''Gizmo!'' is a 1977

documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...

produced and directed by Howard Smith about improbable inventions, and uses old

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a cinema, newsreels were a source of current affairs, inform ...

footage about these inventions. Early examples of

parkour Parkour () is an athletic training discipline or sport in which practitioners (called ''traceurs'') attempt to get from point A to point B in the fastest and most efficient way possible, without assisting equipment and often while performing ...

and

buildering Buildering (also known as edificeering, urban climbing, structuring, skywalking, boulding, or stegophily) describes the act of climbing on the outside of buildings and other artificial structures. The word "buildering", sometimes misspelled bil ...

are also featured, including footage of an urban

acrobat Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro ...

John Ciampa John Ciampa (1922–1970) was an Italian-American acrobatic stuntman and entertainer known by the stage names of the Human Fly, the Flying Phantom and the Brooklyn Tarzan. As a child, Ciampa had been fascinated by the acrobatic agility of film s ...

(the "Brooklyn Tarzan"),

Frank "Cannonball" Richards Frank Anson Richards also known as Frank "Cannonball" Richards and Cannonball Richards (February 20, 1887February 7, 1969) was an American sideshow, carnival and vaudeville performer whose act involved taking heavy blows to his stomach. Richard ...

and a

stuntman A stunt performer, often called a stuntman or stuntwoman and occasionally stuntperson or stunt-person, is a trained professional who performs daring acts, often as a career. Stunt performers usually appear in films or on television, as opposed ...

Arnim Dahl Arnim Dahl (March 12, 1922 in Stettin – August 3, 1998 in Wedel) was a German Stuntman. Life His father Hermann Dahl was a former German champion in springboard diving. Following in his father’s footsteps, Dahl was the 1938 German yo ...

External links

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"Gizmo!" description and reviewFilm clip from "Gizmo!""Gizmo!" on archive.org
1977 films Documentary films about technology Films directed by Howard Smith 1977 documentary films American documentary films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films {{sci-documentary-film-stub