Abandoned Hospital at Night (film #1 on Open Source Movies). [Category: Outtakes & Obscurities]

A film crew snuck into an abandoned hospital in the middle of the night and filmed what they saw. Unfortunately, the only lighting they provided was a flashlight. And they are non-English speakers, so I couldn’t understand what they were saying to each other, even when you could hear their voices over the roar of a nearby superhighway. They were obviously not the first to explore this ruin, as practically every available surface you can see in the round beam of the flashlight is covered with graffiti. Still, there are a few interesting images to be found in the murk. This would have been a lot better if the filmmakers had provided a little more light.

Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: **.

Communication: A Film Lesson in General Science (in the Ephemeral section of Open Video Project. Also, film #358 on Prelinger Archive). [Category: Educational]

This early, silent educational film from the 20s shows us various forms of communication technology and how they work. It starts with a simple electric bell and goes on to cover the telegraph, the telephone, and radio. This is actually quite well done and interesting. The visual images have a striking vintage look and the explanations are clear and understandable. I learned some things I didn’t know about how these technologies work. This would also make a good film for video artists to mine footage from. And there is a slight irony in watching a silent film try to explain how sound waves are carried.

Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.

Sleaze & Outsider Top Sources

• Best Source: Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
  
• Best Archive Collection: Archive.org
  
• Best Budget DVD: Schlock Hysteria (part of the Total Movie and Entertainment Set; no longer available)
  
• Best Budget DVD Set: Classic Musicals
  
• Best Budget DVD Set Series: DVD Megapacks
  
• Best Downloading Archive: Open Source Movies
  
• Best DVD: Stay Tuned: Television’s Unforgettable Moments (DVD comes with book)
  
• Best DVD Extras: The Beast That Killed Women/The Monster of Camp Sunshine
  
• Best VHS Tape: Cartoon Scandals (out of print; check used sites or ebay if this link doesn't work)
  
• Best VHS Tape Series: Exploitation Mini-Classics (only Vol. 2 available now; used to be more)
  
• Best Viewing Archive: Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
  

Public Service Top Sources

• Best Source: Prelinger Archive
  
• Best Archive Collection: Archive.org
  
• Best Budget DVD Set Series: DVD Megapacks
  
• Best CD-ROM: Our Secret Century, Vol. 4: Menace and Jeopardy (out of print)
  
• Best CD-ROM Series: Our Secret Century (out of print)
  
• Best Downloading Archive: Prelinger Archive
  
• Best DVD Extras: Godmonster of Indian Flats
  
• Best DVD Series: The Educational Archives
  
• Best Viewing Archive: Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
  

Outtakes & Obscurities Top Sources

• Best Source: TVParty
  
• Best Archive Collection: Archive.org
  
• Best Budget DVD: The Dick Van Dyke Show (check dollar bins at Walgreens for this)
  
• Best Budget DVD Series: Collector’s Editions (check dollar bins at Walgreens for these)
  
• Best Budget DVD Set: TV Favorites
  
• Best Budget DVD Set Series: DVD Megapacks
  
• Best CD-ROM: TVParty CD-ROM (CD-ROM comes with book)
  
• Best CD-ROM Series: Our Secret Century (out of print)
  
• Best Downloading Archive: Brickfilms
  
• Best DVD: Monster Kid Home Movies
  
• Best DVD Extras: A Mighty Wind
  
• Best DVD Series: The Avengers
  
• Best DVD Set: Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant-Garde Film 1894-1941
  
• Best DVD Set Series: Clutch Cargo
  
• Best DVD Set Series Extras: Looney Tunes Golden Collection
  
• Best TV Show: Mystery Science Theater 3000
  
• Best VHS Tape: Kid-a-Vision (out of print)
  
• Best VHS Tape Series: Ghoul-a-Go-Go
  
• Best VHS Tape Set: Dinosaurs! (out of print)
  
• Best Viewing Archive: TVParty
  

News Top Sources

• Best Source: Universal Newsreels
  
• Best Archive Collection: Archive.org
  
• Best Downloading Archive: Universal Newsreels
  
• Best DVD: Stay Tuned: Television’s Unforgettable Moments (DVD comes with book)
  
• Best VHS Tape: Headline Stories of the Century (out of print; check used sites or ebay if this link doesn't work)
  
• Best Viewing Archive: TVArk
  

Military & Propaganda Top Sources

• Best Source: Universal Newsreels
  
• Best Archive Collection: Archive.org
  
• Best Budget DVD: Pearl Harbor: Before and After (I got this from PlanetDVDNow for shipping & handling only. Unfortunately, it's no longer available from them.)
  
• Best Budget DVD Set: War Classics
  
• Best Budget DVD Set Series: DVD Megapacks
  
• Best CD-ROM: Ephemeral Films (out of print)
  
• Best Downloading Archive: Universal Newsreels
  
• Best DVD: The Complete Uncensored Private SNAFU: Cartoons from World War II
  
• Best DVD Extras: Atomic War Bride/This Is Not a Test
  
• Best DVD Series: The Educational Archives
  
• Best DVD Set: Walt Disney on the Front Lines
  
• Best DVD Set Series: Walt Disney Treasures
  
• Best VCD: WWII Cartoons, Vol. 1 (scroll down to find this)
  
• Best VHS Tape: WWII V for Victory War Bonds and Rallies Show
  
• Best VHS Tape Series: Atomic Scare Films
  
• Best VHS Tape Set: This Film Is Restricted (out of print; check used sites or ebay if this link doesn't work)
  
• Best VHS Tape Set Series: This Film Is… (out of print)
  
• Best Viewing Archive: Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive
  

Industrial Top Sources

• Best Source: Prelinger Archive
  
• Best Archive Collection: Archive.org
  
• Best CD-ROM: Ephemeral Films (out of print)
  
• Best CD-ROM Series: Our Secret Century (out of print)
  
• Best Downloading Archive: Prelinger Archive
  
• Best DVD: The Educational Archives, Vol. 4: On the Job
  
• Best DVD Extras: The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 7
  
• Best DVD Series: The Educational Archives
  
• Best DVD Series Extras: The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection
  
• Best TV Show: Mystery Science Theater 3000
  
• Best VHS Tape: Lifestyles USA, Vol. 1
  
• Best VHS Tape Series: Lifestyles USA
  
• Best Viewing Archive: National Archives
  

Hollywood Top Sources

• Best Source: 150 Cartoon Classics
  
• Best Archive Collection: Archive.org
  
• Best Budget DVD: 11 Cartoons Starring Felix the Cat (got this in a dollar bin at a No Frills Supermarket)
  
• Best Budget DVD Series: PC Treasures (check dollar bins for these)
  
• Best Budget DVD Set: 150 Cartoon Classics
  
• Best Budget DVD Set Series: DVD Megapacks
  
• Best Downloading Archive: Prelinger Archive
  
• Best DVD: The Cartoons That Time Forgot, Vol. 1: The Ub Iwerks Collection
  
• Best DVD Extras: Monsters Crash the Pajama Party Spook Show Spectacular
  
• Best DVD Series: The Cartoons That Time Forgot: The Ub Iwerks Collection
  
• Best DVD Series Extras: Looney Tunes Golden Collection
  
• Best DVD Set: Disney Rarities
  
• Best TV Show: Mystery Science Theater 3000
  
• Best VHS Tape: Cartoon Crazys: Sci-Fi
  
• Best VHS Tape Extras: Creature Silent Feature (out of print)
  
• Best Viewing Archive: TVParty
  

Educational Top Sources

• Best Source: Prelinger Archive
  
• Best Archive Collection: Archive.org
  
• Best CD-ROM: Ephemeral Films (out of print)
  
• Best CD-ROM Series: Our Secret Century (out of print)
  
• Best Downloading Archive: Prelinger Archive
  
• Best DVD: The Educational Archives, Volume One: Sex and Drugs
  
• Best DVD Extras: The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 3
  
• Best DVD Series: The Educational Archives
  
• Best DVD Series Extras: The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection
  
• Best DVD Set: Hell's Highway: The True Story of Highway Safety Films
  
• Best TV Show: Mystery Science Theater 3000
  
• Best VHS Tape: Campy Classroom Classics, Vol. 6
  
• Best VHS Tape Series: Campy Classroom Classics
  
• Best Viewing Archive: TVArk
  

Early Film & TV Top Sources

• Best Source: Edison Film Archive
  
• Best Archive Collection: American Memory Collection
  
• Best Budget DVD: The Chaplin Collection (not budget now, but I got this last year from a "free DVD with shipping" site that doesn't exist anymore)
  
• Best Budget DVD Series: Classic TV Hits (check the dollar bins at Walgreens for these)
  
• Best Budget DVD Set: TV Favorites
  
• Best Budget DVD Set Series: DVD Megapacks
  
• Best CD-ROM: Who Built America? (out-of-print; search used sites or ebay if this link no longer works)
  
• Best Downloading Archive: Edison Film Archive
  
• Best DVD: Melies the Magician
  
• Best DVD Set: Unseen Cinema: Early American Avant-Garde Film 1894-1941
  
• Best VHS Tape: The Movies Begin, Volume One: The Great Train Robbery and Other Primary Works
  
• Best VHS Tape Series: The Movies Begin
  
• Best VHS Tape Set: Dinosaurs! (out of print)
  
• Best Viewing Archive: Movieflix
  

Commercial Top Sources

• Best Source: TVParty
  
• Best Archive Collection: Archive.org
  
• Best CD-ROM: Ephemeral Films (out of print)
  
• Best Downloading Archive:Prelinger Archive
  
• Best DVD: All Monsters Attack!
  
• Best DVD Extras: Drive-In Discs, Vol. 3
  
• Best DVD Series Extras: Doctor Who
  
• Best DVD Set: Classic Commercials
  
• Best TV Show: Mystery Science Theater 3000
  
• Best VHS Tape: Hey Folks, It's Intermission Time, Vol. 6
  
• Best VHS Tape Extras: Drive-In Movie Double Feature #90
  
• Best VHS Tape Series: Hey Folks, It's Intermission Time
  
• Best Video Game Easter Eggs: Activision Anthology
  
• Best Viewing Archive: TVParty
  

Best Sources for Film Ephemera by Category

Here's a list for each category of what I have found to be the most extensive sources for finding film ephemera. These have been determined by numbers only, with the sources that have the most ephemera being listed as the best in their categories. First, I will provide a list of definitions for the source types I will be listing:

• "Best Source" means the single source that has the most ephemera in its category.
  
• "Best Archive Collection" refers to a collection of online archives hosted at a single site.
  
• "Best Budget DVD" refers to single DVDs that are budget-priced, such as those that can be ordered from shipping and handling only sites such as Planet DVD Now, or DVDs from dollar stores or dollar bins in retail stores.
  
• "Best Budget DVD Series" refers to a series of budget DVDs that are sold seperately.
  
• "Best Budget DVD Set" refers to multi-disc DVD sets that are budget priced, such as the DVD Megapacks.
  
• "Best Budget DVD Set Series" refers to a series of multi-disc DVD sets that are budget priced.
  
• "Best CD-ROM" refers to computer multimedia CD-ROMs. Most of these will be out of print, as DVD seems to have eclipsed CD-ROMs.
  
• "Best CD-ROM Series" refers to a series of CD-ROMs, sold seperately.
  
• "Best Downloading Archive" refers to online archives that allow downloading of movies.
  
• "Best DVD" refers to single, regular-priced DVD where the focus is on ephemera.
  
• "Best DVD Extras" refers to DVDs that focus on other things (such as feature films) but which have ephemera on them as extras.
  
• "Best DVD Series" refers to a series of DVDs, sold seperately.
  
• "Best DVD Series Extras" refers to a series of DVDs, sold separately, that have film ephemera as extras.
  
• "Best DVD Set" refers to regular-priced multi-disc DVD sets.
  
• "Best DVD Set Series" refers to a series of multi-disc DVD sets.
  
• "Best DVD Set Series Extras" refers to a series of multi-disc DVD sets that focus on other things (such as feature films) but which have ephemera on them as extras.
  
• "Best TV Show" refers to TV shows that show epehemra, which may only be available through tape trades.
  
• "Best VCD" refers to video CDs (VCDs).
  
• "Best VHS Tape" refers to single VHS tapes that focus on ephemera.
  
• "Best VHS Tape Extras" refers to VHS tapes that focus on other things (such as feature films) but which have epehemra on them as extras.
  
• "Best VHS Tape Series" refers to a series of VHS tapes, sold seperately.
  
• "Best VHS Tape Set" refers to VHS tape boxed sets.
  
• "Best VHS Tape Set Series" refers to a series of VHS tape boxed sets.
  
• "Best Video Game Easter Eggs" refers to video game software for console gaming units that have ephemera on them as easter eggs.
  
• "Best Viewing Archive" refers to online archives that have streaming video only, without allowing for downloads. Archives that have both streaming and downloadable movies will be classified as downloading archives.