Americans visit family in Vienna, 1930
Creator(s)
- Arnold Schleifer (Camera Operator)
- Arthur Schleifer Jr.
Biographical History
Arnold Schleifer (1872-1950) was a Vienna-born restaurateur who leased and managed the Claremont Inn and Tavern-on-the Green in New York City for many years. In 1943, Arnold Schleifer and his nephews, Arthur Schleifer and Julius Berman, won the contract to operate the restaurant. They enlarged the dance floor and offered nightly music. A large outdoor patio offered dining al fresco. Trees were first wrapped in the well-known twinkling lights around the property and the Elm Tree Room was built to surround one of the city's classic American elms. The menu was designed to be elegant but affordable for New Yorkers. Luncheon and dinner offerings changed regularly. Arnold emigrated to the United States in 1903 and married Bertha in February 1937.
Scope and Content
Pan of well-dressed men and women seated and eating at dining tables on an outdoor patio. View of a city below them. 00:50 Pan of an ornate fountain and swimming pool. People wade in the water, a man slides down a waterslide. 1:27 Views of a large crowd of people in bathing suits. A well-dressed woman in the foreground. People mill about on the beach and in the water. 1:54 Views of a crowded outdoor café. 2:18 Pan of a gated building, perhaps an apartment. Three well-dressed people pose for the camera in front of the gate. The three walk in a garden towards the camera and pose for the camera at an outdoor table. 2:58 A man twirls a cane on a balcony, the two women stand behind him. 3:11 A man picks fruit from a tree, eats it. Views of the exterior of a house. The women enter onto the balcony; the three of them walk down the steps leading to the garden. They all smile and laugh, posing for the camera. 4:11 Views of the exterior of the opera house in Vienna. City activity, cars, buses and people pass by in the street. 4:33 Pan of another crowded outdoor café. Busy street scenes, well-dressed people walking. View of the street below from a balcony, a sign on a building reads “Grand Cafe Wien” Views of upscale buildings in Vienna. More street scenes, two women eat ice cream bars. 6:53 Pan of a large boulevard and upscale apartment buildings and shops above, horse-drawn carriages and buses and people pass in front of the camera. 8:10 Parade, including some men in uniform, march down a busy street, others look on from the sidewalk or their apartments. A marching band accompanies them. 9:00 Views of two well dressed women standing in the doorway of a building observing, a sign next to them reads "Puppenhaus" and “Quisisana.” Views from the same aforementioned balcony of the street below. 9:28 Views of an outdoor café, pan of the patio filled with diners as waitresses in white aprons walk about.
Note(s)
Arnold Schleifer traveled with his wife Bertha and his sister Hermine in Summer 1930. They returned on the SS Leviathan sailing from Cherbourg, France on September 14, 1930 and arriving in New York on September 30, 1930.
Subjects
- THEATERS
- CITIES
- CAFES
- BANDS
- VACATIONS
- AUSTRIA
- AUTOMOBILES
- SOLDIERS/MILITARY (AUSTRIAN)
- JEWISH LIFE (PRE-WAR)
- FAMILIES
- PARADES
- STREETS
- BUSES
Places
- Vienna, Austria
Genre
- Amateur.
- Film