What could possibly draw these passengers' attention away from the ultra-modern interior design of the airplane in which they are zooming from Honolulu toward San Francisco?
Why, the World's Fair of 1939-1940 of course. Often eclipsed by the one held simultaneously in New York, the Golden Gate International Exhibition focused on the Pacific Rim- which makes Treasure Island the perfect location for a Charlie Chan movie.
Sadly, Chan doesn't stroll through the fairgrounds to give us a nice view of the meld of Art Deco and modernist delights. Only a few stock shots set the scene:
The lack of location photography is especially upsetting because virtually nothing remains from the Fair. The last image above features the 80 foot statue of Pacifica, designed by Ralph Stackpole, positioned in front of a sound sculpture of wind chimes. It was demolished along with most of the structures. Recently, an 8 foot replica was fashioned from Stackpole's original model. It now lives at San Francisco City College, near the Diego Rivera mural that was thankfully saved to be housed at the college.
At the Internet Archive, I found this amazing HOME MOVIE shot at the 1939-40 Golden Gate International Exhibition in San Francisco. The images captured are stunning - I wouldn't be surprised to find they were filmed by a professional cinematographer on vacation.
[A good source for research is the Internet Archive. Not just a repository for vintage ephemeral films, they also archive home movies of interest to those who appreciate past details of everyday life.]
Also, there's a more elaborate version of the Pacifica story HERE.
Charlie Chan at Treasure Island (1939)
directed by Norman Foster
5 comments:
Amazing! I had no idea this movie existed too. Never seen a single solitary Charlie Chan film.
This was my first Charlie Chan film. Its not bad for a B film. The actor playing the son was great as was Cesar Romero but it was still uncomfortable to watch a white guy cast as a Chinese.
There's another Chan set in San Francisco that's coming up soon on my playlist.
This is a terrific Chan film and, like you, I am saddened by the complete destruction of the fair leaving nothing extant on Treasure Island.
TCM does run one of the Fitzpatrick TravelTalks shorts showing some spectacular color footage. I've got a nice set of b/w postcards which are stunning.
From my office I can see Treasure Island and it is a daily reminder.
Just found your blog, wunderbar!
Thanks for the history on the statue of Pacifica. It was the first thing I shot in super-8mm and, had no idea about it's background.
RudyFan:
Welcome! I hear there are still a couple buildings left on Treasure Island - have you been?
Nice blog - I'll be back to visit.
APACHE CLEO:
Welcome!
I'm a huge fan of Super8 - any chance you'll post the Pacifica piece on your blog?
There are more World's Fair remnants at the College. I'll share anything remarkable I find.
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