Let the Good Times Roll

Two commercials created in 1987 by Omnibus / Abel animation - originally for Benson & Hedges, aired in Malaysia. Since U.S. laws don't permit tobacco advertising on television, stateside viewers might recognize them as they were repurposed for "The Wave" radio stations and/or from various computer animation compilations (usually with different soundtrack). For posterity: the character at the start is live action using a costumed actor; computer animated humanoids and cloth hadn't reached a practical stage yet.

This early UCLA student film by noted visual effects pioneer Robert Abel (1937-2001) employs a mixed media approach to distill the kinetic energy of an industrial train depot into bold graphic elements. With a jazz score, Piet Mondrian-inspired lines and Oskar Fischinger-style movement, the highly-accomplished animated short evokes the modernist works of Saul Bass and Ray and Charles Eames.

Concert footage and offstage documentary of singer Elvis Presley.

A retrospective of the work of Robert Abel and Associates, a pioneering commercial computer graphics company that created some of the most iconic early computer-generated imagery. Included here are over 40 commercial spots, ranging from 30-second commercials and commercial logos, to their 1984 animated short "High Fidelity".

"Muscle Beach is a fascinating location for people-watching in the L.A. area, and in 1963, the strangeness of its sights was much more pronounced than today. Pat O’Neill’s first film (made with Robert Abel) progresses from humorous, curious observation to energetic, graphical interaction with the sights and sounds of Santa Monica’s famed beach." —Mark Toscano

Short film featuring 'Can You Feel It' by The Jacksons.

Les Blank's first documentary cinematography job shooting Drag Racers in Long Beach, CA, driving everything from hopped up "Mercs" to Supercharged "Rail Dragsters". These cars could accelerate to over 220 miles/hour in a mile. The film follows the life of Rick "The Iceman" Stewart as he attempts to grab the world's record. Original score by Canned Heat Blues Band.