Swooner Crooner (1944).
Tulips Shall Grow (1942).
Landscape of the Norse (1947).
Battle of Midway
John Ford, US 1942
Print source: Museum of Modern Art, New York
Running time: 18 minutes
About the print: Frequent framing adjustments are needed from shot to shot of this archival footage. Heavy perforation and edge damage was repaired. Shrinkage: 0.75%
About the film: Shot on 16mm Kodachrome (some scenes with a handheld camera), this Technicolor film was released as a 35mm documentary about the strategic importance of the island during World War II. Commander Ford personally shot some of the footage and was wounded while filming the battle. With voice-over narration by Ray Milland, Donald Crisp, and Jane Darwell. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2006.
Swooner Crooner
Frank Tashlin, US 1944
Print source: Museum of Modern Art, New York
Running time: 7 minutes
About the print: While the stock does not have a visible edge code to date it, the print is nitrate with a print-thru edge code of 1943 and only minimal scratches. Shrinkage 0.70%
About the film: A look at propaganda during the war—but with humor, as hens lay eggs based on the effect of crooning roosters at the henhouse.
Tulips Shall Grow
George Pal, US 1942
Print source: Library of Congress, Culpeper, VA
Running time: 7 minutes
About the print: Though the print required extensive edge repair, the image and sound remain in excellent condition, including the Technicolor dyes. Shrinkage: 0.83%.
About the film: A Dutch boy and girl fall in love, only to be invaded by an army of Screwballs that threaten to destroy their land. Perseverance and a hand from Mother Nature are their only defense.
Looking at London
US 1946
Print source: Library of Congress, Culpeper, VA
Running time: 10 minutes
About the print: Aside from a fair amount of scratching, this print is in generally good condition. Slight repairs were needed. Shrinkage: 0.70%.
About the film: This Technicolor Fitzpatrick Travel Talk takes a look at postwar London, including the devastation caused by bombing.
Gardens of the Sea
US 1947
Print source: Academy Film Archive, Los Angeles
Running time: 9 minutes
About the print: Emulsion on both sides of the base makes this a tricky film to inspect and project, but the color remains astounding and the film itself remains in good shape. Shrinkage: 0.60%.
About the film: Shot and distributed in Cinecolor (like last year’s Lost Lake), this Lowell Thomas Movietone examines Australia’s Coral Reef and the myriad strange creatures that live and build there.
Landscape of the Norse
Earl Allvine, US 1947
Print source: Academy Film Archive, Los Angeles
Running time: 8 minutes
About the print: The amount of edge repair in this print causes a lateral movement in the gate, requiring special projectionist attention to make sure the image remains in frame. Shrinkage: 0.70%.
About the film: A trip to Norway includes Constitution Day celebrations in Oslo, the shipping and fishing industry in Bergen, and a journey north of the Arctic Circle.
The Cobweb Hotel
Dave Fleischer, US 1936
Print source: UCLA Film and Television Archive, Los Angeles
Running time: 8 minutes
About the print: The wonderfully conserved print shows some edge repair, but little work was needed for this program. Shrinkage: 0.70%.
About the film: This “Color Classic” finds a spider opening a hotel for unsuspecting flies on what may have been Fleischer’s actual desk.
The Tempermental Lion
Connie Rasinski, US 1939
Print source: George Eastman Museum/Chicago Film Society
Running time: 7 minutes
About the print: This is possibly a rejected print; the color dyes occasionally seem “smeared” throughout the film. The stock is somewhat brittle, and there is decomposition affecting the image in the opening credits. Shrinkage: 0.90%.
About the film: A captured lion is taken unwillingly to the zoo, full of complaints and waiting for the opportunity to take revenge on his captor, Major Doolittle.