50's Newsreels/educational films

[Corey]

Does anyone know any links to sites containing audio clips from 50's newsreels or educational or propaganda films (from the US)?

[Luke T.]

.

[Scoobmaster]

To answer your question honestly, "no". However, the thread title stimulated my brain:

"Weird Al" Yankovich uses some of the cheesy 50s black and white science classroom films during concerts and as filler on DVDs. He re-dubs the audio - it is hilarious!

[Khalid01]

http://www.archive.org/

This website has several of the actual movies, not just the audio, from the era. One of my favourites is "The Facts About Fallout", portions of which were included in the Fallout 2 and Fallout: Tactics trailers.

I love the quotes:

"Be prepared to assist in defense preparations in your community!"
and

"The goal is adequate fallout shelter space for every man, woman, and child. This goal can be reached. For with knowledge of radiaiton, we can face the facts about fallout, take action to protect ourselves against this hazard of the nuclear age"

I love it when they refer to the nuclear age!

(Oh, and here's a great place to flaunt my avatar, that fellow on the left is from Fallout, he's modeled on the art from the 50's)

[toddjh]

Originally posted by Khalid01
(Oh, and here's a great place to flaunt my avatar, that fellow on the left is from Fallout, he's modeled on the art from the 50's)

Hah, I thought it looked familiar. Great game, that.

My favorite 50's-style educational film was the "Moon" film Lisa had to watch on The Simpsons. "The moon! For several years, she has fascinated many. But will man ever walk on her fertile surface?"

Jeremy

[Corey]

Khalid01.... thanks a heap, I'm checking out the site.

[peptoabysmal]

Have you tried the Cold War Civil Defense Museum (http://www.civildefensemuseum.com/index.html)?

These pamphlets and so forth used to scare the crap out of me as a young lad.

Duck And Cover! :eek:

[peptoabysmal]

Originally posted by Khalid01
http://www.archive.org/

This website has several of the actual movies, not just the audio, from the era. One of my favourites is "The Facts About Fallout", portions of which were included in the Fallout 2 and Fallout: Tactics trailers.

I love the quotes:

"Be prepared to assist in defense preparations in your community!"
and

"The goal is adequate fallout shelter space for every man, woman, and child. This goal can be reached. For with knowledge of radiaiton, we can face the facts about fallout, take action to protect ourselves against this hazard of the nuclear age"

I love it when they refer to the nuclear age!

(Oh, and here's a great place to flaunt my avatar, that fellow on the left is from Fallout, he's modeled on the art from the 50's)

Sweet! That site even has an editable and a streaming version of "Duck And Cover". They used to play this one for us and I'd have nightmares that night LOL.

[Crossbow]

I suggest that you do not limit your search to films.

A while back I bought a 1952 copy of Popular Mechanics because it had an article in it on making a crossbow (figure that, huh?). Anyway, there was also an article about how the world would look by the year 1992 and one of the things they said is that people would be very tall due to the mutations induced by the radiation from the atomic wars and that people would fight with ray-gun pistols.

What was so strange was there attitude towards these wars. They did not even try to question the morality of such a war, they just thought it was so cool that everyone would be so tall and that everybody would have a ray-gun to shoot others with.

Ugh!

[specious_reasons]

Originally posted by Crossbow

(snip)

What was so strange was there attitude towards these wars. They did not even try to question the morality of such a war, they just thought it was so cool that everyone would be so tall and that everybody would have a ray-gun to shoot others with.

Ugh!

And here you in 2003 are still using a crossbow.... you're holding us back!

:D

[whitefork]

Try to see The Atomic Cafe. It has Duck and Cover in it, and some other mind-boggling relics, too.
http://www.publicshelter.com/main/tac.html

[wayrad]

Originally posted by Crossbow
I suggest that you do not limit your search to films.

A while back I bought a 1952 copy of Popular Mechanics because it had an article in it on making a crossbow (figure that, huh?).
Ugh! Is that the one where you made the bow out of a car spring and the release mechanism out of an ivory pool ball? I used to borrow it from the guy next door to read when I was a kid. Haven't thought about it in years. Thanks for the nostalgia trip!