Prelinger Archives

817–864 of 10,345 films, free to watch, from the world's open archives.

Where these films come from, and who sees what

Every film here plays from the archive that keeps it: the Internet Archive, Wikimedia Commons, the NASA Image and Video Library, the Library of Congress and Open Images (the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision). Nothing is copied to this site. Each film's page names its archive, links to its page there, and states its licence or status as the archive does.

Archive films carry no age ratings, so each is placed from the collections it sits in and the subjects the archive gives it, cautiously. Sexual content and nudity are left out altogether.

Little OnesFilms for young children by name: nursery rhymes, lullabies, preschool.
KidsCartoons and animation, children's and family films, and educational films, unless they deal with war, propaganda, crime, horror or drugs, or carry racial caricature.
TweensDocumentaries, science, nature and space, classic comedies, newsreels, commercials and lectures.
TeensEverything else, including anything we cannot tell about; war, crime, horror and westerns go no lower.
AdultSexual themes (such as the old "sex hygiene" films), gore, surgery, slaughter, atrocity footage.
Internet Archive What to Do on a Date 1950 · Film · Subtitles SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL BOY LEARNS HOW & WHERE TO ASK GIRL FOR DATE, & WHERE TO TAKE HER FOR GOOD TIME WITHOUT SPENDING TOO MUCH MONEY OR BEING BORED BY… Internet Archive Challenge of Ideas, The 1961 · Film · Subtitles From a period synopsis: "Analyzes basic ideological differences between the U.S. and the communist state. Describes objectives and techniques used by the USSR… Internet Archive Chevrolet Leader News (Vol. 4, No. 2) 1939 · Newsreel · 8 min · Subtitles Promotional newsreels featuring a variety of Chevrolet-centric stories, including: photographing human and automobile models; automobile brake tests on a… Internet Archive [Amateur films: Ivan Besse collection: Britton, South Dakota 1938-39] (Part VI) 1938 · Home movie · 19 min · Subtitles Daily life in a South Dakota town during the Great Depression, shot by Ivan Besse. Internet Archive Woodworker, The 1940 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Woodworking in mills, construction and cabinetmaking. Internet Archive Better Housing News Flashes (No. 7) 1935 · Short · 4 min · Subtitles Theatrical short subject, newsreel-style, promoting the benefits of the National Housing Act for homebuilders, remodelers and would-be homeowners. Internet Archive Quacks and Nostrums 1959 · Short · 18 min · Subtitles Shows the ways in which medical quacks dupe the consumer and the steps taken by local and federal agencies to protect the public. Internet Archive Human Brain, The 1955 · Film · Subtitles Describes the development of the brain in several animals and in man. Names the parts of the human brain and dramatizes the thinking process using a driver in… Internet Archive Big Man On Campus 1958 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Tells the story of Jerry Warner, a junior high school student who finds himself in trouble with the authorities and realizes that it is his own attitude and… Internet Archive Man On The Land 1951 · Short · 15 min · Subtitles Animated story of man's conquest of the soil through the ages with background of narration and ballads. Starts with prehistoric times and ends in the present,… Internet Archive Drive Your Bicycle 1955 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Slow-moving bicycle safety film shot in Glendale and Burbank, California by a family-owned film production company. Encourages boys and girls to "drive their… Internet Archive Oklahoma: Heartland USA 1953 · Film · Subtitles "Script: Dwight V. Swain. Producer/director: D.N. Hockman. A-roll pix and sound have been shotlisted. B-roll pix not shotlisted but contains similar… Internet Archive [Early 1970s Television Commercials] 2026 · Commercial · Subtitles [The following titles and shotlists may be elsewhere on PA-0649; this description may therefore need revision after viewing.] Internet Archive Pick of the Pod 1939 · Short · 20 min · Subtitles A peek inside the pea processing operations that culminate in Del Monte brand canned peas. With glimpses of 1930s kitchens and images of Depression-era… Internet Archive Maintaining Classroom Discipline 1947 · Educational · 13 min · Subtitles Good and bad methods of disciplining inappropriate classsroom behavior. Internet Archive March of Progress, The 1945 · Film · Subtitles "THE MARCH OF PROGRESS: A locally made film on the opening of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which has been modified with added material. Panoramic… Internet Archive Heritage of Splendor 1963 · Short · 18 min · Subtitles Why we must preserve America's great natural resources from the consequences of littering. Narrator: Ronald Reagan. Internet Archive Face in the Mirror (I Wonder), The (Part I) 1940 · Short · 12 min · Subtitles Introspective psychology for salespeople: "Would you buy anything from the salesman you see in the mirror?" Internet Archive Nature of Light, The 1948 · Film · Subtitles DEMONSTRATES LIGHT AS A FORM OF RADIANT ENERGY. EXPLAINS THE PRINCIPLES OF REFLECTION & REFRACTION & SHOWS HOW THESE PRINCIPLES APPLY TO THE SCIENCE OF… Internet Archive Forestry and Forest Industries 1946 · Short · 10 min · Subtitles Forest rangers at work and people engaged in harvesting, processing, and distributing forest products. Internet Archive No Ghosts 1935 · Film · Subtitles " A DRAMATIZATION OF THE Y-K FRAME, WITH ESPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE RIGIDITY OF THE FRAME & THE ELIMINATION OF SQUEAKS & RATTLES." Nice "haunted house" imagery… Internet Archive Thrill Driver's Choice 1956 · Film · Subtitles The film showcases the thrilling performances of Joey Chitwood's auto thrill show, featuring a talented team of drivers executing breathtaking stunts with… Internet Archive Coffee House Rendezvous (Part II) 1969 · Short · 12 min · Subtitles Shows coffeehouses sponsored by churches and community organizations and how they function as gathering places for countercultural youth. Internet Archive Basic Typing, Part I: Methods (Part I) 1944 · Short · 16 min · Subtitles Demonstrates correct posture for typing; proper fingering of the keys; use of the shift key, back spacer, tabulator, carriage return lever, etc.; and… Internet Archive White Wonder 1958 · Film · Subtitles Illustrates techniques for extraction of salt from the sea and from land. Tells the historical role of salt and its uses in national defense, industry,… Internet Archive Cities: How They Grow (Second Edition) 1952 · Film · Subtitles A study of our increasing urban population. Departing from the usual statistics and the sociological problems which are a result of the cities' growth, we… Internet Archive Great Train Robbery, The 1903 · Film · Subtitles 05:41:38 Man in office - two gunmen burst in to rob him 05:45:32 Gunmen stop train - everyone gets off with hands off 05:47:14 Robbers run to detached… Internet Archive Librarian, The 1947 · Film · Subtitles "SHOWS THE WORK OF A CATALOGUER, THE SCHOOL LIBRARIAN, THE REFERENCE LIBRARIAN, THE LIBRARIAN WHO WORKS WIITH CHILDREN & THE LIBRARIAN WHO SPECIALIZES IN A… Internet Archive [Home Movies: Medicus collection: New York World's Fair, 1939-40] (Reel 2) 1939 · Home movie · Subtitles 4:00:47:29 - 04:02:39:24 color silent 1939-40 Can marked: "Electrical, Industrial, Food and State Buildings; night scenes" Electrical section, Industrial &… Internet Archive For Good Living (Brown Derby Beer Promo) 1937 · Short · 18 min · Subtitles Sales promotional film for Brown Derby beer, a house brand of Safeway Stores; shows the brewing process. Internet Archive Tuesday in November 1945 · Film · Subtitles "It is early morning of the first Tuesday in November. This is an American city. A city that is not very large, not very rich, not very old. It is situated in… Internet Archive Brooklyn Goes to San Francisco 1947 · Short · 9 min · Subtitles Brooklyn native Phil Foster tours San Francisco and comments on many places of interest. Internet Archive Activity Group Therapy (Part II) 1950 · Short · 19 min · Subtitles Shows socially-maladjusted boys 10 to 11 years old being benefitted therapeutically by "acting out" their disturbances upon their environment and each other… Internet Archive Babies and Breadwinners (Part I) Short · 13 min · Subtitles Presented by: U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Public Health Service and Bureau State Services. Produced by the Communicable Disease Center… Internet Archive Fitting Faces 1940 · Film · Subtitles 00:21:41 Girl in robe in front of vanity, doing nails, lipstick etc. 00:22:40 CU Mary in mirror putting on glasses VO: "Uh-oh, now she's gone and ruined… Internet Archive Story of a City: New York 1946 · Short · 20 min · Subtitles Pictorial explanation of historic & economic causes for emergence of new york as one of world's largest cities & of its vital relation to rest of America.… Internet Archive Trail of the Rocket (Part I) 1951 · Short · 14 min · Subtitles Singers Lucille and Johnny, whose radio show is sponsored by Oldsmobile, are invited to visit the Olds factory to see why the product is superior. While… Internet Archive [Amateur films: Ivan Besse collection: Britton, South Dakota 1938-39] (Part V) 1938 · Home movie · 16 min · Subtitles Daily life in a South Dakota town during the Great Depression, shot by Ivan Besse. Internet Archive San Francisco Earthquake Aftermath, Part 2 1906 · Short · 1 min · Subtitles Views of destruction taken from a vehicle moving east down Market Street. Internet Archive Tomorrow Television 1945 · Film · Subtitles 05:10:32:09 Model of "Futurama" exhibit by Norman Bel Geddes at 1939-40 New York World's Fair. Model has miniature moving vehicles, but is not an actual… Internet Archive Get Going 1936 · Film · Subtitles An explanation of what happens when a motorist steps on the accelerator. Film begins with a cartoon about a sleepy locomotive 04:29:44:15 VS sleeping… Internet Archive Farmer Miller Goes Into High Gear (Part I) 1920 · Short · 11 min · Subtitles A farmer is convinced that his tractor will do more and better if it rolls on Goodyear tires rather than steel wheels. Includes scenes of tractor tire… Internet Archive "All-Is-Well" 2016 · Home movie · 14 min · Subtitles "All-Is-Well" collects ordinary adventures remembered only because they survive in home movies. Against a backdrop of distant news events, kids stampede for… Internet Archive The Magic Wheel 1952 · Short · 29 min · Subtitles Imginative and expansive telling of the history of the National Cash Register company told through a 25 year veteran of it's chemical engineering division. Internet Archive When Work Is Done 1943 · Short · 8 min · Subtitles War plant workers flood the town of Sylacauga, Alabama, and the town constructs facilities and organizes activities to make them feel welcome. Excellent,… Internet Archive Big City, The 1950 · Film · Subtitles 05:36:40:18 Great shot 1950s St. Louis traffic police car pulls up to curb, number 72 on side of car; police officer in passenger seat looks up; enormous… Internet Archive Miracle on the Delaware 1953 · Film · Subtitles PA-0807 shotlist: 07:10:56:15 Philadelphia as seen across Delaware River. 07:11:07:23 Great shot from car on Delaware Bridge. 07:11:13:10 Pan up industrial… Internet Archive [Gould can 5253: Dawson Mine Disaster] 1913 · Film · Subtitles Dawson City, New Mexico: Films taken immediately after the "Dawson Mine Disaster", the second worst mine disaster to take place in the US on October 22, 1913…