Stand Clear of the Closing Doors

Gnir Rednow - Joseph Cornell (1955) 

Cornell commissioned Stan Brakhage to shoot the El before its demolition, then inverted the footage to form Gnir Rednow.

3rd Ave. El (1955)

3RD AVE. EL

Robert Fleury / Joseph Tul / Osmond Beckwith / Tom Carroll / Ann Kaufman
Haydyn’s Concerto in D for Harpsichord played by Wanda Landowska 
Produced and Directed by Carson Davidson
Bob Larkin appears but is not credited. The film includes sounds of the trains and the city, but much of the soundtrack features Joseph Haydn’s “Harpsichord Concerto in D Major.” This is performed by Wanda Landowska, the celebrated Polish-born harpsichordist who played a pivotal role in reviving the popularity of the instrument.
Carson Davidson’s film was not the only professional documentary of the Third Avenue El during its last days of operation. However, it did earn recognition that the others did not. Although perhaps not well remembered today, “ 3rd AVE. EL” received an Academy Award nomination for best one-reel short subject film in 1955.