San Francisco World's Fair -- February 20, 2022

Movie Makers, May, 1939

For many years, Castle Films and Official Films were the two big distributors of home movies.

In this ad, Castle offered movies of the 1939 Golden Gate International Exposition, held on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. The ad said Castle would soon offer films of the 1939 New York World's Fair.

See Twice as Much of the West -- September 29, 2019

Life, 26-February-1940

The Southern Pacific encouraged people to ride their trains to the second season of San Francisco's Golden Gate International Exposition.

Golden Gate International Exposition Opens -- February 18, 2014

75 years ago, on 18-February-1939, the Golden Gate International Exposition opened on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay.  The world's fair celebrated the opening of San Francisco's two great bridges and a general theme of unity and peace around the Pacific Rim.  Treasure Island is an artificial island that served as a US Navy base for many years.  My mother attended the fair as a child.  She remembers Mister Peanut, and the great statue of Pacifica.  The city of Pacifica is named after the lost statue.  The Cavalcade of the Pacific featured a Sutter Street cable train which is now on exhibit at the Cable Car Museum and locomotives from the North Pacific Coast and the Nevada Short Line  which are now on display at the California State Railroad Museum. 

Esther Williams RIP -- June 7, 2013

I was sad to learn that Esther Williams had died.  We are running out of MGM stars.  In this image, from the wonderful site LucyWho (http://www.lucywho.com/), she poses with Mickey Rooney.  Esther Williams was an athlete who planned to swim in the 1940 Tokyo Olympics, but they got cancelled because of other matters.  She performed with Billy Rose's Acquacade along with Johnny Weissmuller at the 1939 and 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition on Treasure Island.  She made a series of popular Technicolor musicals at MGM.  She tried to branch out into more serious roles, but audiences weren't prepared.  She wrote an excellent autobiography where she shared difficult details of her life.  She did a lot to promote swimming.