The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
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Redcar for Holidays
Showmen, pitchers, a cheapjack and cellophane swimsuit are caught on camera at the Cleveland Agricultural Show and popular seaside town of Redcar.
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Overview
This is a beautiful home movie advert for the popular seaside resort of Redcar and the bucolic charm of the 102nd Cleveland Agricultural show held at Redcar racecourse. The latest sunbathing fashions - halter tops are all the rage - along with local beach traditions of Fleets Punch and Judy, a ventriloquist and the showman Victor Vernons Victorian swings are captured in a glorious mosaic of Dufaycolor by Tees-Side Cine Club filmmaker, Tom Brown.
Redcar was known as Teessides Mecca and lured record numbers of day-trippers until the eve of the Second World War, boosted by its Whitsuntide races. Many were from Teessides industrial hinterlands. By 1936 there were an estimated 30,000 trippers on August Bank Holiday Monday, 12,000 travelling by rail. Produced in a pioneering natural colour, this 16mm Dufaycolor film stock was popular amongst well-off amateur film-makers like Tom Brown, eager to experiment after its launch by Ilford in 1934. When Ilford unveiled their new product trade press of the day enthused: Never before had such exquisite beauty been brought to the screen
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