1. Radio dynamics (04:20)

Date:
1942
Summary:
Visualizes Color-keyed moods, recurrent themes, contrapuntal melodies, and various rhythmic patterns through the animation of Oskar Fischinger. Presents an interplay of shapes, Colors, and movement in GasparColor.

2. Central Australia (1:17:16)

Date:
19uu
Main contributors:
McRobbie Family
Summary:
The film consists of travelogue sequences around Australia by way of an Australian tour company, Bonds Tours, utilizing an elongated, rugged car for travel. Sequences span from the Northern and Southern Territories to Victoria in Australia, with lots of footage from Mt. Buffalo National Park in Victoria, and Alice Springs and the West MacDonnell National Park in the Northern Territory. Notable locations within Mt. Buffalo National Park include wonderful shots of Pulpit Rock and Wilkinson’s Lookout, Lake Catani, the Leviathan, Manfield’s Lookout, Bent’s Lookout, and Reed’s Lookout. Shots in South Australia include Parachilna Gorge and the Flinders Ranges, with a stop at the Ancorichina Hostel nearby, as well as William Creek. A wonderful sequence of camera tilts reveals the various Kodak posters for Mt. Buffalo National Park. In the Northern Territory locations include Alice Springs (known locally as “The Alice” according to title card), the Fink Gorge National Park and West MacDonnell National Park, and the Hermannsberg Lutheran mission, an Aboriginal mission in the Ljirapinta Ward of the MacDonnell Shire. A majority of the final segment includes many profile and group shots of Aboriginal peoples part of a mission possibly sponsored by the “Australian Board of Missions, Church of England, Alice Springs,” which was printed on a nearby car. Final segment is footage from a track event of the Korowa C.E.G.G.S. (Church of England Girl’s Grammar School). Footage consists of color film stock with particularly beautiful title cards inserted for many new locations and sites.

3. Europe 1 (part 2) (47:54)

Date:
19uu
Main contributors:
McRobbie Family
Summary:
Comprised of travelogue sequences from Europe, Asia, and Africa. Countries shown include British Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka), Yemen, Egypt, Italy, France, and England. Specific cities, locations, and activities include Colombo, the capitol city of Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka), that include wildlife (elephants) and local street scenes. Another sequence showcases the port city of Aden, Yemen and another in Egypt with a shot of “Cooks Rest House,” the pyramids, the Sphinx, and local peoples. Naples, Italy follows with black and white and color footage of the ruins at Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius (which appears to be active in one shot at 20:50!). London, England sequences are particularly interesting for their bustling urban shots and depiction of escalating wartime propaganda publications and signage, as well as capturing the Guard Mounting and Trooping of the Colour ceremonies. Several shots are taken specifically around Oxford and Regent Street. Footage consists of a combination of color and black and white film stock with title cards inserted for new locations.

4. Family 1 (part 1) (51:57)

Date:
19uu
Main contributors:
McRobbie Family
Summary:
Film consists of travelogue sequences mainly of the Eastern United States and Canada, with footage from New York, Washington D.C., Virginia, Illinois, and New Mexico. The film opens with shots of the New York City skyline and Times Square at night with an amazing light show of entertainment and advertising signage. We see the marquee of several historic movie theatres, including the Loew’s State Theatre and the Strand Theatre, showing 'Only Angels Have Wings' (1939) and 'Indianapolis Speedway' (1939), respectively. Other notable footage includes a segment of the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair. There is also footage from George Washington’s Mount Vernon estate in Virginia, Chicago, IL cityscapes, and wonderful footage of Niagara Falls. Moving north to Canada the film captures shots from Montreal, Toronto, and Québec City. Notable sequences include shots of Montmorency Falls and Château Frontenac in Québec City. Finally, the film travels to the American Southwest of New Mexico, including the cities of Gallop and Albuquerque. The film captures in amazing detail an “Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial” in Gallop, according to a title card, which includes ritual dancing, games (including tug-of-war and foot and horse races), and a rodeo with broncos and bulls. Footage consists of a combination of color and black and white film stock with title cards inserted for new locations and cities.

5. Family 1 (part 2) (49:31)

Date:
19uu
Main contributors:
McRobbie Family
Summary:
Film consists of travelogue and family footage, opening with an Australian military parade. The parade’s location is identifiable as it passes the Princess Theatre, located in Melbourne, Australia at 163 Sprint St., and built in 1854. Other footage shows the “Anzac Memorial Tree” at the Anzac Memorial in Sydney, Australia. Further shots of the “Footscray City Pipe Band” marching; Footscray is an inner-western suburb of Melbourne, Australia. There are also sequences of a nature trip and backyard family footage. Based on a passenger ship life ring, travel was taken on the SS Orontes, a ship owned by the Orient Line and built by Vickers Armstrong in 1929 in Barrows-in-Furness, England. The film ends with sequences from Phillip Island, Australia, including family beach footage and wildlife. Footage consists of color film stock.

6. Family 2 (36:17)

Date:
19uu
Main contributors:
McRobbie Family
Summary:
Film consists mainly of a combination of what appear to be classmates at school and at a party, possibly a birthday party, nature and flower shots, a visit to a zoo, a large military parade, a military formation (potentially a graduation ceremony), and a track event, consisting of the high jump and long jump. Zoo sequence includes shots of peacocks, elephants, flamingos, monkeys, grizzly bears, and polar bears. Footage consists of a combination of color and black and white film stock.

7. High Over The Borders (19:35)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
New York Zoological Society, National Film Board of Canada
Summary:
In their routes of migration, birds "mock the man-made lines by which nations separate themselves," as the narrator states in this film intended to foster goodwill between the nations of the Americas. Two boys, Richie in the North and Ricardo in the South, both feel ownership of the barn swallows that reside in their respective homes at opposite ends of migratory routes. Aerial photography follows Canada geese migrating from northern Quebec to the Chesapeake Bay. Technically advanced high speed photography reveals the beating wings of the ruby-throated hummingbird. The bird banding and migratory data-collecting work of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is explained. Animated maps of the hemisphere illustrate some of the long-distance bird migration patterns between North and South America.

9. Monuments of Ancient Mexico (35:12)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
United States. Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
Summary:
"The title of this film is self-explanatory. It is especially adapted for students of archaeology and anthropology" (A List of U.S. War Information Films, Office of War Information, Bureau of Motion Pictures, April, 1943, 13)

10. Patagonian Playground (09:33)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
United States. Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
Summary:
Using color photography, this travelogue transports viewers in the U.S. to the exotic locale of Nahuel Huapi National Park, in the Argentine Andes. Showing the stifling mid-summer heat of Buenos Aires in January, the narrator explains city-dwellers' desire to escape to the cool, clean air of the mountains. The camera follows a group of young Argentines as they hike in the mountains, play with a herd of dairy cows, pick wild strawberries and prepare their yerba mate. Striking landscape photography shows glaciers, waterfalls, and captures an avalanche as it occurs. As with all Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs films, affinity between the nations of the Americas is encouraged by presenting foreign places to domestic audiences in an appealing, humanizing light.

11. The Hill Towns of Guatemala (10:09)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
United States. Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
Summary:
A narrated travelogue addressed to viewers in the U.S. shows life in several small towns surrounding Lake Atitlan, Guatemala. Shows rope making from sisal hemp and traditional textile weaving. Concludes with a visits to the outdoor markets in Santiago Atitlan and Chichicastenango.

12. This Is Ecuador (17:52)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
United States. Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, Borge Hansen-Moller : produced and directed by, Kenneth Richter : camera
Summary:
A Coordinator of Inter-American affairs film intended to foster alliance and educate U.S. audiences about the Ecuadoran nation. "All who live in our hemisphere know that it must be kept as a place of freedom" states narration, urging the alliance of all the Americas in the fight against the Axis. The role of Ecuador and its Galapagos Islands territory in the defense of the Panama Canal are emphasized. Ecuadoran natural resources in service of the Allied cause include balsa wood and oil. Narration characterizes the viewpoint of the Ecuadoran people as supportive of the U.S. in the war: "Ecuador can hope for its rightful and untrammeled place in the family of nations only through the triumph of the United States and its allies." Concurrently, U.S. viewers are assured, "it’s good to know in these days of war that here is a friendly nation, a land ready for cooperation, for mutual defense..."

13. Pan-American Bazaar (08:54)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
United States. Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, R.H. Macy and Company, Inc.
Summary:
A Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs film reporting on a marketplace of goods from Latin American nations held at Macy's Department store in New York City's Herald Square. Promoting more than commerce between nations, both the bazaar and the film are intended to reinforce alliances between all the nations of the Americas during wartime. Showing the flags of the nations represented, narration states "21 symbols of American solidarity, 21 Republics firmly consolidated, to make up our western hemisphere." Color photography accentuates the beauty and exoticism of the displays. As shoppers are shown admiring the displays of art and culture and purchasing from each nation's vendors, the audience is told "they bought the goods that Latin America has to sell, money from merchandise, goodwill build on good trade relations, every sale a guarantee that the Americas mean business. Business that means friendship in the western hemisphere."

14. Sundays in the Valley of Mexico (11:01)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
United States. Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, Ralph E. Gray, A.C.L. : photographed and produced by
Summary:
A colorful travelogue of modern, urban life in Mexico City. "Shows scenes typical of modern Mexico, such as the tall buildings and wide boulevards of Mexico City. The canal leading to Xochimilco, with its fruit- and flower-laden boats, is pictured. Then describes a festival held in honor of the Vice President of the United States, Henry Wallace, when he visited Mexico City. It includes a bullfight and a parade of Mexican beauties. Ends with a pageant of old and new Mexican dances" (War Films Bulletin of the Extension Division Indiana University, February, 1943, 19)

15. Orchids and Other Flora of Tropical America (10:43)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
United States. Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, The National Geographic Society
Summary:
Described as a film portraying "twenty types of orchids and other flora of South and Central America and the conditions under which they grow" (U.S. Government Films, U.S. Office of Education, 1954, 134), its underlying subject is enchantment with the projected image itself. The color palette of Kodachrome reversal film is on display, capturing the faces of young women posed with exotic tropical flowers. The natural riches of Latin America --cacao, mangoes, and coffee--are presented for the delectation of audiences to the north. One of many similarly-styled productions in the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs catalog of short, documentary subjects, this film contributes to the war era campaign to sway popular opinion toward a spirit of allegiance and neighborly-ness between the nations of the Americas.