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Video: Amelia Earhart Hangs Out At Burbank Airport Before Last Flight
Long-lost footage has been found of Amelia Earhart at Burbank's Bob Hope Airport in 1937, shortly before her mysterious mid-flight disappearance.
You may have spotted a few celebrities at the super convenient Bob Hope Airport, known back then as Burbank Airport, but probably none quite as historic as this. The cool footage shows Earhart during a photo shoot with long-time friend and photographer Albert Bresnik as the pilot prepares for her ill-fated attempt to fly around the world. In the film, we see Earhart posing for photos in front of her Lockheed Electra L-10E, climbing in the cockpit and walking on the tarmac. You can also see Earhart's husband, George Putnam, and her navigator, Fred Noonan in the film, according to CNN. Despite Earhart's abundant smiles and waves, knowing that we're watching her prepare for what would be her final trip gives the footage a decidedly eerie tone, and the lack of audio doesn't help.
The footage is believed to have been shot in May of 1937, just before Earhart departed for her attempt to fly around the world. From Burbank, she crossed the United States—stopping in Arizona, New Orleans and Miami—after which she lost radio contact while attempting to cross a 2,500-mile mid-Pacific stretch between New Guinea and a small island where she intended to land, according to KTLA. Some believe the footage may have been filmed in March of that year, when Earhart left Burbank for another around-the-world attempt, but was cut short when her plane crashed in Hawaii.
The camera person behind the footage is unknown, but the film was discovered by Albert Bresnik's nephew, John Bresnik, who had inherited it from his father, Bresnik's brother. The rare footage is finally being released along with a new book titled “Amelia Earhart’s Last Photo Shoot” by The Paragon Agency, which will include photos from Bresnik and text by Nicole Swinford.
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