HBO Archives Acquires "The March Of Time"

What do “armies of ants,” “pumping in prison,” and “the Statue of Liberty” all have in common?  They are all clips available on the HBO Archives.

Originated in 2002, the HBO Archives provides stock footage for licensing as well as royalty free clips for commercial and professional use.  Their main categories: Sports, Wildlife, Contemporary, and Entertainment are broken down into subsets that allow for easy browsing. 

On June 10th, HBO Archives announced the acquisition of the complete episodes of “The March of Time.”  This complete series is housed in the Archival category.

“The March of Time” was a newsreel and documentary series produced by Time, Inc. from 1935 to 1967.  The newsreels and documentaries provide valuable archival images and footage dating as far back as 1913.  Prior to releasing the clips, HBO Archives re-catalogued, restored and transferred the original 35mm films to high definition video.  The complete episodes are available for free viewing, as well as for acquiring clip rights. 

“’The March of Time’ was much more than monthly newsreels,” said Barbara Thomas, senior vice president of HBO Sports.  “’The March of Time’ produced a number of feature-length films and with the advent of the television era, produced entertainment and political programs specifically for TV.  ‘The March of Time’ production teams were also commissioned to produce a wide variety of government and corporate-sponsored commercial films.  HBO Archives is reaching beyond the traditional newsreel series to showcase the depth of these fascinating documentaries.”

The footage is broken down by year as well as episode under the Archive category.  The HBO Archive site offers the ability to search by word to find clips that contain that subject matter. 

Episodes from the 30s include “Business Girls in the Big City, “Palestine,” and “Narcotics.”  The 40s has titles such as “Money at Work” and “Shadows of Hate.”  “A Nation Called Denver,” “Tobaccoland, USA” and “Dr. Spock” are found under the 50s, and the 60s titles include “Berlin Wall” and “One Hundred Million Dollars in Rags.”

To date, footage from “The March of Time” has been used in the upcoming HBO mini-series “The Pacific,” as well as “Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags,” an original HBO documentary.  Programs from stations including The History Channel, PBS and IFC have acquired rights to “The March of Time” clips, as well as several documentaries that have yet to screen theatrically.

To learn more about the HBO Archive, please visit: www.hboarchives.com

To learn more about “The March of Time” and to view clips, please visit: www.hboarchives.com/marchoftime