This film is part of Free
Universal Talking News No. 487
A curious Scarborough skipping custom and other intriguing happenings from around the world.
Overview
What a joy it is to see fully-grown adults skipping! Not such an unusual sight in Scarborough, especially come Shrove Tuesday, when jumping rope is as integral to the celebrations as pancake eating. Fantastic shots of the crowds gathered on the South Bay seafront are the highlight of this eclectic newsreel, which also features stories on a French lemon festival, shawl making on the Shetland Isles, a lifeboat wreck at Casablanca, terrifying-looking altitude experiments, the land speed record-breaker Bluebird, and a sneaky peak at RMS Queen Mary under construction.
Sadly, this edition of Universal Talking News is no longer talking, having lost its soundtrack. But the imaginative camerawork and variety of material more than makes up for it and it remains an intriguing snapshot of world events in 1935. Scarborough's curious shrove-tide skipping custom, of unknown origin, is still going strong today.
Related
Yorkshire Riviera Yorkshire Riviera
Amateur film 1958 19 mins Silent Location: Redcar
A nostalgic dip and drive around the North Yorkshire coast in the sun-kissed 50s.
Scarborough Ahoy! Scarborough Ahoy!
Drama 1994 33 mins Location: Scarborough
A straight woman and a gay man cruise their way across North East England in this Tennessee Williams-inspired short.
'Scarboro' 'Scarboro'
Non-Fiction 1922 1 mins Silent Location: Scarborough
Hockey on the beach at Scarborough
Pleasant Dreams Pleasant Dreams
Home movie 1955 4 mins Silent Location: Scarborough
The relativity of pleasure, as seen with one family escaping Castleford for the delights of a brisk Scarborough beach, sea and donkey rides.
Max Jaffa: Farewell to Scarborough Max Jaffa: Farewell to Scarborough
Documentary 1986 24 mins Location: Scarborough
Middle England out on the east coast of Yorkshire enjoy the soothing music of Max Jaffa in his final year, playing for his devoted followers.
One Man's Meat One Man's Meat
Amateur film 1951 7 mins Silent Location: Scarborough
Not too sure what the poison would be in this delightful film of two couples enjoying the Yorkshire coast, certainly not the end of the day beer.
Laura Mulvey in Conversation Laura Mulvey in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 76 mins
Laura Mulvey in conversation, following her BFI Fellowship Award.
George Clooney in Conversation George Clooney in Conversation
Inside Film 2025 74 mins
George Clooney visited BFI Southbank to look back on his life and career.
Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Chloé Zhao Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 65 mins
The Oscar®- winning director of Nomadland discusses her unique approach to filmmaking and the inspiration behind the adaptation of Hamnet.
Edgar Wright on The Running Man Edgar Wright on The Running Man
Inside Film 2025 28 mins
The director talks to Mark Kermode about putting Stephen King's dystopian life-or-death gameshow thriller through its paces.
Richard Linklater Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Richard Linklater Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 69 mins
Richard Linklater discusses his remarkable and wide-ranging body of work, including Blue Moon and Nouvelle Vague.
Daniel Day-Lewis Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025 Daniel Day-Lewis Screen Talk | BFI London Film Festival 2025
Inside Film 2025 73 mins
Daniel Day-Lewis, the ultimate actor’s actor discusses his career in conversation with Mark Kermode.