Weirdo
Happy New Year 2010 with Moonlight Cocktails
Happy New Year 2010 with a round of Moonlight Cocktails for everyone!
Compliments of Weirdo Video.
Aqua Frolics - 1940's
Weirdo Video will return soon ... after we return from our summer 2009 sabbatical, scouring the planet for lost vintage films for you viewing pleasure.
In the meantime, please cool-off with some Aqua Frolics ...
Yours truly,
Roland Faust
Proprietor
Weirdo Video
Door to Heaven - 1941
This bizarre, low-budget film was produced to propagate "the gospel of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," at least the one according to the members of this religious sect based in Wheaton, Illinois.
Setting itself up as an instruction manual on how to get your soul through those pearly gates, the film really stretches the door metaphor thin.
Some quick tips for those who want to get to Heaven –
- Door to heaven is identifiable by a stencil that reads “Door to Heaven” above it
- The door will permit toddler sinners only if accompanied by a parent or guardian
- Like an am/pm market or 7-11, it’s open all night; we recommend the sweat dogs
- Like a museum, admission is free after 5pm on the third Tuesday of each month
- There is no alarm system so it’s possible to slip through the window at night
- Sometimes those jokers inside will lock you out and turn on the fire sprinkler system
- No large boxes admitted; baggage must be stowed away in overhead compartments
- Anyone conveying poorly-conceived symbolic props will be barred from entry
- Suspected socialists or communists behind the door since you cannot bring in money
- No other material possessions will be admitted except double-breasted business suits
- Certain times of the year there may be a line to get in; please be patient with the bouncer
- Selling magazine subscriptions or six-packs of Kool Aid can get you on the guest list
- You may also just “Come” – yeah, that gets you through that door to heaven
- Door may be locked indefinitely at an undetermined future date
It also appears that the Door to Heaven, at least in this case, would not fit anyone taller than 6’2” or heavier than 320lbs.
Sorry big and tall types- No Heaven for you!
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Parade - 1902
April 1, 1901 or July 2, 1902. Mutoscope & Biograph Co.
In 1883 William Frederick ''Buffalo Bill'' Cody founded ''Buffalo Bill's Wild West.'' This was a circus-like spectacle that toured the United States annually. Over the years, the show changed names and was constantly being updated with new and exciting acts. In 1889, Buffalo Bill took his show to Europe and it was a huge success, especially in France.
This film shows Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, parading down Fifth Avenue promoting the show with military men, cowboys, Indians, Turks, Gauchos, Arabs, Mongols, and Cossacks all participating in the parade, each sporting the garb of his native land and Buffalo Bill Cody himself greeting spectators and admirers.
Americas spirit for celebrating events began with the Federal Procession of 1788 and the inauguration of George Washington as the first President a year later. Nowhere was a love of celebration more apparent than in New York City. By the nineteenth century, parades were a big part of the city's fabric of consciousness. Celebrations were sponsored by city government, political parties, local commercial institutions, and immigrant groups. All of these were vital parts of celebratory life in New York City.
This film is a good example of a commercial promotion for the latest show to come to town, closely related to the circus tradition of advertising. Before radio and television, the only means of mass communications were word of mouth, newspapers, handbills and street posters, and the undeniable presence of a large and boisterous parade.
Recommended reading:
Day of Jubilee / The Great Age of Public Celebrations in New York, 1788-1909 Brooks McNamara
