251. The way of ants (29:22)

Date:
1957
Summary:
The ants are social insects with a fascinating story of division of labor and social organization. Their history of how this social structure developed from very simple beginnings to more complicated systems is interesting too. You’ll find that some ants eat protein food while others are vegetarians, and you’ll discover that the kind of society which ants maintain is related to their food habits. Robert Willey, an entomologist, will demonstrate these things with live colonies of ants. You’ll learn too how to keep an ant colony and what kinds of questions about behavior of ants you might answer by observation. On film, you will see an ant herdsman tending the aphid cows and stoking them to secure their sweet honeydew.

252. The writer's tone of voice (29:15)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Illustrates, through music and poetry, the importance of interpreting the writer's tone of voice in deriving meaning from written communication. Defines tone as the relationship between what is meant and what is said. Points out that all written communication has some kind of tone. Discusses the reader's responsibility in reading the right tone from the printed page. (KETC) Kinescope.

253. Treasures from the land of the Bible (28:48)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Discusses the discovery of the Dead Sea scrolls; explains how the scrolls came into being, who wrote them and why, and what they mean today. Includes a study of Palestine, beginning with its earliest recorded history; and shows samples of Palestinian art.

254. Turbojets, Pulse Jets, and Ram Jets (14:41)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Contrasts pulse jets, turbojets, and ramjets to a true rocket. Compares the operation of a true rocket engine with that of a jet engine, and explains the operation of the three types of jet engines showing the advantages and disadvantages of each. (New Mexico College of A. & M.A.)

255. Turtles (29:30)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Turtles are reptiles along with snakes, lizards and crocodiles. The turtle has a remarkable history, too. He has been around for 200 million years and is relatively unchanged from his early ancestors. On this program you’ll find out about the turtle’s adaptations for his kind of life, for instance the way he breathes. Animals with lungs usually use their ribs to aid in expansion of the chest for breathing, but since the turtle’s ribs re part of his armor of shell, he cannot do this. What does he do? You find this out along with meeting several species of turtles and learning how to tell the age of these long-lived reptiles. Fifteen-year-old Frank Maurer, of Newton, Mass. is the guest of Mrs. Grimes. He is generally interested in science and especially in turtles, frogs, and snakes which he keeps as pets.

256. Unconscious understanding (29:54)

Date:
1957
Summary:
What is the role of unconscious understanding, in dreams, in poetry, and in wit and humor? It plays a major part in all of these. In wit, satire, and puns, the unconscious understanding contributes largely to the meaning. Humor often loses all effect if it must be explained, but rather depends upon immediate, unconscious awareness of the point. Prof. Boring gives many amusing examples from literature.

257. Underpainting (29:49)

Date:
1957
Summary:
After putting the outline of his main figure on the canvas, Painter Reinhardt does something which non-artists might consider astonishing: he begins to cover the figure with the “underpainting.” But as he talks and explains what he is doing, another technique of the artist becomes clear. With this part of the job done, the audience is left to await the next step in the making of a painting.

258. Wanderers on the fringe (29:42)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Curator Wilkinson returns on this program to present the story of the Nomad Scythians who ranged the Russian plains during the Sixth Century BC. Exhibits include examples of Scythian metal work, which was extremely avant-garde for that day. Discussion emphasizes the inventiveness, imaginativeness, and other cultural characteristics of these ancestors of the Russians.

259. Water color painting in the world of art (30:12)

Date:
1957
Summary:
In this program, Mr. Fitzpatrick discusses water color, which, because of its spontaneous, lucid quality, is intriguing both to the artist and the layman alike. Watercolor paintings by well-known painters, such as John Marin and Winslow Homer, are discussed as to subject, technique, composition, and total effect. The tools and materials of the craft are explained, and a variety of methods in their use are demonstrated, with emphasis on the creative approach. Experimental, contemporary examples of watercolor painting will be viewed and explained in relation to the processes previously demonstrated.

260. Webs and Their Weavers (29:46)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Many people fear all spiders to such an extent that they have never explored this interesting world of living things. Only a few spiders are harmful to human beings, and the other thousands of kinds are often shunned because of these. Here is a new insight into the spider, a creature with eight eyes, glands to produce several kinds of silk, and instinctual knowledge to build snares so complicated and beautiful that man has to admire their design and efficiency. On beautiful film, taken by Charles Walcott, you’ll see Charlotte, (Aranea cavatics, the barn spider that EB White wrote about in Charlotte’s Web) spin her web and catch prey. Other film sequences will show how a funnel-web spider uses her sheet web, and how a crab spider, camouflaged like a flower, needs no web at all but awaits his victim on a plant.

261. Wellmet House (29:30)

Date:
19uu
Summary:
Explains that Wellmet House attempts to rehabilitate the mentally ill not by gaining conforming behavior but by helping them relate to other people in natural and unstructured ways. Points out that half of the residents are mentally ill and the other half are college students from nearby universities who staff Wellmet House. Emphasizes the need for each patient to find individual expression. Shows patients and staff at dinner, parties, the local pub, and a house meeting.

262. Westward to Greece (29:31)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Discusses current theories on the origin of the Semitic alphabet. Illustrates the acrophonic principle of alphabetization by the development of several letters from the Semitic through the Greek and finally to their Latin forms. Explains the emergence of the Greek letters into Eastern and Western systems. Features Dr. Frank Baxter.

263. What do you like best and least? (29:56)

Date:
1957
Summary:
There is a definite reason for most of your likes and dislikes, says Prof. Boring. He shows how measurements of them can be taken themselves, examples of preferred experiences which are largely results of learning; for example, pleasant pains, dissonance in musical intervals, and cultivated smells. He reminds us that man is a behaving organism that tries to get what he likes and likes what he tries to get, and that his preferences are established by heredity and learning.

264. What does the word communism mean to you? (29:35)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Participants are Miss Mirka Misic, Yugoslavia; Miss Susan Rennie, Union of South Africa; Mr. Norbert Scholz, Germany; Mr. Young-Koo Lee, Korea; and Mrs. Waller. The debate on the nature of communism is enlivened by the young Yugoslavian delegate who attempts to defend her country's brand of communism under questioning by representatives of Germany, Korea and the Union of South Africa. Mirka insists that Russia borders on imperialism while her country has communism at its best. She asserts that co-existence between communism and capitalism is necessary "if we want a peaceful world." The Korean panel member, however, vigorously replied that communism "by its very nature" denies co-existence with the capitalist countries. Speaking from his firsthand experience of communism during three months in North Korea after that area was captured by the Communists during the Korean war, he is violently in disagreement with anything communistic. He is joined in his views by the remaining two members of the panel.

265. Who Walked Here? (30:01)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Shows how animal tracks may be identified and explains how various types of tracks are classified. Demonstrates the making of track stamps through the use of potatoes. Discusses the making of plaster casts of tracks and the wiring of stories using tracks. (WGBH-TV) Kinescope.

266. Why do things differ? (29:35)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Dramatizes the questions raised in Darwin's mind on his return to England from his famous voyage. Discusses why animals differ when found in different locations, why and how species arise, and if new forms appear suddenly. Uses graphic illustrations, slides, and live animals to explain simple concepts of the origin of the species. (WGBH-TV) Kinescope.

267. With an American accent (29:20)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Develops the theme that the ultimate aim of literature is ethical. Defines the accent of literature as a characteristic way of thinking which reflects a particular manner of speaking or sounding. Points out that literature must serve a cause or purpose. Uses examples from the writings of Carl Sandburg and Mark Twain. (KETC) Kinescope.

268. Woman's work is never done (29:44)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Enumerates the problems of living in ancient Egypt from a woman's standpoint--no running water, electricity, or refrigeration. Shows bronze ornaments used for bartering purposes as well as household equipment and cosmetics. (NYU) Kinescope.

269. Wood blocks and metal type (29:41)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Discusses the discoveries and developments which brought about the invention of movable type by Gutenberg. Describes the work of the alchemist in casting metals, the making of wood blocks, and the development of oil based paints. Demonstrates Gutenberg's experiments with metals and shows woodcuts representative of those produced and used in Gutenberg's day. Features Dr. Frank Baxter.

270. Wood sculpture in the world of art (29:48)

Date:
1957
Summary:
In this program, Mr. Fitzpatrick discusses wood sculpture as an art form. Describes the tools needed for manipulating the wood. Demonstrates simple methods and techniques of carving. Explains the selection of wood, importance of grain, and factors which contribute to the finished art piece. Illustrates with examples of wood sculpture.

271. You, the Beholder (29:38)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Discusses various levels of understanding of art in terms of visual, historical, and esthetics elements. Explains such terms as abstraction, cubism, futurism, and shows examples of each. Demonstrates the importance of the background of the viewers in his reaction to painting by analyzing the expressed likes and dislikes of five college teachers. (Hofstra College and WOR-TV) Kinescope.

273. American influence in my country (29:18)

Date:
1957
Main contributors:
National Educational Television
Summary:
This series, aired from 1954 through 1958, is built around the annual New York Herald Tribune World Youth Forum, which hosts approximately thirty foreign high school students from around the world in the US. The World Youth Forum features the high school students discussing problems of concern to America and the world. Discussions are presided over by Mrs. Helen Hiet Waller, World Youth Forum Director, with a maximum of encouragement to free expression. In this program from 1957, students from the United Kingdom, Union of South Africa, India, and Lebanon discuss the influence of American comics, films, and be-bop; the contribution of American education throughout the Arab world; the relative merits of British and American school systems; the relative impact of Britain vs U.S. influence in the world; and whether Britain or the U.S. has the truer democracy.

274. Are teenagers universally misunderstood? (29:31)

Date:
1957
Main contributors:
National Educational Television
Summary:
This series, aired from 1954 through 1958, is built around the annual New York Herald Tribune World Youth Forum, which hosts approximately thirty foreign high school students from around the world in the US. The World Youth Forum features the high school students discussing problems of concern to America and the world. Discussions are presided over by Mrs. Helen Hiet Waller, World Youth Forum Director, with a maximum of encouragement to free expression. In this program from 1957, students from Brazil, Finland, Japan, Jordan, and Singapore discuss the question of universal misunderstanding of teenagers. Although they are divided on the seriousness of the problem, they indicate that the misunderstanding between parents and teenagers does exist in their countries.

275. Roots of prejudice : is prejudice always bad? (29:28)

Date:
1957
Main contributors:
National Educational Television
Summary:
Teenagers from the United Kingdom, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Indian discuss prejudices against Britain and her policies. They further discuss their preconceived notions about America and indicate how their visit has changed these ideas. (WOR-TV) Kinescope.

276. Roots of prejudice : what are democracy's prejudices? (29:41)

Date:
1957
Main contributors:
National Educational Television
Summary:
Herald Tribune Forum delegates from Israel, France, Turkey, and Lebanon discuss their prejudices against other forum delegates and their countries. They indicate that some of their prejudices have been removed through acquaintances made in the U.S. (WOR-TV) Kinescope.

277. Roots of prejudice : who's responsible? (28:09)

Date:
1957
Main contributors:
National Educational Television
Summary:
Herald Tribune Forum members from the Gold Coast, the Union of South Africa, Ethiopia, and Nigeria discuss American prejudices towards Africans and towards African-Americans. (WOR-TV) Kinescope.

278. Slang around the world (29:18)

Date:
1957
Main contributors:
National Educational Television
Summary:
Presents members of the New York Herald Tribune World Forum and forum director Helen Hiett Waller. Teenagers from the Sudan, Israel, Ceylon, and Yugoslavia discuss American slang as an obstacle to the understanding of English and as a puzzlement and source of amusement to foreign visitors. The young people examine slang words and phrases in their own language.

279. Summary of three months in the U.S.A (30:18)

Date:
1957
Main contributors:
National Educational Television
Summary:
All 33 of the Herald Tribune High School Forum delegates appear in their native costumes and talk of their experiences and impressions after their three month stay in four different American homes and schools. 1957 (WOR-TV) Kinescope.

280. Conquering the West (29:31)

Date:
1957
Main contributors:
See Other Contributors
Summary:
Discusses the discovery and exploitation of the natural resources of the West--minerals, grazing, lumber--plus agricultural development of the Great Plains and the Pacific Coast valleys. Also, considers communications in the West--stage lines, railroads, and the telegraph. (KETC) Kinescope.

281. Discovery: Who Walked Here? (29:30)

Date:
1957
Main contributors:
See Other Contributors
Summary:
Shows how animal tracks may be identified and explains how various types of tracks are classified. Demonstrates the making of track stamps through the use of potatoes. Discusses the making of plaster casts of tracks and the wiring of stories using tracks. (WGBH-TV) Kinescope.

282. Writers of today. Frank O'Connor (28:39)

Date:
195u
Main contributors:
See Other Contributors
Summary:
Walter Kerr, drama critic for the New York Herald Tribune, interviews noted Irish author Frank O'Connor. Mr. O'Connor contrasts the novel and the short story in relation to characterization, plot, and the time element. He discusses styles of the short story and appraises past and present psychological and subject matter trends in prose fiction.

283. The brave tailor (15:07)

Date:
1957
Main contributors:
WKNO-TV, The Junior League of Memphis, Tom Tichenor, Diane Parrish, Emma Wade, Al Gresham, Al Wood, Bill Orr, Howard Holst
Summary:
Marionettes reveal the story of a Young Tailor who buys jam for one slice of bread which attracts seven hungry flies. The tailor kills all seven flies with one blow, decides he is very brave, and goes to the castle to win the hand of the Princess. He presents himself to the King and Queen, who sent him to kill two giants who have been destroying the kingdom. They promise the tailor the Princess in marriage when the giants are dead.