Watch on Archive.org
Institution: Internet Archive
Collection: Prelinger Archives
Running time: 11m 03s
Source film: 16mm; color; b&w; sound
Year: 1940
Production: Jam Handy Organization
Sponsor: Angstein (S.) & Company
Narration: Bill Stern
Whether you’re browsing in-store or online, most ski jackets you’ll find are probably made out of some combination of nylon and polyester. It might have synthetic insulation (e.g., Thinsulate) for warmth and seam taping and some sort of hydrophobic coating to help waterproof it. On the other hand, if you’re seeking winter wardrobe that consists of flannel or poplin, I can only conclude that you’re a time traveler from the 1930s or 1940s. And if that’s the case, shouldn’t you use your time traveling skills to go back and prevent Hitler’s parents from meeting?
Continue reading Fashions on Ice and Snow (1940) →
Watch on Archive.org
Institution: Internet Archive
Collection: Prelinger Archives
Running time: 11m 00s
Source film: 16mm; b&w; sound
Year: 1948
Production: Encyclopaedia Britannica Films; Milan Herzog
Music: Charles Henry
Loneliness, sugar crashes, and increased alcohol consumption can all exacerbate the blue feelings that many people feel during the winter holiday season. As evidenced by the sad musings of the central character in the 1948 short Christmas Rhapsody, it can also be a real thing for at least one species of evergreen tree.
Continue reading Christmas Rhapsody (1948) →
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Institution: Library and Archives Canada
Collection: Metropolitan Toronto Library Board fonds, 1987-0337
Other title: Le Temps des Sucres
Running time: 8m 14s
Source film: 16mm; color; sound
Year: 1941
Director: Stanley Hawes
Production: National Film Board of Canada; Northern Electric Recording (sound)
Camera: Michael Spencer
Editor: Donald Fraser
Music: Maurice Blackburn
As a news topic, maple syrup has undergone an odd resurgence in recent years. The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers — a Canadian organization dedicated to controlling the province’s output and stabilizing its price — has been criticized in the press due to borderline-draconian treatment of producers it considers delinquents. The price stability has been correlated to increased syrup production in the northeast U.S., thereby decreasing Quebec’s market share over the past several years. Thieves were caught stealing $18 million worth of syrup from a federation warehouse between 2011 and 2012. Last we heard, Jason Segel — of Freaks & Geeks and The Muppets fame — is attached to star in the film about the sticky-sweet heist. You don’t see this sort of press attention for honey (unless it’s related to bee colony collapse disorder).
Continue reading Maple Sugar Time (1941) →
casting a glance at the frames that rate
The Archival Eye 