Rare Football Films: The Newsreels

The Buckeyes’ first game is just a week away and what better way to celebrate the start of a new season than with Rare Football Films, a program of vintage gridiron films drawn from newsreels in the Hearst Metrotone News Collection at the UCLA Film & Television Archive. Before televisions became a fixture in homes, these newsreels allowed fans to actually watch players from around the country in action. Come out and see such greats as Ohio State’s Hopalong Cassady, Knute Rockne of Notre Dame, and “Doc” Blanchard and Glenn Davis of Army, plus Psycho’s Janet Leigh horsing around with the Boston College team, baseball great Jackie Robinson of the UCLA Bruins, Cleveland's Jim Brown, and more!

Former Ohio State and NFL standouts John Hicks and Bobby Carpenter join Director of Film/Video David Filipi for a discussion after the films. (program app. 100 mins., video)

Cosponsored with Ohio State’s Department of Athletics.

Special thanks to Todd Wiener and Steven Hill of the UCLA Film & Television Archive for their assistance with this program.

Tailgate Party | 5:30 PM
$13 members
$15 general public

Come early and get fired up for the newsreels as we fill the plaza with the smells, tastes, sights, and sounds of a typical Buckeye tailgate picnic, complete with the Ohio State Pep Band. Your ticket to the tailgate covers food and film admission. A cash bar will be available. (Rain location: Mershon Auditorium Lobby.)

Cosponsored with The Ohio State University Alumni Association.

Films shown will include: 

California vs. Ohio State. 1953, 1:16.

Grid Headlines: First Bowl Game Played Indoors. 1964, 1:02.

Princeton and Yale Football Game. 1903, silent, 3:29.

Knute Rockne Dies in Airplane Crash. 1931, 1:10.

Mr. Hoover Watches Alma Mater Conquer Rival Football Team. 1928, silent, 1:01.

Giants Trip Browns in Thriller. 1958, 1:34.

Football Foundation Honors MacArthur. 1959, 39 secs.

Football? Don’t They Read Weather Reports! 1959, 53 secs. 

UCLA and USC Football Stars. 1939, Silent, 53 secs. 

Chicago Bears vs. New York Giants. 1935, 3:43. 

Ohio State 31 – Wisconsin 14. 1954, 1:04.

Game of the Week – LSU Just Makes It. 1959, 1:39.

Joe Foss Named Commissioner of New American Football League. 1959, 1:42.

Titans Launch American Football League. 1960, 1:36. 

Super Bowl – Professional Football’s “Game of the Century.” 1967, 3:14. 

Packers vs. All-Stars. 1966, 1:43. Packers included Bart Starr, Herb Adderly, Jim Taylor, etc.

The Champion Gridiron Fans! – Norfolk, VA. 1936, 1:20.

Army vs. Navy in Grid Battle of the Year! 1946, 4:40. 

Ohio State Stops Iowa. 1961, 1:51.

Football Greets the New Year – Rose Bowl. 1962, 1:07.

Ohio State vs. Illinois. 1964, 1:18. 

Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings. 1975, 1:39.

Cassady Hops to Pro Ranks. 1956. Silent, 1:13.

Tittle Ties TD-Pass Record. 1962, 1:23.

Cleveland Browns Win Natonal “Pro” Title. 1955, 1:06.

Pete Dawkins Plays Cricket for Oxford. 1960, 55 secs. 

Demolish Site of First Atomic Chain Reaction (University of Chicago). 1957, silent & sound, 1:47.

New Discovery Stirs the Football World. 1936, 1:07.

Miss Janet Leigh, MGM Star – Becomes Favorite Mascot of Boston College Football Team. 1949, silent, 2:04.

Ohio State 21 – Michigan 7. 1954, 1:14.