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

Betty Boop and the Little King

1936

Betty Boop and the Little King

Betty Boop and the Little King - 1936

Is it any wonder that the first alternative comic book artists like R. Crumb and Kim Deitch give immense credit to Max Fleischer, animator of Betty Boop, Koko the Clown, Bimbo the Dog, Popeye, and Superman? Fleischer’s cartoons definitely have a surreal feel about them, lending themselves to psychedelic inspiration.  

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Ted Weems Orchestra

1930's

Ted Weems Orchestra

Flapper Chorus Line with Ted Weems Orchestra - 1930

You know you’ve made the Big Time when you’re leading a band that’s accompanied with a chorus line of perky flappers. But then again, if you’re Ted Weems in the early 1930’s, this is the life of a famous radio bandleader. Just another day at the beach on the Eastern Seaboard during the Jazz Age, […]

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Walkin’ Home, Again

1920's

Walkin’ Home, Again

Walkin' Home, Again - 1920's

A bevy of flappers prances around the beach, having such a good time they can’t help but strip to their skivvies. A ragamuffin, who watches them from behind a rock, swipes their clothes as they play carelessly in the waves. What to do this time? Guess they’ll be walkin’ home again.  

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New Orleans of the 1920s

1920's

New Orleans of the 1920s

New Orleans - 1920's

Newsreel documentary from the 1920’s with photography and animations illustrating old New Orleans, the Crescent City, at work and at play. Duelling oaks. Influences of colonial France and Spain. Iron grille work. The old townhouses surrounding open courts. New Orleans, the industrial city, where ports and depot junctions distribute throughout, and out from, the heart […]

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Jack Johnson: Tiger Rag

1930's

Jack Johnson: Tiger Rag

Jack Johnson: Tiger Rag - 1930s

In this clip, the great boxer Jack Johnson, Heavyweight Champion of the World (1908–1915), conducts the song Tiger Rag, showing that he is quick on his feet both in the ring and on the stage. After defeating James J. Jeffries in original “Fight of the Century” in 1910, Jack Johnson became a cultural icon in […]

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Frank Westphal’s Orchestra: Sing You Sinners

1920's

Frank Westphal’s Orchestra: Sing You Sinners

Frank Westphal's Orchestra: Sing You Sinners - 1930's

In this soundie from the early 1930’s, Frank Westphal’s Orchestra performs Sing You Sinners live on WENR Chicago. Westphal, a native to Chicago, began his career as a pianist-for-hire in vaudeville around 1910. It was during his time on the circuit that the up-and-coming performer met the great singer Sophie Tucker who hired him as […]

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