Vintage film, TV, documents, and photographic footage from down the years

[Tintin]

Wonderful upscaled footage from London circa 1898 from a camera that would seem that it was mounted, believed probably on St. Pancras Station filming the junction of Euston Road and St Pancras (near Kings Cross). A kind of Victorian equivalent CCTV footage. And, horse-drawn buses. Wow.

[Tintin]

Just for fun here but may raise a smile for some of you who may have tuned into this back in the day. My mum was a huge fan and it was perfect escapism for her as an unexpectedly single mum with two little ones to take care of. Consequently my sister and I became 'fans'

This I think were the opening credits to Season 12 from 1988-1989 and doesn't feature the (gorgeous) Victoria Principal as Pamela Ewing, Bobby's wife in the show.

Dallas opening credits - 1988-1989

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

Posted by Tintin (here)
Consequently my sister and I became 'fans'

Oh God, guilty here as well (also an avid watcher of Dynasty). I remember very well the hoopla of "Who Shot J.R?", it was a running joke in our household as these were the initials of my Mum. For many a long year "A Who Shot J.R." sticker sat emblazoned on our fridge.

Here's an older version of the credits (the one I remember most) featuring the delightful Victoria Principle.

Dallas Opening and Closing Theme 1978 - 1991 (HD Surround)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=8sKX3tWaOew

[Tintin]

Posted by Mark (Star Mariner) (here)

Posted by Tintin (here)
Consequently my sister and I became 'fans'

Oh God, guilty here as well (also an avid watcher of Dynasty). I remember very well the hoopla of "Who Shot J.R?", it was a running joke in our household as these were the initials of my Mum. For many a long year "A Who Shot J.R." sticker sat emblazoned on our fridge.

Here's an older version of the credits (the one I remember most) featuring the delightful Victoria Principle.

Dallas Opening and Closing Theme 1978 - 1991 (HD Surround)

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=8sKX3tWaOew

Oh, well done for finding that

In the old days when we only had 3 (!) television channels just about every household one could imagine tuned into the "Who Shot JR?" finale. It was a (attempted) murder mystery, and I've always been a bit of a sleuth, even at the tender age of about 12, certainly from around then, whichever year it was.

And of course, "Dynasty" - guilty here too

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

Posted by Tintin (here)
whichever year it was.

I well recall the years of only three TV channels. And what years they were! The advent of more channels only served to dilute the quality.

The "Who Shot JR" thing took place in 1980 (unbelievably). This was the line-up (I looked into this) for a typical Saturday on BBC1 in that year. Swap Shop, Grandstand, Tom And Jerry, The Basil Brush Show, Dr. Who, The Generation Game, Juliet Bravo, The Two Ronnies, News and Sport, Dallas, Parkinson, The Saturday Night Film.

Compare with today's schedule -- in my opinion it's chock full of rubbish!

[grapevine]

Well, if we're going down memory lane, here's one of my fav clips first aired 1952. . ."
Lucy and the Chocolate Factory

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=NkQ58I53mjk

[Tintin]

Extraordinary footage from 1945

Japanese Kamikaze pilot strikes USS Ticonderoga (Essex-class aircraft carrier) January 21, 1945

[Tintin]

Featured Letter: An Atmospheric Phenomenon from 1813



Breaking somewhat with my protocols, kind of, but just too fascinating and so rare as to not record this extraordinary document here, so I've popped it into the library with the vintage collection. According to Brian Roemmele it isn't in any publicly available textbooks anywhere but seems clearly to have been saved in the Library of Congress.

Further into the linked thread (above paragraph) a commentator provides this interesting piece of information:

"Freemasons Lewis & Clark were on a secret mission for Jefferson, including finding "unworldly" things. The LA-Purchase exploration was just the cover-story."

I'd not been aware of this historical reference either mentioned here. Obviously we have ancient petroglyphs that have recorded our experiences with these "visitors" going back millennia but in a more contemporary setting this does I think justify the label of "earliest" in relation to the nineteenth century, at least.

--------------------

This site here lays out the text with a description which precedes it which is much clearer to read.

Source: Monticello
Link: https://www.monticello.org/research-...ic-phenomenon/

A tavern keeper and a visitor from Baltimore send Thomas Jefferson what is perhaps the earliest recorded observation of a UFO in Virginia. They describe a fireball they had recently observed in the sky above Portsmouth, with its successive transformations into the shape of a turtle, a human skeleton, and a Scottish Highlander. Jefferson did not respond.

MOST HONORABLE SIR
PORTSMOUTH, VA July 31st 1813

We the subscribers most earnestly solicit, that your honor will give us your opinion, on the following extraordinary Phenomenon Viz:

At hour on the night of the 25th instant, we saw in the South a Ball of fire full as large as the sun at Maridian which was frequently obscured within the space of ten minutes by a smoke emitted from its own body, but ultimately retained its briliancy, and form1 during that period, but with apparent agitation. It then assumed the form of a Turtle which also appeared to be much agitated and as frequently obscured by a similar smoke. It descended obliquely to the West, and raised again perpendicular to its original hight which was on or about 75 degrees. It then assumed the shape of a human skeleton which was frequently obscured by a like smoke and as frequently descended and ascended—It then assumed the form of a Scotch Highlander arrayed for battle and extremely agitated, and ultimately passed to the West and disappeared in its own smoke. we are honorable

Sir with Sentiments of very high respect & esteem Your most Obedient very humble Servts

Edward Hansford, Keeper of the Washington Tavern in the Town of Portsmouth Virginia—

John L. Clarke, of Baltimore

[Tintin]

“Because serious actresses can’t have big bosoms, is that what you mean?” Dame Helen responded at the time, at which point the host suggested her body could be perceived as a “distraction” by some.

She then insisted: “I can’t think that can necessarily be true. I mean, what a crummy performance if people are obsessed with the size of your bosom or anything else.

“I would hope that the performance, and the play, and the living relationship between all the people on stage and all the people in the audience will overcome such boring questions.”

----------------------------------

Michael Parkinson interviews Helen Mirren (now Dame Helen Mirren) 1975

Helen Mirren was in delightful form in this now very famous interview where even at the time some of Parky's comments were deemed a little "sexist". There's a charming interplay going on with both of them here, reminiscent of a duel at times, but captivating right the way through. It's in two parts here.

This very much more recent Huffington Post article - linked below the film - hints that any hatchets, such as there were any, had long ago been buried. It remains a classic piece of British television showing a young and frankly gorgeous Helen Mirren at the start of what was to become an extraordinary career spanning 5 decades, and a then seasoned Michael Parkinson at the apogee of his own journalistic and broadcasting career.

It's delightful good fun actually





----------------------

Huffington Post from October 2023:

Dame Helen Mirren Reflects On Infamous Parkinson Interview Almost 50 Years Later - The Oscar winner previously described the interviewer as a "sexist old fart" after their uncomfortable exchange.

"...Speaking to the latest issue of Radio Times, Dame Helen was asked about the awkward exchange and the ensuing fall-out, saying: “I didn’t feel sorry for Parky, but then in a way I did because in lots of ways he was right. My physicality did get in the way of me being taken seriously as a classical actress.”

[Tintin]

Star Trek first aired September 8th, 1966, on NBC. Opening credits like this seldom come more iconic. Personally the original series hasn't ever really been bettered by its descendants:

[Tintin]

Las Vegas downtown, 1895

Well, they're calling it Las Vegas but was that what it was called before the development of what we know today? This photograph is pretty extraordinary though

[Mark (Star Mariner)]

Interesting indeed, and surprising considering Las Vegas is situated in the middle of the Nevada desert. I found this old picture too, of an early ranch in Las Vegas circa 1905.



It's on the site of an old Mormon Fort. Apparently, this site has been recreated, along with the original creek, which looks like this now.

[Sue (Ayt)]

Here is a small blast from the past from my own collection. It is a menu from a very nice seafood restaurant where I waitressed in 1970, at Biden's fav summer home retreat, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
(The food was excellent, delivered fresh every morning from the local fishermen and farms)

[grapevine]

The 1950s in SHOCKINGLY BEAUTIFUL Colorized Photos

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=y5wF2bDlYpc

(8:51)

Not strictly "vintage" film, as the colours have been heightened, but am posting because, as a child born in the 1950's, I remember the huge comparitive affluence of America as it related to post war Britain, reflected, for instance, in our box-like Ford Prefects, unlike the streamlined cars with wings in the Statesl like the Chevy pictured.

[Kryztian]

Some footage from the British Pathé archives from when there was an other sensibility of "political correctness" about human difference.

Here is some footage of a freak show in Berlin from the 1920s:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=SNdJXuDbYiE

Siamese twins Violet and Daisy Hilton performing everyday tasks. Of course a very fat woman has to show up towards the end, possibly because they worked in the same circus.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=k614nfKtX40

The 8-foot tall woman from Switerzerland, and of course, she also has to be accompanied by an enormously fat man whose belly seems to upstage her height. Per the video notes: "Her height should probably be taken with a pinch of salt as a lot of the supersize humans in the British Pathe archive often are given over inflated heights."

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=xk8Kek1ddgY

Fat Camp USA - these smiling women seem to really be having a really good time, forgoing all their favorite foods while strange machines jiggle their anatomy.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=U5i6F7M-xTM

The "Three Eddies" - a minstrel show from 1931. Political correctness has done away with most of these type of videos which is unfortunate for song and dance artists like there who are really quite talented.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=ganuOV7Z6WM

And there there is the Crazy Australian Pygmy woman:

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=6SLHrVIECSI

There must be an interesting backstory to this film. Firstly, Pygmies are a tribe from the Congo, Africa and not Australia, as the film claims. And secondly, it is hard to believe that her way of talking and moving at the end so closely resembles the speech and mannerisms of Mae West, who was a the height of her popularity in the USA at that time (1937).

[Tintin]

Posted by Sue (Ayt) (here)
Here is a small blast from the past from my own collection. It is a menu from a very nice seafood restaurant where I waitressed in 1970, at Biden's fav summer home retreat, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
(The food was excellent, delivered fresh every morning from the local fishermen and farms)

Attachment 53775

Oh, wow. I really love that personal direct experiential share Sue. Thankyou

'Boxed for take-out'. Yeah, that's me, all over. That's my tagline

[Tintin]

US NATIONAL Archives: Universal Newsreels

A terrific two pieces of film that capture the news of the times, and some UFO related news too

Links: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/234273290
Title: Universal Newsreel Volume 22, Release 276

This small collection released August 22, 1949



The National Archives provide the following description:

The original release sheet reads:
1. "FLYING SAUCER" FOUND: GLEN BURNIE, MD - In an old tobacco shed, the Air Force turns up what might well be a link with the "Flying Saucers" that have caused such a stir in aviation circles. The wreck of a novel craft with a round wing! 2A/B/C. SWISS ALPINE FORTRESS: SWITZERLAND - Celebrating 658 years of independence, the tiny Alpine republic shows these first films of the mountainous "Maginot" forts with which it intends to preserve its age-old freedom. / GAR WOOD'S NEW BOAT: MIAMI BEACH - The famed motorboat pioneer and racing pilot takes the wheel of his amazing new "Venturi"—a twin-hulled craft he claims won't roll in heavy seas. / INDIANS ADOPT SOPHIE TUCKER: CANADA - Sophie Tucker, the last of the "Red Hot Mamas," dresses up in tribal regalia and dances a tribal war dance, after being inducted into the Mohawk Tribe. She's still a scene-stealer. 3A/B. CONNIE MACK HONORED: NEW YORK - The "Grand Old Man" of baseball, Connie Mack, is cheered by thousands as he rides in triumph up Broadway. He also has a "Day" at Yankee Stadium, where he is honored for his 50 years as a manager. / JAP SWIMMERS STAR IN MEET: LOS ANGELES - Hironoshin Furuhashi of Tokyo breaks four records as he leads team to victory in the A.A.U. swim meet. Also—spectacular diving in slow motion from the high platform by crack U.S. divers. (LOCAL – KANSAS CITY) NATIONAL BASEBALL CONGRESS. (LOCAL – CANADA) MISS CANADA. (LOCAL – CANADA) FABULOUS YUKON PAYS OFF AGAIN. (LOCAL – CANADA) HAROLD LLOYD IN NEW ROLE.

-----------------------

Links: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/234273597
Title: Universal Newsreel Volume 25, Release 586

This small collection released August 11, 1952



The National Archives provide the following description:

The original release sheet reads:
1. SOAP BOX DERBY: AKRON, OH - Eleven-year-old Joe Lunn of Columbus, Georgia races to victory in the final heat of the junior speed classic, as a crowd of thousands cheers him on. 2. KOREAN ELECTIONS: KOREA - President Syngman Rhee wins decisively with five million votes out of seven million cast in Korea's first popular election held for president. 3A/B/C. KOREAN MUD: KOREA - Korean mud slows up the war as torrential rains transforms the fighting terrain into quagmire. Engineers fight to keep the roads open. / MORE SAUCERS: VIRGINIA - In an army laboratory at Fort Belvoir you can get a flying saucer made to order or at least a reasonable facsimile, created by physicist Noel Scott. Watch the screen. / ARMY REDUCES: VIRGINIA - It's tough on the sarge as he munches on celery at the diet table in the army, while the slender guys feed their faces. It's tough on the sarge who is hefty and it's all an experiment. 4. NEW CHAPEAUX: FRANCE - France unveils—with veils some of the most winsome millinery they have created. The models are lovely, too. 5. GOLD CUP RACE: SEATTLE - "Slo-Mo-Shun-IV," which recently set a record of 170 miles an hour, retained its title on a close course race and raced to the finish mark, unchallenged and unbeaten.

[Tintin]

With thanks to Truthstream Media for this one

As they say here:

"This 1946 archive film "Despotism" describes how government censorship and the control of the media and information works in a despotic nation.

Sound familiar?

[Brigantia]

I'm resting up as I sprained my knee last week but yesterday a book arrived that I had ordered, The Great North Road: Then and Now by Chris Cooper. He's a former lorry driver who knew the road well. The Great North Road, its road designation being the A1, goes from central London to Edinburgh through the east of England and Scotland.

The A1 brings back fond childhood memories of setting off along this road to my relatives in North Yorkshire and County Durham. Even not being familiar with the southern part down to London I'm finding this book fascinating. It's amazing how many small towns and villages the A1 went through and I'm currently reading about Stamford in Lincolnshire (and which borders Northants).

There was a very narrow road in Stamford that used to have massive tailbacks as only one vehicle at a time could pass, and traffic had to wait until someone chivalrously gave way for the oncoming traffic could come through! That would rarely happen today, no one would let oncoming traffic through... Here's a Pathé News short about its bypass, just 1:12 minutes.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=6T9oWcyScHU

[Kryztian]

The UFO phenomena, as it was explained in 1952 on British television. Amateur UFOlogists in France, and a report from American, that some UFO reports are both credible and unexplainable.

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=OKNkF34KLCk