Coming Soon!
"Lost & Rare Discoveries & Innovations" will be a collection of obscure but groundbreaking films that depict the many discoveries and innovations that shaped America’s industry, art, commerce, character and popular culture. Enjoy prevue scenes of films currently being considered for inclusion:
Discoveries & Innovations
- Unfinished Rainbows (1940 – Technicolor) Rare documentary produced by Alcoa that tells the history of aluminum from Napoleon’s role through the outset of WWII. Alan Ladd is featured in his first credited (and color) role as inventor Charles Martin Hall.
- The Columbia (1942/49) Scarce documentary is famous for featuring 3 songs performed on the soundtrack by Woody Guthrie. Powerful images depict construction of the Grand Coulee Dam in a film produced before the war but not released until after in 1949 due to issues associated with a national debate over public vs. private power.
- The Delaware Story (circa 1959 - Technicolor) Colorful documentary on the role discovery and innovation played in the development from colonial days of Delaware, one of America's foremost industrial states.
- Inside of the White Slave Traffic (1913) Prior to this release only one copy of the of the two-reel version was even known to exist. This pioneer exploitation feature was designed to lure audiences into theaters by making sensationalistic claims presented as a sincere effort to warn communities that the dangers of prostitution exist in their own neighborhoods.
- The Banker's Daughter (1927) Lost pioneer example of stop-motion puppet animation and one in a series of "Daffy Doings in Doodle Bug" cartoons produced by the Kinex Studios in Hollywood and released by Kodak Cinegraph.
- The Fresh Lobster (1928) Rare early example of film animation blended with live-action performances and also reflects innovation of adding music and sound effects to early silent films for their rerelease to new audiences. In this amusing short subject silent-era comedian Billie Bletcher loses his appetite for lobster when his dinner becomes his stalker.
- I.A.T.S.E. Long lost 1946 short subject is a docu-drama that tracks the history of The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees union using rare film clips from the evolution of the American amusement industry until just after WWII! One remarkable sequence recreates Al Jolson performing Mammy for The Jazz Singer with IATSE union members filming his performance.
- The Butcher, The Baker, The Ice Cream Maker (1955, Color) Only known color print (it’s pristine!) of animated industrial film created to introduce a revolutionary new concept for selling ice cream -- in boxes!
- How to Dance the Shag (1936) Famed dance instructor Arthur Murray appears in this little known cinematic gem instructing a group of teens on 1936 modern dance techniques and particularly on How to Dance The Shag, which was then “sweeping the country” and went on to become South Carolina’s official dance.
- TELEVISION (1939) Rare RKO theatrical short subject documents the invention of television, originally released to American theaters in 1939 in conjunction with other new inventions and innovations on display at the 1939 New York World's Fair "Building the World of Tomorrow" exhibit.
- Tree in a Test Tube (1943 – color) Laurel & Hardy appear in a rare color short subject produced to display the many every-day products that are derived from America’s forest resources, including innovations in plastic consumer goods.
- FINDING HIS VOICE (1929) The innovation of “The Talkies” forever changed the art of film. Pioneer animator Max Fleischer is the genius behind this fascinating animated gem that tells how sound is put on film in cartoon format with “Talkie” and “Mutie” visiting the Western Electric lab.
- TREES and HOMES (1941 – Technicolor) Stunning shots of harvesting and processing of old growth timber in Pacific Northwest are featured in this doc produced by The Weyerhaeuser Company and directed and narrated by James A. Fitzpatrick, producer of the MGM Fitzpatrick Traveltalks series.
- The PACIFIC COAST (1946) March of Time short documents west coast post-war industrial development including agriculture, fishing/canning, tourism, entertainment industry, etc.
Plus the following films not shown in the video prevue:
