The Universal Newsreel: The Fifties

The fifties reels, made while the audience that watched them was moving to the living room.

Year: 1950
Made by: Universal Newsreel
Directed by: Universal newsreel unit
Free to use because: In the public domain — no licence terms attached

The note

By the mid-fifties the newsreel is competing with the thing that will kill it, and you can hear the strain: shorter items, brighter delivery, more sport and novelty. It remains a remarkable weekly index of what was considered news.

Universal Newsreel, twice weekly in American cinemas from 1929 to 1967. Universal gave the entire library to the public in 1974 and it is held by the National Archives, so these are public domain outright rather than by lapse of renewal. What plays here is the reel’s soundtrack — narration, music bed and location sound.

142 recordings

War or Peace? 1950 Fateful Year

New Commander. Gen. Clark Succeeds Ridgway As UN Chief

Atom Sub. President Officiates At Laying Of Keel

Korea See-Saw Battle For 'Baldy' Ridge Rages

Politics. Ike Stumps Midwest; Adlai's Son A Marine

Politics. Ike Okays Nixon; Adlai In Baltimore

President. Foreign Students Hear Peace Hopes

At the Summit

Ike's Challenge

Ike Returns. Sees Progress at Geneva Conference

Ike Returns. Sees Progress at Geneva Conference

Journey Bound. Fliers Freed After Two Years Captivity

Hoover 81. Shrine made of Boyhood Home

Storm Havoc. Hurricane Kills 43, Damage 15 Millions

Air Defenses

Northeast Devastated by Floods

Flood Relief. President Inspects Area and Speeds Aid

U.S.S. Forrestal

U.S.S. Forrestal

New York City

The President. 1st Pictures of ike Since His Illness

Deadlock. East-West Tensions Stymie Geneva Meet

Ike Returns. Thousands Hail Him at Capital

Labor Merger. AF of L and CIO Join Forces

U.S. Jet Planes Go To Airforce of The Netherlands

Guided Missile. Navy Tests Newest Atomic War Weapon

Guided Missile. Navy Tests Newest Atomic War Weapon

Army Digs In for Defense of Arctic

New Missile May Replace Navy's Guns

Full Scale War Looms in Middle East

ea Sentinel. Navy Demonstrates Offshore Radar

Armed Forces display U.S. Might On Observance Day

H-Bomb Blast Exploded at 15,000 Feet Over Pacific

Cyprus Riots

Red Carpet for Tito in Moscow

New York

Reds Withdraw. Cut Down Troops in East Germany

Freedom Flight. Hungarians Seize Plane to Germany

Ike In Panama. Urges Atom Plan for Hemisphere

Suez Canal Seized By Egyptians

Suez Crisis. British, French Rush Warships to Area

Suez Crisis. British, French Rush Warships to Area

Press Parley. Ike Urges Caution on Seizure of Suez

Press Parley. Ike Urges Caution on Seizure of Suez

Republican Convention

It's Ike and Nixon! 1956/08/23

Fleet Review. Secretary Honored in 200 Ship Parade

Space Secrets. new Rocket To Seek New Cosmic Data

Freedom Road. Hungarian Patriots force Red Retreat

War in Egypt. British and French Bomb Its Key Cities

Eisenhower Re-Elected

Landslide for Eisenhower

Near East Crisis. Invasions Complete, UN Will Take Over

Walk Out. Hungarian puppets Quit UN Assembly

2nd Atom Sub Sea Wolf Undergoes First Sea Trials

Redstone Missile In production

Tel Aviv Israel, 1957-02-14

A New Nation. Gold Coast becomes Ghana In Ceremony

Kansas

Spanish Revolution Anniversary

New Aerial Work Horse Wears Skiis

Maryland, 1957-05-30

Atom Fallout. New Tests Begin As Safety Debate Rages

British H-Bomb Fired As Debate On Atom Test Ban Rages

French Air Show

'Moon' Is Born. The Story of 'Project Vanguard'

Dedication. Warren, Hoover, Hail New Truman Library

Jet Record. Coast To Coast In 3 Hours, 23 Minutes

Red Colonel. Top-Ranking Russian Spy Chief Captured

New Moon. Reds Launch First Space Satellite

Ike Denies U.S. lag In Missiles

Space Race. U.S. In Lead With 4.000-Mile Rocket

Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania

Ike Reports. First Missile Recovered From Flight In Space

Air Force Gets A New Theme Song

Baghdad pact. Unified Military Command Seen

Navy's Satellite. Vanguard Fails in Second Launching

Britain Mourns. Soccer Champs Die In Plane Crash