We have a mild addiction to outlandish old-time videos of Los Angeles, so we were thrilled when the Associated Press and newsreel archive British Movietone began uploading 17,000 hours of archival footage to YouTube.
Most of the AP videos of Los Angeles are a nostalgic trip through recent history, with B-roll, interviews and raw footage of everything from the OJ Simpson trial to David Beckham's move to LA. But the Movietone News segments are a goldmine for odd LA history, all articulated by alliteration-addicted announcers. As an added bonus, most videos are bookended by unrelated snippets from other segments; some of the transitions provide as much humor as they do historical context. You can search through more of the LA-specific segments here, but we've picked out a few of our absurd favorites below.
Snow in California
Watch as we get mocked for shoveling snow in summer attire—though apparently using open flames to keep orange groves warm was perfectly normal.
Los Angeles, Car City
"Los Angeles is slowly choking itself to death." Any day now, guys. Any day.
Girls Bare their Backs To Science
This video's subtitle promised "Los Angeles osteopaths organize a new contest for California flappers." What we got was more lab-coated creep feeling up bee-yoo-tiful backs in the name of scoliosis prevention. "Ooh, doctor, you're tickling me," whimpers Miss Laurie Sherman, owner of a first-class spine. "Well I always tickle all of them," snickers the trusted medical professional.
Los Angeles Fire Trap
Glendale, Burbank and Eagle Rock burn as ominous music backs images of what looks like a fire hose being fed into a massive fan as average citizens shovel dirt over flames.
Knife-Thrower Does William Tell Act
What's the easiest way to undress a woman? With throwing axes and "a clean-cut way of making a living," of course.
The Bridegroom is a Poor Fish
If you thought getting married underwater in a swimming pool while wearing diving helmets would be original, these two have you beat by a few decades.
Shirley Temple Inaugurates Tram Service in Los Angeles
The beloved child star (who also appears in this Rose Parade video) collects tickets and gives her best "All aboard!" for the new Los Angeles Railway Co. car. But the way it's edited, we'd like to think she's the one driving the tram, too.
Roads into Rivers
This otherwise ordinary segment about a 1964 mudslide becomes suddenly bleak when it focuses on Frank Sinatra's pianist Bill Miller, who lost his hillside Burbank home to flooding. And then, there's this horrifically matter-of-fact surprise: "Mrs. Miller was swept away."