Movies

Within Our Gates is the oldest surviving film by a black director.

Watch the Oldest-Known Surviving Film by an African-American Director

<i>Within Our Gates</i> was Oscar Micheaux’s response to a racist classic

A former McDonald's, now a museum in Illinois. Richard "Dick" McDonald, one of the two McDonald brothers who started the chain (and who is played by Nick Offerman in a new movie) invented both the Golden Arches and the "over 1 million sold" sign.

Nick Offerman’s Character in “The Founder” Is Based on This Real Historical Figure

Richard “Dick” McDonald’s story in the film is true — to a degree

The Great Wall of China is a remarkable work of architecture—but there are plenty of myths surrounding it.

Sticky Rice Mortar, the View From Space, and More Fun Facts About China’s Great Wall

The not-so-effective wall was a lengthy, pricey project that stretched across thousands of years

Fit for a beauty...or a beast.

Win a Stay at a Castle Fit for "Beauty and the Beast"

Though it's a Scottish castle, not French château, it's sure to be a fairytale trip

Mr. Darcy as depicted in a tailored blue Regency-styled suit.

Meet the Historically Accurate Mr. Darcy

A team of experts on fashion and social culture offer their take on Jane Austen's brooding hero

The President, one of only three Inner Circle members who are allowed to handle Punxsutawney Phil, holds him aloft during ceremonies in 2013.

Meet the Inner Circle That Runs Groundhog Day

They've been holding the ceremony in Gobbler’s Knob every year since 1887

Paul Robeson, photographed by Alfredo Valente in 1940.

Remembering Paul Robeson, Actor, Sportsman and Leader

Among other things, Robeson transformed one of history’s most famous showtunes into a protest song

Anna May Wong in an undated image.

Happy Birthday to Hollywood’s First Chinese-American Star

She was a leading lady, but racism held her career back

An unidentified Hanna-Barbera Productions painter works on an animation cel of Fred Flintstone. THE FLINTSTONES and all related characters and elements © & ™ Hanna-Barbera. (s16)

Meet the Men Behind Saturday Morning's Most Memorable Cartoons

Zoinks! Hanna-Barbera once dominated kids’ Saturday schedules

The DF-24 camera, invented in 1932, is one of several that were used by cinematographer Hal Rosson to film the Wizard of Oz.

Without This Camera, the Emerald City Would Have Been the Color of Mud

That dramatic Dorothy in Oz moment was brought to you in living color by the DF-24 Beam Splitter

Richard and Mildred Loving by Grey Villet, 1965

When the Serendipitously Named Lovings Fell in Love, Their World Fell Apart

The new film captures the quiet essence of the couples’ powerful story, says Smithsonian scholar Christopher Wilson

Lillian Randolph in It's A Wonderful Life, with a dusting of fake snow made from foamite, sugar, water and soap.

The Crazy Tricks Early Filmmakers Used To Fake Snow

Cornflakes, flour and, uh, asbestos were all used in early movies

Photo of Olivia de Havilland (left), Leslie Howard (center) and Vivien Leigh (right) from Gone With The Wind.

Why Do We Love Period Dramas So Much?

Gone With The Wind, the highest-grossing period drama ever, premiered on this day in 1939

The sequins on the shoes are so delicate that conservators clean them with a Q-tip and a little cold water.

How Dorothy's Ruby Slippers Came to the Smithsonian

A successful Kickstarter Campaign funds efforts to bring back their sparkle and keep them ruby

Wonder Woman's UN Ambassadorship Is Already Coming to an End

The super hero's tenure as an advocate for empowering women and girls ends after less than two months

Dorothy's Ruby Slippers Were Originally Silver

Bright red is how we remember them, but Dorothy's famous shoes had another look at the start

How does language influence our thoughts? Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner in "Arrival."

Does the Linguistic Theory at the Center of the Film ‘Arrival’ Have Any Merit?

We asked a Smithsonian linguist and an anthropologist to debate the matter

Still from Allied

How Accurate Is the Movie “Allied”?

The best spies won’t leave behind an evidence trail, but then how will audiences know what’s true and what’s fiction?

American TV Watchers Spend Over a Year of Their Life Channel Surfing

As options of shows and ways to watch them increase, so does the time it takes to find something to watch

A lobby card for Gunsaulus Mystery, a 1921 silent film written, directed and produced by Oscar Micheaux, an early black silent film auteur.

Explore the Flickering, Forgotten Past of African-Americans in Silent Film

An estimated 80 percent of silent movies with all-black casts are thought to be lost, but a new project is making sure the people who made them aren't

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