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[video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiU24umiArc [/video]
Thanks for sharing - delightful!
Thanks so much for finding this. Incredible to see the beauty of Magens Bay without the development.
From the notes:
"A 1930s review of this film mentioned that the "sequence involving the mixing of the swizzle (around 9 minutes) may be objectionable but on the whole the film prethe tourists' point of view" -- a reference to the fact that the film was made during the Prohibition era."
I have a collection of the lovely brass coal tallies (dated 1920) which are mentioned in the film. I laboriously clean and polish them by hand and mount them in bezels on vintage brass chains to be worn as pendants. They're a beautiful reminder of island history!
I wonder what ship is in the beginning. It sort of looks like, but I doubt is the Queen Mary (click).
No, not the Queen Mary - the Cunard stacks are red. The former dockmaster at WICO, John Battles, would have known (and if not would have known where to look) but the rascal left the earthly world a few years ago. It's an interesting hunt - three funnels and all the cruise lines were recognizable by their distinctively painted stacks and stripes. I'll keep looking!
It's hard to believe that so much is recognizable still after almost 80 years.
At 5:16 http://youtu.be/FiU24umiArc?t=5m16s it shows the area where the airport would eventually be. When they talk about airplanes here, I'm not sure what they mean by "giant airliners".
This link includes a history of the St Thomas airport. The reference to "giant airliners" in context of the era would be anything larger than what we refer to today as the small passenger "puddle jumpers":
Some circe ~1989 footage of the STT airport:
[video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHZneTfUrY0 [/video]
I really miss that funky Caribbean airport which had SO much character!
The only movie I have seen really capture STT was "Weekend at Bernie's II" filmed late '92 or early '93.
The ride down the hill in the x-horse-but-run-by-Bernie cart that goes down by the old Bryan's Bar where I spent soooo many nights playing pool is my favorite scene. It is really too bad that the hotel they filmed it at has been derelict, after only like eight years of use from when it was built.
The movie is terrible, but can be funny at times. I would suggest watching it, just once.
Edit: the underwater scenes are absolutely awful. They filmed that all on a murky day. Also, from what I understand, Armando Jenkins (sp?) did the underwater Bernie scenes as he is an awesome local renown diver and looks just like Terry Kiser.
Also, I think all the "Moboo" architecture was film in Botany Bay.
John wrote: ... It is really too bad that the hotel they filmed it at has been derelict, after only like eight years of use from when it was built.
Way more than 8 years! It's now in the final stages of renovation and redevelopment as a Wyndham Margaritaville resort, scheduled for opening this summer.
here at 2:36 http://youtu.be/-wZTL0qIhTc?t=2m36s there is an Oct. '98 USVI commercial. I wonder what wreck she dives on.
Newer but somewhat redundant video (it's much longer) of the 1936 film:
[video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9QtL1d1XDc [/video]
Edit: at 8 something he talks about Bluebeards. Bluebeard never existed.
Edit Edit: seems the second half is about Nassau.
Bert Kilbride was a great diver here is a video about his life:
[video] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi2ATEcZZmk [/video]
