All Films

Swing Cat's Jamboree

1938 • 9 min • United States of America

"Swing cat" Louis Prima and his jazz quartette play songs and accompany featured singers and dancers.

The Forgotten Step

1938 • 10 min • United States of America

An American art collector, living in France in the 1870s, who loses his fortune in a stock market crash devises a scheme to get back his wealth through insurance fraud with the added consequence of potentially killing hundreds of people. His scheme is to place his art collection aboard a ship, insure the collection far beyond its value, and place a barrel of dynamite with a clock-piece timed to go off when the ship is at sea.

The Daredevil Drivers

1938 • 59 min • United States of America

To spite his girlfriend, the owner of a successful bus company, an auto racer goes to work for her rival.

Friends From the Camp

1938 • 56 min • Soviet Union

Advance Democracy!

1938 • 17 min • United Kingdom

A housewife galvanises her docker husband to take an interest in more important matters than the football pools.

Mannesmann

1938 • 7 min • Germany

Short version of the Mannesmann film that premiered the previous year.

The Renegade Ranger

1938 • 59 min • United States of America

Two Texas Rangers have their worlds rocked by a wrongfully accused female bandit.

Six Shootin' Sheriff

1938 • 59 min • United States of America

Cowboy star Ken Maynard is Jim "Trigger" Morton, in town undercover while pursuing the man who framed him for robbery. But a well-placed shot tames a band of scofflaws and gains Morton the sheriff's badge. Now, he's riding on both sides of the law. The line is further blurred when old buddy Chuck offers evidence of Morton's innocence in exchange for a blind eye to Chuck's impending postal heist in this classic Western.

Polar Trappers

1938 • 8 min • United States of America

Donald and Goofy are trappers in the frozen south (Antarctica) with different approaches. Donald sees a penguin and dresses as one to lure her to the chopping block; Goofy baits a trap with fish (then acts like a walrus to capture one that steals his bait bucket).

Gold Mine in the Sky

1938 • 60 min

As executor of the owner's will, singing ranch foreman Gene must see that the daughter/heiress doesn't marry without his approval.

Three Men in a Tub

1938 • 10 min • United States of America

Alfalfa and the gang build their own "speedboat" powered by ducks, and challenge Waldo to a race for the hand of Darla.

It's in the Stars

1938 • 20 min • United States of America

Musical short about a fraternity and a sorority that call a halt to dating between their houses to improve their grades.

The Higgins Family

1938 • 54 min • United States of America

Pa Higgins' attempts at success in the advertising business are constantly frustrated by his eccentric family.

The Mexicali Kid

1938 • 51 min • United States of America

Looking for the killer of his brother, Jack saves the outlaw known as the Mexicali Kid who had collapsed on the desert. Jack joins up with the Kid who leads him to Gorson. Gorson is after a ranch and gets Jack to pose as the heir to the ranch. After the papers are signed he plans to have jack killed. But the Kid recognizes Gorson's henchmen as the men Jack is after and decides to help him.

Co-operette

1938 • 15 min • United Kingdom

Debroy Somers and his Band, comedian Hal Walters and the delightful dance troupe ‘The Six Co-Operettes’ all feature in this full-colour promotional film for the Co-Operative Wholesale Society. Watch with wonder as one sprightly young vegetable tears strips off the other in the bewildering but brilliant ‘carrot and onion dance’. Comedian Stanley Holloway was famous for his comic monologues but for reasons unknown, he never gets started here. The BFI’s copy of this extremely rare film cuts away just as it looks like he’s going begin his routine.

Selma Lagerlöf: 80 Years

1938 • 12 min • Sweden

Pictures of Mårbacka and Uppsala. Episodes from films based on Selma Lagerlöf's books. The author herself reads from one of her books.

Durango Valley Raiders

1938 • 55 min • United States of America

The Shadow and his outlaw gang have control of Durango Valley. Keene Cordner arrives, and with the help of Tanner becomes a second Shadow in his attempt to round up the gang.

Mr. Chump

1938 • 60 min • United States of America

A naive young trumpet player inadvertently becomes involved with bank embezzlers. Comedy.

Pals of the Saddle

1938 • 55 min • United States of America

The first of eight "Three Mesquiteers" Westerns to star John Wayne.

Man from Music Mountain

1938 • 58 min • United States of America

Scanlon is pulling off a land swindle by selling lots in a ghost town claiming the power company is bringing in a line. As a bonus he throws in shares in a worthless gold mine. Gene is on to Scanlon and tries to get him to buy back the deeds by salting the mine with gold. But when a new vein is really discovered Gene has to stop the sales but is trapped in the mine by Scanlon's men.

West of Rainbow's End

1938 • 57 min • United States of America

Tim Hart (Tim McCoy), a former Texas Ranger, comes out of retirement to avenge the death of Lightnin' Ed (Frank LaRue), his foster father, who had been sent to Rainbow's End, to investigate a series of train robberies. He senses that George Johnson (Walter McGrail) and his henchman, Speck (Bob Kortman), head the robbery gang, especially after Speck makes an ambush attempt on his life.

Bravest of the Brave

1938 • 11 min • United States of America

This short film looks at the life of Michel Ney, who fought at Napoleon's side and was made a Marshall of France.

The City of Little Men

1938 • 11 min • United States of America

The story of Boys Town, founded by Father Edward Flanagan in 1917 as a haven for wayward, homeless, and neglected boys.

Once Over Lightly

1938 • 19 min

The big Barber College competition between rivals Clipton and Beardsley is coming up and everything is on the line for professor and coach Kapouris. But thanks to a secret depilatory he developed, Clipton has the edge.