The Secret Cinema presents
TOP SECRET 2024: FILMS YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO SEE
Thursday, February 8, 2024
8:00 pm
Admission: FREE
On Thursday, February 8, the Secret Cinema will present another program of short films never intended for viewing by the general public. It will screen at University City's Rotunda, as part of their monthly free "Bright Bulb" film series.
TOP SECRET 2024: FILMS YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO SEE showcases films produced to convey private information from the government, the military and big business, instructional or motivational in nature, to carefully targeted audiences of battle forces in the field, small business owners, large corporations and wholesale buyers of products. Spanning from the cold war era through the 1970s, these forgotten reels reveal long hidden and often surprising views of mid-century America. At least one of these films was originally marked as containing "Restricted" information (and for all we know it is still officially restricted!).
An irregular series, TOP SECRET programs have been presented by Secret Cinema a couple of times before, but this episode contains all-new material, never before shown by us (or probably anyone else since their original private screenings).
There will be one complete program, starting at 8:00 pm. Admission is free.
As always with Secret Cinema events, the films will be shown using real film (not video) projected on a giant screen.
Just a few highlights of TOP SECRET 2024: FILMS YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO SEE are:
POLICE PURSUIT DRIVING (1964, Jam Handy Productions for Chevrolet) - For rookie cops learning how to lay rubber around city streets like Starsky and Hutch, this instructional film provided valuable tips on how to do so safely (or at least a tad less dangerously) -- while also showcasing the excellent handling of Chevy's latest Bel Air model, equipped with optional "police package."
Sales cartoon (1952) - "Here's Ted Sanders, salesman of industrial lubricants..." But Ted's clever tactics could help any salesman facing tough obstacles to closing the deal. The minimal, very 1950s animation style helped sell the message to its audience.
SUSTAINED OPERATIONS (1947, U.S.A.F.) - A motivational film for members of the newly formed U.S. Air Force, stressing the need for diligence across all of the supporting teams ensuring the constant readiness needed for our air dominance across the Pacific.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN PROGRESS REPORT 1960 (IBM) - Eliot Noyes worked for IBM for 21 years, creating their first corporate-wide design program. In this rare film he discusses those design concerns, showing how they created a practical, unified look for their new computer consoles, paper tape readers and high speed printers. Noyes would soon design the IBM Selectric typewriter and the look of Mobil gas stations, and is considered one of the key industrial designers and architects of the 20th century.
Plus FOR THOSE WHO SERVE (Exide Battery), "Colgate convention reel," and much more!
Admission is FREE
TOP SECRET 2024: FILMS YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO SEE showcases films produced to convey private information from the government, the military and big business, instructional or motivational in nature, to carefully targeted audiences of battle forces in the field, small business owners, large corporations and wholesale buyers of products. Spanning from the cold war era through the 1970s, these forgotten reels reveal long hidden and often surprising views of mid-century America. At least one of these films was originally marked as containing "Restricted" information (and for all we know it is still officially restricted!).
An irregular series, TOP SECRET programs have been presented by Secret Cinema a couple of times before, but this episode contains all-new material, never before shown by us (or probably anyone else since their original private screenings).
There will be one complete program, starting at 8:00 pm. Admission is free.
As always with Secret Cinema events, the films will be shown using real film (not video) projected on a giant screen.
Just a few highlights of TOP SECRET 2024: FILMS YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO SEE are:
POLICE PURSUIT DRIVING (1964, Jam Handy Productions for Chevrolet) - For rookie cops learning how to lay rubber around city streets like Starsky and Hutch, this instructional film provided valuable tips on how to do so safely (or at least a tad less dangerously) -- while also showcasing the excellent handling of Chevy's latest Bel Air model, equipped with optional "police package."
Sales cartoon (1952) - "Here's Ted Sanders, salesman of industrial lubricants..." But Ted's clever tactics could help any salesman facing tough obstacles to closing the deal. The minimal, very 1950s animation style helped sell the message to its audience.
SUSTAINED OPERATIONS (1947, U.S.A.F.) - A motivational film for members of the newly formed U.S. Air Force, stressing the need for diligence across all of the supporting teams ensuring the constant readiness needed for our air dominance across the Pacific.
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN PROGRESS REPORT 1960 (IBM) - Eliot Noyes worked for IBM for 21 years, creating their first corporate-wide design program. In this rare film he discusses those design concerns, showing how they created a practical, unified look for their new computer consoles, paper tape readers and high speed printers. Noyes would soon design the IBM Selectric typewriter and the look of Mobil gas stations, and is considered one of the key industrial designers and architects of the 20th century.
Plus FOR THOSE WHO SERVE (Exide Battery), "Colgate convention reel," and much more!
Admission is FREE