Kurt Laemmle was born in Laupheim, Germany on April 14, 1909. Kurt worked in the Ritz Theatre in Chicago. He became a naturalized US citizen on May 21, 1936 and married Alyse in October 1937. In 1938, Kurt and his older brother Max (b. May 4, 1906) founded Laemmle Theatres in Los Angeles, CA. Kurt is the nephew of legendary Universal Pictures founder Carl Laemmle.
Following Kristallnacht, Kurt's parents, Siegfried Laemmle (born in Laupheim on July 1, 1866) and Alice Laemmle (born in Paris on January 7, 1882), escaped Germany and arrived in New York on the SS Aquitania on March 31, 1939 (from Cherbourg, France). They had obtained passage to depart on February 4, 1939 on the SS Queen Mary with Hermine but did not embark. They made it Los Angeles on April 18, 1939.
The four original 16mm films in this collection were spliced together into one reel and scanned to 4K resolution by Periscope Films in 2017.
Laemmle family gathers on the balcony of their apartment in Stuttgart, which the family was forced to handover to the Nazis a few months after this film was recorded. Including shots of the grandmother of Kurt, Hermine, and Alyse. Alyse leans in to shake hands with Hermine, and kiss her. Kurt stands between the two of them. Kurt's parents, Siegfried and Alice talk to each other. The family, including Kurt's brother, Max, and his wife, Bobbie, and young son, Robert, stand behind Hermine, smiling at the camera. From left to right: Siegfried, Kurt, Hermine, Alyse, and Alice. Pan left and right to show their faces. Robert smiles at the camera. In France, the Laemmles pose in front of a building with a shield-like emblem: “French Line” and “Transatlantique”. The group includes 8 people: Kurt, Alyse, Siegfried, Alice, Bobbie, Max, and a man and a woman who are unidentified. Sign: “Société Anonyme des chantier et Ateliers de Saint-Nazaire Penhoët”. Kurt and Alyse return to the US on the SS Normandie, departing from Le Havre on April 27, 1938. The ship arrives in NYC in May 1938.
Laemmle family in Stuttgart; returning to New York