8mm film: 1940-1941 color amateur movies of pre-WWII America

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  • Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024

Комментарии • 129

  • @wildcatkelly1966
    @wildcatkelly1966 4 года назад +26

    This is simply amazing. Life was so much different 80 years ago. My father was 11 in 1941, he passed away in 2019 at 89. Thank you so much for this wonderful video.

    • @bonniebluebell5940
      @bonniebluebell5940 5 дней назад

      People were a lot more grounded...they had to be and will have to be once more. When we put God above ourselves, we know where we stand. We are born of the Spirit so KTF!

  • @Sheri451
    @Sheri451 8 лет назад +28

    I love watching things like this, it was made before my mother was even born. It's nice to see these people. My father would have been two years old in 1941 and he's no longer with us. He passed away in 2012. I sure wish I had some old home movies of my family. But unfortunately, my parents had no movie camera. And back when they first married, in 1961, they could probably buy one like this one at a reasonable price.I sure would have loved to see all of my family members. I remember very little of them, my fathers side were all in their 60s and 70s when I was born and my mothers family are 500 miles away.And just a few of them are still alive now.

    • @lexba
      @lexba  8 лет назад +5

      You might be surprised that perhaps that some of your relatives do have home movies of your parents, and yourself. I found that out myself and saw movies of me as a child and other family members like my grandparents that I had no idea exited until I was much older. It was a delightful discovery.

  • @gardengeek3041
    @gardengeek3041 11 месяцев назад +4

    In summer 1941, very few families had yet to acquire a movie camera.
    We owe a big thanks to the AO family for saving these films and putting them online. Its a perfect, unscripted view of US life at that time.
    My dad turned 30 that same summer. It was a time of optimism. Like millions of Americans, he had survived the Depression and even owned his first car.
    Not so well known nowadays is that most Americans (about 65%, I think) lived on farms or in small towns, like the one where the July 4 parade is seen. That what makes this film footage so real.
    Notice how many hands pitched in to bring in the hay, and to set the oat bundles in stooks, 12:00, a teepee shape that kept the grain end dry. Kids, grandparents & probably some townsfolk all working together happily.
    In my community, stooking was something of a social event until the 1950s. Absolutely no stigma because it was manual labor. The way it still is in France for the grape harvest ... all hands on deck!
    This might be partly why all the 1941 people look so fit. And of course we don't see a single fast food outlet anywhere in this film. Why did it change so drastically, almost irreversibly?
    Thanks for the memories!

    • @lexba
      @lexba  11 месяцев назад

      I really appreciate taking the time to add your comment which provides significant background information to these films.

  • @MrKmoconne
    @MrKmoconne 7 лет назад +13

    I liked the automobiles from back then. They had so much character.

  • @Britonbear
    @Britonbear 3 года назад +25

    The most interesting thing about these old films and photographs to me is that only the babies are chubby.

    • @lexba
      @lexba  3 года назад +10

      I suppose that people, in general, in those days were more physically active and engaged in more social activities. I walked to school (in mid 1950s) as a first and second grader. It was quite a long distance. There was no school bus and no helicopter parents standing guard watching over my actives and taking me everywhere by SUV. I think it was that way for most kids.
      Also, there's a fast and junk food epidemic in today's America. When I toured China in 2008-it struck me there were no obese Chinese people.

    • @calbob750
      @calbob750 3 года назад +5

      No fast food. You walked almost everywhere. Most work was physical.

    • @abeautifuldayful
      @abeautifuldayful 3 года назад +2

      @@lexba Corporate control of our waistlines from an epidemic of consumerism and advertising to crave more of everything and work less to get it.

    • @dinorossi6611
      @dinorossi6611 3 года назад +1

      Babies were the ones eating junk back then

    • @ce7545
      @ce7545 Год назад +2

      Diet not high in sugar or corn syrup back then

  • @footballlvnlady
    @footballlvnlady 3 месяца назад +2

    I have always wanted to go back to the 40’s - 60’s. A simpler time. This video is wonderful! No one staring at phones all the time. Home cooked food. Eating together at the table. No one shopping in pajama pants. I’m fortunate to have been born in 57 and had my early years in the 60’s. Thank you for this wonderful video of years gone by. ❤

    • @lexba
      @lexba  3 месяца назад

      How true what you wrote! Thanks for the comment.

  • @FischerRestoration
    @FischerRestoration 3 года назад +7

    Enjoyed watching these images from the 1940-1941 era. I actually have a 1941 Chevrolet Business Coupe that's a real joy to drive! It gets attention where ever I go!
    😊

  • @patromano4
    @patromano4 8 лет назад +28

    Why did life seem so innocent back then? Loved it. Thank you.

    • @lexba
      @lexba  6 лет назад +11

      Well yeah, it's not a exactly a secret about the ugly side of America and world then and now. This video is from family home movie films: it is a record of their family, activities, and interests. Do you really expect them in 1941 using expensive and rather exotic consumer technology for that era (color 8mm film equipment), to go out and film crimes and countless terrible situations? That was the job of news and documentary organizations.

    • @awebreeze1
      @awebreeze1 6 лет назад +19

      It was innocent. They censored television so children weren't up with parents watching movies with nude scenes. Men were expected to work and women kept their legs together till marriage. Women wore dresses and men didn't. Children's little butts were spanked if they disrespected any adults. Kids climbed trees, played and intermingled with each other out side, not entertained as now by war, crime killing games. Parents in the 60's were too good for the old ways, now look at things. There were rules and now there aren't. It's called morals. Makes a difference doesn't it?

    • @TheRealLaughingGravy
      @TheRealLaughingGravy 6 лет назад +8

      awebreeze1 - Life today is just as innocent as it was back then, it's no different. You can be sure back then in the 1940's the old people used to complain about kids being disrespectful, and about the radio and movies showing sex and violence, and about young men being lazy and young women being loose with their morals. Everything you complain about today, they complained about back then. Overall, for most people, things are way better today than they were 75 years ago. Enjoy your life.

    • @UnknownPerson-ve3uv
      @UnknownPerson-ve3uv 5 лет назад

      BritishCommentWriter well technically everyone didn’t go through that

    • @susanbrogan2517
      @susanbrogan2517 4 года назад +10

      @@TheRealLaughingGravy life was a little more innocent. I'm 62 years old and I've seen a difference through the years.

  • @6omega2
    @6omega2 8 лет назад +10

    At 3:22, the movie "Man Hunt" was released on June 13th, 1941, so that would date that scene to the summer of 1941. Great video, thanks for sharing.

    • @lescobrandon3047
      @lescobrandon3047 5 лет назад +1

      6omega2 - then i was five months old. When my grandparents and one aunt were the subject of my dad’s 8mm, they just remained stock-still. Movies were not quite understood. And most home movies were filmed during meals where everybody would be in one place. So much of my old movies from back then featured people chewing food.

  • @esmeephillips5888
    @esmeephillips5888 11 месяцев назад +2

    I guess these pix were shot on 'Standard 8' Kodachrome, which had been marketed since 1932. Each roll gave about four minutes at 16 frames per second, but you had to change it around halfway through and reload in low light to avoid flare. Because it was color the speed was slow and shooting indoors in ordinary light was tough, but some cameras let you crank the film backward and shoot again for double exposures and dissolves.
    Standard 8 was the norm for home movies until Kodak introduced 'Super 8' cassettes in the 1960s.

    • @lexba
      @lexba  11 месяцев назад

      Thanks for the information about the film types.

  • @richarddowney1972
    @richarddowney1972 2 года назад +2

    I was two years old in 1941. Good grief!

  • @kerryincolumbus
    @kerryincolumbus 7 лет назад +8

    What a charming and VERY delightful video! the music was perfect and it was great to see that era in color! GREAT JOB lexba!!

    • @lexba
      @lexba  7 лет назад +1

      Thank you, Kerry, for taking the time to write.

  • @frederickwise5238
    @frederickwise5238 Год назад +3

    Not that far down the road, our world was about to change forever. The 4th of July parade was poignant for me. I still remember 1941. Not quite 6, dad set off firecrackers. We never got to do it again. The war made demands on his and many others lives (too old for war but not for 10 and 12 hr days, 6 and 7 day weeks at a defense plant). Many of the younger men wont make it to 1946 - then came Korea - deja Vu, and then Dien Bien Phu........ So much for the rest of the 20th century.

  • @bluetickfreddy101
    @bluetickfreddy101 3 года назад +7

    God bless america
    Such a stark contrast
    How far /fast we’ve fallen
    The good ole days
    Thank you

  • @dennisseaborn5926
    @dennisseaborn5926 7 лет назад +3

    They put a lot of loves in the family gathering. Awesome story.

  • @dalehammond1704
    @dalehammond1704 3 года назад +9

    You've inspired me to convert some of my giant collection of old home movies (8 and 16mm) so I can post them online. We travel and search storage units, estate sales, etc., as a hobby. I've found boxes of old home movies and have never seen most of them myself. The oldest I recall was the 20's. How did you convert your films?

    • @lexba
      @lexba  3 года назад +4

      The process I used involves the use of rare, variable speed projectors. $1k HD Canon video camera (no longer made). PC that I custom built myself running Window 10, with Firewire capture card, two hard drives, and Corel VideoStudio software. The devil is in the details which are beyond the scope of my channel. However, there are websites that provide extensive information on movie film to digital transfers.
      If you want a pro to do transfers for you, I recommend the highly rated Gary Gibbons, ebay ID: gibbonsvideo3o3
      www.ebay.com/usr/gibbonsvideo3o3q?ul_noapp=true

    • @wowzieee
      @wowzieee 3 года назад +1

      I hope you do transfer them, if not for pubic view, for your family. Check local College or where they study film, over videotography, they might steer you in the right direct. Good luck.

  • @markparee99
    @markparee99 3 года назад +5

    Brilliant upload. Choice of music is excellent

    • @lexba
      @lexba  3 года назад +1

      Thank you.

  • @ginaferracini5014
    @ginaferracini5014 3 года назад +6

    Wow love the old cars and when the ladies looked like ladies and men dressed in suits 👍

  • @TheMagicTaco
    @TheMagicTaco 3 года назад +3

    These videos are Amazing! Reminds me of many of the small towns here in Texas, but with older vehicles..

    • @lexba
      @lexba  3 года назад +1

      Glad you like them!

  • @stevencohn39
    @stevencohn39 4 года назад +3

    SPECTACULAR, FANTASTIC TO WATCH! FASCINATING!

  • @furthereast6775
    @furthereast6775 3 года назад +3

    Before WW2 they were primarily Citizens of a unique and cohesive culture. Beginning after WW2 we were reduced to mere consumers.

  • @Berniebud
    @Berniebud 3 года назад

    Aside from the brilliant quality of the preserved film, I loved that you played it back at its proper framerate. So many videos of home footage play them back at higher framerates and makes the motion seem so juttery and unrealistic. It really feels *real* here.

    • @lexba
      @lexba  3 года назад

      Thank you. The film itself was in excellent shape, therefore the quality you see is not greatly digitally enhanced except for possibly some minor color balance adjustments due to fading. I do adjust the speed of the film playback in the digitized video with: Corel VideoStudio. I slow the speed to what I think is a natural pace of movements compared to the original projection which is too fast.

  • @charlesg1150
    @charlesg1150 Год назад +1

    Super job…greatest video!!

    • @lexba
      @lexba  Год назад

      Thank you for the comment.

  • @RandallvanOosten-ln5wf
    @RandallvanOosten-ln5wf Год назад +1

    One thing I noticed is that there were very few obese people. Additionally, it seems that for the average person, there was a good amount of manual labor necessary for daily life. One scene showed a 10 or 11 year old boy driving a tractor. This was not unusual even during my childhood in Oregon in the 1950s. This was fascinating.

  • @peace-yv4qd
    @peace-yv4qd 3 года назад +4

    I was born June 2,1945. A few months before the Japanese surrender. In my view the last great generation.

  • @andreaavila4219
    @andreaavila4219 9 лет назад +3

    Very nice!
    Thank you so much for sharing it.

  • @Vicivicoing
    @Vicivicoing 7 лет назад +4

    Very interesting color amateur movies of that period,good transfer as wel from 8 mm to DVD , well done !!

    • @lexba
      @lexba  7 лет назад

      Thanks!

  • @8mmfilmarchive34
    @8mmfilmarchive34 8 лет назад +3

    Interesting. Cool transfer and soundtrack! Thanks!

  • @elizabethhestevold1340
    @elizabethhestevold1340 3 года назад +2

    Happy Days, Happy New Year.🇩🇰🇺🇸🗽🎇🎉Grass Root America.😎 These people made America Great, let's not forget.🦅

  • @danielheartfire614
    @danielheartfire614 3 года назад +1

    This is priceless. Thank you.

  • @cadrolls
    @cadrolls 11 лет назад +5

    This was AWESOME! Thank you for sharing it. I definitely saved it to my favorites!

  • @raggedyann8762
    @raggedyann8762 3 года назад +1

    Just LOVED this video! 🤗

  • @karak9612
    @karak9612 8 лет назад +2

    Enjoyed it! thank you.

  • @gordonlumbert9861
    @gordonlumbert9861 3 года назад +1

    Pollock SD is still a tiny place. Its not too surprising this film includes trips too(San Fran)?

  • @awitlods6451
    @awitlods6451 2 года назад

    Fantastic moment

  • @joeyz5577
    @joeyz5577 Год назад +1

    This is exactly what we need to get back to!

  • @loririchardson1625
    @loririchardson1625 7 лет назад +2

    So lovely!

    • @lexba
      @lexba  7 лет назад +1

      Thanks.

  • @johnpublic8852
    @johnpublic8852 11 лет назад +9

    YEAH, back in my times. Back when America was still a country of the people instead of today, a country of corporations.
    I LOVED those times when men were honorable.

    • @raesmith2164
      @raesmith2164 7 лет назад +3

      John Public And women had a sense of fashion, and knew how to cook haha

    • @markmiller4376
      @markmiller4376 6 лет назад +1

      Come on. Technology might change but human behavior doesn't. That era had its share of scalawags just like today.

    • @MikeyD22
      @MikeyD22 5 лет назад +3

      @@markmiller4376 Actually human behavior has changed significantly since these movies were shot. All you need to do is look at social media and comments from other RUclips videos to see the total lack of civility as well as the constant spewing of hatred.

  • @jasondandan2937
    @jasondandan2937 3 года назад +1

    Great video!

    • @lexba
      @lexba  3 года назад

      I appreciate that remark.

  • @MrPeizo
    @MrPeizo 11 лет назад +2

    simpler life way back then, i almost envied it. the only thing to look forward to was christmas, vacation and a new car

  • @MichaelAuthorAllAges
    @MichaelAuthorAllAges 3 года назад +1

    So Cool! Liked, shared and subscribed. :-)

  • @MrEjidorie
    @MrEjidorie Год назад +1

    In a sense, 1940-1941 was the best period for the United States. While the whole Europe was in a state of war, the United States was peaceful and prosperous until Japan`s attack on Pearl Harbor.

  • @philomeanasandopenocen8368
    @philomeanasandopenocen8368 10 лет назад +4

    Nice video of the good old days

  • @SuperBarbaretta
    @SuperBarbaretta 7 лет назад +2

    Lovely....

    • @lexba
      @lexba  7 лет назад

      Thanks but I am only the editor and not the person who made the films before I was even born.

  • @Enigma758
    @Enigma758 7 лет назад +1

    Is this a frame by frame transfer?

  • @daffyduk77
    @daffyduk77 11 месяцев назад +1

    Didn't see a fat person on these clips. Now you'd be lucky to see many slim ones

  • @Rarestgameplayer
    @Rarestgameplayer 6 лет назад +1

    almost 80 years ago...

  • @slepwick01
    @slepwick01 3 года назад

    This is the first classic film like this of its kind. Before this, people just drew pictures of each other and of their surroundings. Sometimes they filled in the line with paint or colored pencil.

  • @thatmanstumototours2270
    @thatmanstumototours2270 Год назад

    Those kids riding on the fenders by themselves....not happening today...

  • @NealSchultz
    @NealSchultz Год назад +1

    Everybody was very skinny and looked healthy. Just think how much longer they all would've lived without alcohol and cigarettes....

  • @Leo15730
    @Leo15730 Год назад

    What was the method used to digitise these films ??

    • @lexba
      @lexba  Год назад

      Hi Leo. My process: 8mm variable speed film projector, Canon HD camcorder, Windows 10 PC with firewire capture card. The captured digitized files were edited in Corel VideoStudio and rendered into the format published to RUclips.

  • @ghayath2011
    @ghayath2011 10 лет назад +1

    Can anyone recommend a software that adds color to black and white video? Thanks

    • @ghayath2011
      @ghayath2011 10 лет назад

      lexba THANK YOU very much

    • @aneditor1112
      @aneditor1112 9 лет назад

      +ghayath2011 Blender. I've actually done a lazy attempt on my channel, but you could easily do better.

  • @manga12
    @manga12 Год назад +1

    not going to lie I love the outfit on the lady at 3:30 she may be gone and dead in the ground by now but her smile remindes me of a great aunt in a wedding photo of hers from about 5-10 years later but I love the almost red white and blue color of it or maybe purple, but love the red hair bow, its fancy but also kind of youthful, it helps build up the image of the lady much more then the meat market in society today, nothing to the imagination is left, I like when it helps adorn the inner beauty of the lady even if simplistic, and i do think the simplistic patterns look so much nicer visually, and people seemed to dress up just a bit more, now days even for church your luckey to get anymore that dont look like they just rolled out of bed.

  • @jnolette1030
    @jnolette1030 3 года назад +1

    Those days are gone

  • @user-km8ih7yu1g
    @user-km8ih7yu1g Год назад

    板東英二さん(1940年)、徳光和夫さん、仲本工事さん、萩本欽一さん、倍賞千恵子さん(1941年)生まれ。

    • @lexba
      @lexba  Год назад

      The characters translate as:
      Eiji Bando (1940), Kazuo Tokumitsu, Ken Nakamoto, Kinichi Hagimoto, and Chieko Baisho (1941) were born.

  • @richardhinman3046
    @richardhinman3046 Год назад

    A 3-year-old girl sitting, (by herself), on a headlight of a moving automobile. I don't think that would be allowed nowadays. 0:25

  • @chuckwagon5518
    @chuckwagon5518 7 лет назад

    Nice film clips but some of the music doesn't really fit the era portrayed.

    • @lexba
      @lexba  6 лет назад +1

      It was difficult to find appropriate music when editing this video. I was limited to so-called royalty free music, otherwise, the video might have been banned by RUclips. They have become very picky about using commercial music tracks and my other, newer videos, were blocked or banned for weeks.

  • @harrytruax5195
    @harrytruax5195 3 года назад +1

    What?? No cell phones to stare at endlessly? How could they possibly have survived?

  • @jefffriedberg
    @jefffriedberg Год назад

    Background audio shows you were not there and are wrong for attempting this production. Music is all wrong and stoopid.

    • @lexba
      @lexba  Год назад

      Thank you kindly for the constructive criticism.

    • @esmeephillips5888
      @esmeephillips5888 11 месяцев назад +1

      ​@@lexbaAppalling how gratuitously rude people can be behind a cloak of anonymity.
      Thank you for a fascinating glimpse of everyday yesterday. A set of Rockwellian moments.

    • @lexba
      @lexba  11 месяцев назад

      Usually, I delete nonsense comments of the type made by Jeff but it was funny to me because it reflects back on the writer's own level of intelligence.

  • @tylergavin8219
    @tylergavin8219 3 года назад

    We're that town is at is now under water

    • @lexba
      @lexba  3 года назад +1

      Pollock, South Dakota? There are articles it was moved to higher area.

  • @anibalcesarnishizk2205
    @anibalcesarnishizk2205 3 года назад +1

    Hard working people.👍👍👊👊💪💪

  • @garyfrancis6193
    @garyfrancis6193 Год назад

    I wonder what thse people are doing now?

  • @NiinaSKlove
    @NiinaSKlove 3 года назад +1

    Time machine 😄

  • @VickGos-yr2gi
    @VickGos-yr2gi 8 месяцев назад

    What beautiful moments of history, of life in the great 😊 USA 🇺🇸

    • @lexba
      @lexba  8 месяцев назад

      Yes indeed!

  • @Fraevo10
    @Fraevo10 3 года назад +1

    Human Beings are fascinating

  • @wm631
    @wm631 5 лет назад +3

    Jackets and ties at a picnic outing; women in Sunday best there, also (complete with flowery hats). Explain that to kids today.

    • @lexba
      @lexba  5 лет назад +3

      Most people in those days dressed with a sense of pride and it showed in their public attire. Nowadays, even in church, I see some adults dressed as if they just came from the dollar store, the beach or gym.

  • @chrishill6276
    @chrishill6276 Год назад

    1940-41 is not pre war. It had been going since 1939. You in the USA chose not to get involved.

    • @lexba
      @lexba  Год назад

      Chris, you are not the first to make this comment. The film was made in the USA, hence the use of the terms in the title. You didn't state what country you are from but obviously you have a different point of view. If you are Chinese, you might have the view that WW2 started in 1931 or 1937 when Japan invaded China. Nevertheless, the USA declared war on Japan and Germany near the end of 1941. There had been considerable debate and strong pressure among various groups for the USA to stay out of the European war-that is, until Japan attacked America.

  • @Contact_Info
    @Contact_Info 7 лет назад +3

    IT Puts into perspective how brainwashed and controlled we are. see the kids riding on the fender of that old car? 2:13 now a days the parents would be thrown in jail and child services called on the parents. even if they fell off, would the end satisfy the means? the world has gotten so controlled and strict that you cannot live a control free life and just live without someone making one do something to control them. is this freedom? we see this as normal. if the kid fell off, the parents would dust off the kids and get back in the parade, now they would be scorned, and especially of a child god a small scrape. arrest them!! not freedom of the mind or body. we cannot see the difference or know it as this perception of times is all we know. anyways, nice 4th of July parade.

    • @lexba
      @lexba  6 лет назад +1

      Way off topic but I will state this. Do you have or had kids, young nieces and nephews? Would you drive out to an isolated location (so no one could see you), and strap them outside of the vehicle like on the hood or trunk and drive them at slow parade speed for fun? It's not brainwashing--it's common sense that it is and was not safe for a child to ride on the outside of the vehicle as shown in the film. Not just cuts or scrapes to dust off but severe or fatal injuries could have happened. Adults should have know better in 1941 or present day.

  • @Quipson
    @Quipson 5 лет назад

    Why do some men have crappy haircuts and for the women the salon didn't finish what they started? Maybe it was because it was windy outside? The little kids had better haircuts than the adults.

  • @MD-zo7cl
    @MD-zo7cl Год назад

    EVERYONE LOVED THE COUNTRY❤🇺🇸🙏

  • @neinnein9306
    @neinnein9306 3 года назад

    pre-WW2 ?
    The support for Britain and USSR at this time was'nt very neutral, seen partly before in WW1 ;)

  • @elenashulikina452
    @elenashulikina452 Год назад

    NEUROSETNI FILM !!!

  • @johniboz1
    @johniboz1 3 года назад +2

    Wow, flag waving patriots who love their country. Different America. Sad

    • @ikant312
      @ikant312 3 года назад

      But, if we are to be honest, millions of citizens were relegated to second class citizens during that time. Those days were sad because of that. The good old days were not all that good.