The Films of Richard Massingham (video)

In 2003, there was an exceptional touring program of short films that made its way across North American theaters. How To Be Eccentric: The Films of Richard Massingham was a program of short films made between the 1930s and the 1950s by Richard Massingham, a man who trained for a medical career but ended up making a better name for himself from his part-time hobby of amateur film-making.

His short films, on such subjects as the dangers of spreading germs and posting your Christmas parcels early, are surprisingly entertaining, even after 50+ years. Most of them starred Massingham himself, who usually played a not-so-bright character who had to be taught the benefits of such modern manners as sneezing into one's handkerchief.

The Massingham film collection was supposed to be released on DVD, but after 5 years we've yet to see it show up. Thankfully those 5 years have also seen vast improvements in online video-watching, and we can now see a sampling of Massingham's work online.

Here's a listing of Massingham videos on YouTube:

Pedestrian Crossing -- how to cross the street safely
Coughs and Sneezes -- how to use your handkerchief
Jet Propelled Germs -- how to not spread germs
A Warning to Travellers -- don't take too much currency out of the country!
Watch Your Meters -- a reminder to conserve energy

Enjoy this short retrospective of Massingham's work. Here's hoping that DVD release shows up sometime soon...

Comments

[K]

Say, that first vid is actually secret footage of the interrogation of Khalid Sheik Mohammed. Where'd you get it?

[zom]

i thought it was a sneeze fetish video!
good editing and pacing for the time. the repeated sneezing was a bit much though.

[Parq]

I watched the taking-currency and crossing-the-street vids, and I found them totally charming. The car running down the breakfast tray made me laugh out loud before I had my first coffee, a time when I rarely even feel like speaking. Thanks for this, L-Jim!

[Austin]

I liked the pedestrian crossing one the best. I like how it implied that if you're not in a cross walk, a driver has the right to run you over. How very British!

[The Herb Whisperer]

The Massingham films linked to here are available on a DVD with many other UK "Public Information Films" from the 50's to the 80's:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Charley-Says-Public-Information-Films/dp/B0001HK0JI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1215512558&sr=8-1

http://www.networkdvd.net/product_info.php?products_id=23

[LA Shorts Fest]

The 12th Annual LA Shorts Fest returns to Hollywood August 15 – 21, 2008 at the Laemmle Sunset 5 Theaters. The largest short film festival premieres the best shorts in the world. In past years, 30 participants have earned Academy Award nominations, with 9 filmmakers actually taking home the Oscar. This is where entertainment professionals and trend setters discover the next hot new talents. 323-461-4400 www.lashortsfest.com