Kansas City Missouri-1959: Polar Bear Swimming In Circles And A Large Elephant

$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.

Polar Bear Swimming In Circles And A Large Elephant — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1959, this vintage home movie captures a polar bear swimming in circles within its zoo enclosure, viewed through green metal bars. The footage transitions to show a large elephant walking near a metal railing in a separate habitat. The grainy, color-bleached visuals and dark frame borders reflect classic Super 8 film quality, evoking a nostalgic mid-century American zoo experience.

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: 123144847

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: 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 American zoo cutaways, animal captivity sequences, or documentary references to mid-century leisure and visitor-shot wildlife displays.
Period detail: The green metal bars, concrete pool edge, railings, and faded 8mm color may show a mid-century zoo enclosure consistent with the 1959 Kansas City metadata.
Home-movie behavior: The clip carries a visitor-shot perspective, observing zoo animals from behind barriers without staged action or visible people.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a polar bear behind vertical bars, a pale pool enclosure, concrete edges, a large elephant, metal railings, rocks, and dark 8mm frame borders.
Film character: The footage has soft 8mm grain, green color shift, uneven exposure, gate edges, and handheld framing that preserve its home-movie archive texture.
Edit role: An editor could use it as a brief zoo insert, animal-captivity cutaway, transition between family-outing scenes, or memory beat for 1950s public leisure.
Historical context: The imagery reflects a zoo visit recorded from public viewing areas, showing animals in constructed enclosures rather than in natural habitat.
Research note: No people, logos, or audible music are indicated, but copyright status and any zoo property or animal-display permissions should be reviewed separately.
Research search match: Searches such as 1959 Kansas City zoo footage, 8mm polar bear enclosure, vintage elephant habitat, and mid-century zoo home movie are likely matches.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with the same reel, then other Kansas City 1959 footage, then broader 1950s zoo, animal enclosure, and family-outing material.

Still Frames From This Clip

1959 Kansas City zoo footage showing a polar bear seen through green metal bars near a pale pool edge. — A polar bear moves behind vertical bars inside a concrete zoo enclosure.

1959 Kansas City zoo view through green metal bars, showing a pool enclosure without visible people or animals in frame. — The barred enclosure and pale pool area remain in view between animal movements.

1959 Kansas City zoo footage showing a large elephant near rocks, concrete walls, and metal railings. — A large elephant occupies the lower frame near rocks and railings in its enclosure.

1959 Kansas City zoo footage showing an elephant moving beside metal railings and a rocky foreground. — The elephant passes along the enclosure edge below metal railings and greenery.

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