El Monte California-1937: Circus Trainer Cares For Lion In Chain-Link Cage

$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.

Year1937
Decade1930s
LocationEl Monte, California, United States
Duration6s
Price$149 USD
Collection1937 El Monte California

$149 · CommercialDirect license: commercial and editorial use

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

Need 10+ clips? Send your brief and get a curated shortlist →

Stockfilm licenses the rights identified in the applicable agreement. Additional use-specific review may be required. See the Licensing Guide and Archive Integrity.

Circus Trainer Cares For Lion In Chain-Link Cage — Clip Details

Shot on 8mm film in 1937, this vintage footage captures a circus trainer interacting with a lion inside a chain-link enclosure at a California circus. The black-and-white clip shows the trainer, dressed in light-colored clothing, reaching through the fence to guide or feed the large animal. The grainy, high-contrast image and visible film artifacts reflect the era's home movie style. The lion moves within the confined space as the trainer maintains control, offering a rare glimpse into early 20th-century animal performances. This archival footage is ideal for historical documentaries, nostalgic content, or vintage Americana projects.

Licensing & Technical Details

Original Format: 8mm / Super 8 Home Movie
Shot details: Black & white
Resolution: 4K restored master (MP4)
License: Direct license: commercial and editorial use
Delivery: Instant Digital Download
Duration: 6s
Price: $149 USD
Clip ID: 127253688

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: 1937 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: El Monte, California, 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 1930s documentary or museum edits needing real 8mm circus animal-care footage from El Monte, California.
Period detail: The chain-link cage, simple folding chair, light trainer clothing, and black-and-white 8mm texture support a 1930s home-movie view of a circus animal enclosure.
Home-movie behavior: The camera observes from outside the fence as the trainer reaches toward the lion, giving the scene a visitor-shot, unstaged sense of watching animal handling at close range.
What appears in frame: Visible elements include a chain-link enclosure, lion, trainer in light clothing, folding chair, rope or pole, fence shadows, and soft background foliage.
Film character: The footage has high-contrast black-and-white grain, soft focus, gate marks, and slight handheld framing that read as original 8mm home-movie texture.
Edit role: An editor could use this as a short insert, cutaway, or memory beat for vintage circus life, animal performance history, or Depression-era California recreation.
Historical context: The clip visually reflects a period circus setting where a trainer works directly beside a caged lion, without making claims about the circus name or event.
Research note: People are visible but not identifiable in detail; review likeness, animal-use context, and any underlying copyright separately from the physical-film scan rights.
Research search match: Matches searches for 1937 El Monte circus footage, 8mm home movie lion trainer, vintage chain-link animal cage, and 1930s California circus scene.
Archive pairing path: Pair first with neighboring shots from the same reel, then other 1937 El Monte material, then related circus, animal enclosure, or vintage recreation footage.

Still Frames From This Clip

In 1937 El Monte, California footage, a trainer in light clothing reaches toward a lion behind a chain-link circus enclosure. — Trainer reaches toward the lion from beside the cage fence.

The trainer, seen through chain-link fencing in the El Monte circus footage, extends an arm toward the lion near a folding chair. — Trainer works near a folding chair while the lion remains inside the enclosure.

A blurred 8mm frame shows the trainer reaching through or near the chain-link fence toward the lion in the 1937 California circus scene. — Soft-focus frame of the trainer continuing contact with the caged lion.

The lion is closest to the chain-link fence as the trainer remains partly visible at the lower edge of the El Monte circus frame. — Lion moves near the fence with the trainer partly visible below.

Visually Similar Clips