The Collection

The footage we hold is eclectic and may include anything from date culture in 1920s Iraq, to oddities such as devices for carrying dogs across the street, from serious news items to the "and finally" type stories. It contains documentaries and newsreels (edited and outtakes), commercials and some early fiction and spans nearly 80 years (late 19th century to the early 1970s). We are constantly increasing our collection and updating our database with both films from the National Archives as well as other sources.

Recent Additions to the Collection Include:

Soundies - Predecessors of the MTV music video, the production of these 3-4 minute pieces was spurred during a musician's strike in the early 1940's. Produced in 35mm on sets - sometimes complete with orchestras, choreography, and costumes - performers include the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Hoagy Carmichael, Antia O'Day, Gene Krupa, Peggy Lee, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Hodges, Stan Kenton, Merle Travis, Nat King Cole, Cab Calloway, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Dorothy Dandridge, Erskine Hawkins, and a host of others. Genres range from swing, jazz, and pop to country, western, and Hawaiin.

Educational Films - A wide ranging collection produced from the 1930's to the early 1970's, titles include: The Monarch Butterfly Story, Israel: The Story of the Jewish People, Exploring the Universe, New England Fishermen, Children of China, How to Weld Aluminum, The Eyes and Thier Care, New Ways in Farming, What Makes Rain, Abraham Lincoln, and many other films that werre shown for years in America's classrooms. A few gems of industrial filmmaking from the Jam Handy organization are also part of this collection.

Christian Films - Produced mostly in the 1950's and 1960's these films usually focus on the problems of maintaining Christian faith in an increasingly secular world. They are usually aimed at adolescents and titles include: Teenage Crusade, Teenage Challenge, Unto Thyself Be True, Teenage Witness, Teenage Romance, and Problems of the Young Married. This collection also includes some costumed Bible films such as Childhood of Jesus, Betrayal In Gethsemane, Trial Before Pilate, Thirty Pieces Of Silver, and Jesus And The Lepers.

The broad subjects include:

- The major 20th Century conflicts ­ two World Wars (both battle scenes and home front including color material of WWII such as D-Day), Vietnam, Korea, Spanish Civil War, the Middle East conflicts, the Manchurian situation, the Spanish-American war.Universal Newsreels releases (1929 ­ 1967) and outtakes (ca. 1930 ­ 1959), the March of Time outtakes (ca. 1934 ­ 1951) and other news films, personalities of the 20th Century,autos, etc.), 1916-1967.

For the past year we have been actively expanding two main areas: British and other European countries content, and footage in color of historical and general interest.

In addition to footage in the Public Domain, we also represent smaller, proprietary collections that are sold in the more normal way based on the amount of footage used and license required. These include educational and industrial films; footage from Palestine/Israel and the former Soviet Union; footage of the Statue of Liberty Centennial Celebrations; weather related phenomena; footage of India, Hong Kong, Mexico, Indonesia, Kenya; a 1930's Around the World Trip on a Motorcycle; the airphibian, a flying car; Skyhook, a Department of Defense air rescue system; amazing aerials of the American West and South America; landscapes; time lapse; ruins; and rural Americana. There is also extensive material from the GMP collection on environmental, nuclear, Vietnam, cold war, and drug issues as well as footage from the feature rock film NO NUKES (both ins and outs), which depicts a 1979 five day concert at Madison Square Garden and 250,000 person rally at the World Trade Center. This feature film release includes film performances by Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby, Stills and Nash, James Taylor, Carly Simon, the Doobie Brothers, Tom Petty and many others.