876. Wheels across India (30:30)

Date:
unknown/unknown
Main contributors:
Unknown
Summary:
Shot in Burma during the Denis-Roosevelt Asiatic Expedition (1939), led by filmmaker Armand Denis and his wife Leila Roosevelt. In Rangoon, views of the Shive Dagon Pagoda and huge bamboo irrigation water wheels are seen, as well as the temples, pagodas and bas-reliefs featuring snake motifs at the Pegan ruins. The ornamentation and neck wraps of Karen women are shown. A survey of the teak industry follows, including the training of elephants for logging work. The final sequence focuses on a Burmese priestess (Shan) who must supplicate a king cobra to appease the snake God.

877. London fire raids : 29th-30th December 1940 (11:42)

Date:
1941
Main contributors:
Walker, Bob Danvers
Summary:
Describes the first fire raid on the City of London on the night of December 29, 1940. Opening sequences in the film are taken from the roof of St. Paul's Cathedral. They show the London fire brigade working in the midst of blazing buildings and streets. Closing daylight sequences show the visible destruction of Guild Hall, St. Lawrence Jewry, St. Brides church and innumerable warehouses.

878. Is Your Trip Necessary (02:09)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
War Activities Committee of the Motion Picture Industry : distributed and exhibited by
Summary:
A short bulletin urging people to travel only when absolutely necessary in order that space can be saved for millions of troops and millions of essential civilian war workers. States that every non-essential traveler may be preventing a serviceman from joining his family during the holiday season. Civilians are told "on every highway and mainline, war has the right of way" and "we've got a battle of transportation to win here in the U.S., you can help to win it just by staying home."

879. This Too Is Sabotage (25:53)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
War Food Administration, Nutrition and Conservation Branch, Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Co.
Summary:
In This Too Is Sabotage narration states "the saboteur is malnutrition," showing underlying causes of workplace accidents, lost man-hours, and losses in wartime productivity are often caused by the poor nutrition of workers' diets. Announcing "we're fighting against improper eating," a wartime nutritional program built from 7 food groups is detailed. At a dramatized presentation demonstrating meal planning following these nutritional guidelines before an audience of women, the presenter states that the guidelines "will help us with the job that has been given to us women, as the guardians of the vigor and vitality of our families." "In the field of nutrition, the Westinghouse Company's film, This Too Is Sabotage, does a good job of selling the fact that a well-balanced diet is essential to health and happiness. This film is shown to employees in over a thousand war plants. The lunch hour is a favored time. Pre-shift showings to early arrivals are well attended, though many prefer to stay after a shift" (C.A. Lindstrom, "Agricultural Pictures and the War" Journal of the Society of Motion Picture Engineers vol. 42, no. 3, March, 1944, p. 183)

880. Target for tonight (48:28)

Date:
1941
Main contributors:
Watt, Harry, 1906-1987
Summary:
Presents an account of an actual air raid by the Bomber Command of the Royal Air Force. Aerial photographs disclose the objective to be raided. Then staff planning, routine preparations, and the tension of the evening take-off are shown. Follows a big Wellington bomber through its bombing of the target, engine trouble, the wounding of its wireless operator, and finally its report back to headquarters.