Glimpses of Florida

Glimpses of Florida (1941)

*** (out of 4)

One of the better entries in MGM's TravelTalks series takes a short trip to Florida where we get to see and learn a few interesting things. The short starts off telling us how palm trees came to be a staple in the state and then we get to see some of the extremely nice tourist locations. Swanee River is shown as are some Seminole Indians living along its shore. The most interesting sites are those of a reptile institute where we see turtles and alligators being caught by some workers as well as rattlesnakes being milked for their venom. The underwater photography looks incredibly well here and this is one reason why this short works so well. The stuff with the gators and turtle was a lot of fun and looks extremely well in the wonderful Technicolor. Fans of the series will certainly want to check this one out but so will those who usually turn the station when TCM airs on of these shorts.

James A. FitzPatrick produced and directed a series of one-reel short subjects (just over ten minutes each)often called "Traveltalks" distributed to theaters across the nation mainly in the 30's and 40's. FitzPatrick narrated the travel films as "The Voice of the Globe." He was assisted by his able cameraman, Bob Carney, who supplied the pictures. All the later travel shorts were in color at a time when other shorts (and most movies) were in black and white. The color, the skilled camera work, and FitzPatrick's intriguing narration made the Traveltalks popular.

"Glimpses of Florida" begins with a story about how southern Florida changed from a desolate area of sand to one of balmy palm trees beginning in 1878 when a wrecked ship loaded with coconuts was salvaged by the local inhabitants who proceeded to plant the cargo. At the time "Glimpses of Florida" was released, southern Florida was still sparsely populated but a playground for tourists. FitzPatrick and Carney highlight African American culture in Florida as Stephen Foster's "Swanee River (Old Folks at Home)" is sung in the background. Seminole culture is spotlighted as well, with emphasis on their customs, crafts, and dress.

Ross Allen and his sister are shown catching turtles and alligators. Ross struts his stuff by wrestling an alligator that appears to be either tame or tranquilized. Carney gets to show off his underwater camera work which is truly dazzling, especially for 1941. Silver Springs bathing beauties close out this Traveltalk displaying their swimming talents (plus other natural gifts) for the audience.

Today, FitzPatrick and Carney's travel adventures are more a curiosity than entertainment. The Traveltalks seem quaint, showing the viewer how the world looked once upon a time.

A fairly interesting Traveltalk short from James A. FitzPatrick deals with Florida as a tourist resort. Mention is made of the cargo of coconuts that ended up in Florida after a shipwreck and were the source of the many sheltering palms long the shoreline.

Various scenes of resorts in Miami with their private pools and outdoor dining facilities are glimpsed before we move to the Everglades and scenes along the Swanee River. A look at Cypress Gardens is followed by scenes of Seminole Indians living along the Swanee River.

Some underwater scenes of swimmers frolicking with sea turtles and what must be a tranquilized alligator is skillfully photographed and shows how clear the Florida waters are.

Just slightly better than average for a FitzPatrick short.

James A. Fitzpatrick sends the Technicolor cameras to southern Florida, with Robert Carney to run them, so we can look at the hotels of Miami Beach, the swamps, the palm trees, and listen to someone sing "Swanee River."

I knew the area somewhat about a quarter of a century later, visiting my grandmother, and it hadn't changed much. There were still the big hotels, places where you could watch guys 'milk' snakes of their venom, and the public library looked like it was set in a small town.

Although the copy that plays on Turner classic Movies is not in the best shape, the colors remain striking.

Traveltalks goes to southern Florida. They were stuck in the Americas during the war years and they mostly traveled around the U. S. It's rather peaceful. Even Miami looks very white bread. I can do without Swanee River. Just because the river flows into Florida doesn't mean the song has to be included. Of course, they have to show an old black Aunt Jemima couple laughing and smiling. The old south is still rising. Florida has crazy white people doing alligator wrestling and rattlesnake milking. There are Seminoles in traditional costumes. This is Florida in its tourist trap glory.