[KenRa Films Present: the Kenneth Rankine Home Movie Collection: Reel 19]

Kenneth Carruthers Rankine (1890 - 1968) was a keen amateur cinematographer and filmmaker. This collection of his home movies has been donated to ACMI by Kenneth’s granddaughter. The collection represents a wonderful slice of life in Australia; with contents including scenes of everyday life, major family occasions, holidays around Victoria and views of Melbourne.

This film shows views across the Melbourne CBD rooftops and steeples, a selection of ‘flowering gums’, a visit to the Botanical Gardens, the arrival of ‘flat tops’ aircraft carrier ships. Kenneth then shows off the neon signs of Melbourne at night.

Selected highlights list:

00:00:20:00 title ‘Melbourne’.

00:00:26:00 views from what appears to be the top of the Royal Melbourne Children’s Hospital in North Melbourne with a note, ‘From Here 178 Feet’ beginning with a view down Elizabeth St toward the CBD.

00:01:06:00 an eastern view, where the Dandenong Ranges can be seen in the distance.

00:01:28:00 to 00:01:37:00 views over Melbourne University toward Queen’s College and the Royal Exhibition Building.

00:01:58:00 a horse and cart enter a city intersection at same time as a tram and cars.

00:02:47:00 Melbourne Technical College rotunda.

00:03:05:00 the Pelaco sign in Richmond (a Heritage Victoria listed landmark). Pelaco is a Melbourne based shirt manufacturing business.

00:30:00:00 Elizabeth St with Flinders St Station in view ends the footage of the rooftops of Melbourne.

00:04:30:00 title card ‘Flowering Gums’ followed by a selection of trees and shrubs in flower.

00:06:52:00 title card ‘Botanical Gardens’ begins a look at people enjoying the gardens. Footage includes examples of fox furs being worn by some women strolling in the gardens.

00:09:28:00 a quick look at what appears to be Captain Cook’s cottage.

00:09:35:00 title card ‘V.A.C.S On Location’ begins a sequence of what appears to be a film being made.

00:10:45:00 title card ‘The Flat Tops Arrive’ footage of large ships (aircraft carriers) and tugboats in the bay viewed by watchers on a small pier near, presumably, Port Melbourne.

00:12:42:00 a plane goes overhead. The sequence ends at at night on the beach. with people overlooking the bay toward the horizon.

00:15:11:00 title ‘Bright Lights’, a sequence at night showing neon signs around Melbourne.

00:16:03:00 the face of Luna Park in St Kilda.

00:16:24:00 Fostor’s Lager advertising sign.

00:16:35:00 Berger Paints (British Paints) advertising sign.

00:16:40:00 to 00:16:55:00 Swallows and Ariells ‘Follow the Swallow’ sequenced advertisement for Uneeda Biscuits, Plum Pudding and Biscuits Cakes Ice cream.

00:16:58:00 Sunshine Milk advertising sign.

00:17:15:00 Ball and Welch department store sign on Flinders St with the T&G Building sign in the background.

00:17:23:00 shows a longer sequence advertisement for Sennets ice cream featuring a bear eating an ice cream.

00:18:00:00 possibly the top dome of the Royal Exhibition Building lit up.

00:18:25:00 ‘Visit the Zoo’ advertising flashes up on screen.

00:19:05:00 advertisement ‘Mascot Underwear for Men and Boys’ featuring a ram and lamb on his back.

00:19:09:00 ‘Dunlop Tyres’ advertising sign.

00:19:33:00 footage ends with blurred city lights and traffic lights turning to red.