It takes a lot to film, to cinemate, ANYTHING in the outdoors with b/w technology and this is quite an effort. I think the film should be shown nightly at the Ahwahnee, or Yos. lodge, along with the old color short featuring the YMS guys (its title escapes me) on Reeds Direct. It's not funny that memory no longer serves. It's why there's film: aside from the dicactic qualities of informing and entertaining, it aids memories. One is fortunate to see such an old flick, ten years older than myself. I liked the climbing, as it is just so effin' thirties. Me pard from Box Canyon, Chatsworth, and his family control land there. It is hard by the old "movie ranch" (Manson family country) and overlooks the SFV, the old reservoir. I have recognized many "locations" on the ranch in old westerns filmed there, having hiked by them to get to a shortie in the sandstone. I had some of the best times there with my pard when I was exiled to Oxnard, kicked in the stones by my fed-up climbing/fishing/golf widow-wife. I know, guys: Oxnard? Merced? What did he do to deserve that? My life would make a neat film, a didactic film, one that seeks to help the noobs avoid the pitfalls of avoiding contact with someone who cares about you, but there's a third person on the rope of the marriage, the siren who seeks to bring your soul on the rocks! I have a screenplay, who's got the camera? "Didaction!"
holy moly, is that ever a blast from the past. we need to pick this one apart.
harwood lodge at the outset--still looking that way, still available for a cheap weekend in the mountains--all you have to do is join the sierra club.
the first hijinks at san antonio falls, with some 4th classing up the falls canyon. but then they're on a big crag with big views--can't think of anywhere in the san gabriels like that. tahquitz? sierra?
familiar-looking faces from past sierra club slide shows, but i can't tell you who they are. they deserve credit. will try to link this to some who might know.
there's a movie of about the same vintage of skiing on mt. baldy, involving the sierra club ski hut up there. nice strike here, toadgas.
standard practice then, btw, court echelle, the "short ladder" of standing on your partner's shoulders. pretty fast dulfersitz, but people will endure great pain to get into the movies. heck of a base jump--wonder if it was spliced from other footages. nice pendulum on that single piton too--didn't seem to go in very hard.
hey there say, toadgas... thanks for the really neat old share here...
i will try to get it--can't really get youtube (dial up)...
but after all the neat comments etc, (as i know) there is
really nothing quite like these old time black and white films,
:)
i've copied the link to what few sierra club geezers we have left--will try to get some credits and locations. i've heard a lot of old names, and rice, johnson and pete smith don't ring any bells.
btw, the los angeles RCS depression era climbers commune was legendary--guys and dolls pooling their resources and living as chastely as possible, climbing every weekend. the inevitable romances led to enduring marriages--john and ruth mendenhall, chuck and ellen wilts.
harwood lodge is a delightful place, though haven't been there for a long time.
one thing about the climbing shots--they had to have convenient camera angles, given the technology of the time and the probable budget for this little short.
I've actually seen 3 on a Rope before. Totally classic! Such an awesome film with great footage. Lots of footage from Taquitz and, yes, a clip or two filmed at Stoney Point as well. I'd forgotten about the base jump at the end. I think there is a former ST thread about this film but I can never find it.
I tried to get this film to link to another thread a while back and it seemed like all the online copies were protected or blocked somehow, so it's great to see it again.
Edit to add: Tony- I agree- bring back the shorts. It would be fun to do a mini- parody of this film. I'll bring the shorts and the 30's pincurls. You bring the piton, the cara-biner and the scratchy rope. I'm sure we can find a clueless noob to play the third around here somewhere.
William Rice is the man Rice Minaret is named after. Anybody know about the other named climbers? Or the name of the woman?
Fun stuff.
g
EDIT: Rice, Johnson and Smith are all referred to in Vol 26 of the Sierra Club Bulletin, Pages 115 and 116. Might be in reference to this movie. Anybody know if the SCB is online?
Sweet climbing footage! Very educational. I learned how loose rocks are actually your friend and much better than putting a foot on the slippery granite.
For the BASE: I'm thinking catapult with a dummy. But great effect!
Let us know!