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!
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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 3
1939NYWFAmateurfilm05.mpg
Available on DVD Only
Run time: 00:20:54 Audio/Visual: silent, color Quality # # # # #
Filetype: MPEG 2 Filesize: 514,9 MB
Amateur movie. The 1939-40 New York World Fair.
Shotlist
"This reel is not exhibits or buildings but some of the contributing interests grouped together. These consist of the Fair's Statues, Murals, flags and flowers and, more interesting to some, its human side; how the visitors eat, act, take pictures, parade and even sleep. At the end, the visit of the King and Queen will be shown."
Cars on the highway, old license plates from all over the country.
People walking from the subway entrance.
"To cover the enourmous distances, busses were a necessity." - views of the fair through bus windows.
"Parades and bands blared and strutted." - horse parade, band at the foot of the Washington statue.
Electrical Workers truck, more parade and band footage.
"Cameras on Parade." - people taking pictures.
"Murals by great artists."
- Hall of Pharmacy
- Electrical Products Building
- Medicine and Public Health
- Hall of Communications
- Academy of Sport mural and Leo Lentilli's statue 'Golden Sprays'
- unknown
- unknown (chemistry?)
- unknown (electricity?)
"The picturesque setting of the Pharmacy Mural."
"Statues and sculpturing by noted workers."
- Benjamin Hawkins' 'Samson and the Lion'
- unknown woman riding a bull
- plaque: Walt Whitman's 'Song of the Open Road'
- Jo Davidson's Walt Whitman statue
- Robert Foster's 'Textiles'
- Gunder Sveinsson's 'First White Mother In America'
- unknown mermaid fountain statue
- statue at France Overseas Pavilion
- unknown horse fountain statue
- Malvina Hoffman's 'Dances of the Races'
- more statuary in Perylon Court
- unknown statue of two figures with wings
- replica of 'Hermes and the Infant Dionysos' by Praxiteles
- statuary at the Soviet Pavilion
- unknown woman riding a bull again
- unknown relief
- unknown figure on an arc
- John Gregory's 'Four Victories of Peace'
- unknown figure on animal
- Chester Beach's 'Riders of the Elements'
- "Surrealism at Bowling Green" - Waylande Gregory's 'Fountain of the Atom'
"Flags and banners many." - also a streamlined 'fish-car' and the Corona Gate.
"What really made the Fair, the great American public." - lots of people shots.
1939NYWFAmateurfilm06.mpg
Available on DVD Only
Run time: 00:18:39 Audio/Visual: silent, color Quality # # # # #
Filetype: MPEG 2 Filesize: 564,1 MB
Amateur movie. The 1939-40 New York World Fair.
Shotlist
0:00 EXT "SON WORSHIPPERS" continued.
00:10 TITLE "Le Danse Barebareic"
00:49 EXT People walking around the Amusement Area, a family on a bench, Orange Crush counter, more people.
01:43 EXT Sun Valley exhibit, ice skating show, ski jump.
09:59 EXT Crystal Palace
10:06 INT Gay '90's style show with topless dancers.
11:17 EXT Parachute Drop ride, Life Savers ticket booth.
12:20 TITLE "Rubber necks on parade"
12:25 EXT People watching the Parachute Drop
14:00 EXT Victoria Falls exhibit, African drummers.
14:36 EXT Crystal Lassies girlie show marquee. (At 15:04, you can see the photographer in the upper left mirror. Hi, fella! Thanks for the movies!)
15:12 INT Crystal Lassies dancers. Poorly lit.
1939NYWFAmateurfilm07.mpg
Available on DVD Only
Run time: 00:17:14 Audio/Visual: silent, color Quality # # # # #
Filetype: MPEG 2 Filesize: 483,5 MB
Amateur movie. The 1939-40 New York World Fair.
Shotlist
Wild West Rodeo (marquee, barkers, band, horseback riders)
The Cuban Village (marquee paintings of dancers, stage show, Dance Sacrificio, "Dance Rurales", "Dance of the Wash Day", "La Conga", "Shooting the Mare", "Wow")
Archery
Glenn Gray band, women swing dancing together, Gray signing autographs
Washington Hall
Meteor Speedway, animated figure on marquee
RIDES
Laff in the Dark
Cyclone roller coaster
Giant 30' Monster
Shoot the Works (shooting gallery?)
RIDES
Dodgem (bumper cars)
Snapper (?) (teacups)
Spinning rocket ride
Windmill
Fountain Lake, view of Parachute jump
RIDE
Paddle Boats
Florida's Building
Night in the Amusement area
Various marquees at night (many of which were shown earlier in the daylight)
RIDE
Roll-O-Plane
More marquees at night
Aquacade
Fireworks
1939NYWFAmateurfilm08.mpg
Available on DVD Only
Run time: 00:17:37 Audio/Visual: silent, color Quality # # # # #
Filetype: MPEG 2 Filesize: 474,8 MB
Amateur movie. The 1939-40 New York World Fair.
Shotlist
This reel will take you to the Electrical Section, some of the Industrial and Food Buildings and the State Buildings."
World's Fair flag.
"The Administration Building."
Two men talking near US flag.
"The Fair's most prominent citizen, Grover Whalen."
Flags waving, Trylon & Perisphere in the background.
A nun.
A ticket line.
A shot of people's feet as they walk by.
A busy yellow and orange ramp.
Trylon & Perisphere from a distance.
"View from the Perisphere." Views down the mall.
"Along Constitution Mall."
Trylon & Perisphere, statues of George Washington and the Four Freedoms.
Close-up of Trylon, Perisphere, & Helicline.
The Astronomer statue.
Transportation for getting around at the Fair.
The Medicine and Health Building.
"The Plaza of Light."
The City Of Light presented by Consolidated Edison.
"The Forward March of America."
The Electric Utilities Building.
The US Steel and General Electric Buildings.
A Tesla Coil.
The General Electric Building.
"Dupont's Building."
The Westinghouse Building.
Inside Westinghouse: "Yesterday - A world without elecrtricity. Today - electrical freedom" mural, Electric kitchen display, other exhibits, giant robot.
"Containing a record of our present civilization, The Time Capsule is to be opened in 5000 years."
Petrolium Industry with US Steel in the foreground.
Petrolium Industry Building.
Equitable Life Building.
The Elgin Watches Building.
Statue in foreground, Carrier Building in background.
Interior shot of machinery and large, rotating globe.
US Steel from the Carrier Building.
"Along the Avenue of Labor."
Jump on page 4
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Last update: June-07-2009
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