Castle Films

Dramatic Universal newsreel footage of the Hindenburg disaster which took place on Thursday, May 6, 1937, when the German passenger airship LZ 129 Hindenburg caught fire and was destroyed during its attempt to dock with its mooring mast at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station, New Jersey. Of the 97 people on board (36 passengers, 61 crew), there were 35 fatalities; there was also one death among the ground crew. The actual cause of the fire remains unknown, although a variety of hypotheses have been put forward for both the cause of ignition and the initial fuel for the ensuing fire. The incident shattered public confidence in the giant, passenger-carrying rigid airship and marked the end of the airship era.

Newsreel coverage of the Anschluß in 1938 and it's associated global reaction.

A tour through the South Sea islands including Tahiti, New Zealand, Fiji, Pago Pago, Papua and Kalabahai

Watch and enjoy the large variety of acts in an old-fashioned circus! The film was made available in sound and silent versions.

See the variety of water-skiing in beautiful Cypress Gardens, Florida!

A live-action visualization of the poem, blended with animation.

Lou and Bud start their new job as live-in caretakers on a college campus by trying - very trying - to get their own quarters cleaned up.

A silent short documentary highlighting winter sports - skating, skiing, bobsled, dogsledding, and features lots of folks falling down.

Castle Films 1939 holiday offering wrapped up to make a Merry Christmas merrier. A visual kaleidoscope of the toys from all over the world from the cuddly to the curious and beyond...with an emphasis on mechanical dolls, monkeys, bears, rabbits popping up out of cabbages and choo-choo trains. And there is a rich sampling of animated displays that once graced department store windows - of story-book tales and operettas... and animated stop-motion toy soldiers, The musical track is drawn mostly from Van Beuren Studio's "Pastrytown Wedding."

A short look back on the legacy of Rudolph Valentino, produced by Castle Films for the home gauge market. Multiple versions of the short film exist- one with spoken narration and music, and one in silent form. Reportedly a big moneymaker for Castle-- and proof of Valentino's lasting appeal.

A summary of the main events of 1946 as captured in newsreels.

Made for the home market, this silent Castle Film was one of the releases in the "Sports Parade" series. It was based on a Warner Brothers series of the same name which ran in theaters prior to the feature.

Travelogue showcasing the sights of Ireland, including Dublin and Galway.

A simple story of a woman being courted by two beaux.

Adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of a destitute little girl who sells matches, and uses them to escape the cold on Christmas Eve, whisking her into fantasies of seeing Santa Claus and her lost mother.

Mammy gives Little Black Sambo a quick scrub on the washboard, then pats him down with baby powder, black baby powder, before sending him off to play. She warns him about the tiger...

Bixby College needs to win the girls' basketball tourney prize-money in order to survive, but a pair of gamblers have brought in some Amazonian ringers to play for the opposition and Lou, in drag, is playing for the Bixby team.

A silent short film promoting the United States Citizens Defense Corps, a group in which civilians served locally to aid in the war effort and to prepare their cities for possible military attacks.

When Clarabell the clown puts a white tube instead of a black tube into the television, he disappears into a puff of smoke as a strange and wonderful sight appears on screen for Howdy Doody and Bob Smith to enjoy.