My father came across these colour 16mm films in 1993. He wrote that:
"These films were taken by persons unknown to me. I obtained these films from a chap at the office merely to use their reels to hold four 100' films of my own and then to destroy the film on them. However I decided to keep some of the films as they depicted life in Montreal, Toronto, Northern Ontario and New York City in the early 1940s. They are very interesting."
Given that my father lived his entire life in Toronto he was able to add so much valuable information to this film set there. He wrote:
"In this film, I will identify some of the buildings at the CNE, some of which have been subsequently demolished.
The film begins at the old Dufferin Gates which have been replaced by a modern arch. Note the old wooden Toronto Street Railway cars as well as the newer TTC trolleys as they were known at the time. Also note the style of clothing of the period.
There wasn't a Canadian flag, as we know today, and the British Union Jack was flown almost everywhere. The huge flag pole was transported by train all the way from British Columbia!
You can see the Government of Ontario Building which faces the waterfront.
Air Show - Yes, they had airplanes in those days, otherwise, I couldn't have joined the Air Force! And, boy, see them do loop-the-loops! What a difference from the Air Show today!
We now have a picture of a beautiful sunset.
The Gooderham Fountain is still there today and that was the place where you met your friends. The Gooderham Family of the Gooderham and Worts Distillery presented the fountain to the city. Gooderham and Worts are buried side by side in the St. James Cemetery!
There is the Bandshell which is still used today and was considered quite a modern structure in its day. It was constructed in the late thirties. Note the old cars, although we thought they were pretty modern in its day!
Note the Manufacturers Building which burned down but my father used to have an exhibit of pillows, comforters and the like made by the Toronto Feather and Down Company of which he was the President. As kids we used to stash away our coats and goodies picked up at the various displays at the exhibits, especially from the Food Building.
There were speed-boat races on the Waterfront in the calm waters between the breakwater and the shore. This particular boat looks the same as Harold Wilson's "Miss Canada" but this one is called "Eaglet" from the USA.
Now are seen the many sailboats, just as today at sundown.
There were diving contests into a small pool, swimming acrobatics, clown and a pole diver.
Army manoeuvres were common in front of the present Coliseum which can be seen in the background and just south of the present Midway.
Now we go north to the Midway. Note the clothes on the boys and girls and, in spite of the warm weather, ties were worn! The rides look pretty ancient and lacked the thrill of our present day rides, although the Roller Coaster was thrilling, especially when I sat backwards in the front seat to view the faces of the other thrill-seekers of the day.
The Dude-Ranchers and Motor-cyclists were normal fare but since I have not attended the Ex for years, I don't know whether they are there or not.
The Air Force Cadets made their appearance as WWII was about to be declared and I joined the Air Force in December 1940 and departed for England and arrived there on Christmas Day, 1940.
The Indians were recognized and performed their rituals and war-dances.
Views were taken of the British Section, the International Building and scenes around the fountain.
There was the old Engineering Building which had an open court with columns and fountains in the centre of it, then the name was changed to the Electrical Building which is shown at the left of the Princes' Gates.
The scene returns to the Bandshell and across from it, the gardens in front of the Flower Building which still stands.
The race track was south of the Coliseum and note that, in the 1939 Dodges and Plymouths, they wore no seatbelts!
I believe the next scenes of the motorcycles and car antics were taken in the Exhibition Stadium which was much smaller 50 years ago.
We are treated to a view of the Midway which was pretty corny those days but we enjoyed it just the same, especially when the rides cost only 10 cents or so! This was taken from the Ferris Wheel.
And finally the gardens and individual flowers which are nice in colour.
Arthur D. Blachford November, 1993."
21 сен 2024
