Middletown Pennsylvania-1975: They Are Stranded In The Sea

$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.

Year1947
Decade1940s
LocationMiddletown, Pennsylvania, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1947 Middletown

$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.

They Are Stranded In The Sea — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1975, this vintage home movie captures a man and a woman struggling in the surf at Middletown, Pennsylvania. The man, shirtless in dark swim trunks, and the woman, wearing a white swim cap and dark swimsuit, are tossed by crashing waves while clinging to a black bodyboard. The footage shows them being pulled back by the current, struggling to stay afloat in the churning water. The grainy, color-bleached quality of the Super 8 film evokes a strong sense of nostalgia and urgency, capturing a candid moment of seaside adventure gone awry. This authentic archival clip is ideal for documentaries, editorial content, or nostalgic storytelling about mid-20th century American beach culture.

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: 123221436

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: 1947 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: Middletown, Pennsylvania, 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

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Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: Useful for requests for 1940s 8mm home-movie beach or surf recreation footage with adults struggling in rough water for documentary, editorial, or memory-sequence use.
Period detail: The swimwear, white bathing cap, black bodyboard, and soft 8mm color may show mid-century leisure footage, while the exact shoreline setting is not identifiable from the frames alone.
Home-movie behavior: The clip has unstaged home-movie value in the way the camera observes two adults being pushed around by surf while trying to stay with a bodyboard.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include two adults, foaming waves, a black bodyboard, dark swimwear, a white bathing cap, shoreline water, and handheld framing from a distance.
Film character: The footage carries 8mm archival texture through soft focus, visible grain, faded color, high contrast water highlights, and slight handheld instability.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a brief cutaway, tension insert, beach-memory beat, or transition within sequences about recreation, surf, summer travel, or water safety.
Historical context: The scene reflects informal amateur filming of beach activity, with emphasis on the candid physical struggle of people in surf rather than a staged rescue or organized event.
Research note: People and faces are visible, so likeness review may be needed; no logos or private property are visible, and copyright status is separate from personal-release considerations.
Research search match: Likely matches searches for 1940s 8mm beach footage, vintage home movie surf, adults in waves, bodyboard in rough water, and mid-century bathing cap footage.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then with Middletown or Pennsylvania footage from the same year, then with broader vintage beach and surf recreation material.

Still Frames From This Clip

1940s 8mm home-movie frame of two adults in foaming surf, one in a white bathing cap and both close to a black bodyboard. — Two adults are pushed by waves while holding near a black bodyboard.

1940s 8mm frame showing an adult man in dark trunks and another adult low over a black bodyboard amid churning surf. — One adult bends over the bodyboard as waves break around both people.

1940s 8mm home-movie frame of two adults partly submerged in foamy shoreline surf, with one white bathing cap visible. — The pair is nearly covered by surf as the wave carries them toward shore.

1940s 8mm frame of two adults in rough surf, one with a white bathing cap, drifting beside a black bodyboard. — Both adults remain in the foam with the black bodyboard between them and the waves.

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