Golden Gate City, 1940

This 1940 film sweeps through San Francisco, capturing the Golden Gate Bridge with steamships and battleships below, sailboats on the Bay, and Alcatraz’s stark silhouette. Panoramas from Telegraph Hill and Twin Peaks frame the skyline, Bay Bridge, and Treasure Island’s 1939-40 World’s Fair site. Chinatown buzzes with dragon dances and neon, while the Mint churns coins under guard. Fisherman’s Wharf, Golden Gate Park’s buffalo, and Cliff House seals round out a vibrant portrait of the city’s pre-war charm.