Checking out Los Angeles: 'Wonder City of the West'

If you have nine minutes to kill and love looking at old cars, Los Angeles: 'Wonder City of the West' is absolutely worth your time. History geeks will eat this up, but anyone expecting actual drama or plot will be bored to tears.

It's basically a glorified postcard from the 1930s. 🌴

James A. FitzPatrick has this voice that sounds like he's reading a bedtime story to a very wealthy child. He talks about LA like it's some sort of holy land, which is hilarious to hear today.

The camera just sort of floats past these incredibly clean streets. You see these old-timey cars chugging along, and literally everyone is wearing a hat.

My favorite part is when they show the movie studio lots. You get a quick glimpse of where the magic happens, though it looks more like a quiet factory than a dream factory.

It reminds me of the background vibes in other films from that era, like Syncopating Sue, where the city itself feels like a stage. Or even the quiet drama of Lovers Courageous.

There's this one shot of a palm tree that lingers for way too long, its like the cameraman fell asleep for a second. 😴

The music is incredibly loud too. It just blares this triumphant orchestral stuff over shots of ordinary buildings.

Things I jotted down:

• The narrator's obsession with the word "splendor" is almost a bit much.
• A guy in the background who clearly didn't know he was being filmed and is fixing his trousers.
• The colors looks strangely bright, almost like a coloring book.

It's not a masterpiece, obviously. But as a time capsule, it's pretty neat.

If you want something deep, go watch something else. But if you want to zone out and look at 1930s California, this is the good stuff.