. A coin is tossed into swimmers as it docks. Passengers wearing 1930s styles of men’s and women’s clothing disembark, crowding the dock ( 3:45 - 5:02 ). A woman in a 1930s bathing lies face-down on a towel. Kids play in a pool ( 5:23 - 5:27 ). A woman in a 1930s keyhole bathing waves. Kids make sand castles. A little girl pretends to eat sand from a spoon ( 5:32 - 5:43 ). Houses nestle in the hilly terrain ( 5:50 - 6:07 ). The El Encanto restaurant is shown in 1938 ( 6:09 ). The Hotel Saint Catherine, opened in 1918, included outdoor dining. Two women in 1930s shorts leave a bungalow. ( 6:15 - 6:42 ). People board an open-top bus to Catalina Bird Park. People look through wire fences at the different types of birds. A penguin waddles towards the camera…

Uploader's description on archive.org

Details

Running time

20 minutes

Collection

Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

• Stock Footage