Conversation so far:
How did they make the film look like newsreels of the 1920s?
Allen and cinematographer Gordon Willis used a variety of techniques, including locating some of the antique film cameras and lenses used during the eras.
Did they actually use any old footage?
even going so far as to simulate damage, such as crinkles and scratches, on the negatives to make the finished product look more like vintage footage.
Who appears in the old footage?
The film uses cameo appearances by real figures from academia and other fields for comic effect.
Can you name some of the academic figures?
They include essayist Susan Sontag, psychoanalyst Bruno Bettelheim, Nobel Prize-winning novelist Saul Bellow.

Question: Are there any famous people of the era that appear in the movie?
Self-contained rewrite: Are there any famous people of the era that appear in the movie besides Susan Sontag, Bruno Bettelheim, and Saoul Bellow??