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Join this channel to get access to perks: Want to learn more about Periscope Film and get access to exclusive swag? Join us on Patreon. Visit Visit our website “The Lighthouse” is a color educational film from 1952, made by New Horizon Films and released by Encyclopedia Britannica Films. Produced by Cynthia Chapman, Hal Albert, and Wilbur T. Blume, this film’s story is told from the perspective of a young boy who lives on the property of a U.S. Coast Guard operated lighthouse. The boy’s father is the lighthouses’ headlight housekeeper and the film follows as the young boy helps his father fulfill his duties from cleaning the light at dawn and watching as the light gets turned on to guide ships at dusk. The film takes place at the Point Sur Lighthouse which was established in 1889 and is located just south of Monterey, California at the peak of a 361-foot rock. At the time of filming, the lighthouse was operated by the United States Coast Guard however today it is part of Point Sur State Historic Park and is open to the public. Opening credits (0:10). Voice of young boy narrates as camera pans rocky cliffs and blue water of Pacific Ocean (0:20). Lighthouse sits on top of rocky cliff, waves crash at bottom of the cliff (0:58). Man and young son exit front door of home, white picket fence (1:08). Father and son in sailor hats go out on walk with dog (1:16). The pair walk along carved out path holding onto white handrails as they walk down cliff-side towards lighthouse building (1:33). The pair look down at white foaming water (1:52). Close-up of father and son’s faces looking down at the water below (1:58). Camera pans lighthouse exterior, constructed of timber and stone (2:16). Light tower (2:30). Aerial view of pair making their way up the interior winding stairs of lighthouse tower (2:31). Camera close-up of iron stairs detailing (2:41). Big light (1000 watt bulb) within the light tower (3:14). Father kneels down and uses white brush to dust off glass prisms that encircle the light (3:22). Little boy uses special rag to clean the exterior glass (3:29). Father and son stare back at each other from either side of the glass (3:42). The pair enter the radio room and stand in front of Seth Thomas Grandfather Clocks that control the radio code signal (4:17). Close-up of Seth Thomas Clock face as father’s hand winds the clock hands (4:26). Father uses ship-to-shore telephone (4:42). Young boy listens to radio signal through earphones the size of his head (4:59). The pair enter the engine room - Jack, a Coast Guardsman, kneels besides silver-colored machinery and uses rag to clean engine that generates electricity for the big light (5:41). The father records dial readings in his logbook (6:06). The father, son, and Jack stand outside with stopwatch to test foghorn (6:33). Close-up of black lighthouse foghorn (6:39). The boys mother appears on the cliffs and beckons for the boy (7:06). Father and son get into pick-up truck and the mother hands them a grocery list through the car window (7:40). Mother looks over white-picket fence at white foaming water pooling around jagged rocks below and the pick-up truck as it winds around the road (7:45). Perhaps 1949 Ford F-3 parks on the road (8:10). Shot of entrance gate to lighthouse road (8:15). Pick-up truck parks on busy commercial town road in front of grocery store (8:51). Young boy stands in front of crates of fresh produce and talks to the vegetable man (9:01). Close-up of Coast Guard emblem painted on the door of the pick-up truck (9:49). Young boy runs down steep sand dune towards the beach (9:55). Boy stands on beach collecting driftwood, framed by jagged rocks and large piece of driftwood (10:06). Young boy sits and investigates a piece of collected driftwood (10:20). Young boy and mother feed chickens overlooking the sea (10:30). Waves seen from the beach at dusk (10:48). Young boy and mother watch as the big light goes on (11:05). We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell people what it is and what they can see by writing something for example: “01:00:12:00 -- President Roosevelt is seen meeting with Winston Churchill at the Quebec Conference.“ This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit
