Mighty Manhattan, New York's Wonder City

1949
6.8| 0h20m| en
Details

This film visits many of the neighborhoods and landmarks on Manhattan Island and occasionally includes a history lesson. The neighborhoods include the Bowery, Chinatown, Herald Square, and Times Square. Some of the architectural highlights are the Empire State Building, the New York Public Library, Temple Emanuel, the Central Park Zoo, and the Rockefeller Center complex. The film ends with a visit to a dining room in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where the Xavier Cugat Orchestra entertains.

Director

Producted By

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

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Reviews

Nonureva Really Surprised!
FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
ThrillMessage There are better movies of two hours length. I loved the actress'performance.
Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.
ksf-2 Certainly a competent job, another chapter in James Fitz's travelogues, in living color, this one from 1949. Fun look at the time when the Empire State Building was still "the tallest building in the world". Good, quick looks at the landmarks, ie Grand Central Station, Women and Children's Hospital, and of course, Central Park. My only complaint is that they spent SO much time describing in detail how trashy "the Bowery" was at the time; that time would have been so much better spent on giving us details on Central Park - there are SO many fun things to do in Central Park! Oh, and for those too young to know "the Bowery", some interesting info: watch the films called "The Bowery Boys". some fun stuff. And recently, the lower east side, which WAS the Bowery, is now going upscale, with luxury condos, and of course, a Whole Foods Market. Overall, this shortie that Turner Classic shows between films, is a good watch. Fun to look back and compare them to what's there now. Check out how Time's Square has changed since what they show in this film. Also some footage of Ann Miller and musician Xavier Cugat.
gavin6942 I saw this on Turner Classic Movies, and I was fairly interested. It was not what you might typically think of a "classic" movie, but I thought it was important for historical value, if nothing else.New York is probably the most-filmed city in the world, with Los Angeles and Vancouver not far behind. But even if you've never been to New York, you know the skyline. To see it here 60 years ago was a real treat, and I especially liked how it showed that the United Nations building was not built yet, and the hopes they had for its use. How that has fared is now open to debate.For how short it is, I recommend it to anyone who has an interest in New York, history, or is planning to go to New York... a great way to get excited for the trip.
Michael_Elliott Mighty Manhattan, New York's Wonder City (1949) ** 1/2 (out of 4) MGM's (not official) TravelTalk short takes a look at various landmarks in Manhattan including Times Square, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and the streets of Chinatown. Once again the Technicolor is certainly the highlight of this film, which has the city jumping off the screen. Once again there have been many better documents of the city but I'm sure this thing served its purpose back when it was originally released when there wasn't an internet or even color television to see such things. The most interesting thing is that the United Nations building hadn't yet been completed and we get to see it in its early stages of construction.
George Wright This entertaining travelogue from the late 1940's is a glimpse of Manhattan - the largest of the five boroughs of NYC. As a travelogue, it is a postcard-perfect view of Manhattan with the narrator gushing over the bright lights and skyscrapers. Nevertheless, like an old issue of Time or Life, it has to be looked at as a piece of social history. The film introduces New York's Mayor William O'Dwyer and takes us on a tour that includes an interesting sample of life in the Big Apple. We stop at the construction site of the United Nations which was taking place at the time. We visit Xavier Cugat, one of Manhattan's entertainment icons and see the great ocean liners along the piers of the Hudson River. We also get to see the Waldorff Astoria, considered one of the great hotels of the time. What is remarkable though is how many points of interest are still on the itinerary of a visitor to New York - Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, the Woolworth Building, the Statue of Liberty, the bridges spanning the East and Hudson Rivers, and of course Times Square. As a fan of New York, this 20-minute film was like a wonderful dessert after I viewed The Naked City on TCM. Highly recommended.