Story · a collection by the numbers · captured 1 November 2026 (UTC)

A film library, by the numbers

The Prelinger Archives: 10,468 items, nearly all of them films, summarised in two requests; then one film, Duck and Cover, opened: its files, its readers' stars and every line of its soundtrack as a machine heard it.

A grey cartoon frame: a bare, broken tree with wisps of smoke, and on the ground beside it a turtle drawn into its shell.
Duck and Cover, 1951: the item's thumbnailget_page_image · DuckandC1951
items
10,468
downloads, at least
211.1 M
stored
119.3 TB
the run

The question

captured 1 November 2026 (UTC) · scripts/site/capture.py
asked

Give me the Prelinger Archives by the numbers: what's in it, what people watch, and one film I can actually watch and read along with.

The assistant checked which mode the server was in, summarised the whole collection with the analysis tool, listed its most-downloaded films and their daily views, then opened one film: its record, its files, its subtitles and its reviews. Each section below names the tools that made it; all 10 calls, in order, with what each returned, are in the receipts at the end.

01 · the collection

made with account_info · search_summary

What's in it

Analysis

The server ran in read mode, with no archive.org keys: everything here is public. One summary call made 2 requests to the Archive and read 10,000 rows.

10,468
items in the collection
10,461
of them are films (mediatype movies)
211,061,028
downloads, at least, of the 10,000 most-downloaded items
1,644
downloads of the median item among them

Items by year, in three-year spans

The Archive's own counts over the collection: 4,822 items with a year. The busiest span is 1948–1950.

0200400600190319181933585194819631978199320082023
Show as a table
FromToItems
190319052
1906190820
190919118
1912191450
1915191767
19181920100
1921192340
1924192667
19271929165
19301932186
19331935129
19361938291
19391941504
19421944236
19451947331
19481950585
19511953435
19541956438
19571959356
19601962313
19631965185
19661968108
19691971107
1972197432
1975197723
1978198016
198119834
198419861
198719892
199019921
199319950
199619980
199920011
200220042
200520070
200820100
201120133
201420164
201720193
202020222
202320255

Downloads by decade

Worked out from the 10,000 most-downloaded of 10,468 items, the 4,958 of them with a year; a lower bound, since the rest aren't counted.

1900s621 k1910s811 k1920s2.8 M1930s39.0 M1940s51.1 M1950s67.4 M1960s8.8 M1970s1.6 M1980s34 k1990s21 k2000s263 k2010s71 k2020s903 k
Show as a table
DecadeItemsDownloads
1900s23621,252
1910s141810,990
1920s3542,797,068
1930s72739,037,235
1940s1,19751,141,307
1950s1,56067,410,479
1960s6388,831,763
1970s1381,641,014
1980s1134,087
1990s121,417
2000s3263,270
2010s1071,196
2020s155903,295

Top subjects

Items per subject value, as catalogued (approximate).

home movies929prelinger8591960s5731950s561Leisure and recreation4941940s397Tourism368Families361Children2721970s238need keyword2251930s223
Show as a table
SubjectItems
home movies929
prelinger859
1960s573
1950s561
Leisure and recreation494
1940s397
Tourism368
Families361
Children272
1970s238
need keyword225
1930s223

Top creators

Items per creator, by the Archive's lower-case sort keys (approximate).

handy (jam) organization496unknown175coronet instructional films150mode-art pictures107encyclopaedia britannica films104universal-international newsreel52davis (sid) productions47calvin company46janet dill46frith films37holmes (burton) films, inc.37castle films35
Show as a table
CreatorItems
handy (jam) organization496
unknown175
coronet instructional films150
mode-art pictures107
encyclopaedia britannica films104
universal-international newsreel52
davis (sid) productions47
calvin company46
janet dill46
frith films37
holmes (burton) films, inc.37
castle films35
02 · what people watch

made with list_collection · item_views

The most downloaded, and who watches now

Items and views

The ten most-downloaded items

All-time downloads. Accent: the two whose views are counted below.

About Bananas27.2 MDoctor in Industry (Part I)13.5 MHealth: Your Posture10.6 MFrom the Ground Up10.5 MSleep for Health5.9 MJoan Avoids a Cold5.7 MEat for Health5.4 MPrelinger Archives Home Movies5.4 MBreath-Takers, 24.8 MBabies and Breadwinners (Part II)3.6 M
Show as a table
IdentifierTitleDateDownloads
AboutBan1935About Bananas1935-01-0127,202,138
Doctorin1946Doctor in Industry (Part I)1946-01-0113,504,241
HealthYo1953Health: Your Posture1953-01-0110,637,265
FromtheG1954From the Ground Up1954-10-2310,535,911
Sleepfor1950Sleep for Health1950-01-015,945,388
JoanAvoi1947Joan Avoids a Cold1947-01-015,746,244
EatforHe1954Eat for Health1954-01-015,427,760
prelingerhomemoviesPrelinger Archives Home Movies5,400,247
breath_takers_2Breath-Takers, 24,840,651
babies_and_breadwinners_2Babies and Breadwinners (Part II)3,590,165
210,421,082
views of The whole collection all time; 673,019 in the 30 days below
948,570
views of Duck and Cover all time; 4,349 in the 30 days below
27,202,138
views of About Bananas all time; 1,641 in the 30 days below
13,504,241
views of Doctor in Industry (Part I) all time; 823 in the 30 days below

Views by people, day by day

21 August 2026 to 19 September 2026: the 30 days the Views API had reported when it was asked. The collection and Duck and Cover are charted, each on its own scale; the table has all four. Robots are counted apart and left out.

The whole collection

210,421,082 views all time · 673,019 in these 30 days

010 k20 k21 Aug19 Sep

Duck and Cover

948,570 views all time · 4,349 in these 30 days

010020021 Aug19 Sep
Show the four as a table
DayThe whole collectionDuck and CoverAbout BananasDoctor in Industry (Part I)
2026-08-214,1092782
2026-08-227,08066135
2026-08-237,24589284
2026-08-247,74373202
2026-08-258,57977167
2026-08-268,25581126
2026-08-279,18787183
2026-08-288,77570112
2026-08-298,108571015
2026-08-308,368671410
2026-08-3110,46189145
2026-09-019,21874156
2026-09-029,74581155
2026-09-0310,909101253
2026-09-0410,39765162
2026-09-058,183802013
2026-09-068,20661207
2026-09-079,79979367
2026-09-0810,60590248
2026-09-0911,53075257
2026-09-1010,86588205
2026-09-1110,55978256
2026-09-128,67158118
2026-09-139,827754023
2026-09-1410,21591376
2026-09-1510,44994226
2026-09-1610,890852614
2026-09-1710,904115328
2026-09-189,3601142113
2026-09-199,43593249

About Bananas leads the collection with 27,202,138 views all time, yet had 1,641 in these 30 days, fewer than Duck and Cover's 4,349. Most of its views, then, came before these 30 days; the results don't say when.

03 · 1951

made with get_item · get_file_links · get_subtitles · get_page_image · get_reviews

Duck and Cover, to watch and to read

One film
A grey cartoon frame: a bare, broken tree with wisps of smoke, and on the ground beside it a turtle drawn into its shell.
The item's thumbnail, as the Archive gives itget_page_image · DuckandC1951
Made by
Archer Productions, Inc.
Sponsor
U.S. Federal Civil Defense Administration
Date · runtime
1951 · 9:15
Licence field
public domain
Registry
National Film Registry, 2004 (its description)
Reviews
81, averaging 4.5 stars of 5

Watch Duck and Cover on archive.org

Its video files

22 of its 45 files are in video or thumbnail formats, 335.2 MB in all; 19 of them are thumbnails of a few kilobytes, together 111.1 KB.

MPEG2 (original)256.4 MBOgg Video (derivative)39.4 MB512Kb MPEG4 (derivative)39.2 MB
Show as a table
FileFormatSourceBytes
DuckandC1951.mpegMPEG2original256,413,203
DuckandC1951.ogvOgg Videoderivative39,412,437
DuckandC1951_512kb.mp4512Kb MPEG4derivative39,240,901

It has 2 subtitle files, SubRip (speech recognition) and WebVTT (speech recognition): made by machine, not typed by a person. Read as timed text, the cues run from 00:00:32 to 00:08:46. The film is in the public domain, so here is all of it, mistakes included.

You sure are a member of what Bert the turtle just good friends because every one of us must remember to do the same thing that's what this film is all about

and cover this is an official civil defense film produced in cooperation with the Federal Civil Defense administration and in consultation with the Safety Commission of the National Education Association produced by Archer Productions Incorporated

meet all these nice people play a ride. I really can't blame you. You see Byrd is a very very careful fella and has danger. This is the way he keeps from being hurt sometimes it even saves his life.

That's why these children are practicing to duck and cover just as you do in your school. We all know the atomic bomb is very dangerous. Since it may be used against us we must get ready for it just as we are ready for many other dangers that are around us all the time fire is a danger.

It can burn whole buildings. If someone is careless. But we are ready for fire. We have a fine fire department to put out the fire. And you have fire drills in your school. So you know what to do. I don't feel it can be dangerous to sometimes cause bad accidents. We already.

We have safety rules that car drivers and people who are walking must obey. Now we must be ready for a new danger. The atomic bomb. First you have to know what happens when an atomic bomb explodes. You will know when it comes. We hope it never comes. But when I get ready.

It looks something like this there is a bright flash brighter than the sun brighter than anything you've ever seen. If you are not ready and did not know what to do. It could hurt you in different ways it could knock it down hard or throw you against a tree or a wall. It is such a big explosion.

It can smash in buildings and knock signboards over and break windows all over town but if you duck and cover like bird you will be much safer if you know how bad sunburn can feel the atomic bomb flash could burn you worse than a terrible sunburn.

Especially when you are not covered. Now you and I don't have shells to crawl into like birds the turtles all we have to cover up in our own way first duck and then cover and very tightly you cover the back of your neck.

If your face duck and cover underneath the table or desk or anything else close by and that the school they are talking about the atomic bomb to Betty is asking a teacher. How can we tell when the atomic bomb they explode and our teacher is explaining

that there are two kinds of attack with a warning and without any warning. I think that most of the time we will be warned before the bomb explodes. So there will be time for us to get into our homes schools or some other safe place our civil defense workers know a man in uniform will do

everything they can to warn us before enemy planes can bring a bomb near you. Maybe in your school yard playing when the signal calm. Signal means to stop whatever you are doing

and get to the nearest safe place fact always remember an atomic bomb can come at any time no matter where you are maybe you might be playing at home when the warning comes your to get in the house fast

to fix a safe place for you to go if you're not close to home when you hear the warning go to the nearest safe cover know where you are to go or ask an older person to help you know the places marked with A.S.I. and There are safe places to go

when you hear the alarm if there is a warning you will hear it before the bomb explodes. But sometimes and this is very very important. Sometimes the bomb might explode without any warning.

Then the first thing we would know about it would be the flash and that means duck and cover fast wherever you are. There's no time to look around or wait like Bert when there is a flash duck and cover and do it fast. Here are some older boys showing what to do with the flash comes

when you are not in the classroom. This is what to do if you should be in a corridor. Duck and cover tight against the wall this way. Remember to keep your face in the back of your neck covered tightly try to find away from windows or doors with glass in them and if the glass breaks

and flies through the air. It won't cut you. You might be eating your lunch when the place comes duck and cover under the table then if the explosion makes anything in the room fall down. It can fall on you. Getting ready means we will all have to be able to take care of ourselves a bomb

might explode when there are no grownups near Poland that you know this and they are always ready to take care of themselves. Here they are. On their way to school on a beautiful spring day but no matter where they go or what they do they always try to remember what to do if the atom bomb explodes

right then it's a bomb can cover. Paul and Patty know what to do. Paul covered the back of his head so that he wouldn't be burned and Patty covered herself with the coat she was carrying they knew how to duck and cover they acted right away when the flash came.

If they had been at this doorway when the bomb flashed Paul and Pat A would have ducked and covered this way like this girl heavy doorways are a good place to duck and cover. She will be safer too. Here's Tony going to his Cub Scout meeting.

Tony knows the bomb can explode any time of the year day or night he is ready for it can cover at a bride only that flash means act fast. Tony knows that it helps to get to any kind of cover. This wall was close by. So that's where he ducked and covered.

Tony knew what to do. Notice how he keeps from moving or from getting up and running. He stays down until you're sure the danger is over the man helping Tony is a civil defense worker his job is to help protect us from there is danger of the atomic

bomb. We must obey the civil defense worker. We must know how to duck and cover in the school bus or in any other bus or streetcar. Don't wait duck away from the windows fast.

The glass may break and flying through the air and cut you Sundays holidays they Cajun time. We must be ready. Every day all the time to do the right thing. If the atomic bomb explodes.

This family knows what to do just like your own family should they know that even a thin cloth helps protect them even a newspaper can save you from a. Bad burn but the most important thing of all is to duck and cover yourself especially when your clothes do not cover you no matter where we live in the city of the

country. We must be ready. All the time for the atomic bomb that can cover. That's the first thing to do duck and cover the next important thing to do after that is to stay covered until the danger is over.

Yes we must all get ready now. So we know how to save ourselves at the atomic bomb ever explodes near us. If you do not know just what to do ask your teacher when this film is over discuss what you could do in different places. If a bomb explodes older people will help us as they always do but

that might not be any grownups around when the bomb explodes. Then you're on your own. Remember what you do not tell me right out loud when you talk.

The film's description names Bert the Turtle. The machine wrote “Bert” 2 times, “Byrd” 1 and “bird” 1: we take the last two as the same name, misheard.

receipts

Every call, in order

captured 1 November 2026 (UTC) · scripts/site/capture.py

All 10 calls of the run, in the order they were made, with what each returned. Open one to see when it was taken and which sections it made; press Play to watch them arrive.

  1. 01account_info()mode read, archive.org keys: none

    taken 1 November 2026 (UTC)1 callshown in What's in it

  2. 02search_summary(query="collection:prelinger", limit=12)10,468 items; counts by subject, creator and year, and download figures from the 10,000 most-downloaded of 10,468 items

    taken 1 November 2026 (UTC)1 callshown in What's in it

  3. 03list_collection(identifier="prelinger", fields=["identifier", "title", "date", "downloads"], limit=10)the 10 most-downloaded of 10,468 items

    taken 1 November 2026 (UTC)1 callshown in The most downloaded, and who watches now

  4. 04item_views(identifiers=["prelinger", "DuckandC1951", "AboutBan1935", "Doctorin1946"], days=30)all time, 30 and 7 days, and 30 days day by day, for four identifiers

    taken 1 November 2026 (UTC)1 callshown in The most downloaded, and who watches now

  5. 05get_item(identifier="DuckandC1951", files_limit=0)Duck and Cover, 1951; 45 files; licence field: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/publicdomain/

    taken 1 November 2026 (UTC)1 callshown in Duck and Cover, to watch and to read

  6. 06get_file_links(identifier="DuckandC1951", formats=["MPEG2", "Ogg Video", "h.264", "512Kb MPEG4", "Thumbnail"], limit=60)22 files, 335 MB, with links and md5s

    taken 1 November 2026 (UTC)1 callshown in Duck and Cover, to watch and to read

  7. 07get_subtitles(identifier="DuckandC1951")2 subtitle files, SubRip (speech recognition), WebVTT (speech recognition)

    taken 1 November 2026 (UTC)1 callshown in Duck and Cover, to watch and to read

  8. 08get_subtitles(identifier="DuckandC1951", file="DuckandC1951.asr.srt")00:00:32 to 00:08:46, 7,376 characters of machine-made text

    taken 1 November 2026 (UTC)1 callshown in Duck and Cover, to watch and to read

  9. 09get_page_image(identifier="DuckandC1951", thumbnail=true)the item's thumbnail, 180 × 124 px

    taken 1 November 2026 (UTC)1 callshown in Duck and Cover, to watch and to read

  10. 10get_reviews(identifier="DuckandC1951", limit=1, max_body_chars=100)81 reviews, average 4.5 stars

    taken 1 November 2026 (UTC)1 callshown in Duck and Cover, to watch and to read

sources

Sources and rights

Duck and Cover (1951) carries a public-domain licence field, so its machine transcript is shown in full. No review text was kept, only the count and the average. Counts, downloads and views change daily; these are from 1 November 2026 (UTC), and the daily views from the Views API's last 30 reported days.

Prelinger Archives on archive.org · Duck and Cover (1951)