Homeowner Captures Vintage Sea Isle, Digitizes Old Films

By MADDY VITALE Robert Mooney recalled the days when he went barefoot throughout his summers in Sea Isle City. He joked that the only time he wore shoes was when his grandmother would take him to church on Sundays at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. “I remember the houses and when you could go across Central Avenue and there wasn't a lot there. Everyone knew one another. It was a good time,” Mooney, 56, of Bryn Athyn, Pa., said in an interview Tuesday. “My grandmother used to say that except for going to church at St. Joseph’s, I wouldn’t have shoes on.” Recapturing some of those old times, Mooney is converting film his late grandfather, Frank DiBiase, took in the 1950s and '60s. Everything from Sea Isle's Skimmer Weekend celebration complete with the popular auto show, to scenes from people strolling along the Promenade, are seen on the 3-minute, 36-second video. There are also vintage beach scenes of surfers and others enjoying the ocean and views of a scenic Sea Isle from the bay to the downtown. The video also features the seashore bungalows and other old homes that dominated Sea Isle a long time ago. "There is so much nostalgia when I watch this. My grandfather bought the house when my mom was expecting me in 1965,” Mooney said of his family's former home at 133 57th Street near Central Avenue. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZsXCO-ZX6k (Video courtesy of Robert Mooney) As an only child, Mooney felt compelled to try and preserve his grandparents' memory, as well as documenting old Sea Isle, when it was a quieter time. "My grandfather bought the home with war bonds. His friends thought that he was crazy because they said he was buying swamp land," he said with a laugh. "My grandmother was furious." But in time -- a very short time -- it became clear that Sea Isle was their oasis and a beloved resort for people who wanted to escape the city and the suburbs to have some rest and relaxation at the shore. Mooney has been digitizing his grandfather's old movies for a while. He admitted that the task is time-consuming. It takes about 45 minutes to convert three minutes of old film. But it is worth every bit of time, he noted. In one portion of the video, people are enjoying Skimmer Weekend. The date was 1967. The first part of the video was taken at 57th Street and Landis Avenue, where Mooney's grandfather pans out and there is nothing but marshes visible. Then the middle of the video highlights the 58th Street beach, and then there is a scene with people strolling along the Promenade around 39th Street, Mooney explained. Mooney and his wife, Heather, and their daughters, 27-year-old twins, Amanda and Lauren, and 15-year-old Gianna, enjoy their summers in Sea Isle at their home on 76th Street and Pleasure Avenue. His mother, Ann DiBiase Mooney, lives in the home year-round since Mooney's father, Bob Mooney, passed away nine years ago. Mooney's gift to his daughters is to keep digitizing the videos so that they may see glimpses of old Sea Isle and also their late grandparents, Frank and Florence DiBiase. "None of my daughters met my grandfather. When something happens to me, I’m an only child. There is almost no one left,” he noted. “My grandparents did so much. I want my daughters to be able to see some of their memories.” Robert Mooney, left, is joined by his daughter, Gianna, Nolan Williams, fiance to his daughter, Amanda, wife, Heather, and daughter, Lauren Kurowsky.

Mooney first shared the video on a social media platform and hopes to share many more.

“My grandfather had a couple of big cases of the old eight-millimeter films. It is expensive to send away to convert them, so I bought a little device to play the film and convert it to digital,” he pointed out. He has had the movies in his possession for about five years. "I guess there are about 80 of them and probably about seven or eight are Sea Isle," he said.    Mooney said he is excited about posting more videos that are from old Sea Isle taken by his grandfather so long ago. "People seem to enjoy it. I have gotten a lot of positive feedback," he said. “I hope people enjoy the other ones as well." It will take some time before his next family home film is digitized. “I still have a bunch of films to go through,” he said. “I have my fingers crossed that they will all be of Sea Isle.” Here is a vintage screen grab of 57th Street and Central Avenue looking toward the bay. Here are some comments from people on social media in response to the video Robert Mooney posted: Cindy Calista Dolan wrote: Brings back great memories! The little bungalow houses. And the beach umbrella with fringe. Thx for sharing! Lori Sandone Muller posted: Love, love seeing this — our family house in the 70s-80s was on 58th — spotted the brown corner house immediately!!! Liz Reynolds wrote: Very neat to see what it was like back then. Thank you for sharing.