My aunt recently sent me a DVD she’d had made from old color Super 8 movies that were found in my grandfather’s house after he died. These movies were made in the 1940s, during the Second World War, and star various members of my family on my mother’s side. My beautiful young grandma (pictured in my user icon), my mother as an infant, the aunt and uncle I never knew as young kids.

I watched the film last weekend, and after looking at the people being photographed, I found myself peeking into the background for clues — cars, buildings, passersby. I realized that I didn’t even know who most of the people in the movie were, or where it took place, so I asked my aunt and she sent me the following:

“The film was taken in 1944 when my mom and dad took a ‘road trip’ to show off their firstborn; your mother (the infant). The older lady is your great-great-grandmother Fanny Two. She was around 80 in this film. She lived to be about 100+ and died around 1955. There is a lady with glasses who appears briefly, she is your great-grandmother Metta. The first city is Minneapolis and the film is taken in front of the ‘family’ home there. The middle-aged gentleman is probably Fanny’s son, George, your great-great-uncle. Not sure about the others.

“The next shot is your grandmother (my Mom – the vixen!) on the streets of New York with some of her ‘cronies’. She gets her buddy (I think his name was Alan) to give her a real smooch (with Dad taking the pictures yet!). Wasn’t she ‘stylin’ in that hat?!

“They then go on to Houston where Dad’s parents are shown, Grandpa in a very disreputable hat and Grandma in the garden. The two girls are your [great]-aunt Georgia and your [great]-aunt MaryAnn. There is a shot of Georgia with some other lady, I think a good friend. They walk into the camera (showing off). Georgia is still living in NY in a rent-controlled brownstone. She has been there for 50 years! I think I told you that she is in “Sister Act” – she’s the nun that always comes in late and looks confused when they are ‘singing bad’ and then give Whoopie a ‘thumbs up’ when they are signing good.

“It looks like they go to an Air Force base after Houston to church, but I am not sure – then they go back to Minneapolis where Fanny Two has on a black dress with a white collar and they also look like they are coming out of church.

“The two little kids are your uncle Brad & aunt Brenda at around 8 and 9 years old. I already asked Brenda if she could still skip rope backwards!

“I can’t believe how beautiful Mom was – I remember her at 40 – overweight and not ‘stylin’ at all. So great to see the ‘real’ woman… And Dad – man I could see where Mom was smitten, but boy was he skinny!”

The movie has no sound, and the silence is kind of eerie, especially when it’s clear that the people looking at the camera are laughing or talking.

I never met my Grandma, but I hear she was quite a sassy, foxy lady. Cool.