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Historical World Fairs: San Francisco (2-DVD Set)
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Witness the excitement of two mega events - the international fairs held in San Francisco in 1915 and 1939. See the splendor of California and discover why San Francisco was called the "Jewel City!"
This DVD set captures the hype and excitement of both these fairs in a graphic and memorable manner.
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Amazingly, just nine years after the devastating earthquake of 1906, San Francisco staged the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal. This was no small affair. Over 18 million visitors from around the world visited the fair. The engineering genius employed in converting a bay to the exposition grounds was laudable even by today's standards. The exposition boasted of several unique features, which included a five-acre replica of the Panama Canal. Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were among the notables who visited the fair. The city went on to host another fair in 1939, this time to celebrate the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge. This fair, aptly called the "Golden Gate International Exposition", was as magnificent and alluring as the one held in 1915.
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Panama-Pacific International Exposition
This film provides an exhaustive overview of the exposition and serves as a memorable record of the events. Dignitaries and their speeches, awards functions, ceremonial tree planting, and tributes to organizers are well documented. The movie also has some great shots of San Francisco by day and night which are worth watching. It is interesting to note that San Francisco was just as charming a place in 1915 as it is today.
Sponsor: N/A
Producer: N/A
Year: 1915
Length: 00:13:16
Audio: Silent
Color: BLACK & WHITE
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Opening of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
This film captures some golden moments of the gala opening of the exposition of 1915. It also has images of the events that were featured at the fair. These shots are of tremendous historical value since the entire exposition site was bulldozed a few months later.
Sponsor: N/A
Producer: N/A
Year: 1915
Length: 00:08:26
Audio: Silent
Color: COLOR
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Amateur Film: Golden Gate Bridge
This film, the work of an amateur cameraman, captures the beauty of California in color, as seen from the air and from ground level. It covers places of tourist interest. It also contains good footage of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the Golden Gate International Exposition of 1939 on Treasure Island. The panoramic view of San Francisco this film provides is interesting.
Sponsor: N/A
Producer: N/A
Year: 1939
Length: 00:30:04
Audio: Silent
Color: COLOR
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Dead Fair
This film, mostly in black and white, carries images of Treasure Island, in San Francisco Bay after the closure of the Golden Gate International Exposition. It has some historically significant pictures that one may wish to include in an album, as the places shown in these clips have changed over the years.
Sponsor: N/A
Producer: Telenews
Year: 1940
Length: 00:01:11
Audio: Mono
Color: BLACK & WHITE
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Farewell to Treasure Island
This film contains footage of the closing hours of the fair on Treasure Island and records the historic moment for posterity.
Sponsor: Hills Brothers Coffee, Inc.
Producer: Ken Allen
Year: 1940
Length: 00:02:53
Audio: Mono
Color: COLOR
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The Story of Jewel City
A lyrical presentation, which shows the city of San Francisco before and after the disastrous earthquake of 1906.
Sponsor: Panama-Pacific International Exposition
Producer: Exposition Players Corporation
Year: 1915
Length: 00:09:03
Audio: Mono
Color: BLACK & WHITE
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Treasure Island
The highlights of the opening of the fair on Treasure Island, San Francisco, are captured in this film. You will see shots of dignitaries as they enter, make speeches and leave. Occasionally, the cameraman scans the crowd and focuses on a few pretty faces.
Sponsor: California Commission, Department of Special Events
Producer: Howard (Arthur E.)
Year: 1939
Length: 00:09:57
Audio: Silent
Color: COLOR
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Amateur film: "Frisco Fair / Pacific Northwest"
The first half of this amateur film attempts to capture the beauty of America's western shoreline and the Redwood trees that abound in California. A few landmark buildings are also seen. The latter half shows scenes from the World's Fair held in San Francisco in 1939.
Sponsor: N/A
Producer: N/A
Year: 1939
Length: 00:17:05
Audio: Silent
Color: COLOR
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California: Golden Gate International Exposition
This film was made to promote the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition held in San Francisco, which marked the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge. It contains scenes of San Francisco city and the dedication ceremony of the bridge.
Sponsor: N/A
Producer: N/A
Year: 1939
Length: 00:07:45
Audio: Mono
Color: COLOR
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Panama Pacific International Exposition
This film takes a look at the 1915 World Fair. Good footage of the groundbreaking ceremony and good narration make the film quite interesting.
Sponsor: N/A
Producer: Vail (Frank W.)
Year: 1940
Length: 00:10:13
Audio: Mono
Color: BLACK & WHITE
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Running Time:
DVD One : 01:01:48
DVD Two : 00:57:02
 EDITORIAL REVIEW :
As a child, I was always fascinated by fairs. Unfortunately, some of the world's best expositions were held long before I was born. In this context, it was an exhilarating experience for me to view this rare compilation of films on two great events the city of San Francisco hosted - the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition and the Golden Gate International Exposition of 1939. Filmed on location, you get to see live footage of both the events.
Although amateurs shot some of the films, they carry sentiments and scenery, which a professionally made film may have overlooked. You will see a host of dignitaries that graced the opening ceremony at both the fairs. The films serve as a travelogue for the "Jewel City" San Francisco and the picturesque state of California and offer a visual feast of the events at the fairs. This DVD set bears testimony to the vision and amazing capabilities of the citizens of San Francisco at managing events. The inclusion of black and white footage adds to the nostalgia evoked by some of the clips on this DVD.
CUSTOMER'S REVIEWS :
"I was delighted to see San Francisco as it was almost a century ago. The city sure knew how to entice tourists then, and it knows how to do it now. The people of San Francisco - some of them may have been my ancestors - did know a thing or two about managing fairs didn't they? The DVDs were delightful and are now a part of my collection of a2zcds.com presentations."
Customer's Name : Joan Scholes (Portland, Oregon)
"The action in San Francisco never stops and the thrilling allurements of the great city are captured in great style and detail on these DVDs. The clips capture the heart and the soul of San Francisco as well as the unflagging spirit of the organizers of these mega events. I do not think any other set of DVDs carry the record of as many historical events as this one - the opening ceremony of two fairs and of the Golden Gate Bridge, along with the closing moments of the fair on Treasure Island. Putting all these films together on DVDs was truly a stroke of genius."
Customer's Name : Tommy Bankhead (Los Angeles, California)
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Historical World Fairs: San Francisco (2-DVD Set)
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General Packaging Description:
Our professionally - produced DVDs are shipped in retail Amaray style DVD cases just like you would find in a store. These beautifully packaged DVDs make great gifts and are themselves works of art. While we offer some of the best prices anywhere, we have never sacrificed quality for price.
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System requirements:
Computer: Pentium II, 300mhz, 64mb RAM, DVD-ROM, compatible video and sound card.
Player: NTSC compatible DVD player, standard TV.
Region: All players, irrespective of region
NOTE ON COMPATIBILITY: While our DVDs are designed for optimal playback for all home DVD players, it is possible that some older systems will have trouble playing our DVDs. Although rare, it is worth mentioning. If this occurs you will receive a full refund.
Given that some of these videos are extremely old and their original audio quality is not very good, we have tried to improve it to the best possible quality. However, due to their inherent quality problems, you might still have a few instances where the audio is of a slightly lower volume.
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