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Title: THURSO GALA WEEK 1953

Reference number: 3721

Date: 1953

Director: [accredited to James S Nairn, Inverness]

Sponsor: Caledonian Associated Cinemas

Sound: silent

Original format: 35mm

Colour: bw

Fiction: non-fiction

Running time: 15.36 mins

Description: Thurso Gala Week, 1953. This locally produced film starts with some beautiful scenics of Thurso. It records the excitement of the Gala Procession, floats and banners, the crowing of the Queen and plenty of crowd shots. This year also coincided with the Royal Coronation of Elizabeth II.

Shotlist: opening credit and title (0.17) c/u souvenir programme entitled 'Thurso Town Improvements Committee Coronation Gala Week 18th - 25th July 1953" (0.32) gvs Thurso Bay, slow pan L to R with Holburn Head lighthouse visible (0.50) pan R to L, Thurso town in distance (1.09) m/s Thurso and its buildings, harbour with fishing boats (1.50) beach scenes, families swimming and playing with their pet dog (2.28) people sit on stone seat, overlooking the sandy beach (2.44) gvs diving from rocks, using a very 'makeshift' wooden plank as the board (3.10) lady with pram walks by, gvs putting green, children at play in playpark - going down chute (dog goes first!), a wooden roundabout and wooden see saw (3.48) spectators gather on Masin Street to watch Gala Queen Pageant. Pipe Band precedes the Gala Queen and her entourage in a horse drawn carriage (4.38) brass band pass by [war memorial in background](4.49) procession of floats pass by - there are lots of Union flags in honour of the Coronation (5.23) c/u placard for 'TIC' in front of podium - the Gala Queen and her entourage stand holding flowers. Shot also includes VIPs [unid] - the crowing of the Gala Queen, intercut with gvs onlookers, applauding [exts shot of A. Millar & Sons in background] (6.06) speeches, crowds look on - one of them is Provost (?) (7.02) Gala Queen and her entourage walk away and through the crowd (7.18) gvs pipe band, horse and carriage with Queen, floats - some charity cans are shaken for fundraising (7.58) the Queen and her maids walk along street, a few bystanders cheer (mostly children), c/u of each girl's smiling face (8.45) children in many different fancy dress costumes pose for camera (10.00) Town Square, crowds gather to watch the spectacle of pipe band and floats (12.11) policemen and bus conductress [the metal plate worn on front was for attaching ticket machine to] notice the camera, gvs crowd (12.28) gvs crowd, a lot of people notice the camera on them. Queen and Provost (?) make speeches, intercut with gvs crowd (15.16) the successfully crowned Gala Queen and her entourage leave the podium (15.31) THE END (15.36)