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The Royal Visit

Accession number: 
1939.0041
Production Years: 
1939
Release Year: 

Languages:

Film Properties: 
Length (feet): 
3080 (16mm), 7611 (35mm)
Length (minutes): 
85

Subjects:

Holding Institutions: 

Library and Archives Canada: 16mmm, 35mm, digibeta, VHS.
"La visite du Roi George V et de la Reine Elizabeth au Canada et aux Etats Unis, du 17 mai au 15 juin 1939."

"The visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth to Canada and the United States, May 17 to June 15, 1939.
Part 1 of the film includes their visit to Quebec City with sequences on their arrival; a visit to the Legislature; a speech by Maurice Duplessis; and luncheon at the Chateau Frontenac. Prime Minister the Right Honourable W.L. Mackenzie King delivers a speech to which King George replies in French and English. Shots of crowds in the streets and a visit to the Battlefield Park. Shots of the royal visitors being welcomed by a crowd in Trois-Rivières. In Montreal, the King and Queen are greeted by crowds at the station and by the mayor at City Hall. Shots of Notre-Dame, Dominion Square, and the Old City. Sequence on the banquet at the Windsor Hotel. Arriving in Ottawa, the royal visitors are driven down Island Park Drive, around Confederation Square, and down Sussex Drive to Government House. At the Parliament Buildings the King gives royal assent to legislation and witnesses the Trooping of the Colours in honour of his official birthday of May 20th.
Part 2 of the film includes the King laying the cornerstone for the Supreme Court Building and unveiling the National War Memorial in Confederation Square. In Toronto, the King and Queen are welcomed by Mayor Ralph Day as crowds stand by. Premier Mitchell Hepburn is on hand at the Provincial Legislature to welcome them. A presentation of colours is held at the University of Toronto. The royal visitors stop at Christie Street Hospital for a chat with veterans. The Queen's Plate is run at Woodbine Racetrack on May 22nd. Out west, King George and Queen Elizabeth drive through Winnipeg streets and visit the Manitoba Legislature. Glimpses are shown of the prairies and the Rockies on the way to British Columbia.
Part 3 of the film includes the King and Queen arriving in Vancouver, after a visit to Jasper, and being welcomed by the mayor. They drive through the city and over Lion's Gate Bridge and take the boat to Vancouver Island and Victoria. After their welcome there, the King presents colours and he and the Queen return to Vancouver. They travel across the prairies by train and pass through the Lakehead; Sudbury, visiting the mines there; Kitchener; Stratford; Windsor; London; Woodstock; Brantford; Hamilton; St. Catherines; and Niagara Falls. The royal couple visit the United States. They are greeted in Washington DC by President Roosevelt and are driven down Pennsylvania Avenue. In New York they visit the 1939 New York World's Fair, and visit the Canadian Pavilion there. On their return to Canada they visit the Maritime provinces and leave for home. "

Comments: 
The opening credits mention that this film is presented in cooperation with Associated Screen News. The opening credits are followed by this message: "All organizations associated with the production, presentation and distribution of this film are devoting their receipts to the Canadian Red Cross." Le message suivant apparait au debut du film: "Toutes les organisations mêlées à la production, à la présentation et à la distribution de ce film ont offert les recettes à la Croix Rouge au Canada". La sortie de la version française a eu lieu le 1er Mars, 1940 au cinéma Saint-Denis, Montréal (Source: Library and Archives Canada).