“ SCHLEY RIDE THRU FLORIDA “ 1950s TRAVELOGUE ST. AUGUSTINE, MIAMI & BASEBALL IN PALM BEACH XD51114
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This color travelogue film was shot by Wisconsin filmmaker Norman Schley in March sometime during the 1950s and offers a first-hand account of Schley’s road trip around Florida’s coastal cities, including Major League Baseball Spring Training in Palm Beach, and then some cities in Alabama. A skilled filmmaker from Wisconsin, Schley made a series of amateur films under the moniker “Schley Ride“ and/or “Picturelogue.“ Some of his films aired on television, while others were shown in front of live audiences. This particular account takes viewers along to explore the sights and wonders of major cities in Florida like St. Augustine, Palm Beach, Miami, and Tallahassee amongst others. While many of Schley Ride films are silent, this film is fully narrated by Norman Schley (and his wife) who offers more details and historical background on the site he is visiting.
Title page, “Jingle Bells” plays (0:18). March calendar page (0:48). Barren, snow-covered forest in Wisconsin (0:57). Map of the United States: Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida (1:31). Palm-tree lined street of St. Augustine, Spanish-colonial style buildings (2:12). Juan Ponce de León Statue (2:35). Various angles of Spanish Renaissance Fortification, Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (3:11). Bridge of Lions drawbridge in distance (4:07). 18th century Old City Gates of St. Augustine, tourist horse-drawn carriage rides through (4:41). Grounds of Dr. Garnett’s Orange Grove (5:01). Grounds of Kirkside Estate, home of Henry Flagler (5:28). Sites built by Flagler: Memorial Presbyterian Church (5:48). Ponce de León Hotel (6:20). Hotel grounds: Andalusian-style gardens and craftsmanship (6:56). González-Álvarez House, oldest house in the United States, American, Confederate, and British flags wave side by side (7:23). Lion sculptures on Bridge of Lions (7:37). Map of Florida: St. Augustine, Daytona Beach, Fort Pierce, Palm Beach (8:02). Captain Dimick statue at east end of Royal Park Bridge (8:20). Sailfish Sport Fishing Fleet at marina (8:36). Exterior of Wright Field Spring Training Camp Philadelphia Athletics complex (8:45). Interior of complex: players do throwing and batting exercises (9:09). Coach gives feedback to gathered group of players (11:35). Close-up of hibiscus flower (12:00). Sunrise Easter services, outdoor service crowd of people gathered around band shell (12:21). Body surfers ride waves (13:49). Dignified Australian Pine Trees line Wells Road, beginning of Billionaire’s Row (14:18). Estate of railroad magnate Robert A. Young and wife (14:48). Hotel Palm Beach Plaza (15:23). Testa’s Restaurant on Royal Poinciana Way (16:04). Lake Worth Regatta: motorboats race each other (16:46). Miami: Atlantic Towers, Collins Avenue Miami Beach (17:49). Map of Florida: pointer traces Tamiami Trail (18:05). Tree-lined Tamiami Trail (18:16). Grass-roofed huts of Seminole Indian Villages along Tamiami Trail (18:45). Two young Indian children approach Schley (19:13). Close-up of water hyacinth (19:45). Punta Gorda Charlotte Harbor (20:15). Mikey Gillard, swimming instructor, dives off diving board into public pool (20:36). Bustling downtown street of St. Petersburg, perhaps retro 1950s BMW (21:44). Old-style boat pulls into Tarpon Straits Marina (22:22). Green, lush Ringo Spring (22:56). Submarine ride, explore the bottom of Rainbow Springs, narrator makes sure to emphasize “colored guide” giving explanation (24:08). Tall green underwater vegetation, schools of fish (24:11). Horseshoe Cave (25:40). Tallahassee State Capitol Building (26:15). Apalachicola Beach, Gulf of Mexico; Bing Crosby “Apalachicola F-L-A” song plays (26:42). Bellingrath Gardens just outside Mobile Alabama: fountains, rose garden (27:48). Edgewater Golf Resort Alabama (28:37). Young men at swimming pool, man dives and does flips from high board (28:48). Crowd claps during game of shuffleboard (29:46). Golfer sets up ball for swing (30:01). Map of the United States: tracing journey back to Wisconsin (30:35). Snow-covered grounds and gate to Merrill Hills Country Club (30:45).
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