761. Film Communique: Fourth Issue (20:25)

Date:
1943
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. Composed of three short segments: Aerial Techniques details the U.S. bombing of Japanese targets in Hansa Bay, Wewak and Rabaul. Explains the parachute fragmentation or "ParaFrag" bombing techniques used. Footage of fighter-plane combat in the Pacific theater taken from gun sight aiming point cameras (titled GSAP cameras). Narration gives tallies of Japanese planes, ships and soldiers destroyed. Roll of Honor praises the work of an African-American unit, the "men of Munda," using heavy machinery to repair an airfield at Point Munda in the Solomon Islands. Fifth Army shows General Mark Clark leading the Fifth Army advance from Salerno, Italy, across the Volturno River, toward Rome.

762. 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."

765. The dairy belt (1:07:31)

Date:
1962
Main contributors:
Thomas F. Barton, Daisy M. Jones, Roger Niemeyer, James W. Taylor, Indiana University Audio-Visual Center
Summary:
Compares two dairy farms--one in Southeastern Wisconsin and the other in Central New York State. Shows the land use and cultural practices which reflect adaptation to such elements of the physical environment as topography, soil, precipitation, temperature, and length of growing season. Describes such man-made conditions that influence the marketing of milk as the proximity of farms to urban areas, sanitation requirements, and transportation and refrigeration facilities.

766. Peace comes to America (10:46)

Date:
1945
Main contributors:
Truman, Harry S., 1884-1972
Summary:
Asserts that although World War II is over, Americans still have responsibility for their government and veterans of the war. Features appearances by President Harry S. Truman, Secretary of the Treasury Fred M. Vinson, and Ted R. Gamble, national director of the War Finance Division.

767. Design of American public education (14:58)

Date:
1952
Main contributors:
United Productions of America, Howard T. Batchelder
Summary:
Through animation, the film compares and contrasts the "assembly line" kind of educational process with one that is tailored to meet young people's needs. Shows how in the former little or no consideration is given to individual needs, whereas in the latter a decentralized educational system can fit the curriculum to local community setups.

768. The Two-Way Street: Quick Facts About Lend-Lease (07:41)

Date:
1945
Main contributors:
United States Government Office of War Information, War Activities Committee of the Motion Picture Industry, Army Service Forces, Signal Corps Photographic Center, Western Division, Monogram Pictures Corp., PRC Pictures, Inc.
Summary:
A short informational film asking "what benefits should the U.S. seek for the aid they have given to our allies?" Gives an account of how the Lend-Lease program of mutual aid between allied nations works for the benefit of all. Points out that the settlement of Lend-Lease ought to lay the foundation for prosperity after World War II, narration states "world peace and world trade are the bulwarks of freedom."

769. Atacama Desert (16:43)

Date:
1943
Main contributors:
United States Information Agency, United States. Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
Summary:
Begins with a brief geography lesson to orient North American viewers to the size and climate of Chile. Scenes of indigenous shepherding in desert villages are followed by a visit to the Christmas celebration of the Virgin of Andecollo. Scenes at a giant open-pit copper mine at Chuquicamata show the extraction process from blasting ore to refining. Narration states that the Atacama holds the world's largest source of nitrate; a history of this lucrative industry is summarized. The mineral riches of the region go to market at the sea ports of Tocapilla and Antofagasta. The wealth from Chile's natural resources are shown accruing in the prosperous, modern cities of Valparaiso and Santiago.

770. Brazil's Fishing School (14:52)

Date:
1943
Main contributors:
United States Information Agency, United States. Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
Summary:
Tells the story of Brazilian President Getúlio Vargas's favorite project, the Marambaia Fishing School, located fifty miles south of Rio de Janeiro on the Bay of Ilha Grande. Illustrates how the unique project trains Brazilian boys in such fishing arts as handling and building small boats, making and repairing nets, and catching many varieties fish from sardines to sharks. Detailed depiction of sardine processing and cannery, and the catching and processing of sharks for various derivative products. Narration addressed to northern audiences emphasizes that learning innovative ideas such as this school are a benefit of U.S. alliance with Brazil.

771. Brazilian Quartz Goes to War (10:04)

Date:
1943
Main contributors:
United States Information Agency, United States. Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
Summary:
The value of Brazilian quartz to the allied war effort is shown as narration proclaims "two-way radio is the one really new instrument in the armory of warfare." Explains the value of quartz in radio communication, showing how a wafer of its crystal makes possible the simultaneous broadcasting of many stations without overlapping. The film emphasizes the necessity for international cooperation in the war effort. Shows quartz mining in Brazil: pictures the hard manual labor involved in mining Brazilian quartz, the inspection, the exportation of most of it to the United States, and the laboratory cutting of it to fit the complex instruments of World War II. Personages: President Roosevelt, Brazilian President Vargas, Joseph Stalin, General Marshall, and Madame Chiang Kai-shek (see U.S. National Archives and Records Administration catalog record http://research.archives.gov/description/40254).

772. Iwo Jima (03:27)

Date:
1941
Main contributors:
United States Marine Corps, War Finance Department of the U.S. Treasury Department
Summary:

773. Fundamentals of photography : the basic camera (15:00)

Date:
1948
Main contributors:
United States Navy
Summary:
Traces the historical development of the camera, discussing the reasons for subsequent changes from the original camera obscura of 1553. Demonstrates finally that every camera, whatever its make, consists essentially of camera body, lens, shutter, and film.

775. Rules of the Nautical Road: The Halifax Incident (26:04)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
United States Navy, Bureau of Aeronautics, Walt Disney Productions, University of Washington Naval R.O.T.C. : technical direction
Summary:
Part of a series of martime navigation instructional films titled Rules of the Nautical Road. Animation produced by Walt Disney studios.

776. Take A Letter, Please (21:29)

Date:
1943
Main contributors:
United States Navy, Bureau of Aeronautics, United States Navy, Division of Personnel Supervision and Management
Summary:
U.S. Navy training film intended to improve dictation technique through humorous demonstration of common faults. After a series of vignettes where inept and ineffective styles of dictation to a stenographer are dramatized, a model businessman demonstrates a well prepared and organized method of dictating letters. The demonstration includes detailed instruction in the use of Dictaphone and Ediphone cylinder recording machines.

777. Discipline: Giving Orders (13:49)

Date:
1943
Main contributors:
United States Navy, Division of Personnel Supervision and Management, United States Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, Atlas Educational Film Company
Summary:
U.S. Navy training film intended to instruct managers how to maintain workplace discipline effectively. Dramatic scenarios contrast ineffective managerial styles with better approaches. Stresses the importance of disciplining a worker properly and giving orders clearly. Shows the results obtained in an office where emphasis is placed on gaining the workers' confidence. Narration states that "we are engaged in a war in which time is a weapon." Women clerical workers are shown gossiping until their boss enters the room, as the narrator points out that "hours are wasted in every day of the year" in many workplaces. The film shows that the remedy for this waste is to maintain discipline, and recommends that "a good supervisor steers a course between harshness and leniency."

778. 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.

779. Perishable rush (13:48)

Date:
1945
Main contributors:
United States. Army Air Forces.
Summary:
Shows how the Army Air Forces during World War II flew wounded men from Pacific battle areas to hospitals and home towns in the United States. Uses a mix of actuality footage and fictional reenactments to follow a soldier from being wounded in action, cared for by medics on the battlefield, undergoing surgery in a mobile hospital near the front lines, recuperating in Guam, being shipped back to the United States, and convalescing in hospital near the soldier's home town.

780. 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.