Michigan USA-1961: Man Water Skiing and Falling in River

$149 · Editorial onlyDirect license: editorial use only. $149 flat from Stockfilm for documentary, news and educational use, plus internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.

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

$149 · Editorial onlyDirect license: editorial use only

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

Before you add to cart: Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement. Checkout will only offer editorial, educational, internal and social/web scopes.

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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.

Man Water Skiing and Falling in River — Clip Details

Vintage 8mm home movie footage from Michigan USA in 1961 captures a man water skiing on a river. The grainy, color-saturated film shows him in a black swimsuit and white trunks, gripping a tow rope with a red buoy, carving through the water with a spray of white foam. The sequence includes a close-up of his focused expression and a final shot of him submerged, suggesting a fall. The footage exhibits classic Super 8 film characteristics—soft focus, natural lighting, and authentic 1960s Americana. This nostalgic clip is ideal for documentaries, retro-themed content, or editorial projects exploring mid-century leisure activities.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: Exterior
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: editorial use only Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 5s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 121081059

Rights & Clearance

$149 · Editorial only Direct license: editorial use only. Editorial use only: documentary, news, educational, internal and organic social use. Not permitted in advertising, sponsored or branded content, broadcast promotion or any paid commercial placement.

Editorial use only; commercial use is not offered for this clip. Review the flags below for your editorial context.

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

rivers
friends
vacation
bathing
surfing
bath
river
people
michigan USA
1961
1961 water skiing footage
vintage 8mm film
Michigan USA home movie
1960s river recreation
classic water sports
retro Super 8 footage
old home movie
1960s leisure activities
water skiing on river
1960s family vacation
nostalgic American pastime
archival 8mm footage
vintage film grain
1960s swimming
old film footage
1960s outdoor recreation
vintage water sports
1960s family fun
1960s Americana

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: 1960s Michigan home-movie footage supporting documentary or editorial needs for mid-century river recreation, water skiing, vacation leisure, and amateur family-film inserts.
Period detail: The swim trunks, tow rope, open river setting, and soft 8mm color may show early-1960s recreational boating culture without visible landmarks or brand identifiers.
Home-movie behavior: The clip has unstaged home-movie value in the skier's effort, the close framing of his concentration, and the apparent fall or swim after the run.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a male water skier, tow handle, red buoy, white trunks, black swimwear, river spray, wooded shoreline, and a swimmer's head above the water.
Film character: The footage carries 8mm texture through saturated color, soft focus, heavy grain, uneven exposure, and handheld framing that reads as amateur vacation film.
Edit role: Editors could use it as a brief recreation insert, a summer memory beat, a transition into boating scenes, or a cutaway for 1960s leisure storytelling.
Historical context: The scene documents private leisure on a Michigan river, showing an adult man water skiing and swimming in a casual outdoor setting.
Research note: An adult face is visible, so likeness review may be needed; no logos, private property, or music are evident, and copyright status is separate from subject clearance.
Research search match: Useful searches include 1961 Michigan 8mm water skiing, 1960s river vacation home movie, man falling while water skiing, and mid-century summer recreation footage.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent reel footage, then other Michigan 1961 material, then broader 1960s boating, river swimming, vacation, and water-sport home movies.

Still Frames From This Clip

1961 Michigan 8mm frame showing an adult man water skiing on a river, holding a tow rope as white spray rises around him. — A man water skis across the river while gripping the tow handle.

Close 8mm view of the water skier's face and arms as he holds a yellow tow handle against a spray-filled river background. — Close framing catches the skier's focused expression and tow handle.

1961 Michigan home-movie frame showing the skier in the water, with his head and shoulders visible above the river surface. — The skier appears in the river after the run, partly submerged.

Wide 8mm frame from Michigan showing a distant adult water skier moving across the river with spray trailing and trees along the far bank. — A wide shot places the skier on the open river near a wooded shoreline.

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