1909 cable car video

[richg1998]

A seven-minute film shot from the front end of a San Francisco Market
Street cable car, showing everyday life -and urban street railroading-
as it was 100 years ago.
Traffic control?

Note the lack of any traffic controls whatsoever, or even any commonly-
agreed-upon rules of the road. Note also the old original Ferry
building at the east end of Market Street.

This film was shot only three years after the great San Francisco
earthquake.

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=08c_1259288206

Rich

[NKP guy]

    I love this old film but I think you are mistaken as to its date.  In fact, the film was shot within months before the 1906 earthquake and fire.  As Casey Stengel said, "You could look it up" about this film and its exact date.

    I guess I'd like to say that this film shows San Francisco as all of us who know her history like to think of her: the Golden West, the Golden Gate, and the Barbary Coast.  This is the old city that disappeared in fire, only to rise Phoenix-like within a few years to become again one of the great cities of the world. 

   Close viewing of this film reveals people looking intently at the camera since they likely never saw such a thing before.  The traffic, yes, is crazy; no wonder we need traffic laws and signals.  But the film also shows that the Ferry Building still catches the afternoon sun the same way and streetcars, if not cable cars, still make their way down the great avenue as people go about their business and lives. 

   It's precisely because this film was made before the fire that it achieves its maximum historical value and it is always a pleasure to view it.  May I suggest that anyone who enjoys this film will be thrilled by going to YouTube and looking for Jeanette MacDonald singing "San Francisco"?  For the film and the song are nearly one and the same; both bring tears to the eyes of those who love "Bagdad by the Bay" and enjoy riding the cable cars up and down her hills as they muse on her history. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

[richg1998]

The date was from another source for the video. Forgot to first check out the info I saw. I have since found out the video was made before the earthquake.

Rich

[Falcon48]

An additional factoid about this film (which I've seen).  There were no cable cars on Market Street after the earthquake.  The line was restored as an electric line.  There was a lot of political chicanery involved in this conversion, and I believe the mayor was evntually convicted for it.

[tree68]

I find it interesting that the cable car appears to continue moving down the street, despite what appear to be people waiting to board.  Perhaps they did so on the move?  At first I thought that perhaps they stopped the camera when the cable car stopped (to preserve film?), but the other objects in the frame don't seem to be interupted in their movements, so I don't think that's the case.

It also appears that people were very used to the measured pace of the cable cars, witness the numerous times people and vehicles crossed in front of the camera with little concern.

[Modelcar]

.....That is really an interesting film.  Lots of people going in all directions, crossing the street, etc....and not at intersections.  Horse & buggies....early autos {some with right hand drive}......street cars......cable car.....many making "U" turns right in front of other vehicles....and people walking right in front of many moving vehicles....Really an interesting film.  Surprisingly good quality film for it's age.

[Falcon48]

tree68

I find it interesting that the cable car appears to continue moving down the street, despite what appear to be people waiting to board.  Perhaps they did so on the move?  At first I thought that perhaps they stopped the camera when the cable car stopped (to preserve film?), but the other objects in the frame don't seem to be interupted in their movements, so I don't think that's the case.

It also appears that people were very used to the measured pace of the cable cars, witness the numerous times people and vehicles crossed in front of the camera with little concern.

My guess (which is only that) is that the reason the car wasn't stopping for passengers was because it was a special car being used only for the camera shoot.  Remember, movie camera rigs in those days were pretty massive affairs.  It's been awhile since I saw the film but, as I recall, it was pretty steady.  That suggests that the camera rig was somehow attached to the car.

[Zwingle]

Here's the complete footage, with a scene-by scene description:  

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/h?ammem/papr:@field%28NUMBER+@band%28lcmp003+01142s1%29%29

[Big90mack]

  that was a really cool video!

[blownout cylinder]

That is a neat movie---

I have a number of DVD's that were made from a series of 8mm reels that a minister made of a number of villages and towns that he either worked in or visited up here. There seemed to be all kinds of people doing these things back then all over the place. Now, many university or city/town libraries are now converting these recovered movies of these various places into DVD form and putting these DVD's out   so if any one of you have a hankering to view what your area might have looked like you might want to check that out--