Library of Congress to preserve 'Thriller'

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Library of Congress says it plans to preserve "The Incredible Shrinking Man," "Jezebel," "The Muppet Movie" and Michael Jackson's "Thriller" video.

The announcement was made Wednesday by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington.

The 25 motion pictures to be preserved as cultural, artistic and/or historical treasures for generations to come span the time period of 1911-1995.

The inductees into the 2009 National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress bring the number of films in the registry to 525.

"Established by Congress in 1989, the National Film Registry spotlights the importance of protecting America's matchless film heritage and cinematic creativity," Billington said in a statement. "By preserving the nation's films, we safeguard a significant element of our cultural patrimony and history."

Among this year's selections are "Dog Day Afternoon," "The Exiles," "Heroes All," "Hot Dogs for Gauguin," " The Jungle," "The Lead Shoes," "Little Nemo," "Mabel's Blunder," "The Mark of Zorro," "Mrs. Miniver" and "Once Upon a Time in the West."

Also included on the 2009 list are "Pillow Talk," "Precious Images," "Quasi at the Quackadero," "The Red Book," "The Revenge of Pancho Villa," "Scratch and Crow," "Stark Love," "The Story of G.I. Joe," "A Study in Reds" and "Under Western Stars."