To the Coast of Devon

First Traveltalks goes to Bath and they continue onto other English resort towns in this post-war episode. There are two interesting things from this otherwise bland TravelTalks episode. First, the Bath push cart is just silly and I can't imagine the whole town filled with them. Second, we learn where Bobby comes from. Other than that, this is rather bland. It's many years since the war and there is no excuse to not go back out into the world. It would be more interesting to see a rebuilding Europe or the wide open world.

James A. Fitzpatrick sends the Technicolor cameras under the supervision of Hone Glendinning and Virgil Miller -- must be union featherbedding, I guess -- to Devonshire. If we are to believe Mr. Fitzpatrick, and he'll shout you down if you don't, Devonshire is an unending series of resorts, where the Romans made the English learn to wash at Bath, and to garden in Torquay.

The copy of this movie that plays occasionally on Turner Classic Movies is in pretty good shape, and has the usual pleasing images. About the song Mr. Fitzpatrick has sung at the end, I am not as enthusiastic.

For me, this was one of the more interesting Travel Talks by James A. FitzPatrick, a short subject in Technicolor shown in theaters (and high school auditoriums), of special interest for all the historical back story of Devon's coastal towns in the British isles.

Ancient churches, bridges, excavations of Roman Baths from the 4th Century, all are included in this travel short. Devon became the point of interest for wealthy tourists by the 19th century. One of the most interesting sequences shows a church with a ladder sculpted along its side showing angels climbing to heaven.

At the site of the ancient Roman Baths which underwent excavation, John A. FitzPatrick tries out a brief ride in the Roman version of a taxi, a strange looking contraption.

The short ends with a bright splash of color with a scene of a floral paradise and ends with a choral arrangement of a song while we view a last look at this British resort by the sea, a land of beaches, towns and fishing villages.

To the Coast of Devon (1950)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Pleasant entry in the TravelTalks series has James A. FitzPatrick traveling to the British Isle where we get a great look at the village of Bath, which was discovered by the Romans as they would use it thanks to the hot springs, which they'd eventually turn into a resort. We learn that in 1770 is when they start to let residents into the village and then we see various other things including the buggy they used for transportation as well as the Abby Church. We also see a rather amazing ladder that was created with angels trying to climb their way to the top. This is another entertaining entry in the series that once again benefits largely from the Technicolor that really shows off the sea here as well as a couple other beautiful resorts that we see. One of the most interesting things here comes towards the end where we see the shores, which, at the time of filming, had just had some fences taken down from WW2 and protection against an invasion.

James A. FitzPatrick directed, produced, wrote, and narrated many travel documentaries distributed as short subjects (one reelers--about ten minutes) to theaters throughout the nation, called "Traveltalks" by MGM, mainly in the 40's and early 50's. One advantage FitzPatrick enjoyed over his competition was Technicolor at a time when shorts and most movies were in black and white. "Traveltalks" were intended to show the tourist attractions and historical significance of the places visited. As FitzPatrick once affirmed, "Who wants to tour slums and prisons?"

"To the Coast of Devon" spotlights three appealing towns in the region of Devon, England (The United Kingdom), the old Roman village of Bath on the Avon River and the two coastal resort towns of Teignmouth and Torquay. A song was composed for this short feature to be used as the closing theme, "Down By the Sea in Torguay," which I doubt made the top pop list in 1950.

The producer, director, writer, and narrator also stars in this Traveltalk. When one visited the Roman bath in Bath during Queen Victoria's rein, he rode in a human-powered conveyance called a taxi chair which looked much like a rickshaw. Once finished with his bath, the person would then return to his taxi chair which would be arranged to resemble a small privy to protect his body from the sudden change in temperature. FitzPatrick demonstrates this for us on camera.

The architecture of Bath is highlighted, featuring an ancient church with a ladder-like structure atop it, with carved angels ascending to heaven in a rather precarious manner. So much time is spent in Bath that little footage is left for Teignmouth and Torquay. Both appear to be beautiful seaside resorts. FitzPatrick points out that Teigmouth was able to fend off an attack by the French in the early days of its existence and was more than ready for Hitler had he dared attack the town.

"Traveltalks" are quaint little travel documentaries today, mainly showing the viewer what the world looked like way back when. Technicolor adds to their appeal, making them look less antique than others of the period. They should still be of interest to the travel buff, particularly from a historical perspective.