The Seesaw and the Shoes

We Do It Because(en)

This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short explores the origins of various customs such as shaking hands, kissing, and why ships are christened.

I've Loved You So Long(fr)

A woman struggles to interact with her family and find her place in society after spending fifteen years in prison.

Utopia of Death(en)

This short film focuses on the mysterious and legendary Seri Indians who live in a utopian colony off the west coast of Mexico.

The Face Behind the Mask(en)

This dramatized short film describes the historical mystery of France's "man in the iron mask". King Louis XIV imprisoned a man who was never identified, but who was forced to wear an iron mask for the length of his captivity, which ended only in his death. Several candidates for the identity of the man are investigated.

The Woman in the House(en)

This short looks at the illness anthropophobia, the fear of people. In 1901, young Catherine Starr, who lives in a small English coastal town, has an argument with her fiancé. He leaves her house, goes off to serve in the Boer War, and dies of malaria. Catherine blames herself for his death and fears others will also blame her. She does not leave her house for forty years. Groceries are delivered to the house, but no one sees who retrieves them. When the Nazis bomb her house in September 1941, she is forced to cope with the outside world.

One Against the World(en)

This short film presents the story of Dr. Ephraim McDowell, who came under scrutiny for his pioneering of surgical practices.

Return from Nowhere(en)

In this John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short, a man recovers his lost memories when he is forced to relive events in his dreams.

Magic on a Stick(en)

This MGM Passing Parade series short recounts how English chemist John Walker invented the wooden friction match during the 1820s.

The Magic Alphabet(en)

This MGM John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series short dramatizes how the work of Dutch physician Christiaan Eijkman, who searched for a cure for beri-beri on the island of Java in the 1890s, led to the discovery of vitamins.

The Incredible Stranger(en)

In December 1892, a silent mysterious and very private man, for whom a new house has just been built, arrives in the small town of Bridgewood to keep a promise.

Fyzikus Rayman(sk)

The Garden of Torment(fr)

The story of a Antoine, a physician who was exiled to China in the 1930's due to his drug habit.

Storm(en)

A look at how the weather bureau tries to warn farmers and businessmen about approaching large storms. Although some precautions can be taken to lessen their impact, storms have to run their course, and there is really not much we can do about them.

Of Pups and Puzzles(en)

This short film shows how the war department utilizes a Ph.D., a chimp, and three dogs to help design aptitude tests for men applying for work.

Who's Superstitious?(en)

This short film examines the origins of several superstitions including crossing your fingers, knocking on wood, rabbit's feet, and breaking champagne bottles to christen ships, plus the role of superstitions in the Flying Dutchman tale.

Captain Blood(en)

Dr. Peter Blood, unjustly convicted of treason and exiled from England, becomes a notorious pirate.

You're Not Alone(de)

Master painter Hans Moll and his wife, the television announcer Ms. Wellinek and her husband, and the German-Russian Jew Yevgenia have many things to live on: food, drink, an apartment. What they do not have is work. They all discover the yearning for a chance to start all over again and bring themselves back to life.

Stairway to Light(en)

This John Nesbitt's Passing Parade short tells the story of 18th Century French physician Dr. Philippe Pinel, who initiated enlightened, humane treatment of the mentally ill.

The Golden Hunch(en)

This entry in John Nesbitt's "Passing Parade" series is about the great moments in the lives of famous men who found found an answer or made a great discovery in the flash of a golden hunch.

Passing Parade(en)

Three specific and separate stories of life's passing parade are presented.