Beyond Me
Beyond Me Lab

Restored films, ready to watch

Preservation work from the Beyond Me Lab — restorations from the Prelinger Archives and beyond, each accompanied by a transcript and a written memory book that explains what you're watching and how it was recovered.

16:11
A Rendezvous with Destiny: The First Kennedy–Nixon Debate
A preserved black-and-white broadcast of the first 1960 presidential debate, opening with Senator Kennedy's sweeping argument that America must move again — at home and abroad — to keep freedom secure in a world divided between slavery and liberty. Vice President Nixon answers with a defense of the Eisenhower record and a contrasting vision of progress through restraint rather than expanded federal spending. The recording captures the gravity of two men in dark suits at studio lecterns, the tight close-ups, and the first exchange of the panel's questioning — a televised turning point in American political memory.
2026 · civic
6:28
The Corvair in Action
A preserved mid-century Chevrolet promotional film puts the 1960 Corvair through its paces, narrated with the confident cadence of golden-age automotive advertising. From sun-washed country roads to test tracks, dust-strewn fields, water crossings, and crash demonstrations, the compact car is shown 'delivering the goods' across every imaginable condition. The footage carries the warm, faded palette of vintage Kodachrome — a time capsule of American optimism and engineering pride.
2026 · automotive