17 minutes of Christmas on Hollywood Blvd., December, 1939
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• Video Link
The description reads: "Kodachrome 8mm footage shot the last week of December, 1939, in Hollywood."
Loved this film footage. I wish it could have been clearer and cleaned up, but am glad to see it.
It's random, jumping around at different places along the boulevard from Vine Street to the Chinese Theatre. In the opening footage you'll see the Hollywoodland sign in the hills. There's lots of walking along the street where the people don't seem to notice the camera at all. A good thing as it allows it all to feel natural. It's great people watching, seeing what everyone was wearing back in 1939. Every once in awhile there's a peek inside the store windows to see what they're selling. You'll see the old blade traffic lights working, P.E. Red Cars up and down the street, a couple cowboys, a sailor, a policeman and Santa Claus makes an appearance.
Paul Muni is playing in a movie at the Warners Theatre, but I couldn't make out what it was. The description above says this footage was shot the last week of December, but we visit the Chinese Theatre where the movie playing is Judge Hardy and Son with Lewis Stone and Mickey Rooney along with Nick Carter Private Detective starring Walter Pidgeon. That double bill played for one week only there from Wednesday, December 13 - through Tuesday, December 19, according to:
http://www.graumanschinese.org/1939.html
In 1939, the metal Christmas trees along the boulevard were of the white variety as though they'd been snowed on. The weather appears to have been on the warm side that year. The last 4 minutes of the footage is at night when they're lit up.
If anyone notices anything of interest we should look out for, please give a shout out!