Researching our content featuring Vera Lynn last week I stumbled upon this lovely film. It's much longer than a normal British Movietone newsreel item, I wonder if it was shown in cinemas as a short? As London prepares to emerge from lockdown, this film reminds me of all that is beautiful about my city. It is so sumptuous, I would bet good money that this was filmed by ace Movietone cameraman Paul Wyand.
Ext. London Palladium and crowd. Organ Grinder. Flashing sign 'Vera Lynn'. Cars & Trolley Bus - possibly East Ham (birthplace of Vera Lynn). Shipping in Docks. Ship leaving Docks stops traffic. Prefabs in dockside setting (x 2). Mass of ships in Docks. GV Big Ben at 12 23 with Canning Statue in f.g. GV Regents Street from Waterloo Place TS Tottenham Court Road from Dominion Theatre GV Battersea Power Station (slightly foggy). Feeding pigeons in Trafalgar Square pan to St. Martins in the Field. Pan up from Bomb site to St. Pauls Cathedral GV Trafalgar Square GV Street near Piccadilly Circus at night LAS Eros at night GV Piccadilly Circus at night with neon signs GV Shaftesbury Avenue LAS Eros, fountain and lights 4 shots Neon lights GV from Piccadilly to Prince of Wales Theatre GV Ext. Cafe de Paris CU sign 'Ciro's' CU sign '400' club CU Champagne poured into two glasses. Deserted street in Trafalgar Square 2 GV's empty London Streets at night CU Street lamp and railings with Policeman on beat (Lt. Russel St.) CU Policeman checks doors and padlocks Pan Policeman patrolling along pavement (x 2) Policeman looks in Post Office window View of Post Office from window 2 shots Policeman walking CU Policeman removes 'on duty arm band'. Policeman off duty walks across Trafalgar Square and looks at King Charles Statue MS Policeman looking over Westminster Bridge, hails No. 53 Bus and boards. Policeman on bus buys a ticket CU Bus Conductor CU Shower of bus tickets with montage of bus wheel and ticket punch. Travel shot Pedestrians on pavement CU Bus Conductor on platform. Crowd on pavement GV Buses leaving Garage at dawn. Three people board bus 2 shots Crowds on Station Platform. Crowd down escalator. Crowd off Suburban train. 2 shots Buses passed. Tube train passed. Electric train passed. Steam train passed - Engine No. 30860. Bus passed. 6 shots People's feet running to work. 2 shots Queue shuffles onto bus. Conductor waving bus passed. Young woman off bus runs down street
CU Girl typing MS Girl on bus. Bus conductor. View from bus of Trafalgar Square. View looking forward on upper deck of bus. Typist. GV St. Pauls Churchyard. Girl eating sandwiches. View from Fleet Street to Ludgate Circus and St. Pauls (x 2) GV St. Pauls from bombsite. London Street scene with church and war damaged buildings GV Old London Wall CU Plaque St. Alfage. St. Pauls Cathedral (x 2) St. Pauls Clock at 2.00. Girl running. MS Businessman from car as girl runs into Office Building CU Businessman at desk. View from back of Chauffer Driven car. Policeman on point duty. Businessman in back of car. View of traffic. GV's Shepherds Market (x 3) GV St. James' Park. Pelican on lake. Swan on lake GV Buckingham Palace. View across roof tops of Whitehall. Trafalgar Square fountains to St. Martin in the Field CU Fountain GV National Gallery Portico to pavement artist Berlio GV Pavement Artist CU's feet Pavement Artist & paintings. Drawing on Serpentine Bridge GV Temple Green. Fountain Court CU Fountain. On Thames Embankment near Battersea Power Station. Chelsea Street scene outside Anglesey Public House. CU's people 2 shots Chelsea Street scene CU Chelsea Pensioner Reflection in Thames of Hammersmith Bridge GV Pool of London and Tower Bridge GV Battersea Power Station. Pedestrians on Tower Bridge pan to River CU Artist GV Palace of Westminster LAS Statue of Richard the Lionheart CU Rolls Royce passed to street scene GV Marble Arch 2 shots Piccadilly Circus. Couple stroll along pavement Montage: Policeman, Bus Conductor, Typist & Businessman to pavement Artist. Smoke from power station chimnies CU smoke 2 shots Street scenes GV Tower Bridge from Monument. Commuters passing ticket collector on the Platform GV St. Pauls and Cannon Street Station GV Shoppers look in window of Marshall & Snelgrove. Commuters down escalators GV Houses of Parliament through Vauxhall Bridge 3 shots Dock Views of London with words of Song superimposed.
You can license this story for commercial use through AP Archive - story number is BM86-47 for reel 1 and BM86-47-2 for reel 2.
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