03 Nov 1945
Stairway to Light
This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short tells the story of 18th Century French physician Dr. Philippe Pinel, who initiated enlightened, humane treatment of the mentally ill.
Magic on a Stick
This MGM Passing Parade series short recounts how English chemist John Walker invented the wooden friction match during the 1820s.
Top Billed Cast
John Nesbitt Narrator (voice)
Paul Langton John Walker (uncredited)
Jacqueline White Mrs. John Walker (uncredited)
Similar movies
Stairway to Light Stairway to Light The Promised Land 
The Promised Land 21 Feb 1975
The Promised Land
In nineteenth-century Łódź, Poland, three friends want to make a lot of money by building and investing in a textile factory. An exceptional portrait of rapid industrial expansion is shown through the eyes of one Polish town.
Gangs of New York 
Gangs of New York 14 Dec 2002
Gangs of New York
In early 1860s New York, Irish immigrant Amsterdam Vallon is released from prison and returns to the Five Points, seeking revenge against his father's killer, William Cutting, a powerful anti-immigrant gang leader. He knows that revenge can only be attained by infiltrating Cutting's inner circle. Vallon's journey becomes a fight for personal survival and to find a place for the Irish people.
American Spoken Here 
American Spoken Here 30 Nov 1940
American Spoken Here
This MGM John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series short takes a look at the origins of North American slang.
The Story of Alfred Nobel 
The Story of Alfred Nobel 18 Feb 1939
The Story of Alfred Nobel
This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short tells the story of Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite, and later established the Nobel Prize.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire 
Portrait of a Lady on Fire 18 Sep 2019
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman.
The Inventor 
The Inventor 15 Sep 2023
The Inventor
The insatiably curious and headstrong inventor Leonardo da Vinci leaves Italy to join the French court, where he can experiment freely, inventing flying contraptions, incredible machines, and study the human body. There, joined in his adventure by the audacious princess Marguerite, Leonardo will uncover the answer to the ultimate question – "What is the meaning of it all?"
San Francisco Disaster San Francisco Disaster 18 May 1906
San Francisco Disaster
This pseudo-newsreel uses special effects to illustrate the fire caused by the San Francisco earthquake. A miniature model of downtown San Francisco is set ablaze and filmed.
The Animograph, or I Was Born in a Shoebox 
The Animograph, or I Was Born in a Shoebox 12 May 2022
The Animograph, or I Was Born in a Shoebox
The amazing story of the animograph, a machine created in France in the sixties by the cartoonist and self-taught inventor Jean Dejoux (1922-2015), whose creation was intended to revolutionize the animation industry.
Splashback 
Splashback 17 Jun 2023
Splashback
In the midst of one of the most significant moments in human history - the Moon landing - a guy working at a NASA warehouse has his own little passion project: the invention of the first urinal net.
Little Old New York 
Little Old New York 09 Feb 1940
Little Old New York
Inventor Robert Fulton receives support from a tavern owner and a shipyard worker to help realize his dream of a high-powered steamboat.
Yankee Doodle Goes to Town 
Yankee Doodle Goes to Town 17 Jun 1939
Yankee Doodle Goes to Town
Made just before America would be forced into the Second World War, this short subject is a brief dramatized history of American democracy. It targets a perceived threat to democracy from board room and soapbox fascists who advocated a government based upon contemporaneous European models.
The Hidden Master The Hidden Master 20 Apr 1940
The Hidden Master
Shows how important luck can be in a person's life.
The Great Chicago Adventure 
The Great Chicago Adventure 04 Jul 2015
The Great Chicago Adventure
For those who heart history and the great city of Chicago, this film will take you through time with a small child and his nervous babysitter. Feel the intensity of the Great Chicago Fire and splendor of the World’s Columbian Exposition. Explore the sights of bustling Maxwell Street in the 1950s and peer down from an I-beam of the Sears Tower in the 1970s. Relive Chicago sports victories and cheer on President Obama during his Grant Park victory speech.
We Do It Because We Do It Because 24 Jan 1942
We Do It Because
This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short explores the origins of various customs such as shaking hands, kissing, and why ships are christened.
Lumière! 
Lumière! 03 Oct 2016
Lumière!
A collection of restored prints from the Lumière Brothers.
The Face Behind the Mask 
The Face Behind the Mask 19 Mar 1938
The Face Behind the Mask
This dramatized short film describes the historical mystery of France's "man in the iron mask". King Louis XIV imprisoned a man who was never identified, but who was forced to wear an iron mask for the length of his captivity, which ended only in his death. Several candidates for the identity of the man are investigated.
Through Nobu’s Eyes: A First-Person Account of the Great Kantō Earthquake 
Through Nobu’s Eyes: A First-Person Account of the Great Kantō Earthquake 19 Jun 2023
Through Nobu’s Eyes: A First-Person Account of the Great Kantō Earthquake
The Great Kantō Earthquake is said to be the worst natural disaster in the history of Japan. When disaster struck on September 1st, 1923, a woman called Nobu managed to survive by fleeing desperately all while caring for her two small children. What did she see? What actions did she take? Her decision making during her evacuation is still relevant in present day and can help shed light on what actions to take to save your life should a large disaster strike without warning.
Detroit 
Detroit 28 Jul 2017
Detroit
A police raid in Detroit in 1967 results in one of the largest citizens' uprisings in the history of the United States.
El submarino Peral, una conspiracion que cambio la historia 
El submarino Peral, una conspiracion que cambio la historia 03 Feb 2021
El submarino Peral, una conspiracion que cambio la historia
No overview found