All Films

Abdul the Bulbul Ameer

1941 • 9 min • United States of America

The familiar song is adapted into a cartoon short. Abdul The Bulbul-Ameer, a rotund Arab, gets into a brawl with Ivan Skavinski Scavar, a preening Russian Cossack, over an offense to Abdul's pride. Groucho Marx and a newsreel crew provide running commentary as the pair pummel each other and the surrounding square.

In der Apotheke

1941 • 4 min • Germany

Tea Making Tips

1941 • 10 min • United Kingdom

Tea drinkers will benefit from 6 tips for making tea, as well as other handy hints.

I'm an Old Cowhand

1941 • 3 min

A Soundie with Gus Van.

Don't Cry

1941 • 3 min

A Soundie with the Vincent Lopez Orchestra and Sunny Skylar.

Kobayashi Issa

1941 • 28 min • Japan

The film uses the haiku of early 19th century poet Kobayashi Issa as its motif to portray the lives of farmers residing deep in the mountains of Nagano. Commissioned by the Nagano Prefectural Department of Tourism, the movie became instead, in the hands of Kamei, a depiction, sometimes ironic, of poverty and the harsh life of the inhabitants of the area. The short movie is often considered Japan’s first “poetic documentary”.

A Page of History

1941 • 34 min • China

This documentary details Sun Yat-Sen's war against the warlords in China in order to unify the nation.

Melody Lane

1941 • 60 min • United States of America

In this musical, four entertaining farmboys from Iowa head for the Big Apple to find fame and fortune but find themselves in trouble when a radio sponsor finds himself accused of kidnapping a girl. Songs include: "Septimus Winner," "Peaceful Ends the Day," "Cherokee Charlie," "Let's Go to Calicabu," "Swing-a-Bye My Baby," "Changeable Heart," "If It's a Dream Don't Wake Me," "Since the Farmer in the Dell," "Caliacau," and "Listen to the Mockingbird."

George Town: 'Pride of Penang'

1941 • 9 min • United States of America

Also known as Prince of Wales Island, Penang is a British colony located off the west coast of the Malay peninsula. As it is an island, many residents make their livelihood off the water, such as in fishing or port activities as it serves as both a vital link in the chain of British colonies and one of the major ports of entry into the Malay. Penang's major city and capital is George Town, with approximately 160,000 inhabitants, primarily Chinese, Malay or South Asian. The Chinese dominate life on the island, economically, culturally, and in sheer numbers. Because of the diverse racial mix, there are also an associated number of different religions, one which specifically worships the snake, the nocturnal and poisonous adder roaming freely through its temple at night. Also because of the diverse racial mix, there is also often a blending of cultures, such as in the cuisine of the island.

The Basic Principles of Skiing

1941 • 40 min

Shot in 1941, this black-and-white instructional film (featuring actor Alan Ladd) serves as a veritable time capsule on the history of the sport, with advice on ski design, schussing, lacquer, wax and toe plates.

He's a Latin from Staten Island

1941 • 3 min

1941 Soundies short starring Ricardo Montalban

Summer's Tale

1941 • 12 min • Sweden

Arne Sucksdorff’s first film for Svensk Filmindustri, this lyrical short follows a fox cub through his playful explorations and predatory instincts in the Swedish forest. Blending moments of enchantment with unsentimental depictions of cruelty, the film captures the cycle of survival among animals with striking rhythmic editing and sensuous close-ups of fur, eyes, and forest textures. Rich in light and detail, Summer’s Tale became an enormously popular nature film and established Sucksdorff’s reputation for poetic documentary.

Pop and Mom in Wild Oysters

1941 • 10 min • United States of America

A family of mice lives inside a hole in the wall, just outside of the kitchen. One of the mice is ready to go out and get some food, but first he has to contend with the dog and the cat. He ties them down by their tails, and it looks safe to go out now. But then the mouse is confronted by a group of hostile and aggressive oysters.

Swing for Your Supper

1941 • 3 min

Dorothy Dandridge sings, featuring Cee Pee Johnson on tom-toms.

Lions for Sale

1941 • 9 min

If taken from their mother within the first few weeks of birth, lions are trainable animals. Several such lions are seen going through their training at the world's largest lion farm: Gay's Lion Farm in El Monte, California. If a lion has only one cub in her litter, that cub is always removed from her surroundings for the cub's protection. The lion tamers look for any natural tendency within an animal's behavior to enhance in training.

Mrs. T. and Her Cabbage Patch

1941 • 12 min • United Kingdom

Poetic tribute to Mrs Turner's vegetable growing prowess, plus the delights of "wartime steaks".

Sneak, Snoop and Snitch in Triple Trouble

1941 • 7 min • United States of America

Sneak, Snoop and Snitch try to tunnel out of prison even though they've already been pardoned.

Scenic Grandeur

1941 • 9 min • United States of America

This Traveltalk series short spotlights the natural beauty of the Northwestern United States. Our first stop is Mount Saint Helen's and Spirit Lake in the state of Washington. As we admire the majesty of the scene, visitors are picnicking on the shore and canoeing on the lake. These scenes were filmed many years before the volcanic mountain erupted in 1980. We then take a boat trip on the southern shore of Alaska to see the Columbia Glacier.

Tomten: A Winter Tale

1941 • 12 min • Sweden

A story about a house elf (tomte) preparing the stable for Christmas. Inspired by the famous poem by the Swedish writer Viktor Rydberg.

The Blood of Jesus

1941 • 57 min • United States of America

Razz accidentally shoots his wife Martha when his hunting rifle drops on the floor and discharges. The church congregation gathers at Martha’s bedside to pray for her recovery, and during this period an angel arrives to take Martha’s spirit from her body, but she is tempted by the slick Judas Green, who is an agent for Satan.

Rhapsody in Rivets

1941 • 8 min • United States of America

A construction foreman conducts his workers like a symphony orchestra as they build a skyscraper to Franz Liszt's "Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2."

Come Back, Miss Pipps

1941 • 10 min • United States of America

On Mickey's birthday, Miss Pipps, the school teacher, serves cake and ice cream during school hours. Sour old Mr. Pratt, head of the school board, stumbles on the festivities and has Miss Pipps fired. The Our Gang conspire to save her job by inviting all the parents to a special meeting. There the gang stage a melodrama, with Mr. Pratt portrayed as Simon Legree. The parents react by demoting Mr. Pratt to janitor. They appoint kindly Mr. Swanson, the current janitor, to head the school board. And of course they reinstate Miss Pipps as school teacher. Sometime later, in an act of forgiveness, Miss Pipps and the gang hold a birthday party for Pratt who is then humbled by the experience.

A Place to Live

1941 • 17 min • United States of America

Inner city squalor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the subject of this documentary, which focuses on a child returning from school to his home, a cramped and squalid apartment in a rat-infested slum neighborhood.

Vitamin Hay

1941 • 7 min • United States of America

It's time for lunch, and Spunky (the baby donkey) is expected to feed on healthy (and awful-tasting) Vitamin Hay. He resists, and wanders out of the barn to look for more interesting things to eat.