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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Summer Season
As dark days loom ahead in the 30s, a saxophonist comically reflects on his dance band's last summer season in Whitby.
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Overview
This is a whimsical countdown to war with dance band musician George Cummin, who arrives in Whitby with his charming new wife to play one last season at the resort's Spa Café. The couple sample the everyday and unusual delights of this seaside town where circus elephants troop down to the beach for a spot of mixed bathing in the North Sea. A montage of delicate Dufaycolor memories complete this tongue-in-cheek diary of a working vacation.
George Cummin, a professional saxophonist and a reserve fireman during World War Two, started making films in 1933. He was a member of the Newcastle & District Amateur Cinematographers Association (ACA), first formed in 1927, working on documentary and fiction films into the 60s. These included PC Grubb's Last Case, Silver Plaque winner at Amateur Cine World in 1952 and commended at the Scottish Amateur Film Festival in 1953. The unusual mosaic-like final shots were produced with a British Dufaycolor additive film stock, promoted with some success in the 1930s, its tiny patches of red, green and blue creating a blended colour image in a similar way to pixels on a computer screen.
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