Fancy Dress Cricket and Beach Fun

The arrival of summer means it's time for grown men to dress as ladies and play some raucous cricket - as Eric Norman's holiday camp film shows

This charming film from the 1930s features a fancy dress cricket match, with some customary cross-dressing followed by beachside frolics at a South Coast holiday camp. We begin with a riotous cricket match where all the men are dressed as women followed by community dancing in a conga-line. Next we see a woman walk down a lane with a windmill in the distance. Her sandaled feet are then seen posing on a beach before she is eventually half-buried in the sand.

Eric Norman created a collection of family films throughout the 1930s and 1940s - and subjects included domestic scenes of the family showing off their home, socialising on walks and travelling through Europe. He also made films featuring industrial working scenes like the Norcon Works in Chichester. Football matches featuring Wolverhampton Wanderers FC at their Molineaux ground also feature. The transfer of Eric's collection to Screen Archive South East was facillitated by Chris Cooper.