The Oregon State University Historical Motion Picture Films consist of promotional films produced by Oregon Agricultural College (OAC) in the 1920s and 1930s as well as several centennial productions made by Oregon State University in the late 1960s. The OAC films include 24 reels (FV P048:01 thru FV048:22 and FV048:31); these 16 mm prints were made from 35 mm nitrate films in 1966-1967. These films include footage of 4-H youth programs throughout Oregon, especially in Coos, Douglas, Josephine, and Klamath Counties as well as at 4-H Summer School on the OAC campus and at the Oregon State Fair in Salem, Oregon. The films depict various locations in Oregon including Crater Lake, Eugene, St. Paul, and Portland. Various campus activities including the Memorial Union dedication, a May Day pageant, homecoming, commencement, ROTC, and the marching band are depicted. Athletic events including football, polo, and baseball as well as women's sports and physical training are included in the footage. A 1921 production, The Romance of Engineering, promotes the engineering programs and facilities at Oregon Agricultural College. A film on Oregon State Experiment Station research on salmon poisoning in dogs is also included.
The collection also includes two films celebrating the 1968 centennial of Oregon State University (OSU): The Possible Dream produced by KGW and Pacific NW Bell and OSU: The First Hundred Years, 1868-1968 produced by the OSU Centennial Committee. Footage of the 1969 centennial year graduation ceremonies and a 1961 interview with James Jensen, shortly before he became President of OSU are also included in the collection.
Hail to OSC was filmed in the late 1930s or early 1940s and includes extensive color footage of Oregon State academic programs as well as student activities. Of special note are construction of the homecoming bonfire, a baseball game, and homecoming house signs for a football game against the University of Oregon.
Duplication masters and use copies (on VHS videotape or DVD) are available for several of the films. Three films have been digitized and are available online: The Old Grad Comes Back; Hail to OSC; and OSU: The First Hundred Years.
