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Atomic Alert (1951)Illustrates the basic methods by which each child can best protect himself and others from the effects of an atomic bomb explosion, whether he is at home, at school, or on the street. An introduction presents a simplified explanation of nuclear fission | American Look (1958)A tribute to the American designer presented by Chevrolet. The first half of this film is a collage of 1950's American design from appliances to architecture, the second half follows the design process of a new Chevrolet automobile from the early sketches to a full sized model and finally the finish product. | America For Me (1953)A vacationing school teacher and her friend meet a cowboy on his way to a rodeo. The teacher and the cowboy fall in love while the travelogue camera takes in Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, San Francisco, New England, Lake Louise and Niagara Falls. | Atom Bomb (1955)Actual footage of nuclear bomb testing, the scientists and military people involved in a the South Pacific and the American Southwest. Frighteningly slim and few precautions are taken with the lives of those people who jobs were to be present at the test sites. Film purports to prove that survival of nuclear attack is possible. |
Big Lift (1950)Filmed on location, The Big Lift is a reenactment of the Berlin airlift of 1948. Flexing their postwar muscles, the Russians blockade the Western sector, refusing to allow the Allies to ship supplies to the starving Berliners. From their headquarters at Templehof Airport, a group of courageous American flyers risk their lives to transport supplies by air. | Big Picture: Winter War (1950)Here is a long and searching look at the Korean War during the period when morale was high. Important victories at Inchon, Seoul, and Pyongyang resulted in newspaper reporting that predicted an early end to the fighting. The story is told in the words of William H. Lawrence, assigned to the Washington bureau of the New York Times | Our Changing Family Life (1957)The film explores the evolution of family life in America over 75 years, highlighting the shift from traditional farm families in the 1880s, where roles were clearly defined and centered around economic cooperation, to modern urban families characterized by individualism and less rigid divisions of labor. It discusses the impact of industrialization, the feminist movement, and technological advancements on family dynamics, emphasizing the increasing importance of women in the workforce and the decline of the extended family structure. The narrative contrasts past family life with contemporary experiences, showing how changes have affected family interactions, responsibilities, and emotional connections. | This Charming Couple (1950)Marriage training film dramatizing a partnership too fraught with conflicts to survive. Produced as part of a post-World War II initiative to make marriages more sustainable in the face of postwar dislocation. An unusually literate, neo-realist film produced by a talented group of documentarians. |
Checkers Speech (1952)This is the so-called Checkers speech by Richard Nixon on 23 September 1952 to address allegations that he received funds from a secret fund during his campaign for vice president. | Our Cities Must Fight (1951)A newspaper has been flooded with letters against an editorial published that states that citizens should not abandon one's cities in case of an enemy attack, nuclear or otherwise. The editor and a reporter have to come up with a way to make their readers understand why they shouldn't abandon their cities, both on a practical level for the chaos that would ensue and it being the safest place, and a pure military level in cities being the backbone of winning any war. | Communism (1952)The history of communism told from a very Cold War perspective, attempting to explain to the target audience of American schoolchildren and teens why is it such a threat for worldwide freedom and the United States in particular, and why the inversions of millions of dollars in defense weaponry, and tax increments for that purpose, are justified. A Coronet film. | Crime of Korea (1950)The Crime of Korea was a 1950 propaganda film produced by the US Army Signal Corps mainly concerning the war crimes committed by the North Koreans. |
Crisis in Levittown (1957)This report follows the Myers, a Black upper middle-class faces discrimination and mistreatment when the move out to the small town of Levittown, PA, which consists of a predominantly white neighborhood. A documentary that showcases racism in America. | A Date With Your Family (1950)A Date with Your Family is a 1950 10-minute social engineering short film presented by Simmel-Meservey, directed by Edward G. Simmel, and written by Arthur V. Jones to primarily show youth how to act and behave with parents during dinner to have a pleasant time. The subject family consists of a father, mother and their offspring, the sister, older brother and the younger junior. The narrator tells what happens with the family; what should happen during the meal, what types of manners and socializing should be exhibited to not sour the time with your family and what should not happen. There are many stereotypical views of each person to coincide with the preferred image of a nuclear family in the post-war era of the 1950s. | A Day Called X (1957)Portrays a simulated evacuation of Portland, Oregon, when threatened by a nuclear attack on its state-of-the-art civil defense system. | Design for Dreaming (1956)Set at the 1956 General Motors Motorama, this is one of the key Populuxe films of the 1950s, showing futuristic dream cars and Frigidaire's Kitchen of the Future. |
A Day of Thanksgiving (1951)An American family unable to afford a Thanksgiving turkey reviews the things for which they feel thankful. This patriotic film is unusual in that it does not link freedom and happiness with the pursuit of wealth. Produced with nonprofessional actors in Lawrence, Kansas. Written by Margaret Carlile (Trudy) Travis. | Duck and Cover (1951)This iconic film short was produced by the US Government to teach school aged children what to do in the event of a nuclear attack. | Education in America: Twentieth Century Developments (1958)Portrays the progress of American education from 16th century New England through the mid-20th century. | It's Everybody's Business (1954)Cold War propaganda short explaining how capitalism guarantees America's freedoms. |
Freedom Highway (1956)Travelogues set landscapes in motion, and Freedom Highway exploits the roadside panorama as an excuse to celebrate American mythologies. Hanging in the sky as if they were ghosts, patriots, warriors and the myths they exemplify -- the frontier, national independence and manifest destiny -- come to life at key points along the transcontinental route. | Give Yourself the Green Light (1954)Advocacy film produced to garner public support for the creation of the Interstate Highway System. | Have I Told You Lately That I Love You! (1958)Student film showing how modern electronic gadgets and technology in the home and in the workplace contribute to people becoming alienated from each other. | Hear and Now (1958)How radio brings news and information to Americans. With footage of many news events covered by radio and images everyday life in the late 1950s. |
Hungarian Revolution 1956 (1956)A compilation of various clips from the UPI and Warner Pathé newsreels regarding the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. | Eisenhower Years (1963)This instructional film details the Eisenhower administration (1953-61). | I Like Ike (1952)A famous campaign ad from the 1952 election. | Eisenhower Campaign Ad (1956)This is a compilation of several Eisenhower for President ads from the 1956 campaign. |
Independent Radio (1951)Military training film on a New York radio station, WMCA, owned by the Nathan Straus family, showing its ownership, management and activities. Good view of radio in the era when most stations were locally owned and operated. | A City is Born: Levittown Pennsylvania (1952)A 1952 news program featuring Levittown, Pa. as it was just starting to be built. From farm fields to plans for schools, roads, stores and more. | Price of Liberty (1954)Women in service during WWII played a crucial role in the Allied victory, proving themselves worthy of the traditions behind them and equal to whatever tasks were ahead. This short documentary was narrated by Walter Cronkite. | Magic in the Air (1955)This short film, presented by General Motors, introduces television by detailing the transmission of a sporting event. This version is a revision of a film originally released in 1941. |
Miracle on the Delaware (1955)Mid-Fifties slices of life and landscape in Philadelphia and surrounding towns. With excellent color footage of downtown scenes, neighborhoods, the Mummers Parade, Levittown, factories in Camden, New Jersey, and many other subjects that can no longer be seen. | Molly Grows Up (1953)Molly anxiously awaits her first sign of menstruation, which means that she'll be able to date and go dancing. The school nurse explains exactly what menstruation is to her, by using diagrams. | Nation at Your Fingertips (1951)How direct long distance dialing made the U.S. a smaller place, and how instantaneous direct communication between Americans without operator assistance became possible. | New Moon (1957)This newsreel clip announces the launch of the Soviet Sputnik, the first artificial satellite launched into Earth orbit. |
News Magazine of the Screen 1950 (1950)A newsreel compilation of the biggest news stories of October and November 1950 including the attempted assassination of President Truman and the deaths of Al Jolson and Gustav V. | News Magazine of the Screen 1952 (1952)This episode of the News Magazine of the Screen features major events of 1952, including Missouri River flooding, the French war against Communist forces in Vietnam, the Korean War, American military forces around the world and several human interest type segments. | News Magazine of the Screen 1953 (1953)This episode of News Magazine of the Screen focuses on major issues and events of the world at the beginning of 1953. Segments include a report on Korea and Germany and several arts and public interest items. | Operation Cue (1955)A reporter is given a tour of the Nevada Test Site before witnessing an atom bomb detonation, part of the Operation Teapot series of nuclear tests in 1955. |
What About Prejudice (1959)The students at East High are upset that Bruce (who is actually never shown) is allowed to attend their high school, and that he is an undesirable element whom their parents have told not to associate with. However, an incident soon occurs that makes them rethink their ideas about prejudice. | Stamp Day for Superman (1954)Stamp Day for Superman is a 1954 black-and-white short film starring George Reeves as Superman and Noel Neill as Lois Lane. It was produced by Superman Inc. for the United States Department of the Treasury to promote the purchase of U.S. Savings Bonds. Never shown theatrically, it was distributed to schools as a means of educating children about the program. | Singing Wires (1951)Sings the praises of rural electrification. Story of a farm family whose work and play are transformed when their place is hooked up to the grid. | Social Class in America (1957)Shows the differences in the life experience of three male babies from three different social classes. One young man succeeds his father as president of the family manufacturing company. Another, a middle-class white-collar worker at the same company, leaves the town of his birth and moves to New York City where he becomes a respected advertising art director, thus rising in social status. A third, born into the working class, trains as a mechanic and holds an influential job at a service station. |
Story of Television (1956)Shows efforts of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in the creation, development and introduction of the all-electronic TV system; explains how science made television a working reality. David Sarnoff tells of the early research and experiments. Shown is the first successful picture tube, the first experimental TV station, the problems of improving piucture quality and reducing the size and cost of components at the transmitting and receiving ends, and the function of mobile units. | In The Suburbs (1957)Life in the suburbs has its good and bad moments, but most people who live there want to be there. The suburbs are populated primarily by traditional young families, who can talk to each other about their common lives. Redbook Magazine provides a source of advice for these families, who are experiencing something new together in their suburban living style, such as home living, raising children, shopping (especially in the suburban phenomenon called the shopping mall), automobile care, entertaining and being entertained. | Survival Under Atomic Attack (1951)Created by the U.S. Government, Survival Under Atomic Attack explains the dangers of the atomic bomb, the effects of radiation and how to protect oneself if caught in the open or in the home. The film was made in the era before the hydrogen bomb made nuclear survival impossible. Survival Under Atomic Attack was also the title of an official United States government booklet released by the Civil Defense Office | Telegram for America (1956)This Western Union film shows a brief history of the telegraph, followed by the latest 1950s telegram technology. |
Westinghouse Commercial 1950 (1950)This commercial for the Westinghouse Lynwood television set, hosted by actress Betty Furness, touts the latest technology. | Valley of the Tennessee (American Scene Number 7) ()Witness the development and progress of the Tennessee Valley, as well as the mid-century progressive education in America. | A Welcome Guest in the House (1957)From the heights of the cold war, this short focuses on American youth at play and in the home and how the television can be a great educational device. In this case warning of the dangers of Communism. The home television features as part of the bulwark protecting the children and guiding them towards the principles of a democratic society. |