San Francisco California-1953: A Soldier Checks His Watch Near a U.S. Mail Box

$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.

Year1952
Decade1950s
LocationSan Francisco, California, United States
Duration5s
Price$149 USD
Collection1952 San Francisco California

$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.

A Soldier Checks His Watch Near a U — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1953, this vintage clip captures a man in a dark uniform and cap checking his watch near a U.S. Mail box at a military or naval facility. The scene unfolds under a covered walkway with a traditional tiled roof, framed by a white picket fence. In the background, other personnel in uniform move about a courtyard, suggesting a base or training camp. The footage exhibits the characteristic grain and color saturation of mid-century home movies, offering a nostalgic glimpse into Cold War-era American military life.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
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: 123345618

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: Yes
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 1234 · 8mm · 5″ reel
Original reel label: miss universe
Reel-level year note: 1952
Reel-level location note: california
Date: 1952 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: San Francisco, California, 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

man
worker
employee
checking the time
view
working
small
shop
people
ship oversee navy recruit
1950s military base
U.S. Mail box
soldier checking watch
Cold War era
American military
8mm home movie
vintage military footage
San Francisco California 1953
naval base
military personnel
retro film
archival footage
historical film
wartime nostalgia
1950s Americana
military life
uniformed worker
film grain
vintage color

Archive Intelligence

Archive brief fit: Useful for 1950s editorial or documentary requests needing a brief military-base cutaway with personnel, mail box signage, and everyday waiting behavior.
Period detail: The uniformed men, U.S. Mail box, white picket fencing, and covered walkway may show a mid-century military or naval facility in San Francisco.
Home-movie behavior: The value is in the unstaged pause of a uniformed man checking his watch while other personnel move through the courtyard behind him.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a U.S. Mail box, uniformed man with cap, wristwatch gesture, white picket fence, tiled roof edge, covered posts, and distant personnel.
Film character: The 8mm scan has saturated color, visible grain, soft focus, slight handheld framing, and high-contrast shadows typical of early 1950s home-movie footage.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a short insert, transition, or memory beat for military routine, base life, mail service, or waiting for orders.
Historical context: The scene presents everyday movement at a uniformed facility without enough visible detail to identify the unit, installation, or exact activity.
Research note: People and U.S. Mail lettering are visible, so likeness, trademark or signage, and institutional context should be reviewed separately from copyright status.
Research search match: Search phrases might include 1950s 8mm military base, San Francisco uniformed personnel, soldier checking watch, U.S. Mail box, and home movie courtyard.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with adjacent shots from the same reel, then San Francisco footage from 1952, then broader 1950s military, naval, mail, or base-life material.

Still Frames From This Clip

1950s San Francisco 8mm frame showing a uniformed man checking his watch beside a U.S. Mail box at a facility courtyard. — A uniformed man pauses beside a U.S. Mail box and looks down at his watch.

1950s San Francisco home-movie frame with a uniformed man near a U.S. Mail box under a covered walkway. — Personnel pass through the courtyard while the foreground man remains near the mail box.

1950s San Francisco 8mm still with U.S. Mail signage, a uniformed man, and personnel moving behind a fenced courtyard. — The mail box fills the left side of the frame as the uniformed man checks his hands or watch.

1950s San Francisco home-movie frame of a uniformed man beside a U.S. Mail box, with a courtyard and other personnel behind. — A brief end frame holds on the man, mail box, fence, and background movement.

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