[Edward I. Matthews Jr. Films, 1947-1949--home movies] Reels 1-4

Date1947 – 1949

Donor-supplied NotesEdward I. Matthews, Jr. (1916-2004),an electrical engineer employed by the standard Vacuum Oil Company (SVOC), filmed life in Shanghai, China and in-country travels to Tientsin, Canton, Hong Kong, and Macau from January 1947 through September 1949. Foreigners were quite privileged during this time, and Ed and his fellow American ex-pats worked hard and partied lavishly. With a handful of others, Ed volunteer to remain in Shanghai for SVOC after the company closed down their operations and evacuated American staff. Consequently he witnessed the fall of Shanghai to Mao Tse-Tung's Communists on May 18, 1949. His color 8mm film runs approximately 200 mins without sound, but he identifies key places and events with title slides and much later would narrate his experiences on a VHS copy of the film. The following describes the places and events depicted based on his titles and narration. Note: The first 12 min 17 sec film contains family footage in Philadelphia (Ed Matthews in US Navy uniform prior to 1946 discharge) and scenes from a rooftop hotel in Atlantic City, NJ (Ed Matthews in tan suit, smoking a cigarette). TITLE FRAME: China Bound, January 1947 Ed Matthews took a steam passenger train from his home in Philadelphia to Oakland, California, then a ferry to San Francisco (landmarks San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, Coit Tower, and the Golden Gate Bridge seen). TITLE FRAME: San Francisco (on map) He boarded the SS Roseville of the Klaveness Lines, a Norwegian freighter with a top speed of 7 knots with 13 passengers and a cargo of lumber on a 30-day voyage to Shanghai. Passengers appear lounging and socializing on deck throughout the voyage. In addition to Ed Matthews (first man seen receiving shipboard haircut shipboard and second man, in black sweater and grey jacket, stumbling across the deck), passengers include Jeannie Tucker (black sweater, white/pink head scarf and in white giving haircuts), and Frank Peters of SVOC (man with glasses stumbling across the deck solo, also in lounge chair in brown jacket, later in blue shirt receiving haircut), along with the following unidentified passengers: a Canadian woman bound for China to marry a naval officer, a man headed to China to buy lace, a General Electric executive and his wife, and a man with the Chinese government. TITLE FRAME: Shanghai (on map); Legendre Mess Ed Matthews’ first house in Shanghai shared with Tommy Chesborough (1917-2011), and two other SVOC employees, with 5 servants. Man reading “China Press” newspaper article about Chinese lunar new year. TITLE FRAME: Spring 1948 Avenue Joffre (now Chung Huai Hai) Film of a street scene with pedicabs and a balloon vendor. Ed (tan suit, beige sweater) barters for peidcab ride and films along his route. TITLE FRAME: Wangpoo River and Pootung (East Bank) Scenes of junks, geese, and the Standard Vacuum Oil plant in Pootung (now Pudong) on east bank of Wangpoo (now Huangpu). Known as “the beautiful light company” in Chinese, Standard Oil’s red flying horse symbol was recognizable throughout China. Ed (in black sweater and cap, later in khaki jacket) was in charge of drum and can manufacturing and the power plant at this facility. Scenes of barges, sampans, and river traffic as a motorboat travels up river. The Shanghai waterfront is shown with the cruiser USS St. Paul at anchor – stationed in Shanghai at the time – and a panorama of the Bund. Ed’s second home was a large house and gardens rented from a French woman. The back yard is shown with hundreds of rose bushes. Their Chinese cook walks by and Tommy Chesborough is filmed taking a movie of Ed. Their “number one” boy Lou, who ran the house, appears dressed in white. TITLE FRAME: Dragon Boats Dragon boats on the Huangpu River, followed by a street scene which includes a military vehicle bearing Nationalist solders. TITLE FRAME: Columbia Country Club The Columbia was the American expatriate’s social club. There was no room for golf at the country club – golf clubs were located outside the city. The woman walking in a brown suit is Avis Schilling (1926-2014). This scene shows the gardens, pool, the veranda, and an Easter egg hunt underway in spring 1948 for the American kids living there. A couple rides a motorbike in a garden. Ed Matthews is seen in a blue shirt riding a motorbike. TITLE FRAME: Strolling in the Park An unnamed city park and a couple playing badminton at the last home Matthews lived in. TITLE FRAME: Hangchow (now Hangzhou) Film of a day trip taken south of Shanghai. Locomotive and train and exterior view of an ornate railroad station. Scenes of a tall pagoda (probably Six Harmonies Pagoda), possibly the Qiantang River, several temples and shrines and a lake (probably West Lake), later filmed from a boat ride. Matthews is seen boarding a train for the return to Shanghai. Scenes from the roof of one of the buildings on the bund follow. The cruiser St. Paul again seen in the middle of the harbor. Following buildings appear to be the Bank of China, the Sassoon House, and the Broadway Mansions. Street scenes in the spring of 1949 show heavy traffic with pedicabs, cars, buses, bicycles and pedestrians. Brief footage of the grounds of the four men’s home follows. TITLE FRAME: Hungjao Picnic (now Hongqiao) Scenes from a picnic just outside of Shanghai. One of the men identified as Jack Brubaker (brown coat, sunglasses) with Caltex Oil Company, a competitor of Standard Oil. Shanghai street scene and harbor again shown. TITLE FRAME: The Bund View from above of activity on the waterfront prior to occupation by the Communists. TITLE FRAME: Hong Kong Man identified as Nathaniel “Pete” Dorrance (1923-1984) emerges from his house up on the peak in Hong Kong, later seen reading the English language “China Mail”. Some private homes seen along with bombed out buildings from World War II. Ed Matthews and Pete (in shorts) seen climbing up the peak, inspecting a Japanese dugout from the War. View of the harbor and “199. The Peak (Mt Kellett)” sign where foreigners lived. Chinese servants seen walking up the peak. Bombed out church from the war shown. More views of the harbor and peak. German shepherd and beagle appear followed by a dog show at a Hong Kong race track. The drive up to the Peak is filmed, then scenes from the tram on the trip back down. A sign reads “Barker Road. 1190 feet above sea level”. Hong Kong scenes appear next. The gentleman entering a downtown building is Pete Dorrance. Saturday race day in Hong Kong. Pete (in brown jacket) again appears. There is parade on the track prior to the race, then Ed Matthews appears, followed by horse racing scenes. Back on the Peak with views of the surrounding countryside and the Queen Mary Hospital below. Ed Matthews is seen emerging from a wartime fortification. The Star Ferry is filmed crossing the harbor from Hong Kong to Kowloon. Kai Tak Airport is next, followed by a trip to Canton. TITLE FRAME: Macao (Macau) An unidentified tall man with Pete Dorrance, on the Hong Kong to Macau. Scenes of the coast. Three men in ties with drinks are on the deck (Ed Matthews on the right). The ship is seen at the dock followed by scenes of Macau, including a cannon and a tour of a lighthouse, and the façade of St. Paul’s Church. More scenes from the MV Wusueh ferry leaving Macau and returning to Hong Kong. Numerous Chinese watercrafts are seen followed by the cruiser USS St. Paul. TITLE FRAME: Payday But – In Rice Possibly out of sequence and filmed before the Communists arrived. Inflation was 15% a day under the Nationalists; employees wouldn’t take money because by nightfall it wasn’t worth anything. Scenes of the harbor, now empty of large vessels after the evacuation, the waterfront, and downtown with Communist troop vehicles entering the city over a bridge. American and British Consulates shown - neither entity recognized by the Communists. Scenes from the Forbidden City in Beijing and the Summer Palace – possibly before takeover. Woman in brown is Avis Schilling. Man sitting in litter is Ed Matthews, followed by scenes of foreigners transported along a trail in litters. A dinner cruise up the Grand Canal (Jing–Hang Grand Canal) in Beijing. Woman in white is Carter Shea. Boatyard seen. Man smiling with glasses is Frank Peters (also seen struggling with chopsticks). Chinese swimming pool seen. Lunch at a restaurant, with several Chinese men, women and children present. More antics with Frank seen. TITLE FRAME: May 1949 Reds Take Shanghai As Mao's communist armies were closing in on Shanghai, Chang Kai-Shek's Nationalist government was crumbling on the mainland (finally retreating to Taiwan). Standard-Vacuum Oil Company evacuated their personnel from China but asked for volunteers to stay behind to watch their assets. Ed Matthews and Tommy Chesborough volunteered "to see what would happen" in Shanghai. Scene of vehicles evacuating city, or possibly Communists entering the city. Film of damage incurred at Standard Oil’s tank farm. One tank is burned out, other tanks and buildings had shell holes. SVOC's assets were quickly nationalized and the foreigners remaining had little to do but stay home and regularly petition the communist authorities or release. The foreigners remaining had little to do but stay home and regularly petition the communist authorities or release. It took Ed 3 months to get out of China after Shanghai fell. TITLE FRAME: September 1949 TITLE FRAME: Evacuated on General Gordon The Communist armies completed the occupation of Shanghai on June 2, 1949. In September of that year the US Army Transport General Gordon evacuated Ed Matthews and Tommy Chesborough with over 1200 others of various nationalities. TITLE FRAME: BOAC Takes Over at Hong Kong Ed Matthews and Tommy Chesborough fly from Hong Kong and return to the United States by way of the Europe, first stopping at Bangkok, staying at the Oriental Hotel and visiting the Grand Palace. Street scenes and temples, and shrines in Bangkok shown. Here Ed spent 3 days in the hospital to treat Amoebic Dysentery, then left Rome for flights and overnight stays in Burma and Pakistan. TITLE FRAME: Rome Arrival in Rome (the Vatican is seen). Ed has visibly lost weight from his stay in the hospital. The catacombs, the American Consulate, the Trevi Fountain, the Forum, Colosseum and other city sites are shown. Very little street traffic can be seen. TITLE FRAME: Florence The Duomo and Baptistry Doors, the Ponte Vecchio, and other sites are seen, TITLE FRAME: Venice followed by a visit to Venice with Ed and Tommy riding through the canals in a gondola, the Rialto Bridge, the Bridge of Sighs, the Doge’s Palace and scenes of St. Mark’s Cathedral and Square. TITLE FRAME: Switzerland The Jungfrau and Interlaken seen in the distance across a lake. TITLE FRAME: Interlaken and the Jungfrau October, 1949: Both men stayed the night in Interlaken and travelled up the Jungfrau by cog railway. Scenes of the Swiss Alps from atop the Jungfrau. TITLE FRAME: Jungfrau 13669 FT Sledding on the glacier and other scenes of the Jungfrau. Weather station seen at the peak. TITLE FRAME: Geneva Ed and Tommy stayed one night in Geneva TITLE FRAME: United Nations The League of Nations – now UN – building in Geneva is seen. Gardens and scenes of the waterfront in Geneva. TITLE FRAME: Paris A view from the top of the Eiffel Tower. And the Arc de Triumph, Versailles, and a trip across the channel, with the White Cliffs of Dover in the distance. TITLE FRAME: London The changing of the guard and the Tower in London. Returning home on a Lockheed Constellation.

Can Descriptions#2 Trip to China & Shanghai Scenes #3 Hanchow & More of Shanghai #4 ? Peiping Moka[?]han Wushi #4 Hong Kong & Macao #6 Return from China Part I #7 1949 - Return from China Part II