This reel of Henry Ford footage begins with images of an elderly Ford and his wife Clara Jane Ford walk across the estate known as Fair Lane. Most likely this dates from April 11th, 1941, when the Fords were celebrating their 53rd wedding anniversary and Mrs. Ford’s birthday. If so, Ford was 77 and his wife 75.

At 1:46 the 27 millionth Ford car is shown at the New York World’s Fair. The date is June 16, 1939, and Ford, Clara and Edsel were all in attendance. The Fords are shown at 2:09.

At 3:46, low quality footage shows Thomas Edison, President Herbert Hoover, and William C. Ford opening an anniversary exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village in March 1, 1960. The exhibit is seen at 4:00.

At 4:53, a newsreel recaps Ford’s life on the occasion of his death at the age of 83. Highlights of Henry Ford’s life are shown and comment made about how he epitomizes America’s status as a land of opportunity. Ford is shown with Clara, riding in his first car (5:39) and Ford is shown with Thomas Edison (5:59). At 5:20 Ford is shown lying in state. At 6:20 Ford is shown visiting with children and at 06:30 the great industrialist is shown at his 83rd birthday.

At 6:54, the film shows an elderly Ford and then shows the “first successful trial of a Ford car” on June 4th, 1896. At 7:35 a couple is shown driving a 1928 Ford Model A roadster. At 7:40, the first car is shown being worked on, with men oiling the bicycle chains that drive it. At 8:39, Ford is seen in a re-enactment secretly driving his car at night. At 8:51, a family is shown in a Model T touring. At 9:01 one of the extremely muddy roads of the early 20th Century is shown with a car practically being swallowed by it. At 9:07 a modern concrete paved road is shown. At 9:11 an early Ford car arrives at a mansion. At 9:27 part of the Ford assembly line is shown, probably about 1926. Cars are shown rolling out of the factory at 9:50.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com