All Films

Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture

1949 • 59 min • United States of America

Blackie is seen leaving a Chinese laundry where the proprietor has been murdered, and must track down the real killer in Chinatown.

The Dim Little Island

1949 • 10 min • United Kingdom

Osbert Lancaster, James Fisher, John Ormston and Ralph Vaughn Williams meditate on the history and culture of England.

Wags to Riches

1949 • 7 min • United States of America

Droopy inherits a fortune, but the will says that if he meets an untimely death all the money will go to Spike, who spends the entire film trying to make this happen.

Tennis Chumps

1949 • 7 min • United States of America

Tom plays championship tennis against a cigar-smoking bully, but both cats find themselves battling Tom's much-abused lackey, Jerry Mouse, for the trophy.

Strolling Thru the Park

1949 • 8 min • United States of America

This Screen Song audience-participation short (Paramount production number X9-1)is an all-animated short with cartoon caricatures of many Hollywood personalities, and some weird, unpredictable animals prior to the bouncing ball's entrance to lead a sing-along of "Strolling Through the Park."

Holiday for Drumsticks

1949 • 7 min • United States of America

The patriarch of a family of farming hill billies is fattening a turkey to slaughter for Thanksgiving Day dinner, and he is fattening the fowl by providing him with a veritable feast of roast beef, ham, fruits, vegetables, cakes, and pies. A jealous Daffy Duck, one of the turkey's fellow farm animals, wants to have all the food for himself. So, Daffy pretends to care for the turkey's welfare and warns the turkey off the food, and he urges the turkey to lose weight so that the hill billies won't want to slaughter him. Daffy gorges himself on the food while acting as coach to the turkey, who is frantically and strenuously trying to reduce himself. When Thanksgiving comes, the turkey is toothpick-thin, and the hillbilly father turns his hungry sights on an overweight Daffy!

Comic Book Land

1949 • 7 min • United States of America

Gandy Goose/Sourpuss cartoon that has the Goose and Cat dreaming of being inside of a comic book with some musical entertainment that reuses a female dancing mouse from another Terrytoon short.

Hot Air Aces

1949 • 7 min • United States of America

Despite the title, the vehicles here are airplanes, not balloons. Bluto and Popeye are racing around the world; Bluto's got a sort of rocket plane, and Popeye's got a sad old prop model that has to be hand-started. He gets off to a bad start, as Bluto spins the prop, getting Popeye tangled up in it. This knocks him out; Olive puts him into his plane and gives him a push, and Popeye wakes up in the nick of time. Bluto stops off at the Eiffel Tower to woo a maiden; Popeye, with help from a lightning bolt, passes him. Bluto catches up again, and removes Popeye's engine. The plane crashes into the ocean, but fortunately, there's a case of spinach and a giant magnet nearby, so Popeye rebuilds the plane, using spinach cans to replace the missing pistons, and wins the race, as his spinach exhaust fries Bluto's plane.

Quebec in Summertime

1949 • 10 min • United States of America

This Traveltalk series short takes the viewer to Quebec, the city that was called the "New France".

Omoo-Omoo the Shark God

1949 • 58 min • United States of America

The curse of a shark god follows a group of people who have violated a sacred jungle idol.

Lapp-Lisa

1949 • 10 min

Anna-Lisa Öst, called Lapp-Lisa, was a Swedish singer and Salvation Army officer. Lapp-Lisa became a singing legend with the song "Barnatro".

Swallow the Leader

1949 • 7 min • United States of America

Migrating swallows are making their annual spring return to San Juan Capistrano, and a hungry cat awaits them.

Medusa

1949 • 10 min

Unfinished, 16mm, b&w silent film directed by Maya Deren.

Death Valley Gunfighter

1949 • 60 min • United States of America

Rocky Lane hits the trail when he gets word that one of two brothers in a partner-ship mining project has been killed by outlaws trying to gain possession of the mine. The other brother Nugget Clark wants no part of the law, and is particularly set against the young sheriff courting his niece Trudy.

The Art Director

1949 • 7 min • United States of America

A film's art director is in charge of the set, from conception to construction to furnishing. This short film walks the viewer through art directors' responsibilities and the demands on their talents. They read a script carefully and design a set to capture the time and place, the social strata, and the mood. They must be scholars of the history of architecture, furnishings, and fashion. They choose the colors on a set in anticipation of the lighting and the mood. Their work also sets styles, from Art Deco in the 20's to 30s modernism. Then it's on to the next project. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.

Aux quatre coins

1949 • 20 min • France

Considered by Jacques Rivette as “practice films”, these early images offer us a view of the beginning of his artistic journey. AUX QUATRE COINS includes an original device that immediately sets itself apart from any other classic narrative form. These first experiments were silent films with intertitles. AUX QUATRE COINS does not have any intertitles but black images between a few shots. Rivette offers the viewer intriguing visual forms, encouraging him to imagine his own story. (Hervé Pichard)

Ambulance

1949 • 10 min • Soviet Union

Satire directed at the American humanitarian initiative launched in Europe in 1948 and mostly known as the Marshall Plan. Soviet Union famously rejected the offer despite suffering from 1946-1947 major famine.

Geese-Swans

1949 • 19 min • Soviet Union

With a help of good nature a young brave girl goes to the dark forest for saving her youngest brother abducted by Baba Yaga.

Lies of Love

1949 • 11 min • Italy

Early Antonioni documentary short on the making of Fotoromanzi (Italian photo comics) and their role in Italian society.

Bye, Bye Bluebeard

1949 • 7 min • United States of America

Porky has a series of altercations with a mischievous mouse and a vicious serial killer.

Dough for the Do-Do

1949 • 7 min • United States of America

Porky Pig has an adventure in Wackyland while searching for the last Do-Do bird.

Palmour Street (A Study in Family Life)

1949 • 25 min • United States of America

Neorealist mental health film produced for parents and health care workers. Palmour Street shows the daily life of an African American family and demonstrates how good parenting prepares children for adulthood and nurtures emotional growth.

A Wee Bit of Scotland

1949 • 10 min • United States of America

In this Traveltalk series short visit to Scotland, we visit several places with familiar names, including Inverness, capital of the ancient Pictish Kingdom; Loch Ness, home of the famous elusive monster; and Saint Andrews, the birthplace of golf.

Goggle Fishing Bear

1949 • 7 min • United States of America

Barney has a dive mask and swim fins to help with his pursuit of fish. First, though, he needs to get the anchor set, despite an overly helpful little seal. The seal acts like an inept hunting dog, leading Barney to a cave with an angry lobster, then an unfortunate encounter with a shark.