Vintage Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Footage From 1954 (VIDEO)

Before every sporting event, arena and concert was brought to you by a particular brand, there was the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. While we may scoff at the product placements and weird sub-sponsored segments on game day -- let's take a timeout here at the Nicorette Bowl for a look at the Summer's Eve Fresh Athlete of the Quarter -- we give the corporate branding of the Macy's Parade a pass, simply because it's been with us for so long.

So to get you into the "Miracle On 34th Street" spirit, we tracked down this awesome vintage footage of the parade, posted by YouTube user vmax135, who happens to be a storm chaser by day. The footage was recorded by his father on an 8mm camera back in 1954.

If this doesn't get you in the mood to hunker down with your family and drink some warm cider, we don't what will.

Comments

[jenbenq8]

10:46 PM on 11/27/2011

Lovely... Thank you for posting!

[Andrew J Hanzel]

08:55 PM on 11/24/2011

Cheers to "Pinky Lee" @ 1:50 Yoo-Hoo, It's me; my name is Pinky Lee!

[MaybeItsJustMe]

08:34 PM on 11/24/2011

Notice how the spectators were dressed well in dress coats with men in suits and women in dresses. Times sure have changed.

[aznurse]

09:49 AM on 11/25/2011

and I bet all clothes were made here too!

[akcrin]

10:54 AM on 11/24/2011

Love the write-up! It was a spit-out-the-coffee moment.

[ichoosehappynow]

09:16 AM on 11/24/2011

Happy Thanksgiving! When I lived in New York I use to frequent the parade because it was near my apartment. It felt so much like the holidays when you saw the parade.

In Connecticut we celebrate by looking at Neon colored Turkeys!

http://ichoosehappynow.com/2011/11/24/cup-of-joy/happy-thanksgiving-from-new-haven-county-connecticut-a-visit-to-gozzis-turkey-farm/

Cheers,
Louise

[Cuester]

07:55 PM on 11/23/2011

I saw Macy's parade in 1945. All I remember is that a clown scared the hell out of me.

[sonjasmom]

01:48 PM on 11/23/2011

It looks like in that time, other than the name of the parade, it wasn't nearly as commercialized as it is now, where every float and balloon is a blatant ad for a movie, a toy product, or a Broadway show.

[JPhilip]

03:32 AM on 11/27/2011

That is because the event is now used to sell New York- The Rockettes, Broadway shows, etc. It is a de facto preview for the upcoming season.