41. Introducing the new worker to his job (15:21)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
See Other Contributors
Summary:
Dramatization of how not to orient a new employee and get him started on his job; then by contrast, what should have been done.

42. Placing the right man on the job (12:28)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
See Other Contributors
Summary:
Dramatized cases of five different workers, unsatisfactory in particular jobs, who are reassigned to other jobs more suitable to their abilities and capacities.

43. Planning and laying out work (09:58)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
See Other Contributors
Summary:
A plant supervisor talks to his son, who has built a boat in the basement too large to go through the door, about planning a job in advance; and recounts several illustrative experiences at the plant.

44. Semper Paratus (06:12)

Date:
194u
Main contributors:
The Office of War Information Bureau of Motion Pictures
Summary:

45. The World at War (43:15)

Date:
194u
Main contributors:
The Office of War Information Bureau of Motion Pictures; Samuel Spewack
Summary:

46. Film Communique: Eleventh Issue (21:26)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
The Signal Corps : produced by, Combat film units of Marines, Army Airforces, United States Navy
Summary:
Addressed to "the men and women of American Industry," the Film Communique series reports on military accomplishments to an audience of domestic workers producing materials for war. Comprised of four short segments: Has Anybody Seen Kelly? Reports on the return of decorated war hero Chuck Kelly to his home in Pittsburgh. Follows Chuck around his neighborhood, visiting with old acquaintances and giving his account of the war, narration concludes "two years of war changed Kelly, two years of war changed Pittsburgh." Task Force 58 tells of the secret naval task force sent to attack Saipan. Combat footage of the naval fleet attacked by Japanese fighter planes states that 428 enemy planes were shot down in a single day. Treasure Hunt depicts salvage operations going on behind front lines in Italy, showing the reclamation of any material that can be restored or reused, the repairing of uniforms and equipment. Quiet Cities shows the bombed cities of Normandy, France, quiet after fighting has ended - then returning to combat footage of the battles at the same sites, using gun sight camera footage and images of captured and surrendering German soldiers.

47. Film Communique: Sixth Issue (19:00)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
The Signal Corps : produced by, Combat film units of Marines, Army Airforces, United States Navy
Summary:
Addressed to "the men and women of American Industry," the Film Communique series reports on military accomplishments to an audience of domestic workers producing materials for war. Comprised of six short segments: This Isn't War … It's Murder! Reports on the island conquering campaigns in the Pacific theater, using combat footage to illustrate the contributions of "the silent partners in this combined operation" - those of the industrial workforce at home. General Mud gives an account of the struggle against severely muddy conditions in Italy; shows the necessity to construct new roads before armies can advance. Grasshopper profiles the super-lightweight reconnaissance airplanes used to direct artillery fire to enemy targets. The narrator states "they're the controlling might that gives precision for our war weapons equal to the precision with which our workers forge them at home, they're the grasshoppers that make the American eagle free." Yankee Rope Trick profiles the resourcefulness of American soldiers in the successful rescue of a grounded transport ship. Pipes Of War shows the construction of oil pipelines across Italy to bring fuel from tanker ships to the front lines quickly and efficiently. Documents the vast consumption of fuel to keep the invasion of Europe advancing. Stella tells the story of an American bomber that lost 3 of its 4 engines on its mission but still managed to limp back to England. After the bomber has undergone complete repair, commentary states "every month 500 other battle damaged planes like Stella climb back into the air."

50. The Line Is Busy (02:50)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States War Department, Army Pictorial Service of the Signal Corps
Summary:
Short announcement promoting the 6th War Loan by urging viewers to buy War Bonds. Shows the importance for War workers to keep on the job: a man receives a letter from his recently wounded brother on the front lines, who has undergone an amputation. As he reads the letter, his carefree girlfriend telephones from a nightclub attempting to persuade him to take the night off from his wartime civilian job.

51. Out of bed into action (15:36)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Army Air Forces. First Motion Picture Unit
Summary:
This film outlines the convalescent training program for hospitalized U.S. airmen in World War II. It is designed to acquaint the convalescent with the program in which he will take part. Patients are shown in their beds, doing light calisthenics in the wards, exercising specific muscles using specially designed equipment, exercising and playing games out-of-doors, and engaging in hobbies and crafts. Other aspects of the program involve convalescents sharing wartime experiences with their fellow patients, teaching them new material and new skills, brushing up on their old skills acquired on duty, taking courses, and even earning degrees. The program also includes updates and discussions on the war, watching duty-related films, and engaging in purely social activities. The circulation and blood supply to various parts of the body are shown in animation.

53. Battle wreckage (10:09)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Army Pictorial Service
Summary:
Explains why large quantities of war materials, in particular steel, are needed for the war effort. Shows the sea battle and beachhead landing of the Normandy invasion.

54. RAF & 8th Air Force report from Britain (07:02)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Army Pictorial Service
Summary:
"Includes a report from Britain showing the RAF and the 8th Air Force on a hedgehopping bomber flight over France and Germany, and the 5th Air Force report from New Guinea." ("News and Notes," Educational Screen, June, 1944, 266.) Shows a film clip claiming to be an "Official German Newsreel," with footage of American planes that have been shot down and have crashed onto German soil. Shows how Germans salvage metal from these American aircraft to use for their own war effort and explains that each crashed plane is indicative of loss of soldiers' lives.

55. The case of the tremendous trifle (20:01)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Army. Signal Corps
Summary:
Shows to the men and women of American industry the vital importance to the war effort of all the little parts that they are making. Discusses the importance of ball bearings to the Nazi war effort and the Allied strategy of crippling the bearings industry. Shows the planning and intelligence gathering that led to the bombing of ball bearing factories in Schweinfurt.

56. The Earthmovers (14:07)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Army. Signal Corps
Summary:
Shows heavy equipment of all types used by the Corps of Engineers and the Seabees during World War II. Describes how the "work power" of military construction units clears beaches of mines, constructs new roads, builds bridges and airstrips, and sets up water purification systems. Contrasts the pre-technological building techniques of China, India, and Africa with the technological might of the U.S. military.

57. Kids Must Eat (16:06)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture, Office of Information, Motion Picture Service
Summary:
An episode of the popular "Quiz Kids" radio program introduces the U.S. Department of Agriculture's school lunch program. The four precocious children, ages 7 to 12, demonstrate knowledge of Shakespeare, chemistry, math and geography as they answer a series of quiz questions given by host Joe Kelly. Concludes with a message from the host about importance of adequate and healthy food for schoolchildren. Showing women in wartime factory jobs, the narrator states "in busy America many mothers perform many necessary jobs outside the home, but we must never become too busy to feed our children." Community groups are called upon to sponsor school lunch programs with the support of the Department of Agriculture.

58. Saving the Garden Crop (12:18)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture, United States. Office of Information. Motion Picture Service, Wilding Picture Productions : produced by
Summary:
Shows methods of winter storage for produce grown in wartime Victory gardens. Provides demonstrations of how to achieve necessary temperature and moisture conditions for storing various vegetables by using attic space, construction of a storage room in the cellar, sunken barrels and insulated earthen mounds. "In the opening scene we find Mother and Father, Judy and Jimmy deep in the study of seed catalogs, preparatory to planting their victory garden. The picture passes quickly to the happy harvest time when Mother wonders what they will do with all the surplus vegetables. Father decides to store them. The film then demonstrates the best method of storing onions, beans, peas, apples, beets, carrots, salsify, squash, pumpkins, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and cabbage" (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 47). As this family exemplifies the industrious spirit of Victory gardening, narration states "in pantry and store room, in pit and mound, they have tangible proof of their husbandry."

59. Grassland (09:07)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture. Soil Conservation Service
Summary:
Presents problems of soil conservation and overgrazing in the western U.S. Narration states "the problem of saving the grasslands is before us," showing that careless management has resulted in the depletion of this vital natural resource. "This range, once capable of supporting 22,000,000 animal units, can now carry only half that number. Overstocking results in over-grazing. When the land is stripped of vegetation, erosion begins. How to prevent over-grazing, and restore areas of desolation to productivity is the problem presented in this film. Interesting photography of sheep and cattle on the range" (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 42).

60. Wetlands (10:39)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture. Soil Conservation Service
Summary:
A USDA production conveying the department's policy recommendations for the development of unusable wetlands into productive agricultural land. Narration explains that, for much of the year, land with "too much water with nowhere to go" is rendered unsuitable for farming. Engineering the draining of 31 million acres for the creation of productive agricultural land represents "one of the last great frontiers of America." Various drainage techniques are explained in detail: ditches, tile systems, and the creation of mole channels. "Shows where our 120 million acres of wet land are located. Points out that 78 million of these acres will serve us best if left in their natural state for the production of timber and the preservation of wildlife. Thirty-one million acres are shown to be suited to farming if properly drained. A section of the film illustrates briefly the principal types of water control and methods of land drainage. Through the use of these methods, farmers, working together, can improve drainage on land now being farmed, and bring into production land that is now too wet for any production at all. Recommended audiences: Farmers in Atlantic Seaboard and Gulf States; Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri Valleys" (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 46).