Kansas City Missouri-1959: Elephant at Zoo or Fair

$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.

Year1959
Decade1950s
LocationKansas City, Missouri, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1959 Kansas City Missouri

$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.

Elephant at Zoo or Fair — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1959, this vintage home movie captures a large elephant in a dimly lit enclosure, likely at a zoo or fair. The elephant moves slowly across a dark, textured ground, its massive form partially obscured by shadows and film grain. In the final frame, the elephant interacts with people near a wooden rail, with colorful balloons visible in the background, suggesting a festive atmosphere. The footage exhibits classic Super 8 characteristics: high grain, soft focus, and a nostalgic, intimate feel. This archival clip offers a rare glimpse into mid-century animal exhibits and public entertainment.

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: 123142302

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 record not linked for this clip
Date: 1959 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: Kansas City, Missouri, 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 Kansas City or mid-century zoo and animal-attraction edits needing brief home-movie footage of an elephant near visitors.
Period detail: The clip may show a public animal enclosure in 1959, with casual visitors, a wooden rail, balloons, and soft 8mm color suggesting mid-century leisure footage.
Home-movie behavior: The camera observes from a visitor's position as the elephant moves through shadow and approaches people at the rail, preserving an informal outing perspective.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a large elephant, dark enclosure ground, rail posts, visitor hands, adults near a barrier, balloons, heavy shadows, and film-edge darkness.
Film character: The 8mm scan has heavy grain, soft focus, low exposure, color bloom, and handheld framing that give the short scene a physical home-movie texture.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a brief insert, memory beat, or cutaway for mid-century zoo visits, animal exhibits, or public entertainment scenes.
Historical context: The footage reflects a visitor-facing animal display environment, with people gathered close to the elephant behind a simple barrier.
Research note: People are visible near the rail, so likeness review may be needed; no logos are apparent, and copyright status is separate from any likeness concerns.
Research search match: Relevant searches include 1959 Kansas City 8mm elephant, vintage zoo home movie, mid-century animal exhibit, and visitors feeding elephant.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then Kansas City 1959 material, then other 1950s zoo or public animal-attraction footage.

Still Frames From This Clip

1959 Kansas City home-movie frame showing a large elephant partly obscured in a dim enclosure with grainy 8mm texture. — A large elephant is partially visible in shadow on dark enclosure ground.

A shadowed 8mm view of the elephant's legs and body in a dark enclosure, with little background detail visible. — The elephant passes through a very dim section of the enclosure.

A low-exposure home-movie frame with the elephant mostly hidden by darkness and vertical foreground shapes. — The elephant remains mostly obscured by shadow and framing.

1959 Kansas City frame showing an elephant at a rail with visible adult visitors nearby and balloons behind the enclosure. — The elephant stands near visitors at a rail, with balloons visible behind the group.

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