"West Virginia, the State Beautiful is organized as a series of scenic vignettes taken during an auto trip eastward on Route 60, known as the Midland Trail .... This route, first proposed by George Washington in 1783, had been upgraded for automobiles in the 1920s and is portrayed here as a source of civic pride. Rev. Snodgrass probably screened his 75-minute travel documentary for church and civic groups. The five excerpts included here begin with the start of the tour in the border town of Kenova, whose name is laid out in an intertitle (“KEN. O. VA.”) to drive home its derivation from the first letters of the states the town touches: Kentucky, Ohio, and (West) Virginia. In Huntington, Route 60 runs down busy Fifth Avenue and past the International Nickel Company, opened six years earlier and rightly labeled in the titles as the world’s largest nickel alloy plant. Farther east in the higher Appalachians are glimpses of sheer “LOVER’S LEAP” cliffs (before the Hawks Nest Dam was built in the 1930s) and lumber-industry trains geared for the steep hills. Rev. Snodgrass closes with a homemade sing-along slide for the state song, “The West Virginia Hills.”" —Scott Simmon
"'West Texas Panther Hunt,' by Tom D. Park of Tulsa, Okla., caused the averting of more than one pair of feminine eyes as the dogs closed in on the big cat, which cuffed them back and might have won freedom except for the man behind the gun behind the dogs" American Cinematographer, April, 1938, 173.
"West Texas by Alan E. Gadney of Sun Valley, Calif. Alan made this film while a student in the Department of Cinema, University of Southern California at Los Angeles, and it is a superb example of student work. The Logistics involved and problems encountered are hard to believe and yet the picture was made in California. This 55-minute 16mm film was awarded a Ten Best Medal, The Charles A. Kinsley Memorial Award, the Scenario Award and the Student Film Award" PSA Journal, Nov. 1970, 38.
"Lancashire's Fylde Coast resorts have year-round appeal, as we can see in this reel from the early 1930s. The seaside is not just for swimming and sandcastles; you can feed seagulls at Southport, or slide down sand dunes with your dog, or stroll across Blackpool's wide beaches on a cold day. And, at the time this film was shot, this coastline had many fine piers to enjoy, whatever the weather."(BFI Player)
"The praises of California's beautiful scenery, so often sung, rarely have been intoned as convincingly as in West Coast, by W. W. Champion. The high standard in the selection of scenes, to be noted first in the choice of shots around lovely Monterey Bay, in itself would make this picture exceptional. Added to that quality are artistic compositions and sequencing remarkable for its unstilted continuity. As the picture's subject shifts from the harbor to the town of Monterey and then down the coast to Carmel, the historical features of this section of California are brought out clearly, while the pleasures of country club and bathing beach add human interest. Smoothly and swiftly, by means of expertly executed transitional devices and fades, the story of life unfolds against a background that is colorful and charming." Movie Makers, Dec. 1938, 617.
A short excerpt of the film survives, showing a wedding celebration in Złaków Borowy, Poland. The film also circulated with the title, "Une Noce a la Campagne."
"Film record of a journey from Oxford to South West Wales and northwards through Wales, comprising shots of local beauty spots, visitor attractions and the activities of locals." (EAFA Database)
"... a view of the tourist side of the city through the eyes of Captain Vancouver, brought to life from the golden figure atop the legislature buildings." Captain Vancouver was played by Victoria entertainer Jerry Gosley. The process of shooting, editing and post-production is described in Margaret Sharcott's Daily Colonist article.
"Welcome San Francisco Movie Makers opens with a montage of classic San Francisco sights, setting the backdrop for the first meeting of the San Francisco Movie Makers Club. After an introduction of the club’s members and its activities, filmmaker Dr. Frank S. Zach, along with his wife Helga, proceeds to demonstrate the proper use of 8mm and 16mm cameras and film sound recording techniques. Shot, scripted, edited, hand titled and over dubbed with music by Dr. Zach, this film seeks to encourage, teach, and recruit image makers." centerforhomemovies.org
Total Pages: 299
Amateur Cinema