All Films

Ghost Town Frolics

1938 • 7 min • United States of America

In an abandoned hotel, idle ghosts get drunk, play slot machines and line up for their relief checks. Two chimpanzees and their big mopey dog venture inside. The ghosts are thrilled at this new opportunity for mischief.

Be Ready

1938 • 44 min • Soviet Union

Popular science fiction film about the need to increase the number of donors in case "if there is war tomorrow." The process of blood transfusion is shown. Donation lecture.

The Soul of a Heel

1938 • 17 min • United States of America

Andy tries to win the approval of his prospective father in law.

A Distracted Person

1938 • 21 min • Soviet Union

The hero - an absent-minded person from Basseinaya Street - goes not to Moscow, but to the opening of a children's railway. The pioneers invite him there. And this time the character finds himself in a lot of funny situations along the way. However, he still manages to open the railway. The picture ends with a march performed by schoolchildren.

Derby c.1938 - Eisner Personal Film

1938 • 4 min • United Kingdom

Charming amateur film featuring the Eisner family, who emigrated to Britain from Romania the year this film was made.

Hot Dogs On Ice

1938 • 7 min • United States of America

A comic interactions of "hot-dog" ice skaters on a frozen lake or river, and an Italian pushcart vendor who sells hot dogs to the ice skaters. A smart-aleck, larcenous skater tries to swipe a hot dog in a skate-by of the pushcart, resulting in a spinning amalgam of skaters and a long string of links. Other antics ensue on and under the ice.

Fairy Tale About Emelya

1938 • 11 min • Soviet Union

Based on the Russian folk tale about the simpleton Emelya, who was taught magic words by a pike that fulfill any of his wishes.

Wyprawa myszy na tort

1938 • 7 min • Poland

The last pre-war animated film created by Włodzimierz Kowańko

Poultry Pirates

1938 • 9 min

The ducks and chickens next door eye the Captain's garden covetously through a poorly mended fence. The Captain, armed with a board, is standing guard (but not fixing the fence). He falls asleep, and the poultry attack, stripping the garden methodically. When the Captain comes after them, they lock him into a shed. He gets out, and fetches his shotgun. That stops them, and they drop their booty, until the Captain sets his gun down to collect the veggies; the birds all rush in, snatch them back.

Devil's Rock

1938 • 54 min

Sam, a sheep-driver, arranges a village concert to raise funds for a seaside restaurant, and saves a young girl who is carried out to sea by the current and is stranded on Devil's Rock.

The Kangaroo Kid

1938 • 6 min • United States of America

A Columbia Color Rhapsody released December 23, 1938. A parody of the film "Golden Boy."

They Made the Land

1938 • 20 min • United Kingdom

They Made the Land (1938) is a documentary showcasing how land in Scotland was reclaimed and cultivated for agriculture. It explores the challenges of making a living from the land while highlighting the contributions of agricultural research and animal breeding. Produced as part of a series of seven documentaries for the 1938 Empire Exhibition, the film was created under the supervision of pioneering documentarian John Grierson.

Little Mook

1938 • 13 min • Soviet Union

Based on writer Wilhelm Hauff's story "The Adventures of Little Muck".

Snowtime

1938 • 7 min • United States of America

Professor Owl is lecturing to his class of bird and animal students, when they students interrupt him with weather questions regarding what makes the north wind blow and what makes snow. As the good professor starts to explain this phenomenon, the scene shifts to the North Pole where little dwarfs are shown in the process of making snow, thunder and wind.

A Day at the Beach

1938 • 10 min

The whole family is at the beach for an outing, and each is having their own little adventure. The Captain fights the sun with his beach umbrella, in an attempt to nap. Grandpa tries to build a sand castle, but the waves keep wiping it out. Mama, after trying to defend her picnic basket, tries dipping a cautious toe into the big bad ocean, eventually needing to be rescued by the Captain.

Glimpses of Austria

1938 • 9 min • United States of America

This Traveltalk short takes us to Vienna, the largest city in Austria. We visit the Schönbrunn Palace, the Charles Church, and the historic Opera House.

Steel Pier, Atlantic City, NJ

1938 • 2 min • United States of America

Moe, Larry and Curly appear in their Stooge personas, each trying to flirt with Barbara Bradford. Moe and Larry strike out, while Curly's attempt is interrupted by the tall and angry George Mann.

The Courtship of the Newt

1938 • 8 min • United States of America

Robert Benchley revamps his pre-code classic "Sex Life of the Polyp" for a new generation.

Highlights and Shadows

1938 • 54 min • United States of America

Watson crafted a dazzling visual ballet that stands on its own as an aesthetically rewarding and educationally inspiring tour of the massive Kodak factories. Utilizing the multiple exposure imagery he had used to such great effect in The Fall of the House of Usher (1928) and Lot in Sodom (1933), Watson makes tool and die drill presses, assembly lines of camera parts, and the film coating process every bit as expressive and interesting as an MGM historic drama.

Return of the Buffalo

1938 • 9 min • United States of America

A 1938 NFB short. Part of a series called 'Canada Cameos' that traces the history of buffalo in Alberta, it's threat of extinction and the efforts to protect it as an endangered species. Narrated by Lorne Greene. (black and white)

La chacra de Don Bautista

1938 • 35 min • Argentina

The story follows the conflicts and romances on a farm in General Alvear, known as Pampa de la Varita. Amidst men on horseback, scrawny dogs, and chickens, confrontations, jealousy, threats, escapes, and romantic boat rides unfold, while popular celebrations with guitars, cueca dances, gatos, and malambos are showcased. The central narrative revolves around the main couple, played by Filo Fozatti and Silvia Pérez, whose love faces difficulties. Filmed outdoors, the movie utilizes natural light and real locations, highlighting places like the "Las Ninfas" lagoon.

Thimble Theater

1938 • 6 min • United States of America

One of Joseph Cornell’s funniest films, Thimble Theater is structured like a vaudeville variety show about nature.

Dzhyabzha

1938 • 12 min • Soviet Union

A Nanai girl is captured by an old witch Dzhyabzha. One night she and her forest friends decide to make an escape to the Moon.

The Great Philips Review

1938 • 5 min • Netherlands, United Kingdom

Puppet animation of Bert Ambrose and His Orchestra performing. A Puppetoon animated short film.