Classic Movie Travels: Nova Scotia, Canada – The King and I, and Titanic

Classic Movie Travel Sites in Halifax, Nova Scotia

I had the pleasure of visiting Nova Scotia over the summer, and as any true-blue Classic Movie Fan would do, I just had to find some classic-movie-related sites to make my trip complete! That said, I’d like to share some photos and a youtube clip (as part of my partnership with Classic Movies & More) from my visit to the city of Halifax. The clip features Tour Guide Robert Young of Robert’s Rambles who tells us about the city’s connection to Anna Leonowens (aka Anna from The King and I), and the Titanic tragedy. I also included photos from my visit to the Titanic Exhibit at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, and the Titanic gravesite at the Fairview Cemetery. In an upcoming blog post, I’ll also be sharing my incredible visit to none other than the infamous Oak Island — which also has a movie history connection!

A fabulous walking tour with Robert Young of Robert’s Rambles/Tall Tale Tours concludes with a classic-movie connection to the King and I, and the Titanic — in front of the haunted Five Fishermen Restaurant

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Before I start sharing pictures from the Titanic Exhibit and Fairview Cemetery, I just want to say how overwhelming and heart wrenching this all was to see… especially when I saw the name of one of the Titanic victims…

Titanic Exhibit at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

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Titanic Artifact Lounge Panel Fragment from the arch over the forward entrance to the First Class lounge, the area where Titanic broke in half before sinking, hence the broken edges… Recovered by the CS Minia and kept by her captain, W.G. Squares de Carteret.

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Titanic Artifact Pair of leather children’s shoes from an Unknown Child

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Titanic Artifact Deck Chair made of mahogany and unidentified hardwood bears a carved five-pointed star, the emblem of the White Star Line… One of the only intact chairs in the world that matches those visible in photographs from RMS Titanic.

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Titanic Gravesite Fairview Cemetery Halifax Nova Scotia

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121 Titanic victims are interred at Fairview Cemetery, more than any other cemetery in the world… About 1/3 of the victims have never been identified and their markers contain just the date of death and marker number.

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Imagine my surprise… This was the first gravesite we saw… and we were stunned…

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Notice Line 12 in the Victualing Department listing… Luigi Gatti was the manager of the restaurant aboard Titanic… This was on display at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic

Book excerpt about Luigi Gatti from Titanic Victims in Halifax Graveyards by Blair Beed

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The Five Fishermen restaurant in Halifax was the one-time ‘home’ of the Victoria School of Art and Design, which was co-founded by Anna Leonowens in 1887. Prior to this, Anna was governess to the children of the King of Siam which she wrote about in her book called “Anna and the King of Siam”… Of course that book was adapted into a Broadway musical and beloved Hollywood films. When Anna left the building, it became the John Snow & Co. Funeral Home which was utilized during two of  the world’s greatest disasters: the sinking of RMS Titanic in 1912, and The Halifax Explosion of 1917. Some say the restaurant is now haunted…

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The Victoria School of Art and Design later moved to a new location and was renamed the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design.

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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub

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