All Films

Cabaret Girl

1956 • 26 min • United Kingdom

This ultra-kitsch documentary goes behind the scenes at Murray's Cabaret Club, where Christine Keeler was later a showgirl.

The Earth Before Man

1956 • 4 min

The story was set in prehistoric earth. It is a story of dinosaurs, strange mammals, a giant gorilla and large lizards. It is a story of how they lived, and how they fought. It is the story of how their world came to and end, when a volcano erupted.

Faces in the Shadow

1956 • 14 min • Sweden

Experimental survey of down-and-outs in the city. - BFI

Fairy Princess

1956 • 7 min • United States of America

Restored to its original glory by the National Film Preservation Foundation back in 2005, this little Christmas film is one of our holiday favorites. Margaret Conneely (Chicago amateur filmmaker & CFA Collection namesake) frames stop-motion animation and trick photography with live action footage to fuel her very own Christmas fairy tale. FAIRY PRINCESS (1956) was Margaret Conneely's most successful amateur film, winning a slew of local awards, and being named one of the Photographic Society of America's 'Ten Best films of 1956.' Conneely's film was also awarded the PSA's 'Harris B. Tuttle Trophy'; named after Eastman Kodak's innovator of the 16mm format, this trophy was awarded annually for the best amateur storytelling film on a family theme. - Chicago Film Archives

The Plausible Impossible

1956 • 60 min • United States of America

Walt Disney explains some of the techniques of animation, and includes for the first time the pencil test footage of the "Soup Eating Sequence" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Walt references a book called "The Art of Animation" which shows a technique that is used in animated cartoons that dates back to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks.

The Talking Dog

1956 • 6 min • United States of America

Maggie and Sam have finally saved enough money to be able to pay off the mortgage on their home, and Maggie warns Sam to be careful on his way to the bank. Sam immediately runs into a shady character who offers many ways for Sam to lose his money, but Sam resists them all until he is offered a talking dog. San, figuring a talking dog is a way to get rich immediately buys it. He has many rejections before he can get the dog a booking at a theatre. Before the dog can exhibit his skills, a cat shows up and ruins the act. Maggie and Sam lose their home, and Sam ends up in the dog house, with a talking dog as his companion.

The Case of the Mukkinese Battle-Horn

1956 • 29 min • United Kingdom

Supposedly filmed in 'Schizophrenoscope', it concerns Inspector Quilt of Scotland Yard's attempts to retrieve a 'Mukkinese Battlehorn' stolen from a London museum. Along the way he meets characters not dissimilar to Eccles, Henry Crun and Minnie Bannister from The Goon Show. This attempt to adapt Goon humour to the big screen was written by Harry Booth, Jon Penington and regular Goon show co-writer Larry Stephens. It was then heavily rewritten on the filmset by Sellers and Milligan.

Railroad Town

1956 • 29 min • Canada

A delightful trip back to an era in which railroad was king. The small community of Melville, Saskatchewan, is a railroad town. Long-time CBC host Fred Davis visits with various railway workers and learns about the operation of one of the vital service stations which keep the Canadian National Railway running smoothly.

Pablo Casals in Puerto Rico

1956 • 42 min • Puerto Rico

Documentary on Pablo Casals first visit to Puerto Rico.

Мишка-задира

1956 • 10 min • Soviet Union

The Umbrella

1956 • 31 min

A short film directed by Kees Brusse.

Sunday in Peking

1956 • 19 min • France

Chris Marker’s travel essay Sunday in Peking transforms a long-held childhood dream into a cinematic journey through Beijing. Blending documentary observation with reflective narration, Marker captures the city’s rhythms, traditions, and everyday life in mid-1950s China with his signature curiosity and lyricism.

Momma Don't Allow

1956 • 22 min • United Kingdom

A night at the Wood Green Jazz Club - an example of 'Free Cinema'.

Your Safety First

1956 • 13 min • United States of America

An animated film about the development of the automobile from the perspective of futuristic consumers.

A Day in the Life of Donald Duck

1956 • 48 min

This episode follows the events of Donald Duck as he struggles through a typical day at the Disney Studio. Along the way, he meets Jimmie Dodd, Roy Williams, the Mouseketeers and the actor that does his voice, Clarence Nash.

Miraculous Well

1956 • 19 min • Soviet Union

Once upon a time there were two stepsisters. One girl dropped a bucket into a deep wonderful well, and she had to go down into the well for the bucket, to the kingdom of Santa Claus.

Сказка о попе и о работнике его Балде

1956 • 24 min • Soviet Union

Little Shego

1956 • 10 min • Soviet Union

Boy with a Knife

1956 • 20 min • United States of America

A boy on the wrong path finds a trusted mentor and group of friends to guide back on his way.

The Trip to Bamsdorf

1956 • 39 min • East Germany, Germany

Toni and his sister Rita travel alone by train to visit their grandma in Bamsdorf, eight stations down the line...

At Home With Donald Duck

1956 • 48 min

A compilation of cartoons for Donald's birthday. Includes a segment with Cubby O'Brien and the Firehouse Five Plus Two; also, Happy Birthday Donald Duck and substituted footage from the new Mickey Mouse Club for the latter segment.

Emergency Doctor

1956 • 8 min • United States of America

This short follows a big city ambulance emergency crew, which sometimes includes a medical doctor, to car crash sites, fires, construction mishaps, a D.O.A., and the delivery of a baby.

Forest Story

1956 • 10 min • Soviet Union

Bear suffers from toothache. Other animals give him advice on how to cure a bad tooth, but their advice is ignorant.

Kolobok

1956 • 10 min • Soviet Union

A dough-ball runs away from the old man and old woman who made him and overcomes various forest animals until he meets the fox. Based on the Russian folk tale.