scottish screen archive footage "a must see"

[WClarkB]

thanks for the links; it is great that the library thought to keep them

[Fast Eddie]

What a treasure trove of past life in Scotland, not to mention the educational films on sporrans and bagpipes. And how far-sighted of the library to make these available via the medium of the internet!

[Dixiecat]

Thank you skauwt for linking those videos.

I particularly enjoyed the Wedding of the 4th Marquess of Bute. The highlight being the pipe band playing in the boat following the bridal party.

[Alan H]

I quite enjoyed the 3-4 other Highland Games videos/films on the site. Something I noticed in the flms I looked at from the 1940's and 1950's when of course everything was so much better and gentlemen dressed properly, as opposed to nowadays when we're all just a bunch of sloppy hooligans with no taste, breeding or decency, ruined by Creeping Casual....


In the 1959 Agricultural Show film, I saw one tartan skirt, possibly one kilt with a sporran possibly down at knee level, and certainly one boy with a VERY long kilt AND that kilt was a solid color. That or the kilt was incredibly high-waisted. Every single adult male in the film was wearing trousers.

In 1950 at the Games the ONLY people wearing kilts were the pipers, dancers and Heavy Athletes. In 1943 at the Braemar Highland Games...same thing. the ONLY people wearing kilts were the pipers, dancers and Heavy Athletes.

Videos of the Fourth Cameron Highlanders showed them in kilts in 1938, solid color (Hodden Gray??) . Other videos of military units might, or as in the case of the Glagow Squadron pilots...might not show them in kilts. In fact, in film after film taken from the 1930's 1940's and 1950's on that archive, and I looked at about a dozen...there isn't a single adult male, I did not spot ONE, for sure....that was shown wearing a kilt unless they were in a pipe band, dancing, or competing in the Games or in the military. NOT ONE.

IN FACT...it appears that the Scottish Gentleman in the 1920's 1930's 1940's and 1950's wore a tweed hat and a jacket, vest and trousers when he was out in public, much like his British and American counterparts....though I thoroughly enjoyed seeing one of the Chiefs ( I think) in the 1950 Games video, who was wearing johdpurs. The Chief wore johdpurs in 1950!!!

Look, I ain't buyin' a pair, forget it!

[skauwt]

Look, I ain't buyin' a pair, forget it!

what ....not even a nice beige pair ??
i guess in those days kilts where thought to be more for pipers and servicemen but it is interesting looking back and how the public perception of kilts has changed somewhat

[Jock Scot]

Alan H. Jodhpurs were almost standard country wear,by many of the country set( grooms,farmers,Lairds,carters) in the 1920's,30's,40's and 50's.Before WW2 horse power was still very much in use and after WW2 clothing was so short that almost anything would do!From what I remember, kilts were quite unusual at that time, apart from those in the army(don't forget in the '50's most of Britain were sick, sorry and tired of anything military) and I am not in the least surprised that the Chief was wearing jodhpurs.I regularly wore them until very recently.

[HarborSpringsPiper]

In fact, in film after film taken from the 1930's 1940's and 1950's on that archive, and I looked at about a dozen...there isn't a single adult male, I did not spot ONE, for sure....that was shown wearing a kilt unless they were in a pipe band, dancing, or competing in the Games or in the military. NOT ONE.

I would say it was rare for anyone besides those involved in piping, drumming, dancing, competing in athletic events or judging to wear the kilt to the Games in North America in the 1970s, also. This has clearly changed over the last 20-30 years.

[Alan H]

Alan H. Jodhpurs were almost standard country wear,by many of the country set( grooms,farmers,Lairds,carters) in the 1920's,30's,40's and 50's.Before WW2 horse power was still very much in use and after WW2 clothing was so short that almost anything would do!From what I remember, kilts were quite unusual at that time, apart from those in the army(don't forget in the '50's most of Britain were sick, sorry and tired of anything military) and I am not in the least surprised that the Chief was wearing jodhpurs.I regularly wore them until very recently.

No kidding?
See, you learn something new every day. I had no idea.

Also, the Chief had on (IMHO) one of the most godawful tweed jacket/vest combinations I have ever seen. Most of the tweed I saw in the films was pretty nice, but this was horrendous to my eyes..

....and now you'll go look at it, and come back and tell me that you have three sets of matching jackets/vests much like his!

[Jock Scot]

No kidding?
See, you learn something new every day. I had no idea.

Also, the Chief had on (IMHO) one of the most godawful tweed jacket/vest combinations I have ever seen. Most of the tweed I saw in the films was pretty nice, but this was horrendous to my eyes..

....and now you'll go look at it, and come back and tell me that you have three sets of matching jackets/vests much like his!

Well no, I do not have any tweed in that sort of pattern.They are seen still and often they are "estate tweeds" which may well look out of place at a highland show,but out on the hill they blend into the natural surroundings really well."Estate tweeds" were an early form of camouflage and people in the know would have a fair idea what part of Scotland the owner came from by the hue of the tweed which matched the natural surroundings of the local area.

[Lachlan09]

Shinty - now there's a game I hoped crossed the Atlantic, or should have ! Mind you, the original lacrosse played by Indian tribes was just as spirited !

Ahhh - Newtonmore, Oban Celtic, Oban Camanachd, Kingussie, Cowal ..... it should be encouraged more at all levels, especially schools, rather than hockey, in Scotland !