Frieder family with locals, greeting a boat, and preparing to depart Manila in 1936
On the beach in the Philippines in Spring 1936. Sisters Edna and Louise Frieder play with local children and pass out candies. Younger sister Alice rides a horse.
01:04:52 Dark INT shots of people on a boat, then outdoors on deck where they (likely Frieder family relatives and Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria) wave and blow kisses to the camera.
01:05:45 CUs, guests on a ship.
01:05:47:11 - Corinne Rosenberg Frieder
01:05:49:12 - Louise Frieder
01:05:54 - Edna Frieder
01:05:56 The Frieders play with and feed monkeys in Ceylon.
01:06:29 CUs as friends and members of the Frieder family walk down the stairs of the family home in Manila.
01:06:30 Friends converse in front of an automobile and wave.
01:06:32 - Edna and Louise Frieder
01:06:35:06 - Alice Frieder
01:06:39 - Corinne Rosenberg Frieder
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Record last modified: 2022-07-28 22:05:28
This page: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn1004717
Also in Frieder Family Collection
These home movies show the families of the Frieder brothers, four American Jews who worked with the president of the Philippines to provide safe haven for European Jews in Manila. The Frieders took advantage of the liberal immigration policies of the Philippines by advertising in German Jewish newspapers for people to work at their cigar factory. 1,200 Jews were saved as a result of their efforts. The five Frieder brothers from Cincinnati, Ohio (Philip, Henry, Alex, Morris, and Herbert) made their fortune in cigars, which they manufactured in the Philippines. The brothers took turns managing the cigar production. Every two years, one of the brothers (excluding Henry) and his family would relocate to their home at 44 Brixton Hill, Santa Mesa, Manila.The Frieder brothers were passionate poker players and often played with influential individuals, such as President Manuel L. Quezon, the US High Commissioner Paul V. McNutt, and Army Colonel Dwight D. Eisenhower. In the late 1930s, together, they devised a way to provide refuge in the Philippines to German and Austrian Jews. President Quezon stipulated that those who came not be a burden on the Philippine economy, so the tiny Jewish community in Manila accepted that responsibility. While McNutt pressured the US State Department to keep Philippine borders open to refugees, the Frieder brothers (working with the Joint Distribution Committee) arranged transportation and visas for European Jews who possessed skills in fourteen occupations, one being cigar manufacturing. President Quezon provided a temporary home for the refugees where they could live and grow their own food on the land he was developing for his son. The haven was named Mariquina Hall. Between 1937 and 1941, the Frieder brothers, McNutt, Quezon, and Eisenhower aided in the rescue of over 1,300 Jews. In December 1941, the Japanese invaded the Philippines. All Frieder brothers had returned to the US a month earlier in anticipation of the invasion. Between December 1941 and September 1945, Manila was under Japanese occupation. Ironically, during that time, unlike all other internationals who were interned in a make-shift prison in Santo Tomas University, the Jewish refugees were considered Germans - therefore allies of Japan - and not imprisoned. A few refugees were killed in the crossfire between US and Japanese armies as the battle for Manila ended.
Frieder children at play
Film
Morris and Julia Frieder's children in Cincinnati, Ohio in the early 1930s. Jane (b. 1927), the oldest daughter of the family, and her classmates climb on a jungle gym on a rooftop playground at the University of Cincinnati nursery school. 00:02:00 Jane, with the short, dark hair, plays in the sandbox. Jane and her younger sister Peggy (b. 1930) play outside their home wearing bathing suits.
Frieder family in Manila
Film
Jane Frieder swims in a pool, probably in Manila (note servant in white and plant vegetation in next shot), while Peggy floats in an inner tube. Jane practices diving. Scenes of life in the Philippines. 00:03:34 Housekeeper wearing white walks Peggy down the stairs. Jane and Peggy pose for the camera outside in the garden of their family estate. 00:03:56 Jane and Peggy swim in a pool, large cargo ships are visible in the distance. 00:04:42 INT, dark shots of a nanny helping the girls with their meal. 00:05:22 Jane and Peggy pose in white linen outfits at the Frieder family's Manila villa. 00:05:43 Women and children in Becky Berger's garden (Mrs. Samuel M. Berger, owner of S.M. Berger and Co. in Manila). Adults lounge outside and play games on the tennis court. 00:06:04 Peggy sits on an older man's lap (grandfather?). Jane and Peggy run to the camera with their mother, Julia. 00:06:54 Jane and her classmates practice dancing outside a nursery school, the American School, in Manila. The children play on a slide. MCUs, children at recess.
Frieder family on holiday
Film
The Frieder family on holiday. Women pose with Jane and Peggy on a mountain, probably in Hawaii. Pan of the ocean vista and city below, probably Honolulu. 00:00:29 Two adult couples lounge outdoors. The girls and their mother Julia pose before going to the beach and swimming in the ocean. Jane and Peggy on a ship deck with flowered leis around their necks. Smoke stacks from other boats are visible behind the rail of the ship deck. 00:01:21 People aboard an ocean cruiser. Shores. Someone dives from the boat. 00:02:14 Jane, Peggy, and Julia wear heavy coats on the ship deck. Other Frieder family members walk towards camera on deck. 00:02:30 The girls play outside near a large gate, probably in Yokohama, Japan. 00:02:46 Very brief street scene with shop signs, probably in Hong Kong (see similar shots of same street at 01:08:19 in Film ID 2965). Julia and the girls ride in rickshaws. Cut to a crowded ship dock and other ships in a harbor. 00:03:43 A toddler dressed in a winter coat and hat cries. Pan of landscape from the ship - ocean, islands, mountains. A different view from above of a city with a busy harbor, probably Hong Kong. 00:05:08 Jane and Peggy swim in the pool on the ship deck. Their parents, Morris and Julia, watch and join in the pool.
Tea party at Frieder estate
Film
Back in Manila, views of the dining area outdoors near the tennis courts at the Frieder family estate. Servants prepare for a tea party. 00:06:25 Peggy and Jane eat at one of the white-clothed tables. Morris walks down the stairs. 00:06:50 Jane plays with her father Morris. 00:07:01 Peggy and Jane in the pool at the house in Manila with their mother. The girls swing.
Frieder estate in Manila; family visits Baguio
Film
Pan of the Frieder family villa exteriors in Manila, including gardens, grounds, lush vegetation. People work in the large garden. View of Manila beyond the estate from roof(?) of villa. 00:02:56 Brief shot of the girls at play followed by views of the grounds at Camp John Hay in Baguio City in 1933. Jane and Peggy Frieder with their nanny and toys. 00:03:58 The girls pose with their dolls by a decorated Christmas tree in the garden. 00:04:08 An American flag waves, mountains visible in the distance. HAV of camp's amphitheater. 00:04:19 Jane, Peggy, and their Filipino nanny walk down a steep staircase, pick flowers, play in the garden, and pose by an ornate banister by the outdoor stone staircase. 00:04:51 Busy Baguio country club golf course. Landscape, mountains.
Frieders on vacation, horseback riding, playing
Film
People play and relax on the beach, probably in Hawaii. Morris Frieder and his girls wearing flowered leis aboard a boat. 00:00:47 Pan of a large garden in the Philippines, probably in Baguio City (see Film ID 2957 at 00:02:56 for film of the same location when the girls are younger). Peggy and a younger girl (likely her sister Sue - b. 1934) pose for the camera. Jane practices swinging a golf club. Catherine O'Connor, the governess from Indiana, helps the girls pick flowers from the garden, and Jane picks up Sue. 00:02:17 A plane lands on a dirt runway. Morris gets out and kisses Sue. The three Frieder girls ride horses. 00:05:04 In color. The girls continue horseback riding. Harbor. 00:05:47 Plane makes a water landing near shore. People, many in white suits, gathered on boat ramp to greet plane's riders. 00:06:11 Automobile pulls into the Frieders' gated home in Manila. The girls play in the garden and by the pool. 00:06:44 Women and men in fine attire attend a party on the tennis courts. Close views of women in the Frieder family. 00:08:03 Peggy and Jane in horseback riding outfits, riding. 00:09:01 In black and white, Sue plays with a puppy outside the family home in Manila. Car parked in garage. Sue poses, blows kisses to the camera, dances while wearing a hat, and picks up a kitten. The Frieder children play in the pool. 00:10:51 One of the Filipino servants, Vincente, dries off the family's puppy Scampy. The girls ride their horses. More shots of Sue playing outside.
Frieder family at their estate in Manila; children at camp; Jewish refugee family from Europe; Alice's birthday
Film
Alex and Corinne Frieder's children swim in the pool at their home in Manila. Louise and Edna hold up Alice. Edna poses and shows off for the camera. Edna, Louise, and Alice dance around their mother, seated in a chair. Swans in the second pond in front of the house. Edna, Louise, and other children in costume dance on the tennis courts during dance class. 01:05:35 Large outdoor dinner party at the estate in Manila. People talk and eat ice cream. 01:05:57 American children at Yosemite Camp in Baguio practice giving "Baguio" salutes to the camera. They raise an American flag, perform exercises, and play rugby. A sports coach poses. 01:07:50 Girl plays tennis. 01:07:57 Alec Bachrach and his family near an automobile. The Bachrachs were one of the first Jewish families to settle in the Philippines. Children pose, Alec and others pick flowers and smoke. 01:08:42 The Frieder children play in the pool. Adults and children celebrate Alice's fifth birthday in 1931. Alice climbs into the cage with several white rabbits. Children circle around Alice before having races on the tennis courts. Alice pedals on her toy airplane. She opens presents. Very quick shot of kids arm-in-arm at camp.
Jewish refugees celebrate Purim in the Philippines, 1940
Film
"A Children's Party" shows Alex and Corinne Frieder and their children at a Purim celebration on March 24, 1940 at Mariquina Hall in Manila, the land donated by President Quezon for Jewish refugees. Many of the people at the party are German and Austrian Jewish refugees who were given visas to come to the Philippines. Children dressed in costumes at outdoor party, eating cakes. 01:00:41 Adults converse. Alex Frieder, wearing a white suit, smokes a cigar. Children and adults mingle and eat. 01:01:06 Cantor Joseph Cysner with camera around his neck leads a parade of costumed children to a makeshift stage with the flags of Israel, Philippines, and America. Cantor Cysner leads the children's production of the Book of Esther, as the young children and parents (refugees) watch, CUs.
Frieders vacation in Europe
Film
The Frieder family takes a vacation. The first shots show a tour of the Coliseum in Rome, family at 01:07:56, and a group of schoolboys. 01:08:27 Men and women in uniform pose and salute (fascist). Views of the Arch of Constantine, outside the Coliseum, more Italian architecture, ruins, and landscape. 01:09:48 The bronze East doors of the Florence Baptistery designed by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Pan across foggy Florence with Brunelleschi's dome in the distance. 01:10:18 Edna, Louise, and Alice and their mother Corinne feed birds outside St. Mark's Basilica in Venice. Ornate façade. 01:11:22 The Danube River and the Budapest skyline filmed from Buda. The family gets into a car. Locals in traditional Hungarian dress pose. Pan across Budapest and the Danube. 01:12:05 EXT of St. Matthias Church and the Parliament Dome in Budapest. City scenes and the landscape. 01:12:46 The family visits Prague. A clock marked with Hebrew characters at the Jewish Town Hall. Pinkas Synagogue and other buildings in the Jewish quarter of Prague. CU, statue of Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel and the Golem at New Town Hall, as well as a sculpture of the Calvary on the Charles Bridge. More scenic views of Prague and the castle. Cathedral. 01:14:24 Pan of harbor, ships, and city on the coast. A French flag waves from a boat nearby. Men pose for the camera.
Frieders golf and swim
Film
Corinne Frieder and one of the Frieder children register at the Baguio country club golf course. A sign reads: "Players Absolutely Prohibited Unless Wearing Flat-Heeled Shoes." Corinne, Alex and their children practice at the driving range. 01:16:07 Louise pushes Alice on a swing in their front yard in Baguio. The Frieder teens and friends swim in the pool in Manila (probably for Edna's birthday). 01:17:10 Alice and cousins Jane and Peggy run down the stairs and play in the pool in Manila.
1935 Inauguration of the Philippine Commonwealth
Film
Inauguration of the Philippine Commonwealth (of the United States). The Commonwealth was created by the Tydings-McDuffie Act, which was passed by Congress in 1934. When Manuel L. Quezon was elected president in September 1935, he became the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines. The Commonwealth Government was inaugurated on the morning of November 15, 1935, in ceremonies held on the steps of the Legislative Building in Manila. The event was attended by a crowd of around 300,000 people. 01:18:03 American flag. Large crowd (mostly Filipino) seated for the ceremony. High-level (cabinet/military) members proceed to their seats. View of the crowd, official news cameras, and military band. More high-level personnel take their seats. "Legislative Building" inscribed on building. More shots of the podium, crowds, and cameramen from the stage, where Alex Frieder was seated with his daughter Alice. 01:20:14 President Manuel Quezon shakes hands as he makes his way through the crowd after the inauguration. Parade with flag-bearers in the crowd below. 01:20:34 CUs, Filipino women in traditional dress pose with Corinne and Alice Frieder on the street.
China Clipper airplane lands in Manila
Film
Interisland boat departs from pier (destined for Mindinao?), people wave ribbons. Aerial views of the first China Clipper plane flying low and landing in shallow water near the busy Pier 7 in Manila on November 29, 1935. 01:22:32 CUs, Frieder family and friends smile for the camera aboard a ship meeting the clipper.
Alex Frieder and family visit tobacco plantations and workers in the provinces
Film
A Filipino man riding a water buffalo takes Alex Frieder for a ride in a cart pulled by the buffalo. Tobacco field, possibly in the Cagayan Valley and other provinces in the Philippines. Native Filipino men stand before bamboo hut. Alex inspects tobacco leaves for purchase. Alex talks with villagers. Locals show him how to row a bangka (an outrigger canoe) across a stream. 01:02:22 Village women squat and sort tobacco leaves. Wider view of the hut with a thatched roof. 01:03:04 Frieder gets a tour. INTs, women pound grain and tobacco leaves. 01:03:29 A woman (with a cigar) and her young child. 01:03:35 Automobile beside Mr. Macias' house (Macias was the general manager of the Habana Cigar Co.), Alex Frieder in the window. Local men carry Alex Frieder in a litter over the water to a boat. 01:04:22 Men talk in front of a house. Villagers slaughter a pig. 01:05:37 The Frieder children row an outrigger and swim in the ocean. 01:06:11 Market center in Baguio. Local men and women sell and trade goods. The Frieder family buys produce. Men in traditional bahags (loincloths). Young people pose for the camera. Locals congregate before an open market building in Baguio. 01:07:35 Another outrigger with Frieders, Alice in a hat. MS, views of a docked ocean cruiser. Cut to a Filipino woman walking ashore, laughing at the camera. Men break stones by the beach, and Alex Frieder tries to help.
Frieders travel home via China
Film
The Frieder family stops over in Hong Kong (like the brief shot in Film ID 2956 at 00:02:46) - Corinne and the children ride in rickshaws, locals in the street. The Frieder family tours a park with massive Buddha statue. More street scenes with locals. 01:08:52 Rickshaws with the Frieders. Crowds next to a large docked ocean cruiser with confetti. Pan of ships in the harbor, glimpse of an American flag on the large ship, and parked rickshaws and automobiles on the dock. The cruiser departs, confetti breaks, people wave. 01:10:54 Morris Frieder shakes hands with men. Two young women and some Filipino men pose for the camera. People wave at the camera from below on the ship's dock. Frieder children swim in a pool on the ship's deck. 01:11:53 Corinne and Alice are carried in a sedan chair on vacation. Top of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong with large cargo ships and the city below. 01:12:39 Alice, Edna, Louise, and Corinne walk down the stairs toward the backyard of their home in Manila. 01:12:50 Very brief shot of Edna with a still photo camera.
Alex Frieder tours factories and sights in Manila and the Far East in 1948
Film
Alex Frieder boards a Philippine Airlines airplane and poses with a flight attendant. He shakes hands with the pilot and others. Scenes of logging and manufacturing, presumably in Manila. Several men wave and pose for the camera by the factory and automobiles. 01:04:10 LS, a Filipino man climbs a tall palm tree. Boats on the water. 01:04:46 Alex and others stand inside a factory beside an enormous tree that has been felled. CUs, mechanics and machines at work. Alex shakes hands with locals. Scenes of the shoreline and people on boats, beautiful shots. Hotels on the harbor. "Bowline Knot / Manila" ship. 01:06:58 Pan of a group of locals posing for the camera. Quick view of well-dressed people in white (nuns in BG); Alex and a woman (Alice?) wearing sunglasses look after a dog. 01:07:16 Pan (in China or Hong Kong?), landscape, waterways, boats, busy harbor. Alex takes a ride in a rickshaw. Pan up to movie marquis at the "Apollo" showing "Dark Waters" with Merle Oberon. Dark shots of the tourists - Alex and a man in a suit. A couple, then Alex and the woman, pose in the doorway of the Hotel Riviera. She waves from the dock. Water and the ship from on-deck. 01:09:25 Arriving at a port at sunset. Pan, farm. A girl (granddaughter?) rides a pony. Tobacco at the factory, presumably back in Manila. Piles of logs. Men construct a roof for a large building. Pan up of large, modern apartment building on a busy street. Men carry large bundles of vegetation over their shoulders.
Visiting Frieder Films, Incorporated in the Far East
Film
Alex Frieder and two men smoke cigarettes by a doorway with movie posters. Pan up to "Frieder Films. East Indies, Inc, Distributors of Republic Pictures In The Far East" sign. The men walk past the building and turn a street corner. Alex takes a ride in a rickshaw. The Frieder family and children relax at a swimming pool. Note the film camera case and yellow Kodak box on the coffee table. Farms. The South Bali Airport. Alex shakes hands with a women and two men. CUs, locals in colorful traditional dress wading into the water and riding in boats. A cock fight. Views of green landscape. Farmers pick berries. Tourist views from inside an airplane. Alex stands under a sign, "Frieder Films, Siam, Inc. Distributors of Republic Pictures." A sign inside reads "Welcome Alex Frieder." Buddhist temples. Boxing match. Alex in a rickshaw. Daily life in the city including monks and children. Women and children stand in line at an airport (in Korea?) with a Northwest Airlines plane. [NO FILM FROM 01:06:47 to 01:06:57]. A couple (man in military dress uniform). Modern building (an embassy?). Communist demonstration on streets (in China?). 01:07:50 A young mother and her daughter play ball outside.
Dedication of land for Jewish refugees in the Philippines, 1940
Film
Dedication of Mariquina Hall in Manila on April 23, 1940. President Manuel Quezon offered this private land (called Mariquina Hall) to the Jewish Rescue Committee in order to provide housing for Jewish refugees. Guests gather outdoors. 01:02:51 Alex Frieder speaks to the audience, while President Quezon sits at the table to the side. 01:03:05 President Quezon addresses the crowd, Herbert Frieder in back. Quezon shakes hands with some men on the stage. Alex Frieder and President Quezon walk together through the crowd to survey the land. CUs, side views of President Quezon speaking. The camera pans around the crowd, including the Frieder family (Alice, Alex's youngest daughter, b. 1926, is the teenage girl in the white dress with dark curly hair). Alex smokes (camera left, facing the camera). Survey of the landscape. Attendees mingle. At the 52 second mark, to the left of Quezon, is Godfrey Berger a Jewish refugee from Vienna who was hired by Quezon to design refugee housing in Mindinao. Berger was an architect who had served in the U.S. Army during World War II and later emigrated to California.
