"By Land and Sea"

Date1965

Script Collection Notes: "SCRIPT FOR THE 1965 FILM The film opens with typical scenes of the Maine coast, first in winter, including vapor rising from water which is warmer than the frigid air. Then summer scenes, concentrating on fishermen at their work, conclude the introductory portion of the film which is intended to give a general view of the parish of the Maine Sea Coast Mission, and to illustrate the need for its varied ministry. Next comes the launching of Sunbeam IV on March 2, 1964, at Warren, R.I., with Mrs. Tertius van Dyke the sponsor. This 65 foot, all steel vessel replaces its wooden predecessor, Sunbeam III, with which it is shown briefly at the Northeast Harbor wharf. After its arrival in Maine the new Sunbeam, manned by the same three-man crew from the previous boat, went to work on a year-round basis, with only brief lay-ups in spring and fall for necessary painting and repairs. Children from the Cranberry islands and then college girls from Sigma Kappa sorority are taken on brief boat ride. Next, the Sunbeam is shown acting as hearse for an island funeral. A title introduces the Mission's work with island and coastal children who are members of the school and church groups served by Mission staff members. Included in this section is a trip on an island mail boat, showing how these small boats, manned by able captains, are the life line between islands and the mainland, for passengers and supplies as well as mail. A one-pupil island school, backyard play, and a special class in the down-east area for retarded children complete this section. The next title speaks of the Mission's ministry to the lighthouses and Coast Guard stations of the Maine coast. At one of the off-shore lights, a snowy owl joins the men on duty, but is not as glad to have visitors as they are. Near the end of the section on lighthouse visiting a lamb is shown at the grave of a lighthouse keeper's child of many years ago, which was until recently unmarked. Following a snowy return to the Sunbeam's winter berth at the Northeast Harbor town wharf, the crew gladly head for warm homes ashore. The scene then changes to the raising of the anchor on a hazy summer day, and a title introduces scenes of some of the small churches which Mission ministers serve, either in residence in a community or as itinerant pastors. The concluding church scene is of ground-breaking ceremonies for a new chapel at the Cherryfield Christian Center, an affiliate of the Mission in western Washington County. Then comes the funeral of an island fisherman whose body is carried home aboard the Sunbeam ad laid in a hillside grave by his friends, in a cold rainstorm. By contrast, the next scene is of the sunset committal from the Sunbeam of the ashes of an old friend of the Mission. Closing this section, a round window of the head of Christ is shown being set in an island church. A title speaking of the place which church and Sunday School have in isolated communities is followed by pictures of the island Sunday School which meets in a neighbor's home. The Sunbeam then cruises through fog to the anniversary celebration of another island church. A picnic group s enjoying fellowship between services of the Christian Brotherhood of the Sea Coast, the church membership offered by the Mission to believers whose homes may be far from any organized church. A Mission minister plays hymns on his trumpet to elderly folk at the end of the road. Finally, a rickety island wharf is crowded with waving friends as the Sunbeam cruises off to the next port of call."

AbstractAdditional viewing notes: Intertitle: "Since 1905 The Maine Sea Coast Missionary Society of Bar Harbor has carried the Christian gospel to isolated Maine island and coastal settlements. Hundreds of widely separated families are reached by this inter-denominational ministry which, carried on by faith, embodies in spoken word and practical service the teaching of Christ." Intertitle: "The Mission boat sunbeam carries workers to remote communities, answers emergency calls, and holds a vital place in the lives of many island people. This film illustrates various aspects of the work of the Maine Sea Coast Mission-- a unique enterprise, undergirded by faith and carried on amid the beauties and rigors of the Maine coast." The opening scenes include shots of the ocean, lighthouses in winter, small coastal or island communities in snow seen from the water, sea smoke around a lighthouse and stormy sky, frozen navigational markers, and men working on the frozen waterfront. Intertitle: "Scenes of summer fishing for herring and lobsters". Scene of men working with a fishing net in a dory and herring trawler with the name "Milky Way New Harbor, ME". A white jellyfish is seen swimming, followed by two boys in a dory, and a man pulling a lobster trap in a large outboard dory. Lobster boats fill a small harbor. Views of the launching of Sunbeam IV, March 3, 1964 at Warren, RI. Dignitaries and speakers gather in a bannered enclosure, and then a woman christens the bow with a bottle. Blocks are knocked out from the cradle and the ship slides backwards into the harbor. Brief views of Sunbeam IV and Sunbeam II tied to the dock at Northeast Harbor. Views from the boat of lighthouse on the coast, and view from land of Sunbeam cruising by the coastline. Shots of people on dock waiting for the Sunbeam to dock, and visitors from the village/island boarding the boat. This appears to be the Cranberry Islands. Young children wave at a lobster boat as they take a ride on Sunbeam IV. More views from the boat of Sigma Kappa sorority members taking a ride, then posing for group picture on board at the dock. Views of boxed flowers on board, and a casket being moved from the ship to a small motorboat to be taken to shore. Intertitle: "Working with children is a constant delight." Views of a group of children on a playground, swinging, jumping rope, and playing games. Various shots of kids and families at play with dogs and kittens, swimming around a dinghy, and having a picnic on a steps. A group of children shows the camera the frogs they have caught. View of the dock at Isle Au Haut with the lobster boat Caprice II tied up, and fishermen at work. Views of the village beyond. Views from the boat as it leaves the dock at Isle Au Haut. Views of toddler sleeping in her mother's arms while riding in an open mail boat. Views of people getting off the mail boat at the dock, and mail and gear being unloaded. Views of two women walking down a road on Isle Au Haut, and entering the Isle Au Haut post office. Shots of the one-room school with one student on Isle Au Haut. A boy plays catch in the backyard with his family. Students on a playground, then enter a one-room school. Intertitle: "The Sunbeam's special ministry to lighthouses and Portland Lightship". Views of three crewmembers of the lightship Portland, and views from Sunbeam of the lightship at anchor, marking approaches to Portland Harbor, about five miles southeasterly from Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The lightship station was located 5.0 miles from the present Cape Elizabeth Light tower and functioned from 1903 to 1971. Views of Sunbeam approaching the lightship and throwing a line over to tie up. Cut to POV of the Sunbeam pulling away from the lightship and the captain waving. Views of Halfway Rock lighthouse. This conical granite tower, technically located in Harpswell, sits atop a notorious rock heap that caused many shipwrecks over the years. The light station can be seen from the Portland Observatory on Congress Street . Halfway Rock Light was built in 1871. Another lighthouse is seen (Wood Island in Biddeford?). View of The Moose Peak lighthouse, located five miles southeast of Jonesport on the east side of Mistake Island, was first built in 1827. The present tower was erected in 1851 and fitted with a second order Fresnel in 1856. The height of the tower was actually increased to its current 57 feet in 1886 by adding a watch room below the lantern. The site currently sports a 1.1 million candlepower white flashing light that can be seen for 26 miles. Views of the Petit Manan lighthouse, built in 1817, one of the state's tallest lighthouses, rising 123 feet, and also one of the least attractive. The light is closed to the public, managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Petit Manan National Wildlife Refuge. View of Egg Rock, near Bar Harbor, the most homely lighthouse on the Maine coast or by boat tour. Egg Rock Light Station was built off winter Harbor in 1875. Two lightkeepers and their dog pose for the camera. View of the Whitehead Island lighthouse in St. George, built in 1807. More POVs from the deck of the Sunbeam as it passes another lighthouse. Two Coast Guard men come near the ship in a small outboard. Views of Machias Seal Island lighthouse, built in 1832. This six-sided tower sits in Maine waters 12 miles from Cutler, but is maintained by the Canadian government, a compromise reflecting the fact that both nations claim the island. It is home to many rare seabirds and a puffin colony, all protected by the Canadian Wildlife Service. a sign over the door of one of the buildings says 1846. Views of a child's gravestone. Two lighthouse keepers pose for the camera. Views of Sunbeam IV tied to the dock at Northeast Harbor, with snow covering the dock, and two crewmen coming off the ship onto the dock. Views raising the anchor on a summer day off the shore of an island, and view from the stern as the ship leaves the island. Intertitle: "A few of the small churches served by Mission pastors" Views of several small rural churches in different areas in different seasons. Views of people exiting church in Cherryfield, and a groundbreaking ceremony for a new chapel at the Cherryfield Christian Center, a Mission affiliate in western Washington County. Scenes of a casket taken off the ship and carried by a group of men to a cemetery on one of the offshore islands in a rainstorm. POVs from the ship on a rough stormy day at sea, and a committal ceremony aboard the ship off Mount Desert Island. Flowers are thrown overboard into the sea at sunset. Views of a stained glass window being installed in a rural church. Intertitle: "Church and Sunday School enrich life in a small community" Children of various ages pose outdoors with their Sunday School teacher, and views of the Sunbeam IV tied to the rural community dock. A group of people enjoys a picnic as between services of the Christian Brotherhood of the Sea Coast. A man walks up to an old rural farmhouse, and plays hymns on a trumpet for the residents. Sunbeam is tied up at the local wharf, then as it pulls away, local residents gather to wave goodbye. Intertitle: "Free-will offerings support this work" Intertitle: "The Maine Sea Coast Missionary Society 24 Ledgelawn Avenue Bar Harbor, Maine