1953-1955 circa: [Chicago, Picnics, etc.]
Identifier
F.2023-09-0005
Date Of Production
circa 1953 – 1955
Abstract
Home movie shot by Frank Miyamoto, featuring picnics and other family recreation in the Chicago area around 1953-1955.
Description
The film begins with color footage shot around 1953. After brief shots of trains and cars in Chicago, Frank's camera turns to a multi-family gathering in a natural setting, where people fish and picnic. This is followed by neighborhood scenes; an autumn drive to Dam No. 1 Forest Preserve with Frank's sister Anna Marie Nakamura and her children Gail, Claire and Guy; a brief visit to the Museum of Science and Industry and Midway Airport with Frank's cousin Sam Mihara, who was visiting from California; the family grilling hot dogs in a park; Gail and Claire playing in the snow; and Frank's brother-in-law Mark Nakamura and uncle Tokinobu Mihara helping Guy learn to walk.
The footage then switches to black-and-white, capturing a multi-family picnic at a Chicago beach. Anna Marie and Mark feed Guy while another group plays cards in the sand. Next, on what seems to be a different day, a group fishes in Lake Michigan. On a colder day, the kids of Hampden Court hold hands and walk across a beach while the adults start a fire in a pit. Gail waves a Coca-Cola bottle towards the camera and another girl digs a hole in the sand.
The film then switches back to color, first showing a group of girls floating in inner-tubes on a small lake. The footage then returns to a Chicago beach, where a large group picnics, lounges in the sand, and celebrates a girl's birthday with a cake.
The film ends with color footage shot in 1955. The Nakamura kids play in a kiddie pool in a backyard, then Guy rides a tricycle towards the camera. At the end of the reel, Mark (holding baby Kathy), Anna Marie, Tokinobu, Guy, Claire, and Gail pose for a family shot while donning formal wear. They are standing in front of their new apartment on Diversey Pkwy in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.
The footage then switches to black-and-white, capturing a multi-family picnic at a Chicago beach. Anna Marie and Mark feed Guy while another group plays cards in the sand. Next, on what seems to be a different day, a group fishes in Lake Michigan. On a colder day, the kids of Hampden Court hold hands and walk across a beach while the adults start a fire in a pit. Gail waves a Coca-Cola bottle towards the camera and another girl digs a hole in the sand.
The film then switches back to color, first showing a group of girls floating in inner-tubes on a small lake. The footage then returns to a Chicago beach, where a large group picnics, lounges in the sand, and celebrates a girl's birthday with a cake.
The film ends with color footage shot in 1955. The Nakamura kids play in a kiddie pool in a backyard, then Guy rides a tricycle towards the camera. At the end of the reel, Mark (holding baby Kathy), Anna Marie, Tokinobu, Guy, Claire, and Gail pose for a family shot while donning formal wear. They are standing in front of their new apartment on Diversey Pkwy in the Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago.
Run Time
35 min 26 sec
Format
8mm
Extent
423 feet
Color
color and B&W
Sound
Silent
Reel/Tape Number
1/1
Has Been Digitized?
Yes
Element
Reversal Positives
Form
Subject
Related Collections
Related Places
Main Credits
Miyamoto, Frank (is filmmaker)
Participants And Performers
Nakamura, Anna Marie (is participant)
Nakamura, Mark (is participant)
Nakamura Radzevich, Gail (is participant)
Nakamura, Guy (is participant)
Rees, Claire (Nakamura) (is participant)
Miyamoto, Yoshie (is participant)
Mihara, Sam (is participant)
Nakamura, Kathy (is participant)
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