[Alan Bemis—home movies] Reel 41

Date1937

AbstractFamily Stuff Maine + Mass. 1937 Donor notes: "Family Stuff 1937 Alice with dogs and kids on pony Jan 1937 Kids on cycles--------May 1 1937 Airplane at Wayland Kids + Dad in Austin racer + driving all cars on parade and Mummy on Brandy May 14 '37 Launching the Cirrus at Wilder's July '37 Fairchild seaplane at McCoy's, Haven, Me July '37 Alice in pen at McCoy's--------early Sept. '37 Anne + Margot swimming at High Head ---Sept '37 Alice in rain---------- Sept '37 Alice on pony, led by Margot, Miss Ellenbrook-----Dec 3 '37" Color footage: Alice Bemis (born March 8, 1935) comes out of door of the Bemis Wayland, MA, house, dressed in winter coat, hat and leggings, January, 1937. She wanders around the yard carrying two stuffed dogs, stands by and pets one of the family dogs, and tries walking on a frozen pond. Chapie Bemis helps Ann Bemis (born July 1, 1929) up onto a pony, then lifts Alice up to sit in front of her. Margot Bemis (born October 8, 1930) walks alongside. Shot January, 1937. In another shot, Chapie helps Margot up onto the horse, and leads the horse down the driveway as Alice and a dog follow. B&W: the three Bemis girls playing on the tennis court at Wayland. Views pushing Alice around in a carriage, and wheelbarrow, and the older girls on bicycles and tricycles, giving Alice a ride on the back of the tricycle, and trying to teach her how to ride a tricycle. Color: Views of Alan and the girls driving on the driveway and grass in his small open Austin racer. He holds Alice in one arm as he drives. Ann drags her free while sitting in the rear or the car. View of an orchard in bloom on a hill leading up to the Wayland house, with Alan driving the Austin racer down the hill toward the camera with the three girls in the car. Bemis cars on parade. All the cars are parked next to each other, and they move off one by one, revealing the next. Views of Alice at the wheel of one of the Bemis open cars that has been converted into a dump truck (a 1921 Pierce Arrow Roadster, dual valves and ignitions, 3-speed). When it starts to move, she pretends to drive it. She is followed by Ann in the Packard Sport Phaeton Model 902 Alan bought from his father's estate in 1936. She is followed by Margot in a two-door convertible, then Chapie in an unusually shaped car (1929 Baby Renault convertible coupe?), then Alan in his Austin racer. Shot May 14, 1937. Views of Ann and Margot and a friend in the Austin racer with Ann driving around the driveways at Wayland, Ann and Margot playing in a small pond with water toys, and Chapie riding her horse Brandy along the gravel paths at Wayland, all shot May 14, 1937. Cirrus sits in her cradle on the beach at Wilder's boatyard waiting for the tide to come in and float her off, July 1937. Ann, Margot and Alice walk around near the boat as Chapie watches. Time passes and the water is seen at different levels on the cradle and boat bottom. Views of Alan on board, and a rowboat tender around as she floats off. Views of Alan Bemis's Fairchild 24 seaplane anchored off the McCoy house at Haven (Brooklin), ME. B&W: Alice is seen in her outdoor "pen" at the McCoy house in Haven, ME. This was the summer that High Head, the Bemis summer home, was built. Views of Ann and Margot swimming on the beach off High Head. Alice in hat and long raincoat playing outside in rain. Color: Alice on a pony, led by Margot and accompanied by Miss Ellenbrook.