E-mail us: amdb@ucalgary.ca

Some of the records in our database link to videos that you can watch. Click on the films below.


Some Old Time Films (Paul Tilley, 1911)

"This film includes material originally shot by the Tilley brothers in the 1910s and 1920s. W.H. Tilley later edited, compiled, and transferred these clips to 16mm, adding caption from his perspective forty years later. Scenes of note include a Krit Motor Car demonstration (1910s), a circus parade on Congress Avenue (facing the Capital, 1912) in Austin. While the brothers worked commercially in filmmaking, these clips exhibit their practice as amateur filmmakers that captured footage of personal experiences" Texas Archive of the Moving Image.

Watch: via Texas Archive of the Moving Image


Song After Sorrow (Ray L. Garner, 1939)

"Documentary: Illustrates plight of leprosy victims before and after the opening of the Bibanga Leper Camp by missionaries." National Archives.

Watch: via YouTube


South of Zero: An Odyssey to Australia (Lewis B. Sebring, 1958)

"Amateur travelogue of an extensive trip to Australia photographed and produced by "The Traveling Sebrings," Lewis B. Sebring, Jr. and Alice P. Sebring. Lewis B. Sebring, Jr. was a journalist and war correspondent for the New York Herald-Tribune, who reported on combat in the Southwest Pacific Area theater during World War II. The trip documented in this film, which they referred to also as "An Odyssey to Australia" covers the entire continent of Australia, from Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie, Perth, and Brisbane, and everything in between, usually documented via passenger train. In each city, the film expertly documents landscape, architecture, and people, as well as rural areas and animals." Wisconsin Historical Society.

Watch: via Archive.org


Spy Scoop, The (Arthur H. Smith , 1943)

A group of children who film newsreels attempt to track down an escaped Nazi agent in their community.

Watch: via Archive.org


Sredni Vashtar (David Bradley, 1939)

"In a few days of doldrums before being called for training in the Army Signal Corps, David S. Bradley, presiding genius of Bradley Productions, scenarized, cast, costumed, filmed and directed a screen version of Sredni Vashtar, a short story by Saki. running 800 feet of 16mm. monochrome, the picture is the eighth in the series to be produced by this unusual amateur unit of Winnetka, Ill. having been directly preceded by Peer Gynt and Oliver Twist. It will be Mr. Bradley's last production until after the war. Working with him on Sredni Vashtar was John Jameson, assistant director, with the small cast played by Mrs. Herbert Hyde, Lucielle Powell, Lois Northrop and Reny Kidd, all Bradley Production veterans", Movie Makers, Apr. 1943,158.

Watch: Sredni Vashtar on YouTube


Steam Ballet (John Straiton, 1968)

"Those sensual machines, steam tractors, reveal a remarkable ability to perform to music." Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre.

Watch: via YouTube


Stop the Projector, I Want to Get Off (Sid Spurrier, 1966)

"Stop the Projector, I Want To Get Off features James Weatherburn as the bumbling projectionist who is trying to learn how to run one of the fool contraptions. His attempts are not quite all-out comedy, yet his antics are amusing, and anyone who remembers the day he first tried to run one of these complicated machines will be amused at someone else's interpretation of what the sensation is like" PSA Journal, Sept. 1966, 35.

Watch: YouTube video originally from the Library of Congress Prelinger Archives


Streetcar to Heaven (Arthur H. Smith , 1946)

"Filmed by Arthur H. Smith of San Francisco, the story opens with Jackie, a lad of 4 years, playing on the sidewalk near his home. Observing a kitten crossing the street, his natural inclination toward pets impels him to run into the street after it. An unseen car bears down upon the boy and the driver is unable to avoid striking him down. Jackie is rushed to the hospital where his life is saved with difficulty, although he will be permanently crippled. The doctor advises Jackie's parents that although he has survived the operation, the lad has only a short time to live." Home Movies, Dec. 1946, 749.

Watch: via Archive.org


Suetonius Version, The (Stanley Fox, 1953)

"The Suetonius Version is Stan Fox’s last 16mm amateur film. The story is about a university professor who is fascinated with one of his young female students." (Royal BC Museum)

This film was shot on the UBC campus, including in the closed stacks at the UBC Library.

Watch: Excerpt, via Royal BC Museum, YouTube


Sugar Mountain (George Curtis , 1971)

"Student film made at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago set to "Sugar Mountain," a song by Canadian folk rock singer and composer Neil Young." Chicago Film Archives

Watch: chicagofilmarchives.org


Sundays in the Valley of Mexico (Ralph E. Gray, 1942)

"A colorful travelogue of modern, urban life in Mexico City. "Shows scenes typical of modern Mexico, such as the tall buildings and wide boulevards of Mexico City. The canal leading to Xochimilco, with its fruit- and flower-laden boats, is pictured. Then describes a festival held in honor of the Vice President of the United States, Henry Wallace, when he visited Mexico City. It includes a bullfight and a parade of Mexican beauties. Ends with a pageant of old and new Mexican dances" (War Films Bulletin of the Extension Division Indiana University, February, 1943, 19)" Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive.

Watch: via Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive


Sunny Cuba (Julian Gromer , 1946)

"2 part edited travelogue of the industries and everyday life in featured cities of Cuba. Part 1 begins in Havana before travelling to smaller cities, with a focus on buildings, crops and the everyday lives of the people. Part 2 primarily focuses on industry and includes scenes of a tile factory, basket weaving, as well as the farming of potatoes, sugar cane, bananas, and peanuts. The film also features historical monuments, boating, children at school, cock fights, vendors selling wares, and fishing. People demonstrate manual methods of labor like harvesting crops and cutting grass with machines lead by cattle." Chicago Film Archives.

Watch: Part 1 via Chicago Film Archives

Watch: Part 2 via Chicago Film Archives


Super Colossal Production, A (Arthur H. Smith , 1939)

Comedic short film about an amateur movie club called Super Colossal Pictures.

Watch: via Archive.org


Susie Steps Out (George Ives, 1955)

"Short wide screen amateur film made by George Ives, a Chicago Metro Movie Club member, and edited by Kenosha Cine Club member Ron Doerring. A corresponding 1/4" audio reel for this title is also housed at CFA, but has yet to be digitally transferred" Chicago Film Archives.

Watch: Susie Steps Out on Youtube via Chicago Film Archives


Tambo (Fred C. Ells, 1933)

"Documentary: On the life of rural rice farm families in Japan." National Archives.

Watch: Tambo via National Archives


Tarzan and the Rocky Gorge (Robbins Barstow , 1936)

"Sixteen year old Robbins Barstow, an Amateur Cinema League member and a fan of Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzan movies, rounded up his siblings and friends and led them into the wilds of Granby, Connecticut for this epic tale of a journey into Edgar Rice Burroughs' Africa." via Archive.org

Watch: Via archive.org


Ten Minutes with “Doc” Davis (Robert Davis, 1947)

"Short documentary about fountain pen repairs and the process of repairs within a fountain pen hospital. The film begins with a client handing over his pen to the receptionist. From there the pen goes to Robert "Doc" Davis, who performs a nine point check-up on the pen. This is followed by exploded views of various pen models, including the Schaeffer Triumph, Parker 51 and the Eversharp Skyline. Last, the film shows how gold lettering is used on both pends and leather goods. Outtake scenes of the pen hospital and its employees follows the film." Chicago Film Archives.

Watch: via Chicago Film Archives


Tense Moment (Arthur H. Smith , 1953)

Thriller film about an escaped murderer, and a nearby woman who is home alone.

Watch: via Archive.org


This Is a Hobby? (John R. Kibar, 1958)

"An amateur film made by and starring the husband and wife duo, John & Evelyn Kibar. The Kibars are on a search for a hobby, and decide upon filmmaking. A domestic mishap by Mrs. Kibar results in their film being edited incorrectly. Title cards displaying dialogue are dispersed throughout the film." Chicago Film Archives

Watch: chicagofilmarchives.org


Those Other Years (Irene Tapp, 1959)

"A documentary what will keep on film those disappearing landmarks of fond childhood memories. Members of the family reenact those wonderful memories. The children are vehicles of a flash back, at play, caring for dolls and pets. The energies of little boys and girls doing things that we may relive as we watch the Tapps' other years. A delightful family picture" PSA Journal, Nov. 1959, 47.

Watch: via the University of Utah


Tiburón, tiburón [Shark, shark] (Miguel Ángel Quintana, 1976)

Pequeña historia de náufragos donde una mujer es llevada por sus más ardorosos sentimientos, comprobando los límites del egoísmo del hombre.

Short story about castaways in which a woman is carried away by her most burning feelings, proving the limits of man's selfishness.

Watch: Via Miguel Ángel Quintana's Vimeo Channel


Tides of Fundy (William M. Harlow, 1961)

Watch: Tides of Fundy via SUNY ESF


Toketie Makes Another Cruise Summer 1940 (Francis J. Barrow, 1940)

"Coastal people, places and scenery between Vancouver Island and the mainland. Includes footage of Indian villages, pictographs, birds and wildlife, logging operations, other vessels, etc. One sequence shows a Kelly raft of aviation spruce being broken up; another shows logs being unloaded from the log barge 'Monongahela' (formerly the ship 'Balasore', whose figurehead is shown sitting on shore). The B.C. Packers cannery at Quathiaski Cove is shown. Troops arrive at Nanaimo from Vancouver on the 'Princess Victoria' and parade through the streets" British Columbia Archives.

Watch: Aviation spruce for new warplanes; spruce logs are broken from a Kelly raft and unloaded from a log barge. Teakerne Arm, BC, August 1940.


Topaz (Dave Tatsuno, 1945)

"Amateur film footage shot by Dave M. Tatsuno while he was interned at the Topaz War Relocation Center, the Japanese-American internment camp located in Delta, Utah. The footage dates from 1942-1945, the years that Tatsuno was interned in the camp." Archives West.

Watch: B&W version of Topaz with narration by Dave Tatsuno (0:00-46:14)


Touring Paris with Two Grandchildren (Robbins Barstow , 1992)

"In September 1992, Robbins Barstow and his wife Meg, of Wethersfield, Connecticut, USA, celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary by spending ten days visiting their son David and his family in Paris, France. Their two grandchildren, Geoffrey and Suzanna, showed them the sights of the city of lights, including the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, Grand Opera House, and the Louvre." Archive.org

Watch: via A/V Geeks (Archive.org)


Transformation (John R. Kibar, 1960)

"An amateur film made by the husband and wife duo, John & Evelyn Kibar, about rock tumbling or lapidary work. It begins with the Kibars selecting stones on a Wisconsin beach followed by Mrs. S. Jerry crafting these collected stones into decorative items." Chicago Film Archives

Watch: chicagofilmarchives.org


Tree Portraits (William M. Harlow, 1956)

'This film presents a revelation of the beauty and colorful activity of the trees of New York State. Beautiful time-lapse pictures show the emerging buds, leaves, and flowerings on the trees. The identifying features on tree branches, flowers, fruit, and bark are shown, utilizing time-lapse photography to show the moving detail," via SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.

Watch: Video via SUNY ESF


Trees: How to Know Them (William M. Harlow, 1970)

"This color film, released in partnership with the International Film Bureau Inc., presents the identifying features of trees as they change through the seasons. The bud and leaf scars of the deciduous broad-leaved trees are examined, as well as the distinguishing features of their bark. The cones and needles of the narrow-leaved evergreens are also described and compared. Extensive time-lapse photography shows the emergence of new leaves and flowers as spring arrives. Size, shape, and the arrangement of the buds and leaves on the twig are presented as ways of distinguishing and identifying trees, " via SUNY College of Environmental Science and Foresty.

Watch: Trees: How to Know Them via SUNY ESF


Tussle on the Trestle, The (Robert Davis)

"A man pulls over to repair a flat tire on his car and is quickly ambushed and robbed by a passerby. The victim regains consciousness and soonafter chases the robber up onto a train overpass where the two battle it out." Chicago Film Archives

Watch: chicagofilmarchives.org


Two Paper Cups (, 1951)

"Under the able direction of Kenneth E. Carrier, ACL, a production unit of the Grand Rapids Amateur Movie Club has produced an engrossing film drama based on a short-short story from a Billy Rose column. Two Paper Cups begins as if it would tell the familiar tale of a bored husband plotting the murder of his wife for the love of that "other woman." But a double switch at the plot's end saves the life of the married woman and, with irony but without need, takes the life of the husband. Top notch photography, expert staging and lighting, good acting and skillful editing make this photoplay an outstanding example of cooperative filming at its best." Movie Makers, Dec. 1951, 410.

Watch: Two Paper Cups on YouTube


Total Pages: 10