Amateur film: New Orleans Carnival Week, February 22, 1941

This footage by one of the millions of Carnival enthusiasts who have celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans over the last 3 centuries is a treat, especially to Carnival historians like myself who value such rare glimpses.
Featured in the footage are the parades of two krewes who no longer grace the celebrations, the Krewe of Nor (a rare children's krewe and predecessor to the current children's Krewe of Little Rascals) and the Krewe of Venus. Aside from the jerky camerawork and shoddy editing typical of the day (February 1941, nine months before the United States joined World War II) the footage gives the viewer a glimpse of a more civilized, respectfull spectacular, done with rather low-tech means. Notice the hand-drawn carriage floats with one or two people on board. Small and intimate, yet beautifully ornate in their designs. Also notice that very few beads are being thrown. In those days, catching a string of those glorious glass beads (yes, glass!) was a special gift of the season and very often became a treasured piece of jewelry in the owners' cases.
This footage also offers some marvelous insights into the revelry in the streets on Mardi Gras Day of that year. Satin-clad pirates, cowboys, clowns and cavaliers are the order of the day. Look for the banner of the Garden District walking club (one of the oldest of the walking clubs in the city at present) towards the end.
Footage like this, regardless of its deficiencies, is invaluable. It provides one of the only records now available to the general public of what Carnival was before the war, and just how much the celebrations have changed.