Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1913) (Sinister Cinema). [Category: Early Film & TV]
It's only two years later, but this adaptation is much longer than the 1911 version, with much more complex storytelling and lots more exposition. Lots more stuff happens, too. The Mr. Hyde makeup, though, is not nearly as good as in the 1911 version, and, I dunno, the film is just not as much fun as the earlier one (though there are some scenes with Mr. Hyde and Jekyll's servants that are priceless). A 1913 IMP film. Sinister Cinema gets a few extra points for throwing some extras onto the tape.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: ***.
Among Your Souvenirs (film #1 on AV Geeks). [Category: Public Service]
This 60s film warns travelers of the dangers of accidentally bringing back foreign insect pests and plant diseases in the souvenirs they buy, and explains why customs officials have to inspect your luggage and confiscate certain items. Although the danger is real, there is a real paranoid feel to this film in its fears of foreign contamination, making the film rather mstable. Fun to see are the many tacky souvenirs pictured and Pestina, the slutty cartoon character meant to represent foreign insect pests. Mostly, this is pretty ordinary, but it has its moments.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Airwaves (film #882 on Open Source Movies). [Category: Outtakes & Obscurities]
Computer animation brings us undersea stalagmites and bubble-like forms, while techno music plays in the background. Fairly mesmerizing.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: ***.
Duck and Cover (film #1 on Atomic Beach Blast Bingo DVD (A/V Geeks).Also, film #1 on Atomic Memories (Video Yesteryear). Also, film #2 on Atomic Scare Films, Vol. 1 (Something Weird, 1996). Also, film #1 on Atomic TV (Video Resources, 1994). Also, extra on Atomic War Bride/This Is Not a Test DVD (Something Weird, 2002). Also, film #5 on The Educational Archives, Vol. 5: Patriotism DVD (Fantoma, 2003). Also in the Ephemeral section of Open Video Project. Also, film #466 on Prelinger Archive. Also, film #1 on U.S. Government Classics (Worldwide Entertainment Marketing, 1991)). [Category: Military & Propaganda]
This children's educational film is probably the most memorable piece of Cold War ephemera. Animated Bert the Turtle tells kids they always have to be aware that the atomic bomb could go off any minute, but if they duck down and cover the backs of their necks, they'll be O.K. Apparently, this was widely shown in elementary schools during the 50s, and one wonders the effect it had on the mental health of the schoolchildren of the era. A must.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: *****.
Drew Pearson Reports on Science in Israel (film #15 in the General section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: News]
Reporter Drew Pearson tells us all about scientific research in Israel in this 50s film, covering such things as medical research, nuclear energy, fly control, and early experiments into solar energy. Many of Israel’s leading scientists of the time are interviewed. If you want to know about the state of scientific research in Israel in the 50s, then this is your film. The variety of different kinds of research presented keeps the film fairly interesting to the average viewer as well.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
The Ballad of Kiriat Shmoneh (film #11 in the Cities section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Military & Propaganda]
This 70s film tells the story of terrorist attacks on the Israeli city of Kiriat Shmoneh, a city on the border with Lebanon. Mostly, this is the story of how the people survived the trauma of the massacre-like attacks, which involved Arab terrorists going door to door and killing everybody they found. They let the people tell their own stories in this, which makes for a powerful film that has impact without a hint of melodrama. A compelling portrait of how terrorism affects the lives of ordinary people.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: N/A. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.
Explosives: Tool for Progress (film #5 on AV Geeks). [Category: Industrial]
This 70s film asserts that we owe everything good in our modern society entirely––not to railroads, not to aluminum, not to crop spraying, not even to truck farmers––but to blowing things up, a sentiment every boy will agree with. Unfortunately, they don’t really get around to blowing things up real good until the end of the film. Until then, we get lots of scenes of construction projects in Manhattan, the Grand Coulee Dam, and the Panama Canal, with a scene of a very 70s housewife and her little girl baking a pie in a very 70s kitchen thrown in for good measure. Consequently, the film is not quite as much fun as it sounds––by the end of the film, all fans of explosions will be chanting “Blast ‘em! Blast ‘em! Blast ‘em!” over and over again. For real explosion fun, I say stick with the atomic bomb films of the 50s.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Fright to the Finish (film #3 on Cartoon Explosion, Vol. 2: Foney Fables/Popeye's Greatest Hits DVD (Front Row Entertainment, 2002). Also, film #17 on Cartoon Mania DVD (Front Row Entertainment, 2002). Also, extra on Drive-In Discs, Vol. 2 DVD (Elite Entertainment, 2001). Also, film #132 on Feature Films. Also, film #41 on 50 Cartoon Classics DVD. Also, film #19 on Film Chest Vintage Cartoons. Also, film #6 on Disc #1 of 100 Cartoon Classics DVD Megapack (Treeline Films, 2004). Also, film #6 on Disc #4 of 150 Cartoon Classics DVD Megapack (Mill Creek Entertainment, 2006)). [Category: Hollywood]
On Halloween night, Popeye and Bluto take turns scaring Olive Oyl to death, while making her believe it's the other one doing it. This has some funny gags, including "vanishing cream" that does just what you expect it to do in a cartoon, but mostly it's pretty ordinary.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: ***.
Assignment Tel Aviv (film #11 in the Pre-State section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Hollywood]
Bright, breezy film from the 40s about Tel Aviv and what a modern city it is. A reporter stays with a Jewish family and gives a glowing report of life in the city, likening it to the American way of life, and making it seem much better than life in a nearby Arab-controlled city. This was made right before Israel won its independence, so there is definitely some political motivation to this travelogue, though in other ways, it’s no different than many other city profile films made at the time. I like the section on locally-produced groceries for its scenes of the colorful labels on canned and packaged goods.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
BBC1 Schools Interval from 1975 (film #9 in the Schools section of TVArk). [Category: Educational]
A still title card announces that the next show will be starting soon, while Dixieland jazz plays in the background. This is a realistic example of what educational television stations broadcast between programs at the time, but it’s not very interesting to watch.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: **.
A Communications Primer (film #360 on Prelinger Archive). [Category: Educational]
This film was made by Charles and Ray Eames, which makes it more intelligent and visually striking than most educational films. It deals with the semantics of communication, breaking down the concept into a flow chart of choosing, coding, sending, receiving, decoding, and understanding messages. This is applied to modes of communication as simple as “one if by land and two if by sea” and as complex as billions of neurons firing in the human nervous system. Visually, these concepts are portrayed with a collage of animation, film clips, photographs, electronically-generated images, and images from famous works of art. Aurally, they are portrayed with deadpan narration and a haunting music score by Elmer Bernstein. This film is to films like Communications and Our Town, as 2nd-grade social studies is to a graduate-level course in philosophy. But at heart, it’s still an educational film, so it still qualifies as ephemera, though smarter than your average piece of ephemera. The Eames were key players in the modernist design movement, giving this film a great deal of historical value.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.
Burns & Allen Show #3 (film #3 on Side A of Disc #4 of TV Favorites DVD Megapack (Treeline Films, 2003)). [Category: Early Film & TV]
More silliness with George Burns and Gracie Allen. This one has the fluffiest of plots involving Harry Morton’s secretary making Blanche jealous, until she finds out he’s a man. Mostly, though, this is gags aplenty, Gracie’s illogical logic, and Bill Goodwin’s bizarre Carnation commercials that are woven into the action. There’s a real vaudeville and radio feel to this one, making it a good example of early TV.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: *****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.
Belair Commercials Compilation #1 (film #159 on UCSF Tobacco Control Archive). [Category: Commercial]
Collection of dorky early-60s commercials for Belair cigarettes, mostly featuring groups of very white people partying by singing Belair jingles, which is at least livelier than the last 3, which feature a white guy talking to the camera. These are not as fun as some of the Raleigh commercials, but they do have the appealing dorkiness from the days before advertisers discovered the concept of cool.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.
Campus in Jerusalem (film #8 in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Sleaze & Outsider]
In this 1960 film, students study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem while the school’s new campus is being built around them. Various research projects are highlighted in such areas as biology, medicine, law and sociology. This is a straightforward film that has historical value in showing the development of the Hebrew University.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: *. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Hands of Healing (film #5 in the Health section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Public Service]
An American doctor tells us how vastly impressed he is by the good works being done by the Hadassah Medical Center in Israel, especially in helping new immigrants. And boy, is he impressed. Still, he has a lot to be impressed with, so the film just barely escapes being hyperbolic, and lands in the typical good-works film category, perhaps made livelier by the emotional narration. Like many of these Hadassah films, this has historical value in documenting healthcare in Israel during the 50s.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (track #1 on Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde (Barrymore) (Sinister Cinema, 1999)). [Category: Early Film & TV]
This 1911 adaptation of the well-known Robert Louis Stevenson story is quite lively and fun, with good performances and great Mr. Hyde makeup. The Jekyll-Hyde transformation is done with a simple jump-cut (no long, drawn-out transformation here), but Mr. Hyde is so lively and so different from the dapper Dr. Jekyll that you hardly care. A surprisingly good adaptation for its time. A 1911 Thanhouser film.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.
Ahoy! Have Any of You Lot Seen Sinbad? (film #302 on Open Source Movies). [Category: Outtakes & Obscurities]
Robots with junk bodies and human skull heads dance a robot twist to Elvis’ “Hound Dog”. Proving that even robots dig rock ‘n’ roll. I love robots so I enjoyed this.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: ***.
Drew Pearson Reporting on Religion in Israel (film #14 in the General section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: News]
This 50s film features reporter Drew Pearson reporting on religious freedom in Israel. The portrait is quite rosy and optimistic, with Jews, Muslims, and Christians peacefully practicing their faiths together. However, the shadow of potential violence occasionally peeks into the proceedings. This is a historically interesting film that gives us a snapshot of religious practices in Israel during the 50s. It’s too bad such peace and tolerance could not be maintained over the long run.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Baghdad Pact: Unified Military Command Foreseen (film #82 on Universal Newsreels). [Category: Military & Propaganda]
50s newsreel story about peace talks in the Middle East that were rudely preceded by a bombing at the American embassy. Also included is a story about a large camera designed to track missiles. This is straightforward and unsurprising.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: *. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: **.
Exclusively Yours (film #487 on Prelinger Archive). [Category: Industrial]
This 50s film for Texaco dealers introduces the new improved Sky Chief gasoline with Petrox, a new additive that sounds like it was made from oxtails, but was actually made from petroleum. Several white men lecture at us about it, the best of which is Phil Foster, a master of maniacal facial expressions. The concluding message from C. B. Barrett includes mention of several other must-have ephemeral films that Texaco made at the time, including one about gas station restrooms which sounds like a must-have. There’s also some great visuals of cutaway engines, gasoline additives in unmarked beakers, and Texaco print ads and billboards. Overall, this film is pretty ordinary, but it has some great individual moments in it.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.
Draftee Daffy (film #2 on Bugs & Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons (MGM/UA Home Video, 1989)). [Category: Military & Propaganda]
Daffy, upon hearing of a "smashing frontal attack on enemy rear", breaks into enthusiastic patriotic revelry...until he gets a call from the little man from the draft board. He spends the rest of the cartoon trying desperately to hide from the Droopy-like man from the draft board, who finds him wherever he goes. Lots of fun.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: ****.
Assault and Flattery (film #7 on Cartoon Explosion, Vol. 2: Funny Fiesta/Popeye’s Greatest Hits DVD (Front Row Entertainment, 2002). Also, film #21 on Cartoon Mania DVD (Front Row Entertainment, 2002). Also, film #40 on 50 Cartoon Classics DVD. Also, film #5 on Disc #1 of 100 Cartoon Classics DVD Megapack (Treeline Films, 2004). Also, film #5 on Disc #4 of 150 Cartoon Classics DVD Megapack (Mill Creek Entertainment, 2005)). [Category: Hollywood]
This is one of those Popeye cartoons that is made up of clips from other Popeye cartoons. Bluto takes Popeye to court, charging him with assault and battery. This is a funny premise, and Wimpy does an amusing turn as the judge, but much more could have been done with this that wasn’t. Basically, this is a rerun toon.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: ***.
For the Birds (Audio Commentary) (extra on Monsters, Inc. DVD (Disney-Pixar, 2002)). [Category: Hollywood]
Commentary is provided by Jim Eggleston, the director of the short. He gives us a few interesting tidbits about the short's production, but there's not enough time for him to say much.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: *. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: **.
Burns & Allen Show #2 (film #2 on Side A of Disc #4 of TV Favorites DVD Megapack (Treeline Films, 2003)). [Category: Early Film & TV]
More fun with George Burns and Gracie Allen, with the usual collection of great gags, surrealism, witty asides, Carnation commercials seamlessly worked into the action, and a plot that’s “more than a variety show, but less than professional wrestling.” After thoroughly bamboozling the tax assessor, Gracie gets a dent in the car and tries to cover it up by having Bill Goddwin borrow it. This may be early TV, but it holds up well today.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: *****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.
Belair & Raleigh Commercials Compilation #2 (film #163 on UCSF Tobacco Control Archive). [Category: Commerical]
Three more commercials for Belair and Raleigh cigarettes. These are especially dorky, featuring minimalist sets and announcers that magically make a couples’ Raleigh premiums disappear, until they say, “But we do smoke Raleighs!” Fortunately, they bear no negative consequences from having things like stepladders or chairs disappear out from under them––their weight continues to be supported by thin air. Would that the health consequences of smoking be so ephemeral.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.
Communications and Our Town (film #359 on Prelinger Archive). [Category: Educational]
A telephone lineman rescues a model plane from some telephone wires and returns it to the two boys who threw it there, one of whom is Jerry Mathers as the Beaver, while overly-dramatic music plays on the soundtrack. Rather than bawling them out, the lineman takes a large chunk out of his workday to talk with them about the various forms of communication in their community, including the telephone, mail, and radio. The Beave points out that an obvious form of communication is “just talking to people,” but the lineman, although agreeing with this, never lets the boys talk for themselves, but insists upon narrating the entire film in voice-over. He then creates an elaborate, though primitive, model of their town on the sidewalk, using rolls of tape, a pocketknife, and other lineman stuff, and connects everything together, including the “church,” with short lengths of telephone wire, which coincidentally form a pentagram. Just when you’re beginning to wonder about the wholesomeness of this lineman’s influence on young minds, he decides to get back to work, after giving the boys the “fun” assignment of making a list of all the different kinds of communication they can find in their town, the better to spread his Satanic philosoph––no, no, forget I said that. That pentagram means nothing, actually. Granted, Eddie Haskell did grow up to be Alice Coop––no, no, it’s just a coincidence, folks. Move along, now. Nothing to see here.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.
Call of the Earth (film #13 in the Pre-State section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Sleaze & Outsider]
This film from 1940 documents the development of a Jewish agricultural settlement in Palestine. Unfortunately, it’s missing its soundtrack, so it’s kind of hard to follow. There are some historically interesting visual images of Zionist agricultural life in Palestine here, but I couldn’t make heads or tails of the story.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: **.
Hadassim: A Children’s Village (film #24 in the Rural Settlement and Security section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Public Service]
This Canadian film from the 50s shows a rural home for homeless children in Israel and its program of rehabilitation and education for children who have been traumatized by war and the Holocaust. This is told very straightforwardly and rather impersonally in comparison with the many personal-story-type films on similar topics on the Spielberg Archive. This is basically your standard good-works film, made to show charitable donors how their money was being spent. It has historical value in the documentation of the assimilation of homeless children and youth into Israel, but no real surprises.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: *. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Ali Baba (film #1 on Disc #4 of 100 Cartoon Classics DVD Megapack (Treeline Films, 2004)). Also, film #9 on Disc #2 of 150 Cartoon Classics DVD Megapack (Mill Creek Entertainment, 2006)). [Category: Outtakes & Obscurities]
This made-for-tv cartoon features a cheesy live-action host named Mr. Piper who tells us fairy tales with the help of very limited animation. For all that, the story of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves is told in a surprisingly authentic way, including the murder of Ali Baba’s brother, Ali Baba’s wife belly dancing, and the thieves being foiled by having boiling oil poured on them. Of course, this is all done with extremely primitive animation, so it’s nothing the kids shouldn’t see, but considering the cheapness of the proceedings, I’m surprised they were so careful with the story. And this very cheapness increases the camp value and weirdness of the proceedings, making this more interesting than you might expect a cheesy made-for-tv cartoon to be.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.
Don’t Look Now, But… (film #7 on News Bloopers DVD (Time-Life Video, 1999)). [Category: News]
This section of News Bloopers features newscasters and reporters who are distracted or interrupted by something unexpected happening in the background. Many of these are quite funny, though some of them leave you wondering at the wisdom of the reporter’s choice of location. Overall, though, this is one of the better sections of News Bloopers.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.
Baby Bonds for Defense (film #81 on Universal Newsreels). [Category: Military & Propaganda]
Newsreel clip from the early days of World War II showing the first War Bonds being printed and announced by government bigwigs. This has some great factory tour footage of rolling printing presses producing bonds and stamps. The part where the bigwigs talk is boring, but brief. A historically interesting snippet from the war years.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Electricity Hazards (film #8 in the Public Info. Films section of TVArk). [Category: Industrial]
70s British PSA warning industrial workers of the hazards of improperly repairing or jerry-rigging electrical equipment. A guy gets a bad shock after he jerry-rigs an inadequate repair of his electrical power tool, and another guy who tries to help him gets shocked, too. “Fix things properly!” exhorts the narrator in a very British voice. OK, I get it.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Ants in the Plants (film #8 on Disc #12 of 100 Cartoon Classics DVD Megapack (Treeline Films, 2004). Also, film #8 on Disc #3 of 150 Cartoon Classics DVD Megapack (Mill Creek Entertainment, 2006)). [Category: Hollywood]
This Dave Fleischer toon is a typical little-guys-against-the-big-bad-guy toon. In this case, a highly organized ant society battles a big stupid anteater. Unfortunately, the anteater has superior weapons technology in the form of an eyedropper, but the ants have a secret weapon in the form of their potential to make one itch. This is pretty much what you’d expect, but the 3-D forest backgrounds are beautiful.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
The Dinosaur and the Missing Link (film #3 on Creature Silent Feature (Creepy Classics). Also, extra #2 on Dinosaurs! (Simitar Entertainment, 1993). Also, film #3 on Origins of American Animation. Also, film #3 on Willis O'Brien Films (LSVideo)). [Category: Early Film & TV]
This early example of stop-motion animation is prehistoric in more than one sense. It was probably one of the first films to pair cavemen and dinosaurs, even though that match is historically inaccurate. But on the other hand, what's the fun of a caveman movie without dinosaurs? Here it's played for broad slapstick comedy, though it's so creaky it's hard to follow what's going on. Still, the look of some of the "prehistoric" creatures is quite strange, creating a bit of interest. The ending is missing (and probably lost). A Willis O'Brien film.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: **.
The Burning Stable (film #45 on Edison Film Archive). [Category: Early Film & TV]
Some firemen rescue horses from a burning stable. This is real vintage firefighting, folks, complete with a guy sliding down a ladder. Lots of historical interest here.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Battle for the Planet of the Apes Trailer (film #18 on Disc #2 of Planet of the Apes DVD (20th Century Fox, 2003)). [Category: Commercial]
Trailer for what looks like not one of the best of the Planet of the Apes series. This is pretty much what you’d expect, but what do you expect from Planet of the Apes? Decent actors in rubber ape masks, less interesting human characters, lots of violence, and dead seriousness, that’s what. This can be viewed as incredibly campy, or as Serious Science Fiction, take your choice. Personally, I prefer campy, you damn dirty ape!Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Divide and Conquer (film #3 on Cinemocracy. Also, film #23 in the WWII section of Movieflix. Also in the Ephemeral section of Open Video Project. Also, film #443 on Prelinger Archive. Also, film #2 on Side A of Disc #7 of War Classics DVD Megapack (Treeline Films, 2004). Also, film #3 of the boxed set WWII Special Edition (Madacy Entertainment, 1997)). [Category: Military & Propaganda]
This third film of the "Why We Fight" series documents the Nazi push into western Europe and the conquest of Norway, Belgium, Holland, and France. This film is kind of dull––it's mostly combat footage and military strategy explained by an intelligence officer talking in a monotone and pointing to an animated map. About the only really interesting thing about it is that it contains lots of animated footage of the type described in Cartoons Go to War––my favorite is a scene of a bunch of little swastika termites eating away at the foundation of a castle meant to represent France. Pretty standard.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: **.
Building a Future (film #10 in the Immigration and Absorption section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Sleaze & Outsider]
This 60s film documents a group of Jewish young people from South America who were brought to Israel to go through an intensive training program designed to help them become productive Israeli citizens. It focuses especially on an Argentine woman named Shoshana, showing her initial homesickness and anxiety, and her eventual adjustment to Israeli life as she is trained to be a pediatric nurse. This personalizes the story, helping you to really get a feel for the immigration experiences of these young people. This film has lots of historical value for those studying Israeli history and the different ways Jews from all over the world were helped to make the adjustment to becoming citizens of Israel.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
A Boy Named Ami (film #9 in the Immigration and Absorption section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Public Service]
This early 60s Israeli film tells the story of a troubled teenaged boy named Ami, and how the Youth Allyah organization helped him to adjust to life on a fishing kibbutz. Ami was distant and wary at first, but is finally drawn in to the life of the kibbutz when a resident identifies and cultivates the boy’s interest in archaeology. This is a touching, well-made film of the troubled-youth-is-helped variety. There’s nothing particularly striking about it, except perhaps its Israeli setting, but it leaves you with a hopeful, optimistic feeling without being unrealistic or overplaying its hand. And it has a wonderful mock-ship piece of playground equipment that I want for the Film Ephemera Museum of Quirky Devices.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
For the Birds (extra on Monsters, Inc. DVD (Disney-Pixar, 2002)). [Category: Hollywood]
This is that rarest of birds––a recently-produced theatrical short. Some birds land on a telephone wire and do some birdlike things. This winner of the 2001 Academy Award for Best Short Subject proves that it's all in the execution.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *****. Weirdness: *****. Historical Interest: N/A (it's too recent to be historical). Overall Rating: *****.
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.
Democrats Cheer (film #153 on Universal Newsreels). [Category: News]
Newsreel footage from the 1936 Democratic National Convention, featuring a speaker praising FDR and citing religion as justification for his policies. This is typical political speech-making, but it does have historical value. And lots of democrats cheer, so the title is accurate.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: *. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: **.
B-29s Rule Jap Skies (film #80 on Universal Newsreels). [Category: Military & Propaganda]
Newsreel from WWII reporting successful bombing raids on Japan by US B-29s. This has some scenes of great nose art on the planes. Also included are stories about the bombing of Manila, an incredibly dangerous-looking device designed to allow airplanes in flight to pick up soldiers from the ground, a blizzard in Canada, and the Green Bay Packers winning the National Championship. A fairly interesting slice of life from the war years.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
The Electrician (in the Ephemeral section of Open Video Project. Also, film #479 on Prelinger Archive). [Category: Industrial]
Another chapter in the “Your Life’s Work” series, this vocational guidance film profiles the different kinds of careers in the electrical industry. This is pretty straightforward and ordinary, but it does have lots of interesting visuals of various electrical devices, guys repairing different kinds of machinery, and some cool neon signs. The narration is dull, but the visuals hold interest and provide a historically interesting look at electrical work and machinery in the 1940s.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: ***.
Dewar's It's Scotch (film #18 on The Movies Begin, Volume Three: Experimentation and Discovery (Kino Video, 1994)). [Category: Early Film & TV]
The narrator on The Movies Begin says this was the first advertising film. Oh yeah, seeing a bunch of guys dancing maniacally in kilts really makes me want to drink more Dewar's Scotch, you betcha! Or at least it makes me want to drink. An 1898 Edison film.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.
Along Came Daffy (film #7 on Cartoon Classics, Vol. 12 DVD (Flashback Home Entertainment). [Category: Hollywood]
Fun Warner Bros. toon in which Daffy makes the fatal error of trying to sell cookbooks to a pair of Yosemite Sam look-alikes who are starving in a mountain cabin in the middle of winter. I want the wind-up duck decoys that all look like and hop around like Daffy for the Film Ephemeral Museum of Quirky Devices. Like most Warner Bros. toons, this is great fun.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: ****.
Defense for America (film #4 on Industrial Incentive Films (Vintage Video)). [Category: Military & Propaganda]
More industry! Working to make the world even safer for democracy! This is a little more fun than America's Call to Arms as the narration is more enthusiastic (and you definitely need enthusiastic narration for this sort of thing).Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: *. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Burning of the Standard Oil Co.’s Tanks, Bayonne, NJ (film #44 on Edison Film Archive). [Category: Early Film & TV]
Scene of a quiet industrial street in Bayonne, with lots of buggies, wagons, and pedestrians, and, oh yes, some smoke in the background, from some burning oil tanks, I guess. This one leaves you scratching your head, but it does give a historically interesting and clear view of an industrial street in 1900. A 1900 Edison film.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
For Orphans 3 (film #5 on Open Source Movies). [Category: Hollywood]
This consists of silent footage of a Dutch film premiere and milling-around festival and a guy in a tux announcing the premier of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town in Dutch. Now, I can’t speak Dutch, but it really sounds like he says that the Dutch title of the film is OK, Mr. Deeds. Mostly, though, this is pretty standard, but it does give you some idea of what European movie theater ephemera was like in the 30s.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Belair & Raleigh Commercials Compilation #1 (film #160 on UCSF Tobacco Control Archive). [Category: Commerical]
Collection of dorky early-60s commercials for Raleigh and Belair cigarettes. These are not the cool “how do you think I got this neat X?” commercials, but earlier ones that present the Raleigh coupons in an incredibly stilted manner. These are ripe for msting, especially the ones that claim that the smoking suburban couple “lives a good life, enjoying those Raleigh gifts,” including lung cancer, I’m sure. See how easy it is?Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.
Color Keying in Art and Living (film #349 on Prelinger Archive). [Category: Educational]
This dry educational film about color mixing and combining has some striking imagery, both abstract and concrete, of the outcomes of combining or juxtaposing various colors together. Unfortunately, the print has washed-out color that emphasizes green in everything. This could increase the camp value of the film, but it doesn’t because it’s just too hard to see the colors. Meat fans will enjoy the brief scene of a huge side of beef, and the 50s makeup scenes are appropriately garish, but even then I think they’d be more enjoyable if the colors were more accurate.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Break of Day (film #2 in the Rural Settlement and Security section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Sleaze & Outsider]
This 50s film, like others in the Spielberg Archive, tells the story of a family of rural Israeli settlers in the many pioneer settlements of the period. But whereas most such films are hopeful, this one has a sad, tragic feel to it, though the ending hints at some hope. The father of this family tires of the endless hard work and privations of the settlement, so he moves his family away to a slum village. But life is still very hard, and he must face the disappointment of his young son, who considered the settlement his home. The events leading up to the family’s eventual return to the settlement highlight the difficulties these pioneers faced, whatever choices they made. I suppose it was made to discourage these people from giving up on pioneering, but how effective it was at that is hard to say. It is a well-made and touching film, though, with lots of historical value.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.
The First Million (film #16 in the General section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Public Service]
Israeli film from the 70s, narrated in Spanish, about the importance of educating disadvantaged youth. The foreign-language narration made this hard for me to follow, but it seems to be a fairly standard story about the problems of disadvantaged youth, and how education gives them brighter futures. There’s lots of footage of children, adolescents, and young adults engaging in various pursuits in 70s Israel, if you’re looking for that.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: *. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: **.
The Devilish Tennant (film #11 on Melies the Magician DVD (Facets Video, 2001)). [Category: Early Film & TV]
The Devilish Tennant is Melies himself, who rents an apartment and proceeds to furnish it out of his magic carpetbag, which rivals Felix the Cat's. When the rent comes due, he scares his landlord half to death by making all the furnishings dance, and then while the landlord is cowering downstairs, he folds up and puts away all his furnishings in the bag and skips town. An interrupting policeman is simply folded up inside the piano, which is placed in the bag. This is a delightful little Melies romp, and the hand-colored print is beautiful. A 1909 Melies film.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.
Abstract Coaster Footage #2 (film #260 on Open Source Movies). [Category: Outtakes & Obscurities]
This version starts nostalgically, like before, then interrupts things to add bright computer colors and heavy metal music. I think I like the nostalgic footage better.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: **.
Dedication: Warren, Hoover Hail New Truman Library (film #152 on Universal Newsreels). [Category: News]
Fairly standard newsreel story about the dedication of the Harry S Truman Library. Conspiracy theorists should have fun with the Masonic rituals depicted. Others will find this pretty ordinary.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: **.
Aviation in the News (film #78 on Universal Newsreels). [Category: Military & Propaganda]
Newsreel clip from WWII showing the 5000th bomber to leave a California aircraft factory, with the signatures of the workers all over it. This is a fun little piece of wartime propaganda. Also included is a story about the emergence of General Tito in Yugoslavia, when he was still considered to be a good guy. Too bad this is one of the newsreels with darkened footage––I would like to be able to see the signed plane better.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
December 7, 1941 (film #2 on Cinemocracy. Also, film #1 on disc #2 of Pearl Harbor: December 7, 1941 DVD (Madacy Entertainment, 2001)). Also, film #2 of Side A of Disc #10 of War Classics DVD Mega-Pack (TreeLine Films, 2004). Also, film #1 on Side A of Disc #2 of WWII: The Ultimate Collection DVD Boxed Set (Brentwood Home Video, 2004)). [Category: Military & Propaganda]
Directed by John Ford, this retelling of the events of December 7, 1941 is a masterful piece of propaganda, stirring the emotions without straying too far from the truth. The scenes of devastation in the aftermath of the attack are particularly tragic. Surprising is the scene where Ford has several of the slain GIs "speak" to us––the ones he picks are of several different races and ethnic backgrounds. They are all narrated by the same person and the question is asked why they all sound alike. The answer: "We are all Americans." This little piece of tolerance for diversity was way ahead of its time, though it is somewhat offset by the stereotyped "Jap" voice Tojo is given in a later scene. Another amazing sequence is that of the changes made in the civilian lives of Hawaiians in the aftermath of the attack. We see schoolchildren ducking down in foxholes and trying on gas masks, and it reminds us that Hawaii was the one piece of U.S. territory to actually see combat. Most interesting is a sequence where we see Japanese-Americans in Hawaii removing all traces of Japanese culture from their homes and businesses––the most striking being the guy who takes down the sign "Banzai Cafe" and replaces it with "Keep 'Em Flying Cafe" (I want both signs, of course, for the Film Ephemera Museum of Quirky Devices). The ironic thing about this, though, is the fact that Hawaii was the only place in the U.S. where Japanese-Americans were allowed to keep their homes and businesses, rather than be shuffled off to internment camps. One thing that increases the historical interest of this film is the fact that some scenes had portions of the frame blacked out by the censor. This is an essential piece of WWII propaganda.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: *****+. Overall Rating: *****.
Easy Does It (in the Ephemeral section of Open Video Project. Also, film #473 on Prelinger Archive). [Category: Industrial]
Silly Jam Handy film that spends most of its time arguing that the members of the “weaker sex” do just as much hard work as men do, so therefore lots of time and energy has to be put into developing an easier gearshif for them. Yeah, I know, it doesn’t make much sense to me, either, but since it’s a Jam Handy film, it’s bright and breezy and fun. I like the proposed automatic makeup machine portrayed at the end of the film––I want one for the Film Ephemeral Museum of Quirky Devices. Lots of great gender role stuff to mine here.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.
Flying the Lindbergh Trail (in the Ephemeral section of Open Video Project. Also, film #524 on Prelinger Archive). [Category: Hollywood]
This late 30s travelogue, which features Pan-Am "Clipper Ships" touring South America, goes on and on and on. Still, there's historical value here––if you want scenes of life in pre-war South America and the Caribbean, this is your movie. The attitudes towards the natives are about as Eurocentric as you'd expect given the time it was made, and there are occasional interesting moments of animals, scenery, and cultural practices. But mostly, this is a very basic travelogue with no surprises.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: **.
Along Came a Duck (film #8 on Disc #2 of 150 Cartoon Classics DVD Maga-Pack (Mill Creek Entertainment, 2006)). [Category: Hollywood]
Cute, cheap cartoon in which a frog saves the life of a duckling. More fun are the live-action/animated opening and closing sections featuring a little boy talking to an animated frog. Mildly amusing.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Buffalo Bill, Jr. – A Bronc Called Gunboat (film #4 on Disc #2 of Classic Kids’ Shows DVD (Genius Entertainment, 2004)). [Category: Early Film & TV]
Standard kiddie western featuring a teen-aged cowboy who helps save the life of a supposedly-unbreakable horse while helping to catch some bad guys as well. Mildly entertaining, with a great old judge character and a little girl named Calamity to boot.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: ***.
Bewitched (film #19 in the 1966 ABC Fall Preview section of TVParty). [Category: Commercial]
Short sponsor bumper for “Bewitched.” This doesn’t have much to do with the show, but it does give you a quick rundown of the products produced by the Quaker Oats Company in 1966.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
The Blessing of Mount Gilboa (film #13 in the Rural Settlement and Security section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Sleaze & Outsider]
Early 60s film, narrated in Spanish, documenting the rural development of Mount Gilboa in Isarel. Another plot of desolate Israeli land is made to flower. This has some historical interest, but it’s pretty ordinary.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: *. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: **.
50 Miracle Minutes: Operation Moving Day (film #7 in the Health section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Public Service]
This film from 1960 documents the moving day of the Hadassah Hebrew Medical Center in Jerusalem to new, more modern quarters. The story is told in great and loving detail, and with high emotion, considering the hardships the hospital went through during the various wars for independence in Israel. For someone not intimately involved in this story, it drags a bit after awhile, but I respect what they were trying to do, and suspect the film was very moving to its intended audience. It does give a historically interesting portrayal of what was involved in moving a hospital to new quarters in 1960.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Abstract Coaster Footage #1 (film #259 on Open Source Movies). [Category: Outtakes & Obscurities]
Black-and-white footage of an old roller coaster to the tune of an acoustic version of “Across the Universe” by the Beatles. This has a nice nostalgic feel to it and allows you to groove on the visual images, which I think was its purpose.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
The Clowns (film #1 on Clowns and Cavemen DVD (A/V Geeks)). [Category: Educational]
A collage-animated clown escapes from a painting and struggles to play ball with a most uncooperative fish. This little piece of Czech silliness was put out by an educational film distributor, but it’s hard to see what the educational value of it is. Still, it’s kind of fun to watch, as some of the animation is quite clever.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.
Death of Lawrence of Arabia (film #7 in the Featured Clip Archive section of WPA Film Library). [Category: News]
British newsreel reporting the death and funeral of T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia for his championing of Arab independence. This is very British, with clipped narration and the merest hint of possible foul play. Brit fans will find this historically interesting and fun to watch.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Attlee Here for Parley (film #76 on Universal Newsreels). [Category: Military & Propaganda]
Post-war newsreel reporting a visit by England’s Prime Minister Clement Attlee. This is pretty dull. More interesting is a later story about a goofy-looking 3-wheeled car. Also included are stories about the president’s yacht (must be rough, Truman!) and the making of a new air speed record. The 3-wheeled car is the definite standout here. I definitely want one for the Film Ephemera Museum of Quirky Devices.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Detroit News Newsreel (in the Ephemeral section of Open Video Project. Also, film #272 on Prelinger Archive). [Category: Early Film & TV]
This early newsreel documents events in Michigan. I never knew that there were local and regional newsreels made, so that's a new one on me. The most interesting story involves cops who nab speeders by jumping from their motorcycles onto the cars' running boards. More surprising than that is the penalty the speeders pay––they are sent to a prison workfarm! Remind me to always obey the speed limit in Michigan. The rest of the stories involve local community events such as parades, picnics, and sporting events. They're pretty standard, but they should have quite a bit of historical value for those researching Michigan history. A 1917 film.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: **. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.
The Easier Way (in the Ephemeral section of Open Video Project. Also, film #471 on Prelinger Archive). [Category: Industrial]
A guy who’s obsessed with time and motion study thoroughly ruins a dinner party by talking about nothing else and making the guests try out different ways of putting pegs into a pegboard. His wife gets even with him by assigning him to the kitchen to design a better way of doing dishes. This is a charmingly dorky film that actually makes its points pretty well, but in a silly way. Making it a highly entertaining piece of ephemera.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.
Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp (film #1 on Disc #4 of 150 Cartoon Classics DVD Mega-Pack (Mill Creek Entertainment, 2006)). [Category: Hollywood]
Olive Oyl, a writer for Surprise Pictures, writes a version of “Aladdin” with Popeye as the main character and herself as the princess. This is told fairly straightforwardly, with the exceptions of Popeye’s mumbled asides and the fact that his can of spinach whups the magic lamp after the villain gets ahold of it. The script causes Olive to be fired, but they filmed it anyway. This is standard Popeye fare, with mildly amusing moments in a fairly ordinary cartoon.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Book Salesman (film #4 on The Burns & Allen Show DVD (PC Treasures, 2005). Also, film #1 on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show DVD (Treasure Box Collection)). [Category: Early Film & TV]
This is a great example of early live tv at its finest. “The Burns & Allen Show” occupied a netherworld between vaudeville, radio, and tv sitcoms. George Burns starts the show by giving a monologue on a stage, then the curtain opens to reveal a sparse house set, where the silly antics of George, Gracie, and their neighbors, the Mortons, take place. George alternates between narrating and appearing in the action, and the proceedings are wonderfully surreal, with Carnation milk commercials being bizarrely incorporated into the action, jokes being made about the open-house set, and flubbed lines and appearances of the boom mike being left in. There’s a song in the middle of things, but the real attraction is Gracie’s illogical logic, which is in full flower here. The title of the episode refers to a wonderful segment where Gracie bamboozles a book salesman until he admits defeat––I’d love to have her around to take care of telephone solicitors! The humor is still fresh and lively today, with Gracie’s character so brilliant in her stupidity that she prevails in every sequence, so you can in no way call the portrayal insulting. This episode was found on two different bargain DVDs from the dollar store, which only makes me want to dig through the bins some more to see what other gems can be found there.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *****+. Weirdness: *****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: *****.
Dangerous Comment (film #6 on Americans in War (NFV, 1990)). [Category: Military & Propaganda]
This British film reminds us that a slip of a lip can sink a ship. A flyer tells his girlfriend about a raid he's going on, she tells it to a friend, the friend goes to the pub and lets it slip in casual conversation, and the fifth columnist bartender tells the Nazis. Disaster for the pilots is only narrowly averted. This is told as a story to another young pilot, who then says he can't wait to tell his dad all about it, leaving the old guard officers who told the story to shake their heads in dismay. This seems to imply that the filmmakers thought the film would have no effect on its intended audience! Veddy British.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ***.
Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (Stills) (film #14 on SabuCat Movie Trailers). [Category: Commercial]
Watch the other trailer for Beneath the 12-Mile Reef first. This one will make you appreciate the first one’s Cinemascope underwater vistas, as it only has cheap-looking illustrations of underwater vistas, not even actual stills from the film! The 14-year-old boy in all of us will snicker at the trailer’s claim of “The Most Awesome Underwater Climax Ever Filmed!” Cheesy and therefore fun.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.
The Black Rocks of Chorazim (film #1 in the Rural Settlement and Security section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Sleaze & Outsider]
This early 60s film documents the building of an Israeli settlement on a site that once held an ancient civilization. It’s narrated in Hebrew, so it’s a little difficult to follow, but it seems to cover the same ground of most films of this type: hard work, bringing forth new life from the desert, and ending with a celebration. A fairly typical Spielberg Archive film.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: ***.
The Essence of It All (film #9 in the Health section of the State of Israel section of Stephen Spielberg Jewish Film Archive). [Category: Public Service]
This 60s film documents the work of the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, a huge hospital serving patients of many nationalities and cultures. This is told very idealistically and touchingly as a story of people helping people. The film has a very Jewish feel to it, using a variety of Jewish narrators and regularly invoking religious ideals. It could have been maudlin, but apart from a section on handlicapped children which is hard to watch by today’s standards (a toddler who is paralyzed from the waist down is referred to as “half a baby”––this gives you an idea of the tone of this section), it’s actually quite touching and not overdone. The multicultural content of the film is ahead of its time, giving the film a lot of historical interest.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.
The Flying House (film #10 on Animation Legend Winsor McCay DVD (Lumivision, 1997)). [Category: Hollywood]
A woman, after eating too much rarebit, dreams her husband put a huge gasoline engine in the attic and transforms their house into a flying machine. They fly all over and have lots of strange adventures, including blocking a smokestack, destroying a dome, being attacked by an outer space giant while attempting to land on the moon (the giant is much bigger than the moon––now that's some giant!) and having the house destroyed by a rocket shot out of a giant space gun. Winsor McCay does it again––this is beautifully animated and lots of fun to watch, combining a great script with beautifully-drawn imagery, especially the backgrounds. Highly recommended.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.
The Alien (Audio Commentary) (extra on Monster Kid Home Movies DVD (PPS Group, 2005)). [Category: Outtakes & Obscurities]
The commentary track for this second film called The Alien features the filmmaker giving us some idea of the process he went through to make the film, including the fact that it had a total of three actors (so there was really only one fat guy––this was not obvious in the original film) and that he actually played one of the victims as well as the alien at one point. This actually makes the film seem a little bit more impressive, though the commentary is also quite funny as well.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.
Early Films Whose Titles Make Them Sound Pornographic, but They Aren't
- Airy Fairy Lillian Tries on Her New Corsets
- Aunt Sallie’s Wonderful Bustle
- The Bangville Police
- The Dandy Fifth
- Discharging a Whitehead Torpedo
- The Doctor’s Secret
- The Exploits of Elaine
- Fat and Lean Wrestling Match
- Fatty’s Spooning Day
- Fatty’s Suitless Day
- Foxy Grandpa and Polly in a Little Hilarity
- Freight Train Fun in Camp
- A Frontier Flirtation
- Fun in a Bakery Shop
- The Gay Shoe Clerk
- A Gesture in Hester Street
- A Girl’s Folly
- Going Through the Tunnel
- Grandma and the Bad Boys
- Gussie’s Wayward Path
- The House with Closed Shutters
- How a French Nobleman Got a Wife Through the New York Herald Personal Columns
- How Jones Lost His Roll
- Interrupted Lovers
- Love in a Hammock
- Love, Loot and Crash
- Maude’s Naughty Little Brother
- The Messenger Boy’s Mistake
- The Old Maid Having Her Picture Taken
- The Stenographer’s Friend
- Tom Tinker’s Pony Patter
- Trapeze Disrobing Act
- Treloar and Miss Marshall, Prize Winners at the Physical Culture Show in Madison Square Garden
- What Happened in the Tunnel
- What Happened on Twenty-Third Street, New York City
- Why Mrs. Jones Got a Divorce
- The Widow and the Only Man
- Wife and Auto Trouble
- Women of the Ghetto Bathing
The Civil War (in the Ephemeral section of Open Video Project. Also, film #328 on Prelinger Archive). [Category: Educational]
Straightforward, rather dry film on the Civil War made by Encyclopedia Britannica. Actually, this is a little bit better than you might expect given the low budget I’m sure they had to work with. Some attempt is made to get an emotional feel for the material. Mostly, though, this is the typical Civil War stuff you learned in school.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: **.
A Day in History: Telstar Brings World Closer (film #27 on Universal Newsreels). {Category: News]
Early 60s newsreel documenting the launching and testing of Telstar, the first communications satellite. This has great historical value, and is fun to watch as well, featuring animations of radio waves bouncing off the satellite, footage of it being built, and footage from the first satellite television broadcast. It also gives a fairly accurate prediction of such satellites encircling the earth, except for the part about it increasing international understanding.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: *****. Overall Rating: ****.
Desperate Poaching Affray (film #30 on The Movies Begin, Volume Two: The European Pioneers (Kino Video, 1994)). [Category: Early Film & TV]
Cops chase some poachers. That's it, really, but it's one heckuva chase. The actors looked like they had way too much fun in the water sequence. Great title, eh? A 1903 Haggar and Sons film.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ***. Overall Rating: ***.
Atom Test Nears (film #75 on Universal Newsreels). [Category: Military & Propaganda]
Newsreel excerpt from the late 40s reporting on sailors preparing for Operation Crossroads, another big atomic bomb test at sea. This mostly involves the narrator making light of airplanes crash landing on carriers. Preceding this is a collection of brief mentions of minor-league celebrities that probably few have heard of today, except, of course, Marlene Dietrich, who is in full flower here. An interesting, though brief, glimpse at the post-war period.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.
Drug Effects (film #7 on The Educational Archives, Vol. 7: More Sex & Drugs DVD (Fantoma, 2003)). [Category: Industrial]
This was part of a series of films for managers teaching them how to address drug problems among their employees. For some baffling reason, this was done with an animated film using Flintstones-like characters. The caveman professor gives another caveman marijuana in order to show us the effects of the drug; however, the depiction of said effects is broadly comic and grossly exaggerated. Nevertheless, the film ends with the professor showing the audience how this film fits into the overall series of films, saying, “Now you know all about drug effects.” That’s like saying a person would know all about Paleolithic humans from watching an episode of “The Flintstones.” A head-scratcher.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: *****. Historical Interest: -****. Overall Rating: ****.
Daffy the Commando (film #6 on Bugs & Daffy: The Wartime Cartoons (MGM/UA Home Video, 1989). Also, film #2 on Cartoon Scandals (Goodtimes, 1987). Also, film #7 on V for Victory WWII Cartoons & Shorts Show (Something Weird, 1996)). [Category: Military & Propaganda]
You've probably seen this one a million times––it's a public domain Warner Brothers toon that is shown on tv all the time and appears on many video collections. Still, it's pretty funny. Daffy the Commando torments two Nazi eagles in his usual style. One Nazi eagle is a colonel and the other is a sergeant named Schultz––one wonders if "Hogan's Heroes" got the idea for its Nazi characters from this cartoon. Don't miss the great rotoscoped Hitler raving in outrageous faux German at the end.Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.
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Better Reading
Better Reading . Teenager Harold Wilson has a problem—he can’t read for (expletive deleted). So he has to spend all his free time studying ...
