These films were shot all over the country. Some focus on holidays, weddings, parties, 1956 Olympic trials for women’s track and field, and other special events. Others are simply fun and we like them. The captions in [brackets], whenever possible, include labels from the original item in “quotation marks.” We add estimated dates and other details. For best viewing experience, choose the 720p or higher setting on the player.
#83. [Asian Male Teenagers at Bus Station, Crowd Seeing Them Off, 1970s.] Super 8mm. Color. Silent. Description forthcoming.
#52b [“Rollerskating Show,” ca.1970s.] Super 8mm. Sound. Color. Not sure what else to say — enjoy!
#141. [“KA Rush Movie, School Year 1958-1959.”] 8mm. Color. Compilation film shot at the University of Texas, Arlington. Further description forthcoming. *Warning: includes footage of a confederate flag.
#138. [“Kindergarten”, 1930s + Italian family at Christmas, 1950s.] 8mm. Color and B/W. Silent. A compilation of two films shot decades apart. Further description forthcoming.
#77. [Double Exposure, 1960s.] 8mm. Color. Silent. Here the same roll of film was exposed twice, once on each side, which created this double exposure. Further description forthcoming.
#253. [Japanese or Japanese-American Family Sits Around Chatting and Watching Cute Toddlers and Babies at Christmas, ca. 1950s.] 8mm. Color. Silent. Cute midcentury apartment and even cuter kids.
#223. [New Year’s Eve, young adults drinking and playing Twister at a party, post-1966.] Super 8. Color. Silent. Your basic tipsy game of Twister! Wait for the cute scene at the end.
#226. [“Xmas/New Years Eve 1964.”] 8mm. (Lovely) color. Silent. Young couple with great midcentury tree opening presents, and another cute apartment for Christmas dinner, a New Year’s Eve party with dancing.
#289. [“Square Dancing, Dancing Class #3,” ca. 1950s.] 8mm. Color. Silent. Adult dance class students square dancing in western-style costumes and bobbing for apples at a Halloween-themed party.
#290. [“1957, Thanksgiving, Christmas Dinner, Living Room.”] 8mm. Color. Silent. Classic Thanksgiving scenes with big family around the table, carving turkey and eating heartily, kids dressed up in pilgrim and “Indian” costumes, followed by a bigger group around table at Christmas, decor and cleaning up, eating pie, and kids roughhousing in matching outfits in the living room.
#292. [“1973 Thanksgiving at Joan and Leo’s, 1973 New Year Party, 1974 On Patio at Mom and Dad’s.”] Super 8mm. Color. Silent. Fun early 1970s clothes and hairstyles, goofing around in the kitchen and folks waiting around to eat, Christmas dinner, opening presents, a basement New Year’s Eve party, and indeed “mom and dad” on their porch and posing in their yard, summer. See #303 below for more of this family.
#293. [“Horses and Carriage, Skiing, Sleds, Snow, Parade, (Bond or Bend?) White” 1930s.] 8mm. B/W. Silent. Lovely footage of a family on a country farm on a horse-drawn sleigh, sledding and skiing, a rambunctious dog, a horse pulling skier and kids on sled, a parade with an equestrian doing tricks, horse-drawn fire truck, etc., and finally the exterior of a factory.
#303. [“Christmas with Jim McDonald and Dinner at Joan and Leo’s,” late 1960s/early 1970s.] Super 8mm. Color. Silent. Family (same as in #292) in fun clothes opening presents and camera stops on every person as they show what they received, guys setting up an 8mm camera in the driveway for some shot, family makes punch and starts drinking champagne, folks fill their plates, the oldest son in a Navy uniform holding a white poodle and siblings come and stand by him.
#305. [Moses Brown Quaker School Boys Doing Sports, Providence, Rhode Island, ca. 1940s.] 16mm. Color. Silent. Description forthcoming.
#313. [Black (Canadian?) Family at Christmas, late 1960s.] Super 8mm. Color. Silent. Black (possibly Canadian) family documenting their house decked out for the holiday, the woman and girl showing off presents like Barbie dolls and a blender, and ends with the man putting the camera on the kitchen table to get a group shot of the three. These folks might live either in the northern U.S. or Canada as they have an Expo ’67 pennant on the wall.
#316. [Off-air Recording of The Paul Lynde Halloween Special, October 29, 1976.] Super 8mm. Color. Silent (sadly). Amusing filming off television of the Halloween special, including KISS, on the screen!
#326. [Dads Trying to Wrangle Kids on Halloween, Spinning Toddler, ca. 1970s.] Super 8mm. Color. Silent. Kids with their bags of Halloween candy, one man goofing with one of their masks, another man seeming to reason with a toddler over candy, and that toddler (presumably high on sugar!) spinning and spinning. Super funny.
#323. [“Maria & Party, Dad’s House,” ca. 1970s.] Super 8mm. Color. Silent. Christmas party with adults sitting around and chatting, outside a couple walking, a Black man walks by and gestures with raised fist, a man washes his VW bus, older perhaps Hawaiian man playing a ukulele, an Black man water plants in a backyard with a coal hopper.
#327. [“At the Church and Hall,” (Mission Delores in San Francisco) ca. 1970s.] Super 8mm. Color. Silent. Wedding and reception with (possibly Latino/Latinx?) family and large group of attendees — couple exits the church to flying rice and hugs, then the very big wedding party enters a church hall, first dance and all dance to a live band.
#318. [Adult Christmas Party, Drinking, Inside/Outside Decor, 1972.] Super 8mm. Color. Silent. Adults sitting around living and dining rooms (full array of booze on the counter), playing with a small dog, and lots of footage of the interior and exterior holiday decorations.
#324. [Well-off Family Opening Presents for Camera, 1950s.] 8mm. Color. Silent. Family and Siamese cats enter living room and play with the cats, the group opens their presents — a dictation machine/reel-to-reel recorder, a radio, new clothes (including a fir-collared coat), matching midcentury decorative paintings, a new portable television, etc., and another couple arrive. Cute decor.
#333. [Black Family from Akron Ohio at Outdoor Gathering and at Christmas, 1950s.] 8mm. Color. Silent. Further description forthcoming.
#325. [“Hanukkah Party at Elaine’s, 1976.”] Super 8mm. Color. Silent. Family goofing at the table and in kitchen, lighting the menorah, eating and chatting.
#320. [Superimposition of Surfers over Family Gathering, Beach and River Fun, Funny Dancer, 1965.] 8mm. Color. Silent. Family picnicking on patio which is then superimposed by footage of a person surfing, then young people having fun at the beach, on a river in boats, and ends with a young man doing a funny dance in a living room while others watch.
#264. [“Holly – Xmas ’72 at Sears, SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority) Xmas Party, First Christmas in Our New House and The Bavins.”] Super 8mm. Color. Silent. Toddler Holly versus the Sears department store Santa, running around touching all the toys and dolls and stuffed animals, trying out a couple of different tricycles, checking out the decorated Christmas trees on display, and kissing plastic illuminated Joseph and Mary in a nativity scene. Holly in a fancy dress and Christmas necklace accompanies her parents (and grandparents?) to a SEPTA Christmas party for employees and their kids, Holly takes her gift from Santa this time and gives him a smooch, kids dancing in a circle (with Holly’s grandpa?) New scene: the family’s living room with its Christmas tree, tons of decorations and cards, then Holly coming down Christmas morning to open all her presents. Other family members join them later. Cross-listed under “Melissa’s Obsession: Work and Social Club Parties.”
#198. [Older Man’s Birthday Party, Family Goofing Around, ca. 1960s.] 8mm. Color. Silent. Fun footage of the family goofing around with wigs and instruments to entertain an old man on his birthday.
#208. [New Orleans Mardi Gras, Costume/Drag Party, Cemetery, 1957.] 8mm. Color. Silent. Three women on vacation in New Orleans, really great costume/drag party or show, Huey P. Long Bridge(?), Audubon Park, and a cemetery.
#225. [“Daddy in Underwear, Part 2, 1960 or 1961.”] 8mm. Color. Silent. “Daddy,” who was probably a Naval officer and maybe stationed in San Francisco (according to the return address), walks through his daily routine for the camera. He disrobes, prays and climbs into the upper bunk in a shared room, then wakes to his alarm, shaves and dresses in an orange jumpsuit for the flight deck and leaves.
#252. [“Rose Bowl Parade 1-1-1962.”] 8mm. Color. Silent. Really lovely, colorful footage of that year’s Rose Bowl Parade floats (including one with LAX’s Theme Building and another for the Flintstones), and more.
DR#12. [“Xmas 1985.”] VHS. Color. Sound. David Root and friends celebrate Christmas 1985 together. Footage includes his kitty Ratso, holiday decorations and relaxation, a tour around the house, etc. To learn more about David Root, see DR#2 and DR#5 under “Publications & Resources,” and others: DR#12 and DR#15 on our “Holidays, Special Events Parties, & Weird Stuff” page, DR#1, DR#3, DR#6, DR#8 on “A Longer Drive,” and DR#10 on “A Flight Away.” UPDATE March 2023: Deserted Films donated the David Root videotape collection to the GBLT Historical Society in San Francisco. We will update this video with a link to their collection page when available.
DR#15. [“Oct. ’89 Earthquake.”] VHS. Color. Sound. David Root recorded San Francisco-area television news coverage of the October 1989 earthquake that struck the Bay Area. It’s likely Root lived about 30 miles Northwest of San Francisco in Concord during this time. Live coverage includes KPIX Channel 5, KGO Channel 7, and national coverage by Dan Rather on CBS. To learn more about David Root, see DR#2 and DR#5 under “Publications & Resources,” and others: DR#12 and DR#15 on our “Holidays, Special Events Parties, & Weird Stuff” page, DR#1, DR#3, DR#6, DR#8 on “A Longer Drive,” and DR#10 on “A Flight Away.” UPDATE March 2023: Deserted Films donated the David Root videotape collection to the GBLT Historical Society in San Francisco. We will update this video with a link to their collection page when available.
#341. [“Rescue at Sea, Elmer and Rose Visit Millie, Ginny and Kids [and B. Peck] in Back Yard,” circus, and the beach, c.1957-1960s.] 8mm. B&W and Color. Silent. Possibly California. [Exterior] Marine helicopter taking off; close up of Marine helicopters landing on a dock; close up on signaler guiding helicopter where to land; ship on sea (camera operator perspective from ship); waves on open sea; another nearby ship; transfer of materials between ships; body (either a person or dummy) wrapped up and transferred between ships; [Exterior] child with doll and stuffed animals posing in front yard; closeup on women; [Interior] woman sitting inside a house at a table; young woman; [Exterior] man doing yard work; [Interior] woman smoking and drinking coffee; [Exterior] women and children outside on street posing by car; people getting into car; women and children in front yard; car on street; woman and children inside car; child playing in yard showing off outfit; [Interior] circus performance inside circus tent; [Exterior] large toy train ride; beach; public pool; woman, man, and two children outside by car taking family photos (possibly Elmer and Rose); [Presumably “B. Peck in Back Yard”] children and teens playing in back yard doing handstands and cartwheels; adults and children playing in kiddie pool. [Digitized and partially described by UCLA grad students in IS289-3 “Special Issues in Information Studies: Motion Picture Film Preservation” course, Fall 2022. See notes about the collaboration on the “Events and News” page.]
#379. [“Go Go, Rest Up” New Jersey Jaycees Meeting, 1960s.] Go-go dancer on a platform performs for a room of New Jersey Jaycees at a conference in a hotel, Jaycees partying in a hotel room, and other group events.
#334 [“Santa Daddy 1967.”] 8mm. Color. Silent. Teenage girls perhaps gardening in yard with flowers, summer; interior shot of Santa with kids on his lap and one toddler girl not having it; Santa doing his thing, shaking hands and giving kisses, holding babies and gesturing to the tree. [Digitized by UCLA grad students in IS289-3 “Special Issues in Information Studies: Motion Picture Film Preservation” course, Fall 2022. See notes about the collaboration on the “Events and News” page.]
#370. [“_________ Play,” ca. 1950s.] Rehearsals for what looks to be Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire. Location unknown.
#372. [Christmas Morning, Opening Presents (Including Film Reels, ca.1950s.] 8mm. (Beautiful) color. Silent. Adults of all ages sitting around a living room, Christmas decor, tree and presents including a Brownie camera, a case of empty 8mm film reels, a perhaps Bell and Howell 8mm camera, grooming kits, clothes, pen sets, slippers, etc. Likely a California family — kids outside next to a Cypress tree. Girls goofing around, back to adults sitting around. Bonus: a nice vintage gold VW bug. A bit scratched up, but really lovely color!
#367. [Olympic Trials for Women’s Track and Field #1, American University, August 25, 1956.] 8mm, Color. Silent. From the Caccamise family home movie collection. POV from plane flying over landscape, legs of people deplaning a National Airlines aircraft, Nellie and possibly her grandmother descending some marble steps smiling, Rose and her grandmother walking down a street toward the camera, the two sitting outside the McKinley Building on American University campus in Washington, DC, Rose talking to what looks like her personal coach Bob Murray for a moment. August 25, 1956, the 1956 Olympic trials for Women’s track and field events on Reeves Field, American University. A series of races including Olympic hopeful and alternate Rose Caccamise and family (and whose films these are). Significantly, other athletes shown include Tennessee A&I State Tigerbelles Mae Faggs*, Wilma Rudolph*, and Lucinda Williams*, and possibly Isabelle Daniels*. Ends with crowds of spectators and climbing up the stairs into a Capital Airlines plane. Back to probably home to a brick house (or hotel?), yard and street. [Note: See #355 under “Our Region,” #361 on “A Short Drive”, and #373 on “A Flight Away” for more personal Caccamise home movies, and for more films of the 1956 Olympic trials in DC, see also #366 and #368 on this page. * signifies Olympic medalists that year.Let us know if we’ve identified anyone incorrectly, or not at all.]
#366. Olympic Trials for Women’s Track and Field #2, American University, August 25, 1956.] 8mm, Color. Silent. From the Caccamise family home movie collection. August 25, 1956, the 1956 Olympic trials for Women’s track and field events on Reeves Field, American University. Caccamise grandmother (and perhaps grandfather), American University buildings, HBCU Tennessee A&I State’s Tigerbelles Isabelle Daniels*, Wilma Rudolph*, JoAnn Terry, Willye White, possibly Martha Hudson and Lucinda Williams*, plus others, as well as Earlene Brown* and Mae Faggs* watching a race on Reeves Field, a race including some Tigerbelles (Rudolph and others) and others, shot-putter Earlene Brown, a television cameraman setting up, spectators, cameraman, hurdle race (with a Tigerbelle and probably 1956 Olympic team member Irene Robertson — see #366 and #355, Robertson walking held up a bit by another woman, a Tigerbelle (hard to tell which one), a next heat getting ready including Rose Caccamise (in white shirt) and perhaps Isabelle Daniels in glasses), the race (a bit dark), Rose, perhaps a coach or meet organizer, and Tuskegee coach Nell Jackson, Jackson (former Olympian and Hall of Fame sprinter) and Nellie Caccamise, Earlene Brown throwing a shotput, a woman smiling at the camera, then with Nellie, then chatting with Rose and her personal coach Bob Murray, Nellie smiling and shooing away camera, Rose walking off, another race/heat (Tigerbelles and others) and runners milling about (including a nice shot of maybe Willye White?, a live band performing in the stands, Rose showing off a medal, and Alabama license plate for a bus, and the side of the Tuskegee Institute vehicle, and two men loading a trunk. [Note: See #355 under “Our Region,” #361 on “A Short Drive”, and #373 on “A Flight Away” for more personal Caccamise home movies, and for more films of the 1956 Olympic trials in DC, see also #365, #367 and #368 on this page. * signifies Olympic medalists that year.Let us know if we’ve identified anyone incorrectly, or not at all.]
#368. Olympic Trials for Women’s Track and Field #3, American University, August 25, 1956.] 8mm, Color. Silent. From the Caccamise family home movie collection. August 25, 1956, the 1956 Olympic trials for Women’s track and field events on Reeves Field, American University. The start of a race (including two of HBCU Tennessee A&I State’s Tigerbelles – perhaps Isabelle Daniels and Lucinda Williams*?) shot in slow motion until the end of the race, Rose walking with possibly Olympic team member Stella Darnowski*, committee person we think is former Olympian Frances Kaszubski smiles at the camera as she walks past, then the same woman walking down bleachers past the Tigerbelles with multi-Olympic-medal-winning Polish-American athlete Stella Walsh/Walasiewicz (this would be her last Olympic trial), another heat shot in slow motion with the Tigerbelles out front (with we think Isabelle Daniels* out front and Mae Faggs*?), Rose and others, a nice close-up of Isabelle Daniels, Rose walking with her coach Bob Murray and perhaps some reporters, Rose running back to the starting line as competitors line up for races, two races in slow motion, Walsh walking, a couple more people walk by, Isabelle Daniels walks by, then Tigerbelles and other athletes, Kaszubski walks past, another race in slow motion — Tigerbelles out front again, a smiling guy in a hat, Kaszubski and others chatting, the runners going around the track, Walsh in the race, a guy running — maybe a fan, Czechoslovakian Olympian (Discus) Olga Fikotová* signing autographs, Earlene Brown catching a baseball, Rose speaking with and then posing with her mom Nellie and Walsh, Rose in a dress entering motel room door, lit up Ambassador Motel sign, Rose waving from the door, shooting out the door a neon Cleveland Trust sign, a Cleveland corporation limit (Ohio) street sign, “Entering Shaker Heights” (Ohio) sign and shops behind (Stella Walsh used to live in Cleveland although not at this time, but her parents still did — maybe they were traveling with?) [Note: See #355 under “Our Region,” #361 on “A Short Drive”, and #373 on “A Flight Away” for more personal Caccamise home movies, and for more films of the 1956 Olympic trials in DC, see also #365, #366 and #367 on this page.* signifies Olympic medalists that year.Let us know if we’ve identified anyone incorrectly, or not at all.]
#365. [Olympic Trials for Women’s Track and Field #4, American University, August 25, 1956.] August 25, 1956, the 1956 Olympic trials for Women’s track and field events on Reeves Field, American University. Black members of the team in matching blue and white jogging suits, their coach Nell C. Jackson (Olympian and Hall of Fame sprinter), and another man grouped for a picture, Jackson sitting on a bleacher, camera pans over to another group of Black athletes wearing different school’s colors, a perhaps staff person walking around and over to Rose and her coach Bob Murray and others, Earlene Brown* jobs past the camera over to her teammates on the field, the Tigerbelle group doing calisthenics, Rose chatting to the cameraperson and jogging around a bit, a few Black men in the bleachers, rapid edits of more calisthenics, a Black man taking a photograph or shooting 8mm, Tigerbelle group walks off the field with a man carrying a 16mm camera, Earlene Brown waves to the camera as she passes, members of the Cuban team, people standing about, Olympian Pamela Kurrell* (discus) walks past with likely her coach and says hello to the camera, camera passes Tigerbelles resting, Rose, Murray, and others, really nice shot of Mae Faggs* dressed up and wearing her medal around her neck descends bleacher steps, smiles and says hello to the camera, possibly Olympic team member Stella Darnowski* speaking to someone, a woman with a camera hung around her neck folding up her tripod and packing up, Jackson and other organizers or trainers chatting, committee person we think is former Olympian Frances Kaszubski talking with trainers or staff?, Rose warming up, Isabelle Daniels* relaxing on the bleachers and smiling, Kaszubski directing folks again, runners at the starting mark, race in slow motion, Rose comes in second (?) and is greeted by Jackson, more races in slow motion: seems like Daniels and with multi-Olympic-medal-winning Polish-American athlete Stella Walsh/Walasiewicz (this would be her last Olympic trial). [Note: See #355 under “Our Region,” #361 on “A Short Drive”, and #373 on “A Flight Away” for more personal Caccamise home movies, and for more films of the 1956 Olympic trials in DC, see also #366, #367, and #368 on this page. * signifies Olympic medalists that year.Let us know if we’ve identified anyone incorrectly, or not at all.]
#375. [‘Xmas 1953 — Credit Club Xmas Party (Work), Xmas 1954, Crystal Lake Mountains — Snow 1955, Kussen (Johnson Dog), Beach, Memorial Day, Boys Choir (James), Ray’s Folks, Palm Springs, Calif.; December 1955-’56.”] 8mm. Color. Silent. On this long reel is a bit scratched up and dirty, but it includes holiday parties, roadtrips, and vacation footage of a group of young people hanging by a motel pool (help us identify!) in Palm Springs and exploring a bit. Cross-listed under “Melissa’s Obsession: Work and Social Club Parties”, “Our Region.”
#398. [“Thanksgiving, Xmas 1960, Mother’s Day…Harry & Family, Joe & Jay(?), Pets(?)….”] 8mm. Color. San Diego-area family winter celebrate the holidays, relax in the backyard and newly erected patio, pose in their Sunday bests, and go camping and motorbiking out in Anza Berrego. Crosslisted over on the “A Short Drive” page.
Coming Attractions
Below is a list of films we will be digitizing in the coming months.
#219. [“Parties,” 1950s.] 8mm. Color. Ladies who lunch. A number of dinner and bridge parties on one reel.
#274. [Youngsters Football Game, Creatively Shot, ca. late 1960s.] 8mm. Color. A game between two uniformed high school (?) football teams with lots of close-ups and slow-motion shots, fancy edits. Perhaps a student film?
#317. [“Three Girls – Halloween Candy, Birthdays, Sherry Graduation, Dells 7-4-1975.”] 8mm. Color. Three little girls carving a jack-o-lantern in their costumes, a toddler carrying her lit birthday cake, receives a big-wheel type trike, a high school graduation, another birthday, and a visit to the Wisconsin Dells including POV footage from a duck boat.
#396. [1956 U.S. Women Olympic Hopefuls Practicing, Buffalo State?, 1956.] 8mm. Color. Silent.
#383. [“New Year’s Eve Party, 1967.”] Super 8mm. Color. Sound.
#391. [Big Asian Family Having Christmas Dinner, Opening Presents, ca. 1960s.] 8mm. Color. Silent.
#127. [Opening Christmas Presents, ca. 1950s.] 8mm. Color. Silent.
