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Late 1930S B&W Hawaii Home Movie U.S. Army Fort Shafter Waikiki Beach (Reel #10) 59424 (1931)

1931 · Short film · 10 min

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Synopsis

This untitled black-and-white home-style travelog film depicts the family vacation of an upper class family to Hawaii. The film likely dates to 1937 as the filmmaker sailed on the S.S. Matsonia from San Francisco to Honolulu, a former World War I troopship that returned to its prior commercial function with the Matson Navigation Company in 1937. This film is part of a larger series of films from the same trip that begins in the Grand Canyon and ends in Honolulu. While the filmmaker behind this film remains unknown, it appears his family came to visit other family members stationed at Fort Shafter and turned it into a vacation. More generally, the films offer interesting insights into the development of tourism in Hawaii which rapidly expanded during the 1920s and 30s. At this time there were a few hotels in Waikiki - the Royal Hawaiian, Moana Surfrider, and Halekulani Hotel - and Hawaiian music had peaked the interests of those on the "mainland" through popular radio shows such as Hawaii Calls. This particular installment features footage around Oahu taking the viewer along to Waikiki Beach and Fort Shafter where a formal review is taking place. Fort Shafter is the oldest military base on Oahu and has now been home to the senior Army headquarters in Hawaii for a century. Text page that reads “Formal Review at Ft. Shafter” overlaid silhouette of palm trees framing ocean, swimmers standing by the coastline (0:08). Formal processional: Army band carrying large brass instruments…

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Details

Running time
10 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

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