Classic Bowling Alley Films

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Classic Bowling Alley Films

Three (3) vintage bowling promotional films made to inform the American public about the advances in the bowling industry in an attempt to attract a larger audience. The invention of the automated pin setter and bowling ball returning machines made bowling a much more popular sport in the 50s.

Included Films:

Newsreel of Brunswick Automated Pin Setter

Produced: 1956

Length: 10 Minutes

The tinder box of the Gaza strip on the Negev Desert flairs as intermittent gorilla warfare rages with daily rain. Arabs and Israelis put their respective nations on full mobilization, as bitterness rises on both sides because of the mounting death toll. Provocative and strangely fitting for the times, this 1950s newsreel includes the tension between two nations that simply cannot come to a truce. Also shown on this ten minute newsreel is a woman bull fighter, the first automatic pen setter for bowling, and lights atop the Empire State Building. As enthralling as it is compelling, this newsreel is an exciting step back into a time where fighting raged along side the business of everyday life.

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It’s All In Knowing How

Produced: 1954

Length: 12 Minutes

This is a hilarious promotional film which, while nominally focusing on nutrition, follows the story of Bob, a high school football player who finds that his girlfriend thinks he is boring, his bowling score is no good, and his skills on the field arent cutting it anymore. His football coach tells him that he isnt eating a balanced diet, and Bill gets a crash course in nutrition, 1950s-style. Since this film was sponsored by the National Dairy Council, the nutrition information is heavily skewed toward dairy products. Bobs little sister even brings him a bowl of ice cream while hes studying to help keep his energy up. After the changes in his diet, Bill feels great, gets more sleep, and even his bowling game is better!

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

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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.