Weirdo Video Rare & authentic films of cultural, historical, and ironical significance.

Bela Lam & Family: Poor Little Benny

1920's

Bela Lam & Family: Poor Little Benny

Bela Lam & Family: Poor Little Benny - 1920's

Virginia native Zanddervon Beliah Lamb, renamed Bela Lam by Okeh Records, performs the song Poor Little Benny with wife Rose Meadows. With Bela’s brother-in-law Paul and son Alva, they became local favorites near the Blue Ridge Mountain region in the 1920’s, eventually being called to New York City to record six songs. Influenced by the […]

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Greenwich Village Sunday

1960

Greenwich Village Sunday

Greenwich Village Sunday - 1960

Take a stroll through the streets, parks and neighborhoods that make up Greenwich Village. Before Washington Square became the NYU undergrad film school back lot, the area was known for its street art, spontaneous hootenannies, poetry jam sessions and neighborhood fairs. Take a walk around the Village before it became too cool for you.  

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Whistler’s Jug Band: Foldin’ Bed

1929

Whistler’s Jug Band: Foldin’ Bed

Whistler & His Jug Band: Foldin' Bed - 1929

Whistler & His Jug Band came up out of Louisville, Kentucky, and became the first recorded jug band, according to R Crumb’s Heroes of Blues, Jazz & Country. They recorded at least twenty-one songs between 1924 and 1931. The names of the musicians remain unknown.    

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How to Live in a City

1960's

How to Live in a City

How to Live in a City - 1964

Have you ever wondered what makes some cities better than others? In public access television pioneer George C. Stoney’s ‘How to Live in a City,’ the argument is that it all depends on the quality of the public space. New York City folk singer and architectural critic Eugene Raskin guides us through unique locales which […]

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Pete Seeger: To Hear Your Banjo Play

1940's

Pete Seeger: To Hear Your Banjo Play

Pete Seeger: To Hear Your Banjo Play - 1947

Folk master Pete Seeger narrates Alan Lomax’s documentary on the evolution and appreciation of American folk music. Special cameo performances include Woody Guthrie and Brownie McGhee, amongst many others.

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Zip Code with the Swingin’ Six

1960's

Zip Code with the Swingin’ Six

Zip Code with the Swingin' Six - 1960's

As the American communities and cities grew in the mid-twentieth century, so did the complexity of managing the immense mass of mail posted each day. The postal service needed a new process in which to map a package to it’s recipient. From this was born the Zip Code system. In this educational film aimed at […]

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Grand Coulee Dam

1950's

Grand Coulee Dam

Newsreel: Grand Coulee Dam - 1953

With America’s infrastructure crumbling, it’s time we took a look back at our past achievements, their purpose, and why we need to rebuild and maintain them. The Grand Coulee Dam was built upon the Columbia River during the Roosevelt Administration between 1933 and 1942. To this day, The Grand Coulee is the largest electric power […]

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Turkey in the Straw

1920's

Turkey in the Straw

Turkey in the Straw - 1920's

In this rare clip from the late 1920’s, an unknown group of musicians perform the American classic “Turkey in the Straw,” which dates back to the 19th century. A mesh of Irish and other folk melodies, “Turkey in the Straw” was popularized in early musical minstrel shows in the 1920’s. As its recognition grew, it […]

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