Italian VersionWelcome to Tomorrow!
The 1939-40 New York World's Fair was considered a major cultural event even before the first truckload of steel was delivered to Flushing Meadows. Since the fair contains so many deeply embedded ideas and narratives, a true tour of The World of Tomorrow begins with the story of its design and planning, the virtual place in which those ideas were formed. No event exists completely in a vacuum; the history of the fair's development contextualizes the exposition, and the fair itself illuminates the times and people who created it. The virtual tour offered by the movies of the Collection is also an occasion to watch the reactions of the American public to the fair, and a key to understand its legacy.
In April of 1939 the New York World's Fair, "Building The World of Tomorrow," opened on what was once a marshy wasteland in Flushing Meadows, just east of the great metropolis. From its inception to its closing ceremonies, the Fair promoted one of the last great metanarratives of the Machine Age: the unqualified belief in science and technology as a means to economic prosperity and personal freedom. Wedged between the greatest economic disaster in America and the growing international tension that would result in World War II, The World of Tomorrow was a much-needed antidote to the depression and confusion of the times. It provided the one saving grace which all of America needed: it provided hope.
Of course that hope was not to come without some cost, and counted among the limitations of The World of Tomorrow were its emphasis on product consumption and a hegemonic notion of the ideal American citizen. The Fair's established theme was one of international cooperation, but its true emphasis was on the "new-ness" of ideas, forms, and especially consumer products. Like all things new, it was immensely exciting and at times naive. However, in the words of Nathaniel Hawthorne, the "moonlight of romance" which surrounded the Fair inevitably gave way, and in two summers it ran its course, closing in 1940. Nevertheless, its cultural legacy has lasted well into the late twentieth century and has helped shape and define the commercial, cultural, and political climate of post-World War II America and the world. In a sense, we have lived through The World of Tomorrow, and the Fair has kept many of its promises, for better or for worse.
Part ideological construct, part trade show, part League of Nations, part amusement park, and part Utopian community, the Fair promoted its message of hope and prosperity with icons, symbols, exhibitions, and demonstrations. It was a literal laboratory for a group of industrial designers who considered themselves both artists and social theorists, and from the plan of the Fair's site to many of its prominent buildings, the Fair's primary stylistic vocabulary was that of the streamlined and Modern design which they helped establish. Nowhere was that design more apparent than in the Trylon and Perisphere, a 700-foot spire and an orb as wide as a city block, created to be the exposition's focal point. The Trylon and Perisphere remain forever linked with The World of Tomorrow; both loom as profound and problematic icons on the landscape of American culture.
The World of Tomorrow was a search for a useable Future (with a capital "F"), and while it added fuel to the fire of the American cultures of consumption and exclusion, it also provided a tangible vision of hope and prosperity in the face of uncertainty and confusion.
Welcome to the 1939 New York World's Fair! Welcome to Tomorrow!
We created a small video with a low-res compilation of sequences from the movies belonging to this Collection.
Click HERE to watch this video on YouTube
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Welcome to Tomorrow!
A Collection of amateur movies, industrial documentaries and newsreels filmed at the 1939-40 New York World's Fair.
We do provide duplicates of the multimedial files of the Collection on a customized DVD-ROM on a (1) cost-recovery basis.
Almost all the digital copies of the films are good quality Hi-Res editable videos.
All the videos in this Collection are available in different format, size and definition. We can suggest you the right one for the use you have in mind.
PRIVATE USE: home TV vision (DVD-Divx player), PC, iPod.
WE LICENSE FOOTAGE from our Collections for: multimedial creations on CD or DVD, TV commercials, film or TV programs, documentary Productions, web sites, marketing/ad campaigns, video email, electronic kiosks, trade shows, business seminars, cultural events, museums, expositions... and more.
Hi-Res videos from our Collections are available on DVD, CD or directly in your inbox. Clips and movies can also be downloaded from our servers using a PW or uploaded by us to your FTP.
WE ARE JUST WAITING FOR YOUR INQUIRES!!!
(1) It is possible to obtain digital duplicates of the multimedial files from this collection for research, teaching, general interest user information, and private study purposes. The fees charged for these files are on a cost-recovery basis. The size, run-time, quality, and detailed informations regarding any multimedial file are indicated in the following list.
The files are available on a customized DVD-ROM.
Billing is done when the order is fulfilled. Payment instructions will follow. Normal turn around time for requests is 3 weeks. Rush (2-3 business days) is available for an additional fee of 40 Euros.
To know the fees applied for these files please contact Vincent Romano.
The multimedial files of the Collections are compatible with the free version of the most common players: Quicktime Player, Real Player, Windows Media Player.
Mac users can easily view MPEG 1, MPEG 2, MPEG 4, and Divx movies in MacOSX with the free version of this program: VLC Media Player.
All the material in the Romano-Archives Collections is in the public domain and has no copyright attached to it. Only exception are original articles or texts published on this Website and the Romano-Archives' original compilations on CDs or DVDs that are subject to copyright.
Material of the Romano-Archives Collections is made available solely for historical research and educational purposes only. Any trademarks appearing on the material are the sole property of the registered owners. No endorsement by the trademark owners is to be construed, nor was any sought. The products, brand names, characters, related slogans and indicia are or may be claimed as trademarks of their respective owners.
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Page 2
1939NYWFAmateurfilm.mpg
Available on DVD Only
Run time: 00:20:20 Audio/Visual: silent, color Quality # # # # #
Filetype: MPEG 2 Filesize: 557,1 MB
Amateur movie. The 1939-40 New York World Fair.
Shotlist
(All shots are exterior unless noted.)
Tram ride to "Amusement"
Crossing Fountain Lake, POV Ferry
Sideshow banner (?) of Fat Lady
Amusement Area from Northerly End
Barker for Guili Guili King of Magic Show
"Walk on Air at the Fair, Foot Massage 10 cents"
Hollywood Doubles
Baby Incubators
Zoological Wonders
"Pic" Panda
Time-Space
Clown cop with little girl, tour bus in bkg
Enchanted Forest, barker in sombrero
Optical illusion -- 6-inch-tall-dancer
Glass Blowers of the World
Little Miracle Town -- (little people, scale houses, stage show)
Macy's Toyland -- toy soldiers at entrance
Hobby Lobby
Children's World (carousel, organ grinder w/ monkey, swan boat ride, Eli (?) ferris wheel, car roundabout, dogsled on wheels and eskimo village, playground)
Arizona Cliff Dwellers
"Hot Mikido"
INTERIOR Bill Robinson's stage show (dancing)
Billy Rose's Aquacade (swimming and diving show)
1939NYWFAmateurfilm02.mpg
Available on DVD Only
Run time: 00:20:57 Audio/Visual: silent, color Quality # # # # #
Filetype: MPEG 2 Filesize: 565,1 MB
Amateur movie. The 1939-40 New York World Fair.
Shotlist
(Continuing the Amusement Zone)
Aquacade (swimming and diving show, Johnny Wiesmuller, slo-mo diving shots, chorus lines)
Merrie England (Bicycle show, bagpipers)
George Jessel's Old New York
Mechanical hoochie-coochie dancers!
Sideshow banners.
1939NYWFAmateurfilm03.mpg
Available on DVD Only
Run time: 00:19:34 Audio/Visual: silent, color Quality # # # # #
Filetype: MPEG 2 Filesize: 534,8 MB
Amateur movie. The 1939-40 New York World Fair.
Shotlist
(All scenes are exterior unless noted)
Outdoor stage show (dancing girls, little person versus strongman, overweight dancers, flapper and keystone cops, juggler, balancing act, can-can)
Giant revolving cash register (gave fair attendence)
Barker for "Jack Sheridan's Magazine Covers", woman on marquee
Interior, topless women posing as magazine covers
Artists' Village marquee
RIDES
Silver Streak ride
Some sort of observation crane ride, views of midway
Frank Buck, "Bring Em Back Alive" exhibit
African drummers
Man riding on elephant head
Chimp in sailor hat, smoking
Crowd shots
Artificial mountain
Monkey w/ balloon
Camel ride
"Nature's Mistakes" sideshow marquee
RIDE
Water-Bugs (bumper boats)
Sideshow, "Chester Hale's Extase", barker
Interior, topless Salome dance
Fountain Lake at Night, fireworks
1939NYWFAmateurfilm04.mpg
Available on DVD Only
Run time: 00:18:28 Audio/Visual: silent, color Quality # # # # #
Filetype: MPEG 2 Filesize: 500,5 MB
Amateur movie. The 1939-40 New York World Fair.
Shotlist
00:00 TITLE "This reel will take us around the Main Loop Section in the Amusement Area."
00:08 EXT Giant on top of midway building, pan down to crowd walking
00:17 EXT Japanese barker, small crowd
00:40 EXT Japanese pavilion
DREAM OF VENUS:
00:40 EXT Salvador Dali's "Dream of Venus" walk-thru
00:40 EXT Fish-shaped ticket booth at "Dream of Venus"
01:00 EXT Woman standing on "Dream of Venus" marquee, waving to customers
01:11 EXT More distant shot of previous, showing marquee detail
01:15 TITLE "Dali's surrealistic swim suits opened new vistas."
01:22 INT Topless woman swiming in aquarium.
02:44 INT Woman, arms and shoulders sticking out of crater, plays with hair. Kaleidoscope arrangement of mirrors.
SIDESHOWS:
03:21 EXT "Strange As It Seems" barker.
03:37 EXT "Seminole Village" barker.
03:44 EXT Seminole Village crowd, pan to follow three teenage girls.
03:52 EXT "ALIVE - OLGA THE HEADLESS GIRL - HOW LONG CAN SHE LIVE?" Barker.
04:09 INT Olga the Headless Girl.
04:31 EXT "Frozen Alive - Death Defying Feat". Barker, women in swimsuits.
04:49 INT Frozen Alive show
PENGUINS:
06:02 EXT "ADMIRAL BYRD'S PENGUIN ISLAND" Barker, huskie.
06:35 INT Penguin Island, feeding
SIDESHOW:
08:42 EXT "Dugongs". Barker in safari suit and pith helmet. African drummers and "Witch Doctor".
09:12 EXT Dugongs. "Witch Doctor" apparently revives dead man.
RIDES
10:22 EXT Children getting on unidentified ride -- Tumble-Bug?
10:30 EXT Two bored-looking boys sitting on a bench.
10:34 EXT Two very bored-looking Boy Scouts sitting on a bench.
10:39 EXT Crowd shot, camera follows woman in colorful dress, sunbonnet.
10:43 EXT Child watches roller coaster go up lift hill.
10:48 EXT Miniature automobiles on oval track.
11:00 EXT Strato-Plane. Rocketship looping ride with counterbalance.
11:12 EXT Animated "LAFF LAND" sign. Mr. Punch and two skeletons do an undulating dance.
11:16 EXT Different miniature automobiles. Track rotates to increase cars' speed.
SIDESHOW:
11:27 EXT Long shot of "Savoy" building, crowds walking.
11:40, motorized touring chair enters from left.
11:45 EXT Closer shot of Savoy facade, motorized dancing figures.
11:57 EXT Savoy show. Jazz band, jitterbugging dancers.
12:41 TITLE "The Drinking Crowd."
12:47 EXT People at drinking fountains.
13:27 EXT "Famous Chicken Inn"
13:38 EXT "NTC Congress of Beauty" marquee, crowd walking past.
13:49 TITLE "The visitors were more interesting than some of the attractions."
13:52 EXT Crowd scenes.
14:46 EXT Motorized touring chair approaches camera, three passengers, driver in back wearing pith helmet.
14:32 EXT More crowd shots.
14:45 EXT "NTC Congress of Beauty" sign.
14:48 EXT "NTC Congress of Beauty" marquee, barker.
TOPLESS WOMEN:
15:08 TITLE "These Ladies are Called SON WORSHIPPERS."
15:14 EXT Various shots of women in transparent bras outdoors -- playing cards, sunning.
18:27 TITLE "They like jacks."
18:31 EXT Women playing jacks, etc.
Jump on page 3
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Last update: June-07-2009
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