Michigan USA-1961: Water Skiing On A Cold Summer's Day Along A River

$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.

Year1961
Decade1960s
LocationMichigan, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1961 Michigan

$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.

Water Skiing On A Cold Summer's Day Along A River — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from Michigan USA in 1961 shows a person water skiing on a calm river. The skier, wearing a bright orange life jacket, patterned shorts, and a white hair cap, holds a yellow tow rope while gliding across the water. The grainy, slightly blurred image captures the authentic feel of a 1960s family vacation, with splashing water and a dark shoreline in the background. This nostalgic clip offers a rare glimpse into mid-century recreational life and is ideal for documentaries, editorial content, or retro-themed projects.

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: 121079786

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.

Editorial use is the safest path. For commercial use, a clearance review is recommended for the flags below.

People visible: Yes
Minors 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 2015 · 8mm · 3″ reel
Original reel label: xmas,linda communion,,d danielar
Reel-level year note: 1961-1962
Reel-level location note: detroit michigan,
Date: 1961 Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Date evidence: Catalog estimate. A reel-level note shows the same year, but the clip-to-reel link is itself a catalog match, so this is not counted as independent confirmation.
Location: Michigan, United States Estimated (Catalog estimate from the footage and file metadata; not independently confirmed.)
Location evidence: Catalog estimate. A reel-level location note is linked, but the clip-to-reel link is itself a catalog match, so this is not counted as independent confirmation.
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.

View source reel context Open Clip Documentation Record Request source information

Topics & Keywords

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: 1961 Michigan 8mm home-movie footage supports archival requests for mid-century American summer recreation, family vacation activity, and water-skiing cutaways.
Period detail: Visible clues include 8mm color stock, a bright life jacket, patterned shorts, swim cap, and tow rope, which may show early-1960s leisure clothing and river recreation.
Home-movie behavior: The skier appears unstaged, concentrating on balance as spray rises behind them while the camera watches from a family or shoreline perspective.
What appears in frame: A water skier, orange life jacket, white swim cap, yellow tow rope, water spray, calm river surface, dark shoreline, and soft film gate edges are visible.
Film character: The clip has grainy 8mm color texture, soft focus, dense shadows, mild exposure variation, and contact-sheet framing that reinforce its physical home-movie origin.
Edit role: Editors can use it as a brief insert, recreation cutaway, vacation memory beat, or transition into 1960s outdoor leisure material.
Historical context: The footage places motorized water recreation within a casual family-film setting in Michigan, without identifying the river, skier, boat, or exact community.
Research note: A person is visible, so likeness review may be needed; no logos, private property, or music are indicated, while copyright clearance remains separate from subject rights.
Research search match: Useful search matches include 1961 Michigan 8mm water skiing, vintage home movie river recreation, orange life jacket skier, and 1960s family vacation footage.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then other 1961 Michigan footage, then broader 1960s summer recreation or water-sport home movies.

Still Frames From This Clip

1961 Michigan 8mm frame of a water skier in an orange life jacket and swim cap gliding on a calm river. — The skier holds the tow rope while water spray trails behind on the river surface.

1961 Michigan home-movie frame showing the skier upright behind a tow rope with river spray in the background. — The skier remains upright as the tow rope pulls forward across the water.

1961 Michigan 8mm frame with a closer view of the skier, orange life jacket, tow rope, and splashing water. — A closer frame shows the skier bracing on the skis as the river spray widens.

1961 Michigan home-movie frame of the skier leaning low as the skis and wake disturbance appear in front. — The skier leans forward near the end of the shot, with the skis and wake visible below.

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