31. The beaver (11:22)

Date:
1950
Summary:
Shows activities of the beaver in its natural environment. Illustrates ways in which the beaver's teeth, feet, and tail help him in swimming, eating, felling trees, and repairing a broken dam. Reveals the unique construction of a beaver house, and stresses the importance of the animal as an agent of conservation and as a valuable fur bearer.

32. The Berlin Airlift (23:28)

Date:
1950
Summary:
Teaching Film Custodians classroom film of excerpts from the 1950 20th Century-Fox feature film, "The Big Lift". Incorporating newsreel and Air Force film footage, this film illustrates the results of the post WWII Berlin blockade by the Russians in 1948. The organization and operation of the Allied Airlift to bring food, fuel, clothing, and medicines to the city is highlighted. The effectiveness of the Airlift in forcing the Russians to abandon the blockade in 1949 is examined.

33. The Chicago Historical Society (10:03)

Date:
1950
Summary:
Shows scenes in the Chicago Historical Society Museum which help give an understanding of the past by exhibiting possessions which touched the lives of some of those who have shaped United States history. Includes scenes from the homes of Paul Revere, George Washington, and Abraham Lincoln, as well as famous Philadelphia mansions and a variety of famous landmarks.

34. The European Experience (Edited version) (29:25)

Date:
19uu
Summary:
Examines what has happened in Europe to check the threat of a menancing population growth. Traces the growth of population in Europe from the Middle Ages and suggests that the small-family concept, which began in England in the late nineteenth century, has had more effect on population than any other thing.

36. The Moor's pavane (15:59)

Date:
1950
Summary:
Jos Limon and his troupe perform a suite of dances based on Shakespeare's "Othello" with lines spoken by Bram Nossem. Using the structure of a court dance, this interpretation captures the tragedy and passion of the play. Dancers: Jos Limon (Othello), Lucas Hoving, Betty Jones, Ruth Currier.

37. The screen writer (20:15)

Date:
1950
Summary:
One in a series of twelve, one-reel films designed to present behind-the scenes activities of the motion picture industry. This film pictures a typical screen writer and analyzes his job. The task of the screen writer is to take a book or a story, strip it down to its elements, and put it together again so that characters move and live, so that the printed word is transformed into visual and audio patterns. To accomplish this task, he must know all about the technical aspects of picture making. | Content information imported from original IUCAT entry: "This is a behind the scenes look at the screenwiter. Made in cooperation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences."

38. The soundman (10:25)

Date:
1950
Summary:
One in a series of twelve, one-reel films designed to present behind-the scenes activities of the motion picture industry. This film traces the use of sound in motion pictures as it progressed from simple piano accompaniment to the multitudinous effects of today. Shows a major studio's sound effects library; then demonstrates the steps involved and the equipment used to bring alive the sounds in a movie on horseracing.

39. The strands grow (14:35)

Date:
1950
Summary:
The first in the "Web of Life" series. Uses fossils and other prehistoric relics to trace the competitive struggle for survival among plants and animals. Still pictures show the trilobite, the dinosaur, and the sabre-toothed tiger--all of whom became extinct because they did not adapt themselves to their changing environment. Concludes with a diagram showing that all living things are units in a vast web of life powered by the sun and fed by plants which draw elements from water, air, and soil.

40. Throwing (1:11:07)

Date:
1950
Summary:
A skilled potter demonstrates the shaping of various pieces of pottery on a potter's wheel. Shows each step in making a bowl and special steps in completing a low, flat plate and a pitcher.