Category:
Movies

Signal 30

In 1959, the Ohio State Highway Patrol produced a 27-minute film showing graphic scenes of fatal traffic accidents. The footage was accompanied by a soundtrack of the cries and moans of the victims. They called the film "Signal 30" — referring to the patrol's radio code for fatal accidents.

The film was shown at many high schools, in an attempt to scare kids into being good drivers. Some judges also made people with traffic violations watch it "to atone for their violations." It got some dramatic reactions from viewers. For instance:

One woman rushed from the room, nauseated. Firemen gave her a whiff of ammonia to prevent fainting and she said: "I don't think I'll ever drive again."
Another woman had to be carried from the courtroom and given oxygen after she watched a truck driver burning to death in the color-and-sound film.

The film is now on YouTube, so you can find out how you would react to it. (I actually haven't had the courage to watch it yet.)



Massillon Evening Independent - Jan 20, 1960

Asbury Park Press - Aug 10, 1962



More info: wikipedia.

Posted By: Alex - Wed Oct 05, 2016 - Comments (8)
Category: Death, Movies, Documentaries, 1960s, Cars

Teen Suicide Inspired by Media!



Yes, a "contemporary" trend happening in 1921.

Original story here.

Posted By: Paul - Fri Jul 29, 2016 - Comments (3)
Category: Death, Suicide, Movies, Teenagers, 1920s

The Black Godfather





FINALLY, a figure who can soothe these divisive times!

Posted By: Paul - Wed Jul 20, 2016 - Comments (3)
Category: Crime, Movies, Racism, Stereotypes and Cliches, 1970s

Mystery Illustration 22

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Which very famous movie star--he flourished from the 40s right into our present millennium--is this awkward drawing supposed to represent?

Answer after the jump.






More in extended >>

Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 25, 2016 - Comments (5)
Category: Art, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Movies, 1940s, Twenty-first Century

Enormous Human Voice Movie House Organ

image

image

Original article here.

This seems to me a vivid example of a massively clever technology that totally missed out on the future train. Adding sound capture to film stock itself made this huge device totally obsolescent overnight.

Posted By: Paul - Mon Jun 06, 2016 - Comments (3)
Category: Movies, Technology, 1920s

Dean Jones, Singer

image



Like Shatner, Nimoy and other actors, well-known Disney star Dean Jones fancied himself a singer as well. The opening bellow of this first track reminds me faintly of Jim Morrison.

What do you all think of his talents in this arena?







Posted By: Paul - Sat Jun 04, 2016 - Comments (4)
Category: Celebrities, Ineptness, Crudity, Talentlessness, Kitsch, and Bad Art, Movies, 1960s

Moonbump

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The Moonbump company claims to be suppliers of props to the film and TV industry. I suspect sexual fetishes are really involved, but I hesitate to inquire more deeply.

Posted By: Paul - Tue May 31, 2016 - Comments (8)
Category: Costumes and Masks, Movies, Pregnancy

Circular Drive-in

In 1973, Lloyd Honey opened the Tricircle drive-in movie theater. It was the first-ever circular drive-in. The advantage of this was that it allowed x-rated movies to be shown, because the picture couldn't be seen from surrounding areas. This circular design was marketed as "Visible X" technology, but it doesn't seem to have caught on.

More info from Drive-In Theaters by Kerry Segrave:

Lloyd Honey of [Richland, Washington] already owned a couple of standard-size drive-ins in the area when he opened a miniature one on May 30, 1973. It was circular in shape, with 120 individiual screens each of which was 3 by 4 feet, a sixty-inch diagonal. The projection booth was located in the center of the circle, 165 feet from the viewing area. Using 120 lenses and reflecting mirrors, the image was back-projected to all the screens. Sound was picked up on the car radios. Honey said that this theater — built at a cost of $70,000 — needed just two people to operate it. While not designed specificially for X-rated films, this new theater "could very well show them," Honey conceded. He claimed that it was the "first of its kind on the West Coast." It was also the last.

According to drive-ins.com, the Tricircle was torn down at some point, and there's now a Wal-Mart on the site.



Boxoffice magazine - Oct 20, 1975

Posted By: Alex - Fri May 27, 2016 - Comments (9)
Category: Movies, 1970s

The House of Dreams

Received an email from Mark Cersosimo:

Hi there!
Very recently I traveled to London for the first time and stumbled upon this man named Stephen Wright who’s systematically turning his home into a giant piece of artwork he calls “The House Of Dreams”.
I made a super short film about him and his home, and thought it may be of interest to you and/or your readers 😊 Would love to hear your thoughts.

Definitely WU-worthy. In fact, Wright's House of Dreams is a bit like WU itself — a collection of oddities gathered in one place over many years.


The House Of Dreams from Mark on Vimeo.

Posted By: Alex - Tue May 10, 2016 - Comments (12)
Category: Art, Movies, Documentaries

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Alex is the creator and curator of the Museum of Hoaxes. He's also the author of various weird, non-fiction, science-themed books such as Elephants on Acid and Psychedelic Apes.

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