Rare, never-before-seen footage of President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade speeding towards a Dallas hospital after he was shot has recently been sold at auction for $137,500 to an anonymous bidder. The historic video, captured on an 8mm home film reel by Dale Carpenter Sr., had been discovered in a milk crate back in 2010 when his grandson, James Gates, found it and projected the footage onto his bedroom wall.
The rare film captures a unique moment of history as it shows President Kennedy’s motorcade speeding towards Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas after he was shot on November 22, 1963. The video was recorded by Carpenter Sr., who initially set up his camera along Lemmon Avenue downtown but just missed filming the president’s limousine as it passed by.
Instead, he captured footage of other cars in the motorcade before rushing to a location alongside Interstate 35 to record President Kennedy’s car racing towards the hospital at speeds of up to 80 miles per hour. The video also features a glimpse of Secret Service Agent Clint Hill guarding Jackie Kennedy and the iconic pink suit she was wearing on that tragic day.
This rare footage is significant because it is the first original real film from November 2, 1963 since the infamous Zapruder film was released in 1975. RR Auction has shared still images from the portion of the video showing the president’s limo racing down I-35, but will not release the full footage publicly.
