Gone Baby Gone

In 1924 the Oakland Tribune, in conjunction with the  American Theater, held a contest in which people were asked to submit their most unusual dreams. The winner would receive $25 and have his or her dream turned into a short film. Mrs. L.L. Nicholson of Oakland submitted the winning dream— a picnic outing that goes awry when someone turns up missing. The resulting film is a joy to watch—from the street scenes of Oakland and San Francisco to the stucco house (many of these types of houses can still be found in Oakland) to the 1920s clothing and bobbed hair of the wife. And the scenes with the fish add a great surrealist quality to the film. What fun.

To view this and hundreds of other early films for free, visit the Prelinger Archives website.