[Milton Dowe—home movies] Reel 9

Date1941 – 1949

Abstract0-1:25 B&W Views of toddler girl (1-2 years old?) in wool coat and hat with pail and shovel in her hand. She stands near an older girl and near a water hand pump. CUs and MS. In another view, two girls stand near an old sedan, then hold hands. The older girl is still in the same coat, but the younger is in a different outfit. Intertitle: "Lobster Lake (1946?)" Intertitle: "Hardwood Operations Near Northeast Carry." Title is color. Footage is b&w. 1:26- 2:27 Man stand near a large pile of wood logs which have been lumbered out. Pan the large pile, then shots of a chain and wire contraption moving the logs around and toward a milling shed nearby. Intertitle: "Prison [sic] of War Camp at Seboomook." B&W 2:29-3:13 Views of wood and barbed wire fence that enclosed the prisoner of war camp at Seboomook, Maine. The camp, which housed German prisoners of war, closed in the spring of 1946. The camp is empty at the time of this filming. For info see: http://www.moosehead.net/history/POWCamp.html. Pan up to wooden guard tower. Views from inside a building through a window looking out over camp buildings, fence, Moosehead Lake and mountains in B/G. 3:13- 4:17 B&W Views shot from a canoe of a back of a man paddling on a river. Pan down to equipment and supplies filling the floor of the canoe. Canoe-level shots of a river filled with floating logs for paper mill. Views of the beached canoe and man taking supplies out of the canoe onto shore. 4:17- 4:30 B&W Man sits at door flap of tent working on gear. 4:30- 5:57 Color views of caught fish (underexposed), shoreline, and man frying bacon in frying pan over campfire. Nice shot of fish cooking in oil in the cast iron pan., and man watching over the pan. Shots of men eating bread and fish, drinking from metal cup at the campfire. 5:58-6:15 Color Boat level shots of lake with mountains in B/G. Slightly out of focus. 6:17-8:10 Color Man in boat holds up fish he has caught with rod on lake. View of campsite with tent, camp basket, canoe beached on shore and pan of stream running into lake area. Pans around the lake, and CU of caught fish. Underexposed shots of waterbirds along shoreline, and canoe level shots. Views of motorboat going by. 8:10 -9:30 Color views from stern of boat as man in bow tries to clear logs from its way. These are logs for the paper mills floating downstream. View of the river completely filled with logs. Underexposed shots of man pulling canoe to shore, and man holding a string of caught fish with his fish basket on his hip. Another man proudly holds up his string in front of the tent, showing the abundance of fish. Intertitle: "Clark Island 1946" (with water effects over the title) 9:32-13:02 Color Young girl (the older girl seen in previous reels) about 4-6 years old wades into shore toward camera from the river or lake (is this Clark Island between Tenants Harbor and Spruce Head, Maine?). Shots of toddler (2-3 years old) seen in previous reels now tnaked on the rocky granite shore walking around, playing with clothes found in the sand, rocks, etc. Close view of same girl in dress. CU of woman (mother of the two girls?), all of them sitting on rocky beach posing for the camera. The toddler finds some paper cups in a picnic basket, and finds a large bottle of soda. Dad opens a lobster pot over a campfire on the beach and shows some of the cooked lobsters. The older girl examines a cooked lobster. The younger one drinks from a paper cup with ocean in background. Shots of Mom picking at lobster, and Dad eating lobster. 13:07-13:42 Color, First day of School? Mom and the two girls in front of their house on a sunny warm day. Mom gives older daughter a kiss, then she and the younger one stand while the older one walks toward camera with book under her arm and dog walking ahead. Mom and younger daughter wave goodbye. Reverse shot of older girl kissing her sister, waving goodbye, then walking off. Intertitle: "Mountain Road" 13:43-15:51 Color POV shots from car as it winds along a dirt road up a mountain. View of cars passing the camera going along the road lined with granite boulders. View from top of mountain looking out over landscape (hazy). More views of the granite lined road (looks similar to roads in Acadia National Park). View of two girls seen previously sipping soda from bottles and eating sandwiches while they sit on rocks by the road on the mountain. LS views of Mom and girls walking on path. 15:52-16:35 Color Landscape views of mountain, lake, some fall covers on deciduous trees. Sunset in clouds.