Recommend things from The Internet Archive

Cafe Society
1

The Internet Archive is a website with archives of other website, but also contains various public domain materials, such as old movies, adverts and the like, and audio, texts, software.

It’s the movies I’m particularly interested. I’ve watched some of them, but there are loads to choose from, and I think it would be good if we could recommend our favourites.

I’ll start. My favourite would probably be the classic film noir D.O.A, about Frank Bigelow, who has to solve his own murder when he is given a slow acting poison.

There are a few others that I found rather enjoyable. The Girl from Calgary is billed as a musical comedy, although there aren’t many songs in it. I found myself getting into the plot, and it was fairly funny, and just generally entertaining.

Similarly Calendar Girl was rather entertaining too, with a mixture of songs and comedy, particular a fair amount of slapstick. I rather liked the tug of war sequence.

I think on the musicals theme I should mention A Song for Miss Julie, which I didn’t get on which at all. The main problem I think was I didn’t find myself caring about the characters, or what happened to them.

On a more positive note, another one I liked was a short called Ask Dad, which has what I find rather funny dialogue.

Finally, there is Dressed to Kill, which stars Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes. It was rather enjoyable, particularly for Rathbone’s Holmes, but the plot itself was fairly entertaining.

So that’s it from me, have you any films, and the like to recommend?

2

I haven’t watched any of the full-length movies available, but Perversion for Profit, starring noted asshole George Putnam, is good watching. Follow it up with Come Join The Fun, a very well-done remix.

3

I was going to recommend Plan Nine from Outer Space, but I just searched over there for it, and didn’t see it. Has it been removed because it wasn’t in the public domain?

4

The Prelinger Archives has a lot to offer if you like weird short subjects. Thanks(?) to MST3K, I have acquired a taste for bizarre, unintentionally funny 50’s-60’s short subjects. They usually deal with hygiene or personal behavior and are aimed at teenagers.

I have downloaded over 10 DVD’s worth of stuff.

5

Oh, crap, the PSAs for teenagers are the best part of the Archives. Find the anti-gay ones. Those fucking rule in their insanity.

6

There’s one called “Boys Beware”. Obviously, predators are insane gay men who always kill their prey.

Seriously unnerving.

7

There’s an interesting Brunswick promotional film from 1960 that extolls the virtues of bowling-alley equipment that is today horribly dated, “The Golden Years”. It also features a rare, quick look at the Brunswick Automatic Pinsetter (specifically the ‘A’ model; this model and variations of which are still in use today, so it’s largely relevant).

Also look for “In My Merry Oldsmobile”, an old and very entertaining (even somewhat shocking-for-the-day) Fleischer-produced short promoting the only recently-discontinued automotive. Listen for the voice of who I think is Jackson Beck.

“Delicious Dishes” is a humorous advertisement that predates Ronco’s efforts by about forty years, if I’m right.

There are also a few striptease films and stag reels. ;D A few are sort of creepy in that they use refrigerator magnet-type letters on a piece of card for a title sequence.

8

Did you see the anti-Japan ones? There’s one on there, can’t remember which, that actually refers to them as “Japs.”

Just… wow.

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Tastes have changed in strippers. Can you imagine those ladies in today’s strip clubs?

Could you imagine today’s strippers working back then?

10

Have you seen this site? There’s more than a few offensive comic covers from the same era.

11

No, I hadn’t. Thanks! You just killed my boredom for a little while!

I return the offering: Propaganda Remix. Funny as fuck no matter what your political slant.

12

Today I actually watched a commercial on the archives that was surreal. I think it was under Classic Commercial IV.

Anyway, it was for Jello and it featured “a Chinese baby.” It was so bizarre - they showed at first how sad it was that the “Chinese baby” couldn’t eat or even taste Jello because he was using chopsticks. Then his mother gives him a spoon and he dives right in.

They said “awww poor Chinese baby” atleast 5 times.

(Also good are the classic Lucky Strike “LS/MFT” commercials, especially the square dancing one. I have never smoked, but almost want to after that commercial.)

13

Look in the “Live music archive” in the “Audio” section. You will see MP3s of practically every concert the Grateful Dead ever performed.

Second is the classic commercial that shows Don Zimmer with hair.

14

From the Prelinger Archive: “A Day Called X.” A CBS documentary narrated by Glenn Ford depicting how 1957 Portland, Oregon would have responded to atomic attack.
Answer: Not very damn well. But probably better than any major US city of 2005.

15

Is this the same guy who married Amelia Earhart? I always wondered what the deal was with those two. :dubious:

16

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I’m already familiar with the Prelinger Archives, and have had a look at some of the stuff there. I saw Perversion for Profit part I a while ago, but I’ve watched it again and there are some rather bizarre ideas in it. Particularly the bit about pornography weakening the nation’s resistance to communism!

I’ll have a look at the second part later, and some of the other suggestions. Thanks RealityChuck for reminding me of the Live music archive. I must admit I haven’t heard much Grateful Dead, but they seem to have the most concerts listed, at 2890. I am a fan of Jason Mraz, so I’m currently downloading one of his gigs at the moment.

I’m reminded of a few other things I’ve enjoyed. There’s Your Name Here, a parody of industrial promotion films. Also, I remember liking A Coach for Cinderella, a rather charming little cartoon, the bulk of which featuring the making of Cinderella’s coach, which turned out to be a Chevrolet. There’s a sequel, that I haven’t seen, called “A Ride for Cinderella”. Finally for now, there’s Something for Nothing, an advert (for Chevvies I gather, although it been a while since I watched it), featuring Rube Goldberg, and some of his cartoons.

17

Joe, since you and I are probably the only 2 Dopers who can readily identify golden age radio announcers, go take a look at the ad reel for the 1932 Essex-Terraplane and tell me if you don’t think that’s Don Wilson doing the voiceover.

18

I darethink fishbicycle may be a third, from what I’ve read. :slight_smile:

I wish I knew more than a few announcer’s voices, though (beyond more contemporary examples as Dan Ingram, John Records Landecker, Bruce Morrow, Dale Dorman etc.) . I only know Jackson Beck because a couple years ago I google-searched for whoever that guy was (with the interesting basso voice) that did Bluto. I found upon searching that he was also the guy with the amazingly clear and bell-like voice on Radio Days, and I was able to hear the similarities after a minute or two.

I do see that Don Wilson voiced over Universal reels, so I would think this to be cooroborating. I’m watching the reel you cited now—he shares similar locution with the “Delicious Dishes” chef. :slight_smile:

19

My fave voice from radio-gone-by would have to be Bob Trout, on all those CBS News updates before and during WWII. npr.org might have some around, as part of the retrospectives Trout did for All Things Considered. He was in his 90s by then; his voice was totally different but his recall was sharp.

20

Not George P. Putnam, born in 1887.

I mean George Putnam, venerable* man in broadcasting and host of Talk Back.

**Venerable (adj.) Should be dead, but isn’t.