The Stories in the Cards

By Brian Shetler

As I’ve been working with the card catalog of WHDH film clips from the 1960s and 1970s, I’ve come across a few interesting, wholly unintentional instances where the text on the cards seem to have an artistic value of their own. Similar to Félix Fénéon’s Novels in Three Lines or the Six-Word Memoirs from Smith Magazine, these summaries not only provide a glimpse into the real-life material in the films, they can also stand on their own as (very) short stories.

During the WHDH process, some of these brief, poetic moments will jump out at me and provide a slightly different perspective on the card in question. These unintended stories are sometimes odd, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always intriguing. Since I found them interesting, I thought it worth sharinga few:

Orangutan “wedding”

Boston Stock Exchange Record high following Viet Peace prospects

Museum of Science interview, Jack Hayes talks to tall thin man

Olmstead, Mr. Wm. on beard discrimination at school department

Otter’s Press Conference learn to swim at aquarium

Mass Port Authority South Station a very dull meeting on the MPA South Station Proposal

Public Garden Rose Marie goes to the park to see Joseph Curtis, but he doesn’t show, so she does a weather report on the beautiful day at the garden

Pumpkins in funny places

Fitzgerald, Attorney he lies in hospital bed all bandaged up Attorney General Richardson and others talk to him [note: this film was found in parking lot and kind person returned it to library]

Bell Boy Returned from whence it came

Joan of Arc Tub comes home from somewhere

Batmobile (Woburn nut)

Models Graduate Strut their stuff

Wald, Prof. --segment of speech to young people re: things no better than before

Shoes Pair of abandoned shoes Kicker story for news