VIDEO

A U.S. Army production that speculates about the future of television after World War II.

A Date with Your Family is a 1950 10-minute social engineering short film presented by Simmel-Meservey, directed by Edward G. Simmel, and written by Arthur V. Jones to primarily show youth how to act and behave with parents during dinner to have a pleasant time. The subject family consists of a father, mother and their offspring, the sister, older brother and the younger junior. The narrator tells what happens with the family; what should happen during the meal, what types of manners and socializing should be exhibited to not sour the time with your family and what should not happen. There are many stereotypical views of each person to coincide with the preferred image of a nuclear family in the post-war era of the 1950s.

Marriage training film dramatizing a partnership too fraught with conflicts to survive. Produced as part of a post-World War II initiative to make marriages more sustainable in the face of postwar dislocation. An unusually literate, neo-realist film produced by a talented group of documentarians.

A newsreel compilation of the biggest news stories of October and November 1950 including the attempted assassination of President Truman and the deaths of Al Jolson and Gustav V.

An American family unable to afford a Thanksgiving turkey reviews the things for which they feel thankful. This patriotic film is unusual in that it does not link freedom and happiness with the pursuit of wealth. Produced with nonprofessional actors in Lawrence, Kansas. Written by Margaret Carlile (Trudy) Travis.

Illustrates the basic methods by which each child can best protect himself and others from the effects of an atomic bomb explosion, whether he is at home, at school, or on the street. An introduction presents a simplified explanation of nuclear fission

This is the so-called Checkers speech by Richard Nixon on 23 September 1952 to address allegations that he received funds from a secret fund during his campaign for vice president.

A famous campaign ad from the 1952 election.

The American Road is an epic documentary that tells both the history of the automobile in America and the story of the Ford Motor Company. Drawing on the Company's vast archive of films -- Henry Ford spent a great deal of time and money having crews film life in everyday America -- the movie shows how mass production of the automobile transformed life in America.

Molly anxiously awaits her first sign of menstruation, which means that she'll be able to date and go dancing. The school nurse explains exactly what menstruation is to her, by using diagrams.

A vacationing school teacher and her friend meet a cowboy on his way to a rodeo. The teacher and the cowboy fall in love while the travelogue camera takes in Texas, Colorado, New Mexico, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, San Francisco, New England, Lake Louise and Niagara Falls.

Stamp Day for Superman is a 1954 black-and-white short film starring George Reeves as Superman and Noel Neill as Lois Lane. It was produced by Superman Inc. for the United States Department of the Treasury to promote the purchase of U.S. Savings Bonds. Never shown theatrically, it was distributed to schools as a means of educating children about the program.

Shows efforts of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in the creation, development and introduction of the all-electronic TV system; explains how science made television a working reality. David Sarnoff tells of the early research and experiments. Shown is the first successful picture tube, the first experimental TV station, the problems of improving piucture quality and reducing the size and cost of components at the transmitting and receiving ends, and the function of mobile units.

Set at the 1956 General Motors Motorama, this is one of the key Populuxe films of the 1950s, showing futuristic dream cars and Frigidaire's Kitchen of the Future.

This Western Union film shows a brief history of the telegraph, followed by the latest 1950s telegram technology.

This is a compilation of several Eisenhower for President ads from the 1956 campaign.

Travelogues set landscapes in motion, and Freedom Highway exploits the roadside panorama as an excuse to celebrate American mythologies. Hanging in the sky as if they were ghosts, patriots, warriors and the myths they exemplify -- the frontier, national independence and manifest destiny -- come to life at key points along the transcontinental route.

Life in the suburbs has its good and bad moments, but most people who live there want to be there. The suburbs are populated primarily by traditional young families, who can talk to each other about their common lives. Redbook Magazine provides a source of advice for these families, who are experiencing something new together in their suburban living style, such as home living, raising children, shopping (especially in the suburban phenomenon called the shopping mall), automobile care, entertaining and being entertained.

Shows the differences in the life experience of three male babies from three different social classes. One young man succeeds his father as president of the family manufacturing company. Another, a middle-class white-collar worker at the same company, leaves the town of his birth and moves to New York City where he becomes a respected advertising art director, thus rising in social status. A third, born into the working class, trains as a mechanic and holds an influential job at a service station.

Portrays a simulated evacuation of Portland, Oregon, when threatened by a nuclear attack on its state-of-the-art civil defense system.

This report follows the Myers, a Black upper middle-class faces discrimination and mistreatment when the move out to the small town of Levittown, PA, which consists of a predominantly white neighborhood. A documentary that showcases racism in America.

From the heights of the cold war, this short focuses on American youth at play and in the home and how the television can be a great educational device. In this case warning of the dangers of Communism. The home television features as part of the bulwark protecting the children and guiding them towards the principles of a democratic society.

A tribute to the American designer presented by Chevrolet. The first half of this film is a collage of 1950's American design from appliances to architecture, the second half follows the design process of a new Chevrolet automobile from the early sketches to a full sized model and finally the finish product.

How radio brings news and information to Americans. With footage of many news events covered by radio and images everyday life in the late 1950s.

Student film showing how modern electronic gadgets and technology in the home and in the workplace contribute to people becoming alienated from each other.

The students at East High are upset that Bruce (who is actually never shown) is allowed to attend their high school, and that he is an undesirable element whom their parents have told not to associate with. However, an incident soon occurs that makes them rethink their ideas about prejudice.

This instructional film details the Eisenhower administration (1953-61).