Boxing Cats (1894) - Hilarious Classic

Historic video of boxing cats produced by the Thomas Edison company. Why did the brilliant men - namely producer, W.K.L. Dickson - who worked for Thomas Edison feel that they needed to use this new technology to show the world "boxing cats" is a question that has boggled the minds of film historians for over 100 years.

Hot Point Deep Fryer (1953) - Classic TV Commercial

Vintage television advertisement for the Hot Point Deep Fryer on the Ozzie and Harriet show from 1953.

Listerine Toothpaste (1954) - Classic TV Commercial

Vintage television advertisement for Listerine Toothpaste from 1954.

Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix (1955) - Classic TV Commercial

Vintage television advertisement for Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix from 1955.

Head and Shoulders (1969) - Classic TV Commercial

Vintage television advertisement for Head and Shoulders from 1969.

Quaker Quisp Cereal (1966) - Classic TV Commercial

Quisp is a sugar-sweetened breakfast cereal from the Quaker Oats Company. It was introduced in 1965 and continued as a mass-market grocery item until the late 1970s. Sometime afterward, the company sold the item sporadically, and upon the rise of the Internet began selling it primarily online. Quisp was initially marketed with a sister brand, Quake. Its joint-product television commercials were produced by Jay Ward, a major producer of animated television series.

Miracle on the Delaware (1955) - Historic Philadelphia

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. Producer and Director: Cal Jones. Cinematographer: Ralph Lopatin. Writer and Narrator: Dick McCutchen.

Apollo 13: Houston, We've Got A Problem (1958) - Classic Documentary

Classic documentary depicts attempts to return the crewmen of the Apollo 13 mission safely to earth following an explosion onboard the service module. The film emphasizes the Mission Control and spacecraft teamwork that overcame the life-or-death problems of Apollo 13, as well as the worldwide reaction to the crisis. Part of the National Archives.

Miracle on the Delaware (1955) - Historic Philadelphia

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. Producer and Director: Cal Jones. Cinematographer: Ralph Lopatin. Writer and Narrator: Dick McCutchen.

Apollo 13: Houston, We've Got A Problem (1958) - Classic Documentary

Classic documentary depicts attempts to return the crewmen of the Apollo 13 mission safely to earth following an explosion onboard the service module. The film emphasizes the Mission Control and spacecraft teamwork that overcame the life-or-death problems of Apollo 13, as well as the worldwide reaction to the crisis. Part of the National Archives.

Apollo 13: Houston, We've Got A Problem - Classic Documentary

Classic documentary depicts attempts to return the crewmen of the Apollo 13 mission safely to earth following an explosion onboard the service module. The film emphasizes the Mission Control and spacecraft teamwork that overcame the life-or-death problems of Apollo 13, as well as the worldwide reaction to the crisis. Part of the National Archives.

The Negro Soldier (1943) - Classic Recruitment Film

WWII recruitment film aimed at African Americans produced by Frank Capra from 1943. The film opens with an African American minister in church telling his flock why they should join the armed forces to fight the Nazis. We see historical re-enactments of African Americans as valued participants in US armed conflicts dating from the American Revolution. The balance of the film deals with the African American experience within the present war effort, the conditions of their living and training, with special attention paid to the respect and dignity they will have.

FDR and Churchill: "Long Way To Go" in WWII (1943) - Classic Newsreel

Classic newsreel featuring speech from FDR and Churchill at Harvard. "Pres. Roosevelt cites Italy's capitulation as a victory for the Italian people, as well as for Gen. Eisenhower, as he officially opens the Third War Loan Drive." includes scenes from Fireside Chat #26 and speech sound announcing Italian surrender (2) Churchill at Harvard - "Harvard confers its coveted degree upon Winston Churchill. In his speech, the Prime Minister pledges that England will march side by side with the U.S. to complete victory." (3) Blast Nazi Strongholds - "The R.A.F. roars over the North Sea in Boston bombers, and plants destructive delayed-action bombs on Valenciennes, France. Incredible speed marks the whole venture." (partial newsreel)

Nation at Your Fingertips (1951) - Classic Bell Documentary

How direct long distance dialing made the U.S. a smaller place, and how instantaneous direct communication between Americans without operator assistance became possible.

Freedomland USA (1963) - Classic Theme Park

Even after all thses years Freedomland USA remains one of the best and original theme parks ever built. It disturbs me when critics who never went to the park try to discount what the park featured. The park was just as good as Disneyland, I visited both and still regard Freedomland as it's equal. For those who think Freedomland's main street was a poor imitation don't know that Freedomland's building were full scale and Disneyland's 3/4 scale. Freedomland from 1960 through 64 the five seasons of the park had more than many parks have now or ever did have. The World's Fair did not force the closing of the park as the Fair only opened in 1964, Freedomland opened in 1960, and the fair would be done as planned in 1965. In fact the true plan for Freedomland's closing was contrived to make money for the owners and operators of the park by Building Co-Op City the housing project. As far as those that pointed to some problems the park had the first year, so did Disneyland, and if Disney did not have a tv show that pumped money into the park it may have never lasted. So view this movie as a visual treat of a mere sampling of what the park had, which included rides for everyone and great free entertainment from rock and roll stars to big band entertainers. It's time that this great park be remembered as one of the best entertainment centers ever built.

Mighty Mouse: Wolf! Wolf! (1944) - Classic Cartoon

Little Bo Peep and her free-range sheep are threatened when Wily and Jazzy wolves attempt to capture them. But Mighty Mouse saves the day.

Donald Duck: The Spirit of '43 - Classic Disney Cartoon

The Spirit of '43 is an American animated World War II propaganda film created by Walt Disney Studios in 1943 and starring Donald Duck. It is a sequel to The New Spirit. The film was created for the US Government to encourage patriotic Americans to file and pay their income taxes faithfully in order to help the war effort. The repeated theme in the film is "Taxes...To Defeat the Axis."

Gaines Dog Food Featuring Don Knotts - Classic TV Commercial

Classic television advertisement for Gaines Dog Meal featuring Don Knotts.

Survival Under Atomic Attack (1951) - Historic Safety Film

Explains the dangers of the atomic bomb, the effects of radiation and what the individual should do to protect himself if caught in the open or in his home. Ken Smith comments: "Let us, without panic, face the reality of our times," says the authoritative, measured, resonant voice of Edward R. Murrow. That's good advice; unfortunately, this blatantly unrealistic film doesn't follow it. The title is superimposed over a drawing of a mushroom cloud; if you look closely, you can see the tops of skyscrapers peeking out from the cloud base. This isn't a very reassuring visual, but the Office of Civil Defense somehow manages to put a positive spin on things. Murrow reminds us of Hiroshima and Nagasaki as we see footage of smiling, happy Japanese. "The majority of people exposed to radiation recovered quickly," he explains. "Today, they lead normal lives." The real, insane message of this film -- one espoused by many Civil Defense films of the Truman years -- is that we should stay put when the bombs fall. "An enemy would like nothing better than to have us leave our cities empty and unproductive," Murrow chastises. "Our factories will be battle stations. Production must go on if we are to win." Likewise "our offices and homes will also be posts of duty, not to be deserted." And why should we run when (according to this film) staying put during a nuclear blast is so easy? We're shown one patriotic American lying in a street gutter under a newspaper, another crouched behind a stuffed chair. A flash, some broken glass, some dust is blown through a window, and that's all there is to it. All of this is intercut with stock footage of real A-bomb blasts, which are HUGE and incredibly scary. This bouncing back and forth between reality and the Government's rosy view isn't especially reassuring, but apparently the OCD felt its audiences wouldn't notice the difference. Murrow has a great deal of advice for the I'm-staying-put homeowner. As an average family demonstrates -- moments before the bomb turns everything into a nuclear inferno -- dad puts a lid on the garbage can, sis closes the drapes, mom unplugs the iron, and everybody hides under dad's workbench with a first aid kit and a bottle of water. "Have a good flashlight on hand, " Murrow adds. "Electric lights may go out." "If the people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki had known what we know about civil defense, thousands of lives would be saved." If the Soviets had known how little we knew about civil defense, they would've nuked us. Quick-paced, particularly for a government film. Lots of cutting. Terrific overblown musical soundtrack. Plenty of A-bomb footage. This film looks as if it had a bigger budget than most of its Civil Defense brethren.

IBM 224 Dicating Unit - Classic TV Commercial

Vintage television advertisement for the IBM 224 Dictating Unit. So small and portable...

Increda Bubble Gum - Classic TV Commercial

Vintage television advertisement for Increda Bubble Gum.

Gillette Trac II Razor (1960s) - Classic TV Commercial

Vintage television advertisement for the exciting Trac II Razor from Gillette.

General Foods Sponsored Products (1950s) - Classic TV Commercial

Vintage television advertisement for Tang, Maxwell House Coffee, and Gravy Train dog food.

Kodak Signet 50 on Ozzie and Harriet (1957) - Classic TV Commercial

Vintage television advertisement for the Kodak Signet 50 camera and Kodak slide projector featuring Ozzie Nelson.

Hardee's French Fries - Classic TV Commercial

Vintage television advertisement for Hardee's french fries.