All Films

The Ash Can Fleet

1939 • 11 min • United States of America

Story of Colonial American David Bushnell, inventor of the submarine and depth charge.

How to Eat

1939 • 9 min • United States of America

Humorist Robert Benchley discusses the issue of food and how different situations can affect one's ability to consume and digest food, using his stock everyman and slightly bumbling character Joe Doakes to dramatize such situations. Situations that can impede digestion include receiving bad news resulting in stress, being in love, and feeling scared. Snacking or nibbling between meals can ruins one's appetite at meal time. Having the correct posture while eating is important for digestion; finding the right posture can be difficult in certain circumstances, such as being on a picnic or eating in bed (specifically for men when using trays). Sharing tables with staring strangers may also impede digestion. And it's difficult to digest food when one can't get any of it.

Walt Disney's Standard Parade for 1939

1939 • 8 min • United States of America

A live action black-and-white prolog tells the story of how Walt Disney came to Hollywood with $300, was rejected by all the major studios, but went on to tremendous success, many awards, and a thriving studio. Titles then ask what this means to the Standard Oil Salesman, and a parade of Disney characters gives us the answer, featuring Mickey as drum major, Minnie carrying a banner, and the 7 Dwarfs carrying the letters "STANDARD" (Dopey gets stuck with the last two): Apparently the various ads for Standard will be featuring Disney characters in the coming year.

The Bookworm

1939 • 8 min • United States of America

Three witches need a worm to complete their potion; they dispatch a raven to catch one, and he goes after a bookworm. He chases the worm into the horror section, where the monsters attack but soon, Paul Revere rides Black Beauty to the rescue, along with the Police Gazette, and other assorted war heroes; eventually, the Boy Scouts build a match-stick bridge, leading the worm to safety.

Rhythm on the Reservation

1939 • 6 min • United States of America

Betty Boop's Swing Band (sans musicians) visits an Indian reservation where Betty teaches the braves the true meaning of 'rhythm.'

The Thundering West

1939 • 57 min • United States of America

Outlaws Dale and Tucson quit Wolf's gang. Just as the two are about to rob the stage, Wolf and his gang beat them to it. Dale breaks it up saving the money and this gets him appointed Sheriff. But Wolf shows up and threatening to expose Dale, forces him to let his gang rob the express office.

The Gorilla Hunt

1939 • 7 min • United States of America

A boxing kangaroo tricks his son into fighting when he really wants to be a violinist.

Scalp Trouble

1939 • 7 min • United States of America

General Daffy Duck's fort is plagued by Indian raids.

Lucky Pigs

1939 • 6 min • United States of America

A down-and-out family of pigs wins a sweepstakes, are immediately besieged by reporters and photographers, and then go on a wild spending spree, which soon exhausts their windfall-prize money. Than the tax collector shows up. After paying the taxes, the pigs are right back where they started from.

Christmas-time in Toyland

1939 • 10 min • United States of America

Castle Films 1939 holiday offering wrapped up to make a Merry Christmas merrier. A visual kaleidoscope of the toys from all over the world from the cuddly to the curious and beyond...with an emphasis on mechanical dolls, monkeys, bears, rabbits popping up out of cabbages and choo-choo trains. And there is a rich sampling of animated displays that once graced department store windows - of story-book tales and operettas... and animated stop-motion toy soldiers, The musical track is drawn mostly from Van Beuren Studio's "Pastrytown Wedding."

Java Journey

1939 • 10 min • United States of America

This Technicolor portrait of Jakarta was filmed when it was called Batavia and formed part of the Dutch East Indies colonial empire. The film portrays the daily life of citizens and the relaxed atmosphere that prevailed at the time. We see Batavia's Amsterdam Gate, built by the Dutch around 1664, along with the strong influence of Dutch architecture upon other buildings, streets and waterways.

Campeón por una mujer

1939 • 52 min • Argentina

To win the prize that is offered to the one who endures three laps to a boxer, a mechanic learns to box and becomes champion; in the meantime he gets involved with a woman but eventually returns to his wife.

Mother Goose in Swingtime

1939 • 6 min • United States of America

A little girl dreams that she's in Mother Goose Land filled with all sorts of Hollywood movie stars.

The Obedient Flame

1939 • 10 min

Advertising cartoon showing advantages of using gas supply and gas cookers.

Sword Fishing

1939 • 10 min • United States of America

A group of fishermen, including Howard Hill, "the world's greatest archer," go in search of marlin off the California coast. With a fishing line attached to his arrow, Hill plans to spear the fish, which would then be brought aboard the boat by rod and reel.

The Little Lion Hunter

1939 • 7 min • United States of America

Out hunting in the jungle with his spear, African native boy Inki keeps narrowly missing his prey: a parrot, a giraffe, even a butterfly. Then there's that weird black bird with the syncopated hop who keeps popping up out of nowhere, only to disappear mysteriously once again. Back to big game hunting, Inki puts his ear to the ground, not noticing the ferocious lion sneaking up on him.

The Chump Takes a Bump

1939 • 20 min • United States of America

At a nightclub, Charley fails to recognize his newly blonde wife.

Down the Wyoming Trail

1939 • 56 min • United States of America

Tex arrives on the Parker ranch on Christman eve and is given the job of being Santa Claus. Also dressed as Santa Claus, Blackie robs Parker and kills a man. When Tex is arrested for the murder, he escapes and joins up with outlaw Becker and his gang. He finds Blackie's Santa Claus suit but is soon made a prisoner.

A Criminal at Large

1939 • 60 min • United States of America

At Marks Priory, Lady Lebanon is eager for her son, Lord William Lebanon, to marry Isla Crane, his cousin. But Isla is reluctant to do so, and is also frightened by the two footmen of the household who she suspects of locking her in her room at night. Following a village dance, the household's chauffeur is found strangled with an Indian scarf.

Rural Hungary

1939 • 9 min • United States of America

This Traveltalk series short visits the rural agricultural areas of Hungary.

Desperate Trails

1939 • 60 min • United States of America

A young man helps a marshal in his battle against outlaws.

Fangs of the Wild

1939 • 52 min

Foxes are mysteriously disappearing from fox farms and Agent Don has been sent to investigate. Brad and Pete are the culprits and they are using a dog that can climb the security fence to steal the foxes. Don brings a dog with him and when Carol sees a dog stealing a fox, she accuses Don.

Snuffy's Party

1939 • 7 min • United States of America

Snuffy Skunk, thrown out of his own birthday party, has to save his ungrateful guests by stinking away the flood waters from a burst dam.

Texas Stampede

1939 • 57 min • United States of America

Sheep raisers, resentful of old injuries from the cattlemen, bar the way to water when dry ranges force the cattle ranchers to drive their herds into the lowlands.