Dayton Ohio USA-1958: Alligator Swimming in Dark Water

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

Year1958
Decade1950s
LocationDayton, Ohio, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1950s collection

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use

$149 USD flat · royalty-free worldwide · 4K restored master (MP4)

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Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable agreement. Additional use-specific review may be required. See the Licensing Guide and Archive Integrity.

Alligator Swimming in Dark Water — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from Dayton, Ohio, 1958, showing a large alligator or crocodile swimming in dark water. The reptile moves slowly through the murky surface, its back and snout visible as it creates ripples. The scene is framed by a classic film border with noticeable grain and slight color fading, capturing a candid wildlife moment in a natural setting. The footage has a nostalgic, archival quality typical of mid-century home movies.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 120977463

Rights & Clearance

$149 · Commercial Direct license: commercial and editorial use. $149 flat from Stockfilm. Royalty-free worldwide license for commercial and editorial use, delivered as the restored 4K master.

No recognizable people, logos, or music are flagged. Lower-risk for commercial use, subject to your own review.

People visible: No
Logos / trademarks: No
Audible music: No

Flags come from automated catalog metadata, not a legal opinion. The source is an original 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie reel. For high-stakes commercial use, request a full rights review.

Source & Documentation

Source reel: Reel record not linked for this clip
Date: 1958 Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual or technical evidence; no reel-level note is linked.
Location: Dayton, Ohio, United States Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate based on source metadata and visual evidence such as signage, landmarks, or terrain; no reel-level note is linked.
Licensing route: Direct license available from Stockfilm

Confidence labels are defined on Archive Integrity. Fields without a recorded value are shown as not recorded rather than assumed.

Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: Useful for 1950s U.S. archive requests needing brief wildlife, zoo, or aquatic animal cutaways from amateur 8mm footage.
Period detail: The small-gauge color film border, grain, soft focus, and faded tones support a late-1950s home-movie appearance, with Dayton, Ohio supplied by metadata.
Home-movie behavior: The clip carries an unstaged observer's view of a crocodilian moving through dark water, likely filmed from a nearby bank or enclosure edge.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a crocodilian snout and back, dark rippled water, bright surface reflections, murky green tones, and rounded 8mm frame edges.
Film character: The footage shows coarse 8mm grain, uneven exposure, soft registration, and mild color fading that give the animal movement a physical-film texture.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a short cutaway, suspense insert, nature beat, or transitional detail within a 1950s home-movie sequence.
Historical context: The scene documents mid-century amateur filming of an aquatic reptile encounter without visible people, signage, buildings, or identifiable public landmarks.
Research note: No people, logos, or private property are visible, but species identification and location context should be checked separately from copyright status.
Research search match: Relevant searches include 1958 Dayton 8mm alligator footage, 1950s home movie crocodile in water, and vintage amateur wildlife film.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent reel material, then other Dayton or 1958 footage, then broader 1950s animal, zoo, water, or wildlife home movies.

Still Frames From This Clip

1958 Dayton 8mm frame showing a crocodilian form partly above dark water, with its snout and back visible through grain and soft focus. — A crocodilian moves just below the surface, leaving ripples in dark water.

1958 Dayton home-movie frame with a crocodilian swimming through murky water, its pale head area and back catching light. — The reptile's head and back remain visible as it moves through the water.

1958 Dayton 8mm frame showing the crocodilian partly submerged, with a brighter splash or reflection along its body. — A brighter patch of water marks the animal's movement near the surface.

1958 Dayton home-movie frame with the crocodilian stretched across the water, its body outline visible beneath reflective ripples. — The animal's longer body shape is visible under the rippled surface.

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