Zoot Suit Riots

On August 1, 1942, a 22-year-old Mexican American man was stabbed to death at a party. To white Los Angelenos, the murder was just more proof that Mexican American crime was spiraling out of control. The police fanned out across LA, netting 600 young Mexican American suspects. Almost all those taken into custody were wearing the distinctive uniform of their generation: Zoot Suits. The tragic murder and the injustice of the trial that followed, coupled with sensational news coverage of both, fanned the flames of the racial hostility that was already running rife in the city. Within months of the verdict, Los Angeles was in the grip of some of the worst violence in its history.

O.J.: Made in America

A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.

Carrier or Killer

This film shows the dangers of driving commercial trucks professionally as part of driver’s education. It displays various truck drivers; some cautious and others fatally dangerous.

Traffic with the Devil

This "Theater of Life" series short looks at traffic problems in Los Angeles, California, as described and experienced by Sgt. Charles Reineke, a traffic enforcement officer with the Los Angeles Police Department.

Alcohol and Red Flares

This driver’s education film from the early 1970s, "Alcohol and Red Flares", warns viewers of the dangers of drunk driving. It recounts the story of a man named “Mike” who drinks heavily at a party, and insists on driving home. The consequences are steep and along the way, viewers learn about Blood Alcohol Level (also known as BAC or Blood Alcohol Content), techniques police use to verify a driver’s inebriation such as the breathalyzer, and the reasons why driving drunk is so dangerous. This film was produced by legendary social guidance filmmaker Sid Davis in cooperation with the Monterey Park Police Department.

Nürburgring - 100 Jahre grüne Hölle

The Mystery Crash

“The Mystery Crash” discusses the dangers of drinking and driving especially as it pertains to the seemingly harmless “social drinker.” This film was produced by Jack Lieb Productions Inc, Chicago and sponsored by the National Safety Council. It is part of a series of films, with each episode describing a different element of driving and road safety.

Decade of Death

This highway scare film produced by the Highway Safety Foundation in 1971, "Decade of Death", is a retrospective of the organization's 10 years of gory, shocking social guidance films which aimed to promote traffic safety and driver responsibility through the display of bloody and horrific footage of traffic crashes.The Highway Safety Foundation made driver scare films such as "Signal 30," "Mechanized Death," and "Highways of Agony" that intended to encourage drivers to drive responsibly and with consideration of the risks and consequences. It was the organization's belief that crash footage, while horrific, was the best way to convey the importance of driving safely.

Life in the Fast Lane

Information film about freeways, their interchanges, and driving safely on them.

The Iron Graveyard

This color educational film is a driver's safety film about city driving. There is no copyright at the beginning or end of the film so the date of the production appears to be the mid to late 1970s.

Speed

Jack Traven, an LAPD cop on SWAT detail, and veteran SWAT officer Harry Temple thwart an extortionist-bomber's scheme for a $3 million ransom. As they corner the bomber, he flees and detonates a bomb vest, seemingly killing himself. Weeks later, Jack witnesses a mass transit city bus explode and nearby a pay phone rings. On the phone is that same bomber looking for vengeance and the money he's owed. He gives a personal challenge to Jack: a bomb is rigged on another city bus - if it slows down below 50 mph, it will explode - bad enough any day, but a nightmare in LA traffic. And that's just the beginning...

Collateral

Cab driver Max picks up a man who offers him $600 to drive him around. But the promise of easy money sours when Max realizes his fare is an assassin.

Harsh Times

Jim Davis is an ex-Army Ranger who finds himself slipping back into his old life of petty crime after a job offer from the LAPD evaporates. His best friend is pressured by his girlfriend Sylvia to find a job, but Jim is more interested in hanging out and making cash from small heists, while trying to get a law enforcement job so he can marry his Mexican girlfriend.

Lethal Weapon

Buttoned-down veteran LAPD detective Roger Murtaugh is partnered with unhinged cop Martin Riggs, who — distraught after his wife's death — has a death wish and takes unnecessary risks with criminals at every turn. The odd couple embark on their first homicide investigation as partners, involving a young woman known to Murtaugh with ties to a drug and prostitution ring.

Lethal Weapon 2

Riggs and Murtaugh are on the trail of South African diplomats using their immunity to engage in criminal activities.

Lethal Weapon 3

Riggs and Murtaugh pursue a former officer who uses his knowledge of police procedure and policies to steal and sell confiscated guns and ammunition to local street gangs.

Lethal Weapon 4

With personal crises and age weighing in on them, Riggs and Murtaugh must contend with deadly Chinese triads trying to free their former leaders from prison and onto American soil.

The Little Things

Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke's past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.

Die Hard

NYPD cop John McClane's plan to reconcile with his estranged wife is thrown for a serious loop when, minutes after he arrives at her offices Christmas Party, the entire building is overtaken by a group of terrorists. With little help from the LAPD, wisecracking McClane sets out to single-handedly rescue the hostages and bring the bad guys down.

Lakeview Terrace

A young interracial couple has just moved into their California dream home when they become the target of their next-door neighbor, who disapproves of their relationship. A tightly wound LAPD officer has appointed himself the watchdog of the neighborhood. His nightly foot patrols and overly watchful eyes bring comfort to some, but he becomes increasingly aggressive to the newlyweds. These persistent intrusions into their lives cause the couple to fight back.