“ SCHLEY RIDE TO NASSAU “ 1950s BAHAMAS TRAVELOGUE FILM NEW PROVIDENCE ISLAND Part 2 XD47774

Want to support this channel and help us preserve old films? Visit Visit our website Part 1: This travelogue film was made by Norman Schley, a filmmaker from Wisconsin who made many travelogues. This particular film dates to the late 1950s/early 1960s. The film takes the viewer to Nassau in Providence Island, the largest city and capital of the Bahamas. Nassau was historically considered a haven for pirates and British loyalists alike. This film shows an idyllic paradise full of blue water and bright flowers, with beautiful shots of tourists and locals. Features local musician “Blind Blake” playing Calypso music at The Royal Victoria Hotel. British flag waves among palm trees. The Bahama Police Force marches in white uniforms, one of them trips (00:13). Two boys walk to the entrance of The Royal Victoria Hotel. Film switches to black and white while the president of the hotel, Charles Freeman, introduces the organist, Dutch Holland (00:44). Dutch plays what he calls native tunes on the organ. A group of guests observe from lawn chairs. Film switches back to color with narration. Locals go about their business in Grants Town, a more bohemian part of the city (2:35). Horse drawn carts and people on bicycles go down the street. Shots of a grand pink house surrounded by flowers. Close ups of Bougainvillea. Small boats bob in the blue bay. Close up of a sign that says Bally Crystal House (4:01). Exterior shots of the luxurious home surrounded by tropical gardens and flowers. Employees in white tuxedos set up the terrace for lunch at the Royal Victoria Hotel. Men in suits play Calypso music for hotel guests (5:13). A woman introduces them as the Blake Calypso Band. The band is fronted by a man with his eyes closed playing banjo named Blake Alphonso Higgs, also known as “Blind Blake.” The woman introduces the next song as “Gin and Coconut Water” (6:06). She sits near the band and claps to the beat. British flag waves in the wind. A man and a boy walk into Fort Charlotte, a British colonial era military fort (7:14). They lean on a canon. Panoramic pan of the fort and ocean. Waves crash on a small white light house close to shore. Two people point to a U.S war ship sailing out of the harbor. Three young boys run up the Queens staircase towards the camera. Two men approach the camera and smile, one is holding bright tropical flowers. A man in a dapper suit walks to church with three little girls in matching dresses and purses (9:25). Horse drawn carriages move down the road. Pan of a white church. Men in small row boats go fishing. Long shot of the Bahamas Country club that zooms in. People relax under palm trees by crystal blue water. A couple runs down the beach hand in hand (11:23). A group of men take turns putting a ball. Close ups of their faces. Cars drive into Hobby Horse Hall for horse races (12:01). People gather around the track. The horses are being walked around in circles. The jockeys mount their horses. A crowd forms and the horse race begins. Hooves blow up dust (13:37). A group of men come together and sing acapella framed by lush tropical plants (14:07). A man tinkers with a camera on the ground, the other men lean in and sing. Two young women sit to the side and smile. One of the men introduces the group as The Society of Orpheus and Bacchus of Yale University (16:23). Aerial views from a plane of Nassau below, very blue ocean. The End. We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.“ This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit