All Films

The Bird Came C.O.D.

1942 • 8 min • United States of America

Conrad Cat runs afoul of a magician's bird.

The United States Army Air Force Band

1942 • 10 min • United States of America

The United States Air Force Band and Chorus perform on the National Mall in Washington.

Private Smith of the U.S.A.

1942 • 19 min • United States of America

Private Smith of the U.S.A. is a 1942 American short documentary film directed by Slavko Vorkapić. Produced by RKO Radio Pictures, it was nominated for an Academy Award at the 15th Academy Awards for Best Short Subject, Two Reel. This is part of This Is America Series.

Doing Their Bit

1942 • 6 min • United States of America

Nancy and Sluggo do their bit for the USO.

Going to Press

1942 • 10 min • United States of America

The Our Gang kids are running their own newspaper and are determined to get the big scoop by learning the identity of the leader of a gang of bullies.

The Witness

1942 • 9 min • United States of America

As Joe Doakes is reading the newspaper, he begins to talk to himself. Questioned by his wife, he explains that he is disturbed by the paper's account of the ways that a government investigative committee has been interrogating its witnesses. Joe then nods off, and imagines that he is being questioned by the committee. He envisages how satisfying it would be to turn the tables on the investigators.

Our Russian Front

1942 • 37 min

Using footage taken by Soviet battlefront cameramen, this penetrating documentary about Russian life during World War II is narrated by Walter Huston and features the likes of Joseph Stalin and Marshal Timoshenko.

Happy Circus Days

1942 • 7 min • United States of America

The circus comes to a small boy's town.

Prairie Pals

1942 • 58 min • United States of America

Two deputies go undercover to save a scientist from his evil kidnappers.

Keeping Fit

1942 • 9 min • United States of America

Topical wartime short depicting the plight of civilians who must stay in shape in order to fight the good fight.

Dr. Quackenbush Skis the Headwall

1942 • 60 min

The misadventures of eccentric Dr. Erasmus Quackenbush, African explorer, as he travels to see the Eastern Slope Region of New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

What Makes Lizzy Dizzy?

1942 • 17 min

This Columbia short (production number 3431) has Harry Langdon and Elsie Ames billed above the title, but it is all Elsie Ames with Langdon and Monty Collins (if his name is Monte, how come---except for typos--- he is always billed as Monty?) only around to get a bowling ball bounced off the top of their collective heads, plus a couple of unfunny sight gags. Langdon, while top-billed, also played second-fiddle to the pratfalls of Elsie Ames in "Carry Harry" and even soon found himself billed second to Una Merkel---yes, that Una Merkel--- in Columbia's 1944-short "To Heir Is Human." Lizzy and her friend Aggie are toiling in Kelley's Laundry in order to get enough money to marry their boy friends Harry and Bill, and soon find themselves as a two-woman company bowling team attempting to keep Mr. Kelley from losing a $1000 bet. Things happen. Some of them funny.

Home in Wyomin'

1942 • 54 min • United States of America

Radio star Gene Autry returns to his home town of Gold Ridge at the request of his old friend Pop Harrison, who wants Gene to straighten out his wayward son, Tex Harrison, whose gambling and drinking threaten to bankrupt the rodeo organization which he heads. News photographer Clementine "Clem" Benson and reporter Hack Hackett are ordered to follow Gene. The group finds quarters at the "Bar Nothing" dude ranch, winter quarters for Tex's rodeo group, and Tex soon tangles with Hackett in a quarrel.

Inside Fighting China

1942 • 22 min • Canada

This wartime newsreel from 1942 documents the efforts of China to deal with Japanese aggression.

Nothing But Nerves

1942 • 10 min

After some investigation, Robert Benchley finds his nerves are in a bad state. He has the jitters so bad he can't hold his cup still enough to drink his coffee, and he thinks the arrival of some plumbers is just a giant conspiracy to keep him unnerved.

Trail Riders

1942 • 55 min • United States of America

In the 18th entry of Monogram's 24 "Range Buster" films, the bank of Gila Springs is robbed by Ace Alton and his gang, and Sheriff Frank Hammond, son of Marshal Jim Hammond, is killed. The Marshal sends for the Range Busters, Dusty King, Davy Sharpe and Alibi Terhune, to come and restore order to the town. Ed Cole, head of the local vigilantes, and secretly the head of the outlaws, promptly orders the trio out of town. They visit an old friend, Rancher Mike Rand and his daughter Mary. Mary's brother Jeff has unwittingly become a gang member, and carries out Cole's orders by taking a shot at Davy, but the latter makes him a prisoner during a subsequent fight in the town café. Jeff confesses to Cole's involvement, and the Range Busters, with the help of town banker Harrison, set a trap for Cole and his outlaw vigilantes.

5 for 4

1942 • 3 min • Canada

This animated short by Norman McLaren serves as a wartime savings campaign. Symbolic figures, drawn directly on 35mm film stock, move and dance against a simple painted background. The score is "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie," by Albert Ammons.

Four Methods of Flush Riveting

1942 • 10 min • United States of America

Flush riveting is a way of connecting two pieces of sheet metal together, using rivets whose heads do not protrude above the surface of the metal. In aircraft construction, a flush rivet reduces drag, thus increasing aircraft performance. This World War II-era Walt Disney industrial-training film teaches four methods of flush-riveting aircraft aluminum sheet metal: the Countersink method, the Double Dimple method, the Pre-Dimple method, and the Combination Pre-Dimple and Countersink method. The choice of method to use is based upon the thicknesses of the top and bottom metal sheets.

The Mysterious Rider

1942 • 56 min • United States of America

Billy the Kid and his pal Fuzzy escape from the Marshal and find themselves in the ghost town of Laramy. The city was abandoned because of Sykes and his gang, who are in search of a gold mine.

Lone Star Ranger

1942 • 58 min • United States of America

Texas Ranger Buck Dunne is assigned to round up a gang of bank robbers. The leader of the gang turns out to be the "respectable" Judge Longstreth, making life difficult for Dunne inasmuch as he's in love with Longstreth's niece Barbara.

Red River Robin Hood

1942 • 57 min • United States of America

An honest cowpoke (Tim Holt) comes to the rescue when the ranchers of Red River, AZ have their property seized by a greedy businessman (Eddie Dew). This 1942 B-western, directed by Lesley Selander, also stars Barbara Moffett, Cliff Edwards, Otto Hoffman and Russell Wade.

Little Joe, the Wrangler

1942 • 60 min • United States of America

Mining executive Neal Wallace arrives to investigate the losses at a gold mine and is immediately framed for murder. The murderers then incite a lynch mob but the Sheriff lets him go. Wallace eventually convinces the Sheriff of his innocence and the two then work together to get the gang that is looting the gold ore.

Murder in the Big House

1942 • 59 min • United States of America

When a prisoner on Death Row is "accidentally" killed just before his execution, a reporter smells something fishy...

Texas Man Hunt

1942 • 60 min • United States of America

It's WW II and German Reuther has organized local gangs to sabotage the beef supply at the source. Marshal Lee Clark arrives to investigate and joins up with local cowboys Art Davis and Bill Boyd. Lee has a typewritten note from the gang and hopes it can be traced to it's source.