David EilersApril 26, 2021

1943 Video "Smiles in the News" w/ Ford GPAs

This news reel features three segments. The middle one is especially interesting as it shows Ford GPA Seeps zipping around a park in Philadelphia, then jumping into a lake.

"New Jersey. Various shots of the "Nappy National" in New Jersey. Parents putting nappies on their babies - this is a race. Babies take part in a crawling race - an annual event.

Philadelphia. Various shots of the new amphibious jeeps showing their paces. Jeep goes up and down some steps and then leaps from land into a lake and back again.

San Francisco. Various shots of the sea lions at the San Francisco Zoo performing for audience of children at feeding time - swimming around and leaping over and under obstacles."

3 Comments

rdjeepApril 28, 2021 at 2:33 AM
The Philadelphia footage was shot at FDR Park in South Philadelphia. Its the only Philly park with a lake that size. The distinctive "Boathouse Gazebo" they drove over and around locked in the location. The "swimming" scenes were shot nearish to the gazebo, but very close to the Boathouse, alongside a small tributary. In the very beginning of that sequence, the building in the distance is now what is known as The Swedish Historical Museum. Aren't satellite photos great?
1. David EilersApril 28, 2021 at 2:17 PM
  RD thanks for the research on that!
rdjeepApril 29, 2021 at 2:17 AM
You're quite welcome. It was kind of a personal challenge to see if I could nail it. It started with a brief drive-by memory of the park from a bunch of years ago. It was all Google after that, satellite and map.