[Bath Movie Queen]

Datecirca 1935

AbstractOpening title: "Extra! Extra! Movie Queen returns home!" Children, adults, and two uniformed groups, officers and boy scouts, stand on the railroad station platform awaiting the arrival of the train with the movie queen. An informal parade proceeds from the station through town with camera views from a vehicle and a glimpse of a megaphone on the vehicle announcing the movie queen. Views of the area businesses edited together with intertitles and scenes relating to a comedy kidnapping, including a trick shot of many men emerging from the back seat of a car. The kidnapping consists of men throwing a sheet with a stout rope over women and bringing them to the female ringleader, who sends them out to find the correct victim.

Viewing NotesIntertitle: ‘Agfa 1935’, ‘Good News’. Intertitle: ‘Extra Extra! Movie Queen returns home.’ Panning shot of a train depot. People gathered near the train tracks. Close up of men and women gathered around cars. Men in military uniform lined up. A crowd of people, including boy scouts in uniform. A train pulls up to the station. Close up of a woman, the ‘Movie Queen’, disembarking the train. A man hands her a bouquet. Close ups of various people in the crowd. Panning shot of the crowd. The woman gets into the car. Camera follows a man in a white fedora. The car drives away with the woman and a man seated in the back. They are followed by a parade of cars, men in uniform, boy scouts, fire engines and trucks. Shots of people gathered in front of stores, seen from one of the cars in the parade. Intertitle: ‘Movie Queen greets old friends who congratulate her.’ Shot of a sign on a building ‘P.M.01.M KENNEBEC GREENHOUSES.’ Shot of gardens. A man backing up a car with ‘P.M/ Olm, Florist, Bath, ME’ written on it. The movie queen greeting greenhouse staff. Close up of the side of the car: ‘P.M. Olm, Florist, Bath, ME.’ Shot of the building with the sign: ‘Craft’s Battery Service,’ with a banner underneath reading: ‘Good Year G3, Evidence rolls in 43% MORE NON-SKID.’ Shot of ‘Socony’ gas pumps. Movie queen shaking a man’s hand. Cut to a man working on a car up on a jack. Shot of a console labeled ‘The Willard Electrical Check System.’ Panning shot of garage staff. Intertitle: ‘“Meanwhile Slarbo, jealous, brings public enemies to town.”’ Shot of a car approaching through the town streets. A woman and a line of (an improbable amount) of men get out of the car. Intertitle: ‘Kidnap her and she will confess her identity.’ A woman speaks to the group of men. Intertitle: ‘“The Leader. Public Enemy No. 999”’ A man in a fedora addressing the group. Cut to a close up of a sign: ‘Colonial Café.’ A neon sign hanging in a window, ‘Restaurant, Croft Ale.’ Two men come out of the restaurant to shake hands with a girl. Storefront with the sign: ‘OLYMBIA SPA.’ A man comes out of the spa and hands a box to the movie queen. Panning shot of a building façade: ‘Bath Savings Institution.’ The movie queen entering the bank. Shots of a crowd of adults and children. Two of the ‘public enemies’ approach the group with a person tied up in a sheet. They take the sheet off to reveal the girl. Cut to the front of a bank with: ‘First National Bank of Bath’ written on the windows. A person from the bank greets the movie queen. Cut back to the group of public enemies, where another person is brought forward in a sheet, and revealed to be, again, the wrong girl. Close up of a sign for: ‘JAMES A. CLAPPRISON INC., GAS, RANGE AND FUEL OILS.’ A truck pulls up with ‘J.A. CLAPPISON, PETROLEUM’ written on the door. Shot of an oil tank. Close up of the sign:’ J.A. CLAPPISON, PETROLEUM, TEL. 89 PRODUCTS BATH ME.’ Cut to the side of a truck with ‘TYDOL OILS’ written on it. Men filling the oil tank from the truck. Panning shot of several oil tanks. Shot of the Carlton Bridge (US Route 1, over the Kennebec River) Shot of the Custom House. Close up of a window sign: ‘WESTERN UNION, Don’t write, TELEGRAPH!’ Shot of a different sign: ‘BUSINESS, STOPS...READS…ACTS, WHEN IT GETS A TELEGRAM, Western Union, Everywhere.’ Close up of people in front of the Western Union building. View up Center St. to Bath City Hall. Storefront with the sign:’ A. HALLET & CO.’ Two men walk into the store and come out with lollipops. A man in uniform waves at the camera. Storefront with the sign: ‘SENTER’S, INC.’ followed by shots of items on display and a window with ‘SENTER’S INC, Dry Goods, Garments.’ written on it. Shots of clothing in the store window. Close up of a hat with the advertisement ‘The Cruiser.’ A group of men and women in front of the store. The ‘OAKHURST DAIRY CO.’ building. Shots of displays in the store. Panning shot of the ‘Oakhurst and Cushman’s Pasteurized Dairy Products’ delivery trucks. Shot of Oakhurst staff. Shots of the building and trucks. Milkmen making deliveries. Cut to the ‘JAMES A. CLAPPRISON INC.’ building. Shot of a banner: ‘GET MORE FOR YOU MONEY, TOP-CYLINDER OIL IN EVERY GALLON, BUY TYDOL.’ Shot of gas pumps. Close up of a sign: ‘New York Café.’ Panning shot of the café windows, with staff seen on the other side. Various shots of the rooftops of the town, including the First Baptist Church and the steeple of the Winter Street Church. Shot of the river and bridge. Shot of a storefront with the sing ‘HARDWARE, C.W. ROGERS, KITCHENWARE.’ Shot of store staff. Shots of a church. A group of young women, two of whom where ‘kidnapped’. Shots of streets and buildings. A man greeting the movie queen. A man filling up his car at the gas pump. Shot of Plant’s Garage.’ Close up of a window with the sign: ‘Chevrolet Super Service.’ The movie queen greeting people at the garage. Sign: ‘Chevrolet, Genuine Parts & Accessories.’ Sign on a storefront: ‘Garage Chevrolet Service.’ A man holds up a can of ‘Veedol.’ Cut to a man with a horse and cart. Shot of a fire engine. Close up of a sign for and the storefront of ‘The Bath Daily Times.’ Shots of a crowd of people gathered on the street. The movie queen greets a man outside the Bath Daily Times building. A sign in the background lists headlines, including: ‘-Arriving at Brussels for Funeral of Queen – Four Girls Lost While on Mountain Near Bretton Woods, NH Found Alive and Well – Old Cruiser Chica[go] Built for U.S. Navy Going to Scrap Heap.’ (The USS Chicago was renamed the Alton in 1928. It sank in the Pacific in 1936) A car pulls up, two men wrap a sheet around the movie queen and drag her into the car. The movie queen is revealed to the group of public enemies. Intertitle: ‘“Ha! Ha! Proud beauty, you are in my power.”’ A man rushes into the group and starts punching people. The public enemies are defeated and the movie queen poses dramatically before hugging the man. Intertitle: ‘Hail, the Movie Queen! Give her a hand.’ Cut to another girl getting tied up and dragged into a car. Road sign: ‘B.I.W Clambake.’ A series of foot races and close ups of the competitors and spectators. A booth decorated with a chicken and an American flag. A man hands out cooked lobsters to a line of people. People shovel out cooks clams. People sitting on the grass eating. A marching band. A group of men. A man stands and addresses the crowd. Close up of a girl. Shots of cars on the street, including ‘Shaw’s Bookstore.’ Close up of a storefront with the sign: MARK A. JACKSON. A different girl getting kidnapped. Intertitle: ‘Movie Queen visits school children.’ Shot of school children waving from steps. The movie queen sitting in a car. A cart full of vegetables. People on the street. Intertitle: ‘Patronize your Local Merchants. They deserve it.’ Sign on storefront: ‘L.L. Hooker, ARMSTRONG TIRES.’ Signs for radio repairing. Close up of a sign: ‘ARMSTRONG, Tires of Quality.’ The movie queen greets a man in front of the Armstrong Tire building. Shot of a store window: ‘BATH TRUST COMPANY.’ The movie queen greets a man outside the Bath Trust Company. A man getting his shoes shined. [End of Reel]

Creator

• Bath Historical Society
• Margaret Cram

• Bath Historical Society
• Margaret Cram