Texas: Knife-thrower Louella Gallagher throws knives at her daughters Connie Ann, 5, and Colleena Sue, 2-1/2, missing them skillfully as the knives enter a board. Newsreel story.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Universal-International Newsreel
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: Newsreels; Mothers; Surrealism

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Vincent Long - - September 3, 2012
Subject: Public Domain Means Free Use
Great Movie, Neil Young and or Shakey Pictures do not own the rights to to visual content is this video.
They filed a complaint with YouTube over my use of this public domain movie and are trying to get my redo pulled down. Please let them know that CC license Public Domain means free use. I ain't singin' for Pepsi. I ain't singin' for Coke.

Reviewer: NoiseCollector - - August 9, 2012
Subject: Another title that made my night...
Like some other reviewers allude to, at first it seems all scary and dangerous but when I was kid only special needs people wore helmets and they got picked on and either learned to fight or make love like charlie sheen. We rode our bikes against traffic alone at night... OMG, I cannot believe I am still alive. Today we subject ourselves to sedentary occupations, reducing our life span and filling our minds with useless drivel.

Strange how the pharma companies, lawyers, and doctors have added a hundred new diagnosis's, a thousand new medications and a million more laws to keep us distracted as we move from a liberty based society to an equality (regardless of effort or ability) based society.

I wish that my worst memory was my mom throwing knives at me. I still have the bullet my ex step dad shot at me.... what a douche bag... Anyway, cool little snippet of an odd slice of evil, fat, racist white americana before there were apps and mybooktube. Thanks for adding it and thanks for letting me share. Now give me a keychain.

Reviewer: huzzah - - August 7, 2012
Subject: OtherWhen
Ah, back when men were men and so were women and children.

Reviewer: chinaskee - - August 6, 2012
Subject: Looked perfectly safe to me
The mom looks like she's only 4 to 5 feet away from the kids. Pretty hard to miss from such a close distance.

Reviewer: pkkms - - August 6, 2012
Subject: Not Today
Thankfully, we don't have this type of dangerous behavior nowadays....today we just have a mother with a mini-van full of kids rocketing down the expressway while texting her best friend forever.

Reviewer: Marysz - - January 7, 2012
Subject: What was this mother thinking?
The Archives rightly classifies this film under the dual categories of Motherhood and Surrealism, and motherhood has never seemed so surreal as we watch a grim-faced Texas mother hurl knives at her two desperately smiling daughters. This scary film was made in the 50s, but it seems more reminiscent of the kind of stunts that poverty-stricken Americans resorted to during the Depression. A crowd watches and circus music plays as she throws the knives. There doesn't seem to be a father around. Maybe she was a single mom and she supported her kids by taking them to rodeos and county fairs and doing this knife stunt. We can sympathize with her lot, but it certainly doesn't make this film any easier to watch. Connie Ann and Colleen and Sue must be in their fifties now. It would be interesting to hear their side of this story.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - December 31, 2005
Subject: Lucky Daughters!
Mom brings her kids to work and uses them as human targets! Luckily she misses. Newsreel reporter doesnt express any irony in this story at all, which makes this equally troubling. Whats even more eerie is the cute poses the kid has when Mom is throwing knives at her head. Yikes!

Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - December 9, 2003
Subject: Whatever You Do, Don't Distract Her!
Can you spell Âchild endangermentÂ? I thought you could. In this newsreel featurette, a mom whoÂs a circus performer throws knives at her two daughters, ages 5 and 21/2. Now I know sheÂs a skilled performer and the point is that she misses, but donÂt scare me like that!
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.

Reviewer: Lewis Payne - - February 13, 2003
Subject: Good Parenting
A wonderfully irresponsible knife-thrower, hurling cleavers (for a shortish distance) at her two very young daughters for a crowd of children. Charges of child endangerment would ensue if this ever happened these days; a cool little look into the into what was considered harmless entertainment way back when.

Shotlist

Texas: Knife-thrower Louella Gallagher throws knives at her daughters Connie Ann, 5, and Colleena Sue, 2-1/2, missing them skillfully as the knives enter a board
VS mom throwing knives at daughters
VS reaction shots, anxious audience, young girls
CU demented mother throwing knives
CU girl flinching as knives hit board alongside her head



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