Vintage Sports Films

Purchase on DVD
Vintage Sports Films

We have collected the most interesting sports related movies from the 40s, 50s and 60s to bring you the only such compilation. This has movies about gymnastics, bowling, water polo, horse racing, basketball and more. Awesome rare films!

Included Films:

Good Sportsmanship

Good Sportsmanship

Produced: 1950

Length: 9 Minutes

Good Sportsmanship teaches young teens how to build relationships with opponents and how fitting into social groups is more important than winning or getting what you want. This exemplary 1950s social guidance film uses sports as a metaphor for life in order to teach social conformity and deference to the needs of the group over those of the individual. Several scenes of kids playing basketball and other daily life situations, such as sibling interaction are used to teach this lesson. The film is full of good sportsmanship stories, as well as defining the rules of good sportsmanship in the context of high school sports. The social life of teens and social groups in high school are also explored. Male bonding activities in 1950s culture werent always easy to come by, and this film champions the relationships that can be built in sports as ideal for teen athletes. The film is also an excellent look at school history and what life in the 1950s schools was like.


Show the Content

Oakland Women’s Rowing Club

Produced: 1950s

Length: 1 Minutes

Be astonished to see grandmothers rowing a boat in this vintage film about the Oakland Womens Rowing Club. These women have a fun and engaging sport they can call their own, and are proud of it! Their smiles tell of glory days, and theyre not giving up on their beloved athletic ability anytime soon. This video displays true 1950s pride and fervor for the elderly, a quality that should never be lost.


The Golden Years

The Golden Years

Produced: 1960

Length: 15 Minutes

The new pin-setting equipment that emerged in the 1950s meant that bowling could finally change its image from that of a beer-soaked game for factory workers to a wholesome pastime for the whole family. The Golden Years features the clean and freshly-waxed Brunswick Bowling Centers, where the chrome-covered future of bowling was breaking ground. This is an extremely colorful and well-photographed film that shows the bowling industry in the transitional period that led up to the modern bowling alleys of today


Human Grace

Human Grace

Produced: 1952

Length: 10 Minutes

Human Grace, a beautifully shot film, shows Olympic gymnasts in action. Some of the shots are in real time, but many are slowed down to capture the athletes rippling muscles and flexibility. The athletes remain nameless, without any back story. This film is entirely about the grace of the human body. Narration by John Kieran.


Show the Content

Let’s Go Bowling

Produced: 1955

Length: 28 Minutes

Lets Go Bowling initiates those who might be new to the sport into the history, rules, and modern culture of the game. The narrator comments as a novice bowler is taught by her friends, eventually calling in two professionals to help her. They teach her the proper throwing form and bowling etiquette. Bowling is offered as a wholesome game thats fun for the whole family, not to mention a source of exercise and social interaction.


Rest and Health

Rest and Health

Produced: 1949

Length: 10 Minutes

Hollywood star Dick York is a high school track athlete who finds lately that he just doesnt have enough time to study, run track, and get enough sleep at night. His running times start worsening and Dick feels like hes listless and tired all the time. He even falls asleep at a party, making his sweetheart angry. His family doctor diagnoses the problem as lack of sleep and advises Dick to make time for rest. The film goes on to recommend limiting study time, taking a warm bath before bed, and sleeping in a cool, well-ventilated bedroom. With this advice, Dick is soon running at the top of his game again.


Willie Shoemaker at Golden Gate Fields

Willie Shoemaker at Golden Gate Fields

Produced: 1950s

Length: 1 Minutes

Watch the famous jockey, Willie Shoemaker, speed across the finish line at Golden Gate Park with this 34-second clip! Hell truly amaze you with his haste to top racing records. While the film itself is not even a minute long, it still has the capability to show 1950s pride in their athletes. Providing history and excitement all in one, this video shows how people idolized the athletically gifted.


Aqua Frolics

Aqua Frolics

Produced: 1940s

Length: 7 Minutes

A wonderful vintage movie! Aqua Frolics shows some early underwater footage from the 1940s, when this technology was brand new. Shots include both humans and sea creatures swimming and playing underwater. Some oddball footage spices things up further: a family enjoys a Thanksgiving meal at the bottom of a pool, playing basketball underwater. But there are also more conventional activities that are still tons of fun: playing water polo, water skiing, and speedboat racing. We also get to watch people cavorting with seals and dolphins. All in all, Aqua Frolics is an oceans worth of aquatic recreation.

Tags: ,