Sunday, August 28, 2011
Atomic Attack (1954)
In this sobering film, a family living 50 miles outside of New York must escape the fallout from a nuclear bomb dropped upon the Big Apple. Features Walter Matthau.
Labels:
1950s,
Nuclear Testing,
television
Atomic Alert (Elementary Version) (1951)
Frightening civil defense procedure film aimed at Cold War-era elementary school students.
Labels:
1950s,
cold war,
Nuclear Testing
As Boys Grow (1957)
Sex education film aimed at teenage boys, with the coach as authority figure and teacher.
Labels:
1950s,
educational film
Saturday, August 27, 2011
James Dean Biography: Life and Career Documentary (1957 Film)
Released two years after Dean's death, this 1957 American documentary chronicles his short life and career via black-and-white still photographs, interviews with the aunt and uncle who raised him, his paternal grandparents, a New York City cabdriver friend, and the owner of his favorite Los Angeles restaurant, and outtakes from East of Eden, footage of the opening night of Giant, and Dean's ironic PSA for safe driving.
Labels:
1950s,
documentary,
film,
James Dean
Marilyn Monroe Biography: Life and Career Documentary (1966 Film)
Cast: Gladys Baker, Albert Bolender, Ida Bolender, Mable Ellen Campbell, James Dougherty, Jerry Giesler, Milton H. Greene, Tom Kelley, Harry Lipton, Robert Mitchum, Eunice Murray, Emmeline Snively, Lee Strasberg, Paula Strasberg and Shelley Winters appear as themselves.
Theodore Curphey, Tony Curtis, Joe DiMaggio, John F. Kennedy, Peter Lawford, Groucho Marx, Inez Melson, Arthur Miller, Laurence Olivier, Queen Elizabeth II, Jane Russell and Billy Wilder appear in archived footage.
Theodore Curphey, Tony Curtis, Joe DiMaggio, John F. Kennedy, Peter Lawford, Groucho Marx, Inez Melson, Arthur Miller, Laurence Olivier, Queen Elizabeth II, Jane Russell and Billy Wilder appear in archived footage.
Labels:
1960s,
documentary,
film,
Marilyn Monroe
Psychological Operations Battalion: Training of Military Personnel - Vietnam War (1967)
Vietnam War - November and December 1966 - 1st Infantry Division, 6th psychological operations battalion, 1st Air Cavalry Division, and U.S. Marines USAREUR - training and recreational activities of military personnel.
Labels:
1960s,
Vietnam War
Physical Fitness: U.S. Army Film (1967)
Physical fitness programs during basic and Advanced Individual Training (AIT), at the unit level, and in special courses for paratroopers, rangers, and special forces.
Robert F. Kennedy in Berlin, Germany (1962 Film Footage)
Attorney Gerneral Robert Kennedy in Berlin, Germany
Berlin, Germany, 02/22/1962 - 02/25/1962 - MS, sign on building: "Amerika Haus." Tilt down to Mayor Willy Brandt and Mr. Kenndey leaving the building. Crowd in front of the building. MSs, CUs, the Attorney General shaking hands with people in the crowd. At the Berlin Zoo. MS, CU, American bald eagle in cage which Mr. Kennedy presented to the City of Berlin and nicknamed Willy Brandt. Newsmen interview Mr. Kennedy at the zoo. The Mayor and Mr. Kennedy arrive at Potsdamer Platz in car. They both look over the Wall. At Bernauer Strasse the Attorney General places a wreath. Mr. Kennedy arrives at McNair barracks with Maj. Gen. Albert Watson and Brig. Gen. Frederick O. Hartel. They speak to men of the 3rd Battle Group, 6th Infantry. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy, Mayor Brandt, Maj. Gen. Watson, Brig. Gen. Hartel, and others at Checkpoint Charlie. MSs, CUs, Kennedy and Brandt at microphone at Tempelhof Airfield. Tilt-down on City Hall tower to enormous crowd. HLS, Kennedy motorcade arrives at City Hall, huge crowd in front. HSs, Kennedy motorcade arrives at City Hall, huge crowd in front. HSs, crowd. LS, wreath near building with bricked-up windows. The Attorney General arrives in car.
Berlin, Germany, 02/22/1962 - 02/25/1962 - MS, sign on building: "Amerika Haus." Tilt down to Mayor Willy Brandt and Mr. Kenndey leaving the building. Crowd in front of the building. MSs, CUs, the Attorney General shaking hands with people in the crowd. At the Berlin Zoo. MS, CU, American bald eagle in cage which Mr. Kennedy presented to the City of Berlin and nicknamed Willy Brandt. Newsmen interview Mr. Kennedy at the zoo. The Mayor and Mr. Kennedy arrive at Potsdamer Platz in car. They both look over the Wall. At Bernauer Strasse the Attorney General places a wreath. Mr. Kennedy arrives at McNair barracks with Maj. Gen. Albert Watson and Brig. Gen. Frederick O. Hartel. They speak to men of the 3rd Battle Group, 6th Infantry. Mr. and Mrs. Kennedy, Mayor Brandt, Maj. Gen. Watson, Brig. Gen. Hartel, and others at Checkpoint Charlie. MSs, CUs, Kennedy and Brandt at microphone at Tempelhof Airfield. Tilt-down on City Hall tower to enormous crowd. HLS, Kennedy motorcade arrives at City Hall, huge crowd in front. HSs, Kennedy motorcade arrives at City Hall, huge crowd in front. HSs, crowd. LS, wreath near building with bricked-up windows. The Attorney General arrives in car.
Labels:
1960s
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Behave Yourself! (1951)
When a cute Welsh terrier follows Bill Denny home, little does he know that all gangland has its eye on that dog. Who will be bumbling Bill's undoing - the gangsters, the cops, or his suspicious mother-in-law? Stars Farley Granger and Shelley Winters.
Horror Hotel (1960)
City of the Dead (U.S. title: Horror Hotel) is 1960 horror/thriller film directed by John Llewellyn Moxey and starring Christopher Lee and Valentine Dyall. Produced in England but set in America, the British actors were required to speak with American accents throughout.
College student Nan Barlow visits the village of Whitewood as research for her paper on witchcraft in New England, particularly the case of Elizabeth Selwyn. Her tutor, Professor Alan Driscoll (Lee), recommends the Raven's Inn, run by a Mrs. Newless.
Rather unwisely, given the amount of low-hanging fog outside (and against the advice of Mrs. Newless), Nan takes an immediate interest in the basement...
College student Nan Barlow visits the village of Whitewood as research for her paper on witchcraft in New England, particularly the case of Elizabeth Selwyn. Her tutor, Professor Alan Driscoll (Lee), recommends the Raven's Inn, run by a Mrs. Newless.
Rather unwisely, given the amount of low-hanging fog outside (and against the advice of Mrs. Newless), Nan takes an immediate interest in the basement...
Detroit: City on the Move (1965)
Promotional film made for the City of Detroit, an unsuccessful bidder for the Olympic Games. With views of city highways, automobile manufacturing, a diverse population, and social activities, all shot prior to the city's economic decline.
Labels:
1960s
Forcible Entry, Excuse and Trickery - FBI Training Film (1974)
Demonstrates situations in which police are excused from compliance with statutory knock and notice requirements when forcibly entering premises. Explains exigent circumstances, emergency situations, consent to enter, and police trickery to gain entry.
The People and the Police: Oakland (1974)
This film is about police brutality in Oakland, California, 1974. Narrator talks about how town was over half black in 1960's and police force was all white. How blacks were generally treated with disrespect. Some of policemen interviewed say they were hired as super cops and did not want to change way things were run. Changes were implemented, blacks were hired, and blacks in the community were beginning to feel a change as older policemen were told to less aggressive or be fired. Action Review Panel was set up to review police community relations. Several incidents resulting in arrest of blacks and charges of disorderly conduct were heard by panel. Speaking in this film is Ron Dellums and police chief, George Hart.
Bank Robberies: FBI Training Video
Opens with a bank robbery in progress. Bank employees trained how to handle crimes by ministering to injured, not touching anything, gathering witnesses, and writing down all pertinent information while it is still fresh in their minds. To help with investigations, they are to observe criminals physical features, mannerisms, dress, and weapons.
Poverty in Rural America (1965)
Visits poor areas of the United States and discusses "War on Poverty" social and economic programs.
Labels:
1960s,
Lyndon B. Johnson,
sociology
Suicide: The Unheard Cry (1968)
Presents an analysis of suicidal personalities and their behavior patterns as may be encountered in military life, emphasizing the assistance that can be offered to prevent suicide attempts.
The Plantation System in Southern Life (1950)
Euro-centric view of the plantation system and its effect on Southern U.S. culture.
Friday, August 19, 2011
The Rear Gunner (1943)
Dramatizes the training and experience of a rear gunner. Details of training includes classroom instruction, turret familiarization, skeet firing, towed target practice, night firing, and aerial gunnery practice. He downs one plane on his first mission and later mans his gun and gets another enemy plane that is strafing his abandoned bomber. He is awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
Labels:
1940s,
U.S. Air Force,
U.S. Army,
World War II
The Social Security Story (1962)
Tour of the new Social Security offices in Woodlawn, Md. and orientation for taxpayers.
Labels:
1960s
The Feminine Touch (1970)
Spotlights the contribution of the 12,000 members of the Women's Army Corps in more than one hundred military job specialties, adding the feminine touch to the army.
Chemical, Biological, Radiological (CBR) Decontamination Unit (1974)
This film warned that decontamination of vehicles and persons were vitally important after a chemical, biological, or radiological attack. After an attack, units should have marked contaminated areas with approved signs indicating the time, date, and agent used. The four methods of decontamination were natural, removing, covering, and destroying. The first method, natural decontamination, was the easiest of all the methods for removing biological and chemical agents. Wind, evaporation, rain, sunlight and aging all decay biological, chemical, and radioactive material from fallout. The second method, removing, had both a wet and dry process. The dry process required brushing, wiping, or scraping CBR agents. The wet process used soapy water and disinfectant to decontaminate CBR agents. The third method, covering, used waste disposal and earth to cover the radioactive material from fallout. The fourth method, destroying, contained three methods of destruction. Super tropic bleach (STB) worked to decontaminate the Center for Disease Control's (CDC's) Agent B and G categories. Decontamination Solution 2 (DS2) decontaminated all known biological agents on rubber, plastic, and metal. It was best used on tactical vehicles and weapons. Burning was used for liquid agents. Radiological agents could not be destroyed through destruction.
A Place for You (1978)
Several naval officers, Black, Oriental, Hispanic express their feelings about what it takes to become an officer. These men are experienced leaders and their ideas provide a valid insight into the personal qualities that have strongly contributed to their successful careers. The comments of young officers, along with those of VAdm. Samuel Lee Gravely, Jr., offer encouragement that will be of very specific interest to young male minorities, and others considering careers as naval officers.
Labels:
1970s,
U.S. Department of Defense
The Terrible Truth (1951)
Early (and sensational) film on marijuana use as a route to heroin addiction.
The Great Mike (1944)
The Great Mike is a 1944 American film directed by Wallace Fox.
Cast:
Stuart Erwin as Jay Spencer
Robert 'Buzz' Henry as Jimmy Dolan
Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer as Speck
Edythe Elliott as Mrs. Dolan
Pierre Watkin as Colonel Whitley
Gwen Kenyon as Erin Dolan
Bob Meredith as William "Sandy" McKay
William Halligan as Doc Scott
Lane Chandler as Sam Hildur
Marion Martin as Kitty Tremaine
Ed Cassidy as Dr. Pronnett
Eddie Rocco as Bill Slagle
Charles King as Doc Slagle
Leon Tyler as Junior
Cast:
Stuart Erwin as Jay Spencer
Robert 'Buzz' Henry as Jimmy Dolan
Carl 'Alfalfa' Switzer as Speck
Edythe Elliott as Mrs. Dolan
Pierre Watkin as Colonel Whitley
Gwen Kenyon as Erin Dolan
Bob Meredith as William "Sandy" McKay
William Halligan as Doc Scott
Lane Chandler as Sam Hildur
Marion Martin as Kitty Tremaine
Ed Cassidy as Dr. Pronnett
Eddie Rocco as Bill Slagle
Charles King as Doc Slagle
Leon Tyler as Junior
The Gentle Sex (1943)
The stories of seven British girls who decide to help out during World War II.
The Divorce of Lady X (1938)
The Divorce of Lady X is a 1938 British romantic comedy film made by London Films and distributed by United Artists. It was directed by Tim Whelan and produced by Alexander Korda from a screenplay by Ian Dalrymple and Arthur Wimperis, adapted by Lajos Biró from the play Counsel's Opinion by Gilbert Wakefield. The music score was by Miklós Rózsa and Lionel Salter and the cinematography by Harry Stradling.
The film stars Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Binnie Barnes.
The film was made in Technicolor. It was a remake of the 1933 film, Counsel's Opinion, also made by London Films and in which Binnie Barnes appeared in the role played by Merle Oberon.
Leslie Steele (Merle Oberon), a guest at a costume party is forced to stay overnight in a hotel because of a particularly bad London fog. As there are no rooms available, Steele talks her way into sharing a suite with Everard Logan (Laurence Olivier), a handsome but somewhat stiff lawyer. They spend the night together, quite chastely, but Logan becomes convinced that Leslie must be married. His conviction is confirmed when an old school friend, Lord Mere (Ralph Richardson) arrives and asks Everard to represent him in a divorce case against his wife, Lady Claire (Binnie Barnes).
Cast:
Merle Oberon as Leslie Steele
Laurence Olivier as Everard Logan
Binnie Barnes as Lady Claire Mere
Ralph Richardson as Lord Mere
Morton Selten as Lord Steele
J.H. Roberts as Slade
Gertrude Musgrove as Saunders, the Maid
Gus McNaughton as Room Service Waiter
H.B. Hallam as Jefferies, the Butler
Eileen Peel as Mrs. Johnson
The film stars Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Binnie Barnes.
The film was made in Technicolor. It was a remake of the 1933 film, Counsel's Opinion, also made by London Films and in which Binnie Barnes appeared in the role played by Merle Oberon.
Leslie Steele (Merle Oberon), a guest at a costume party is forced to stay overnight in a hotel because of a particularly bad London fog. As there are no rooms available, Steele talks her way into sharing a suite with Everard Logan (Laurence Olivier), a handsome but somewhat stiff lawyer. They spend the night together, quite chastely, but Logan becomes convinced that Leslie must be married. His conviction is confirmed when an old school friend, Lord Mere (Ralph Richardson) arrives and asks Everard to represent him in a divorce case against his wife, Lady Claire (Binnie Barnes).
Cast:
Merle Oberon as Leslie Steele
Laurence Olivier as Everard Logan
Binnie Barnes as Lady Claire Mere
Ralph Richardson as Lord Mere
Morton Selten as Lord Steele
J.H. Roberts as Slade
Gertrude Musgrove as Saunders, the Maid
Gus McNaughton as Room Service Waiter
H.B. Hallam as Jefferies, the Butler
Eileen Peel as Mrs. Johnson
The Ape (1940)
Boris Karloff stars as Dr. Bernard Adrian, who dons an ape skin and begins murdering people so that he can steal their spinal fluids.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Impact (1949)
Brian Donlevy plays a hard-driving corporate executive whose death is plotted by his young wife and her lover.
Cast:
Brian Donlevy
Ella Raines
Charles Coburn
Helen Walker
Tony Barrett
Anna May Wong
Robert Warwick
Cast:
Brian Donlevy
Ella Raines
Charles Coburn
Helen Walker
Tony Barrett
Anna May Wong
Robert Warwick
The Home Economics Story (1951)
Four years in the lives of four home economics students at Iowa State University.
Labels:
1950s,
educational film,
gender roles
High Hat (1937)
High Hat is a 1937 American film directed by Clifford Sanforth.
Cast:
Frank Luther as Swanee Collier
Dorothy Dare as Elanda Lee
Lona Andre as Dixie Durkin
Gavin Gordon as Gregory Dupont
Franklin Pangborn as Renaldo Breton
Esther Muir as Carmel Prevost
Ferdinand Munier as Horatio Parker
Robert Warwick as Craig Dupont Sr.
Clarence Muse as Congo MacRosenbloom
Harry Harvey as Nelson Connolly
Jack Edwards, Jr. a.k.a. Sonny Edwards as Performer
Sam Edwards a.k.a. Buddy Edwards as Performer
Dolores Downey as Performer
Peppy Downey as Performer
Yvonne Downey as Performer
Ted Dawson as Ted Dawson - Band Leader
Ron Raymond as Performer
Arnold Gray as Performer
Kermit Holven as Performer
Bruce Mitchell as Mug
Fretta Shaw Singers as Singers
Downey Sisters as Singing Trio
Cast:
Frank Luther as Swanee Collier
Dorothy Dare as Elanda Lee
Lona Andre as Dixie Durkin
Gavin Gordon as Gregory Dupont
Franklin Pangborn as Renaldo Breton
Esther Muir as Carmel Prevost
Ferdinand Munier as Horatio Parker
Robert Warwick as Craig Dupont Sr.
Clarence Muse as Congo MacRosenbloom
Harry Harvey as Nelson Connolly
Jack Edwards, Jr. a.k.a. Sonny Edwards as Performer
Sam Edwards a.k.a. Buddy Edwards as Performer
Dolores Downey as Performer
Peppy Downey as Performer
Yvonne Downey as Performer
Ted Dawson as Ted Dawson - Band Leader
Ron Raymond as Performer
Arnold Gray as Performer
Kermit Holven as Performer
Bruce Mitchell as Mug
Fretta Shaw Singers as Singers
Downey Sisters as Singing Trio
Here Is Germany (1945)
Here Is Germany was made to prepare soldiers who had not seen combat to go to Germany for the U.S. occupation after the May 8, 1945 unconditional surrender. The film was, however, never used for its intended purpose.
Here Is Germany was a 1945 propaganda documentary film directed by Frank Capra. Like its companion film, Know Your Enemy: Japan, the film is a full-length exploration of why one of the two major Axis countries started World War II and what had to be done to keep them from "doing it again."
Here Is Germany was a 1945 propaganda documentary film directed by Frank Capra. Like its companion film, Know Your Enemy: Japan, the film is a full-length exploration of why one of the two major Axis countries started World War II and what had to be done to keep them from "doing it again."
Labels:
1940s,
war,
World War II
Lost in the Stratosphere (1934)
Two military pilots are close friends, and share in a lot of hazardous missions while engaging in a series of good-natured romantic rivalries.
Cast:
William Cagney Lt. Tom 'Soapy' Cooper
Edward J. Nugent as Lt. Richard 'Woody' Wood
June Collyer as Evelyn Worthington
Edmund Breese as Col. Brooks
John Mack as Sgt. Baker
Russ Clark as Sgt. Enfield
Matt McHugh as Matt O'Toole
June Gittelson as Gretchen
Lona Andre as Sophie
Hattie McDaniel as Ida Johnson
Cast:
William Cagney Lt. Tom 'Soapy' Cooper
Edward J. Nugent as Lt. Richard 'Woody' Wood
June Collyer as Evelyn Worthington
Edmund Breese as Col. Brooks
John Mack as Sgt. Baker
Russ Clark as Sgt. Enfield
Matt McHugh as Matt O'Toole
June Gittelson as Gretchen
Lona Andre as Sophie
Hattie McDaniel as Ida Johnson
New Girl in the Office
Presented by the Government's Committee on Government Contracts, produced by On Film, Inc. and directed by Lewis Freedman. Starring Ed Asner, Lester Rawlins, Chase Crowley and Gail Fisher.
Labels:
1950s,
Civil Rights Movement,
Richard Nixon
Mr. Wise Guy (1942)
Number eight in the East Side Kids series. The kids are sent to reform school after being falsely accused of stealing a truck.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Killers from Space (1954)
Killers from Space is a 1954 American black and white science fiction feature film, produced and directed by W. Lee Wilder (brother of Billy Wilder) from an original, commissioned screenplay by his son Myles Wilder and their regular collaborator William Raynor, and starring Peter Graves and Barbara Bestar.
Atomic scientist/pilot Doug Martin is missing after his plane crashes on an reconnaissance mission after a nuclear test. Miraculously appearing unhurt at the base later, he is given sodium amethol, but authorities are skeptical of his story that he was captured by aliens determined to conquer the Earth with giant monsters and insects. Martin vows to use existing technology to destroy them.
Atomic scientist/pilot Doug Martin is missing after his plane crashes on an reconnaissance mission after a nuclear test. Miraculously appearing unhurt at the base later, he is given sodium amethol, but authorities are skeptical of his story that he was captured by aliens determined to conquer the Earth with giant monsters and insects. Martin vows to use existing technology to destroy them.
KGB Documentary Film: Soviet Active Measures (1984)
Reviews the various measures, including disinformation, bribery, forgery, and overall dirty tricks employed abroad by the Soviet Union to further its aims. Includes interviews with Newsweek's former Chief Correspondent Arnaud de Borchgrave, State Department official Dennis Kux, French journalist/author Jean Francois Revel, former Soviet KGB officer Stanislav Levchenko, and former Czechoslovak intelligence officer Ladislav Bittman (the latter two are defectors who had direct, personal experience in the field of active measures).
Here Is China (1944)
Portrait of the Chinese people and how they were affected by Japanese aggression.
Labels:
1940s,
China,
World War II
I Cover the Waterfront (1933)
I Cover the Waterfront (1933) is a film directed by James Cruze and starring Ben Lyon, Claudette Colbert, Ernest Torrance, and Hobart Cavanaugh.
Reporter Joe Miller is sure that fisherman Eli Kirk is smuggling illegal Chinese immigrants into the country, but can't obtain enough evidence to satisfy his editor. Luck plays into his hands when he runs into Kirk's lovely daughter, Julie. But she's fiercely loyal to her dad, and he may have a hard time getting any information.
Reporter Joe Miller is sure that fisherman Eli Kirk is smuggling illegal Chinese immigrants into the country, but can't obtain enough evidence to satisfy his editor. Luck plays into his hands when he runs into Kirk's lovely daughter, Julie. But she's fiercely loyal to her dad, and he may have a hard time getting any information.
I'll Name the Murderer (1936)
I'll Name the Murderer is a 1936 American film directed by Bernard B. Ray.
Cast:
Ralph Forbes as Tommy Tilton
Marion Shilling as 'Smitty', newspaper photographer
Malcolm McGregor as Ted Benson
James Guilfoyle as Lou Baron, Private Investigator
John Cowell as Police Captain 'Pop' Flynn
William Bailey as William Hugo Van Ostrum, Vi's father
Agnes Anderson as Nadia Renee, aka Marina Farina
Claire Rochelle as Valerie Delroy, aka Maragert O'Brien
Gayne Kinsey as Walton, Valerie's Dance Partner
Harry Semels as Luigi, Club Owner
Al Klein as Club Waiter
Cast:
Ralph Forbes as Tommy Tilton
Marion Shilling as 'Smitty', newspaper photographer
Malcolm McGregor as Ted Benson
James Guilfoyle as Lou Baron, Private Investigator
John Cowell as Police Captain 'Pop' Flynn
William Bailey as William Hugo Van Ostrum, Vi's father
Agnes Anderson as Nadia Renee, aka Marina Farina
Claire Rochelle as Valerie Delroy, aka Maragert O'Brien
Gayne Kinsey as Walton, Valerie's Dance Partner
Harry Semels as Luigi, Club Owner
Al Klein as Club Waiter
How Do You Know It's Love? (1950)
Gives students a basis for thinking clearly about real love and shows that mere conviction of love is not enough to insure lasting happiness. A drama.
Labels:
1950s,
educational film
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