15501. Airscrew (21:07)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Tharp, Grahame, 1912-
Summary:
This short nonfiction film depicts the intensive testing that goes into developing and producing aircraft propellers. It opens with the whirring or propeller blades. Animated diagrams show how the bite of the propeller moves it through the air and how the pitch determines the size of the bite. A trip through an airplane factory shows the manufacture of a satisfactory alloy. The rest of the process is painstaking hand work interspersed with dozens of careful inspections. The operation of the variable pitch mechanism and its use in taking off and cruising is shown. Then the propeller is assembled the complete job is tested for balance.

15502. Argentina (people of Buenos Aires) (10:56)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Erpi Classroom Films Inc., Earle K. James
Summary:
Buenos Aires, the commercial, financial, and industrial hub of predominantly agricultural Argentina. A grain broker and a packing plant employee, with the family of the latter, are introduced as representative city-dwellers. The vast pampas regions, the source of Argentina's agricultural wealth; the dependence of the city on the rural hinterland. Spanish dialogue is periodically incorporated into the film story. An instructional sound film.

15503. Blessings of Grass (20:33)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture, United States. Department of Agriculture. Forest Service
Summary:
Introduced as "the story of cattle grazing in the national forest," the film depicts cooperation between the Forest Service and local ranchers to manage the grazing of herds on public land. Original USDA catalog entry states: "Range management in the western national forests. Shows how to perpetuate grazing lands by protecting them from overuse by livestock and thus insure the income of ranchers and communities dependent on the livestock and grazing industry for a living" (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 41). Depicts rounding up, branding and inoculating cattle in preparation for driving from private range land to National Forest. Shows duties of Forest Rangers, including monitoring fences and health of grasses. Cutting, raking and stacking of hay using mostly horse-drawn implements is shown. Concludes by showing that U.S. Forest Service range management has helped western "cow towns" to prosper and grow.

15504. Block That Termite (19:43)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture. Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine
Summary:
A presentation of the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine's code for the prevention of termite infestation. Using animated diagrams and detailed photography of actual termite infestations, the film educates builders and homeowners in inspection, remediation and prevention methods. Poor construction practices invite the ravages of these devastating insects. The film shows how buildings can be protected from further damage and points to be observed undertaking new construction. "It costs us 50 million dollars a year to feed the termites, it costs far less to block them," concludes the narrator.

15505. Boy in court (10:38)

Date:
1940
Summary:
Shows how intelligent probation can change a boy's attitude and conduct. In company with his gang, Johnny steals a car, which is wrecked during the excitement of their get-away. What might have happened to the boy is realistically portrayed in a sequence of vivid police and prison scenes. What actually happens to him in a good juvenile court with well-organized probation service provides a stirring contrast. A plea for youth and justice.

15506. Children of China (11:19)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Erpi Classroom Films, inc., L. C. Goodrich
Summary:
Presents episodes from the home, school, and play life of children in a representative Chinese village. Traditional patterns of Chinese family life are portrayed. School training in loyalty to parents, together with home and community customs, reflects the influence of Chinese tradition on contemporary life. Recreational activities are shown, and Chinese dialogue is reproduced and interpreted.

15507. Children of Switzerland (11:14)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Erpi Classroom Films Inc., Arthur I. Gates, Celeste C. Peardon
Summary:
Presents characteristic activities of a boy and girl living in the Swiss Alps. Follows them through the Alpine village as they watch the tourists and visit shops where clocks and woodcarvings are sold. Depicts them at home and as they accompany their mother on a long, steep climb up the mountain to the summer pasture where the father and brother are tending the cattle. An instructional sound film.

15508. Chile : people of the country estates (11:07)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, Indiana University. Audio-Visual Center
Summary:
Shows Chilean mountains, deserts, glaciers, mines, ports, pastoral areas, and an estate in the agricultural Central Valley. Here the role of the estate is seen in relation to the visiting owner and his family, the farming population, and Chilean agriculture generally. On the family's return to Santiago, varied aspects of Chile's capital city are featured. Includes some Spanish dialogue.

15509. Control of body temperature (11:00)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Erpi Classroom Films Inc., A.J. Carlson, F.J. Mullin, H.G. Swann
Summary:
Explains the regulation of body-temperature. Contrasts constant temperatures of warm-blooded animals with fluctuating temperatures of cold-blooded ones. Reveals the relationship of body heat to energy furnished by foods, and depicts the blood stream as a heat distributor. Illustrates body heat loss, and regulation by radiation, conduction, and evaporation. Depict the function of hypothalamus in regulating body temperature. For high school, college, and adult groups. Historical Summary: Explains the mechanism of body-temperature regulation by radiation, conduction, and evaporation. Contrasts the constant temperatures of warm-blooded animals with the fluctuating temperatures of cold-blooded ones. Reveals the relationship of body heat to energy furnished by foods, and depicts the blood stream as a heat distributor. Also shows the function of the hypothalamus in regulating body temperature.

15511. Finding your life work (20:52)

Date:
1940
Summary:
Opens with a picture of a boy fishing and quickly leads up to the fact that, in getting a job, the baits required are personality, training, and experience. Then follows a discussion of these points: know yourself, study vocations, learn of contributions your local school can make to your training, coordinate mind and body, build character on a firm foundation, and believe in opportunity.

15512. Goofer trouble (07:20)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Elvey, Maurice, 1887-1967
Summary:
"Short fictional film asking people to keep under cover during air raids. A group of English and Canadian fighter pilots report the number of German planes they have each shot down. The rivalry between the British and Canadian pilots is intense and later in the pilot's hut one of the English pilots is asked why he did not "kill" a German plane when he had the chance. He replies that the problem was "Goofer trouble". "Goofers" are seen leaving a shelter to watch a dog fight. Because these "Goofers" were in the street the pilot could not open fire without running the risk of hitting them."--British Film Institute website.

15513. Health in war (13:19)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Jackson, Pat, 1916-2011
Summary:
"Offers revealing insights into the re-structuring of health services in London and elsewhere in Britain following the outbreak of WWII ... The film is broadly divided into three parts. The opening sequence looks at the advances made so far in the battle against sickness and disease, brought about through slum clearance, preventative and curative medicine and research. The middle section describes the re-organisation of existing services in preparation for air raid casualties, with the redeployment of city centre hospitals for emergency services and first aid, and the movement of convalescent, maternity and evacuation hospitals further out into the country. The final section uses pictures of happy, healthy children running free in the English countryside to remind cinema audiences of what Britain is fighting for."--British Film Institute website.

15514. Into the blue (10:39)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Catling, Darrel, 1909-1991
Summary:
Shows how young airmen are trained by the R.A.F. Not only is the standard training such as solo flying shown, but also learning Morse code, navigation lectures, and special bombardier and fighter pilot training.

15515. People of Hawaii (11:01)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Erpi Classroom Films Inc., Margaret Mead
Summary:
Shows the location and physical features of the Hawaiian Islands, a wide variety of immigrant and native workers busy at large-scale production and harvesting of sugar cane and pineapples, other work, home life, and customs of the native Hawaiians. Portrays such native activities as fishing, cooking, eating, playing football, building canoes, and taking part in the ceremonies at a canoe-launching.

15516. Pig Projects Make Profits (13:26)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Duroc Record Association, Frank Oberkoetter Studios
Summary:
Addressed to members of 4-H or FFA clubs interested in learning to raise pigs, stating "thousands of boys and girls choose swine for their livestock project work." Provides instruction and guidance for every aspect of the project, from purchasing, showing at the county fair, to reaping profits in the fall. "[P]oints covered include: buying a bred gilt; McLean County sanitation system; importance of accurate record keeping; equipment needed; feeding methods; value of clean pasture; disease prevention; showing at the fair; and the value of pig project work. Suggested for agricultural classes and for 4-H club activities" (University of Michigan Bureau of Visual Education Extension Service, Instructional Motion Pictures, 1940-1941, 8). Suggests that the profitability of such projects will help young people start their own farms. The film shows a young farm couple tending hogs while narration states "if a little boy blesses their home you bet ten to one that he too will get the chance to have the valuable experience of pig project work, just like dad."

15517. Radio and television (11:29)

Date:
1940
Summary:
Indicates the preparation necessary for entrance into radio work, stressing a strong foundation in science and mathematics. The development of personality and a cultural background is stressed. Gives an overview of radio and its present importance and the application of radio principles to public address systems, sound reproduction, and television.

15518. Siege (09:50)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Bryan, Julien H. (Julien Hequembourg), 1899-1974
Summary:
Presents a vivid record, uncensored by military authorities, of the 1939 siege and fall of Warsaw.

15519. T.V.A. (20:01)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Tennessee Valley Authority, National Defense Advisory Committee
Summary:
Narration introduces this report as "the story of the development of the Tennessee River," showing ongoing construction of major public works projects conducted under the Tennessee Valley Authority, including dams and hydroelectric plants. Touts the harnessing of waterpower to generate electricity for industry and farmers. Lists the improvements to quality of life in the region brought by electricity, including home amenities, pumped water for irrigation, and community refrigeration for food storage. Emphasizes the development of fertilizer manufacturing, as well as munitions and aluminum for defense industries. Includes footage of Wilson dam, Norris dam, Wheeler dam, Pickwick Landing dam, Guntersville dam, Chickamauga dam, and Watts Bar dam and generating station.

15520. The Land - To Have and To Hold (14:34)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Interior. Division of Motion Pictures
Summary:
Recounts the history of land ownership by small farmers in the U.S. Free land for farmers gradually disappeared as the west was settled through the 19th century, resulting in the necessity for farmers to buy land with mortgages. Describes the creation of the 1916 Federal Farm Loan Act and regional land bank systems to enable tenant farmers to become landowners. "Shows how the cooperative mortgage credit system works in the everyday lives of John and Mary Farmer, who are typical of the 600,000 members of national farm loan associations now using their own credit system to achieve the goal of owning debt-free farms" (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 21).

15521. The policeman (10:39)

Date:
1940
Summary:
Shows Jim Barnes, the typical policeman, directing traffic, rescuing a cat caught in a tree, finding a lost child, and arresting a reckless driver. Portrays the radio station at headquarters, a cruise car, a policewoman, two motorcycle officers, a patrol wagon, and an emergency car. An instructional sound film.

15522. The snapping turtle (10:49)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Erpi Classroom Films Inc., E. Laurence Palmer
Summary:
Presents the life story of the snapping turtle in its natural habitat. Observes the snapping turtle's features, its encounters with other animal life, the laying and protection of its eggs, its hatching, and developmental conditioning. Its appearance is compared with that of the painted turtle. Digging in for and emergence from the winter's hibernation conclude the presentation.

15523. The story of wheat (11:39)

Date:
1940
Summary:
Deals with the history, growth, harvesting, and preparation of wheat for its most important use as bread.

15524. They also serve (07:48)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Grierson, Ruby, 1904-1940
Summary:
"Story of an average wartime housewife whose dawn to dusk activities provide support for the duties of soldiers and defence workers."--BFI website.

15525. Work of the kidneys (11:06)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
Encyclopaedia Britannica Films Inc., A. J. Carlson, H. G. Swann, F. J. Mullin
Summary:
Describes the structure and function of the renal system, and explains how the kidneys maintain uniformity in blood and tissues. Demonstrates, with animated drawings and laboratory experiments, the formation of urine, the regulation of blood composition, and the functioning of the bladder. Explains the relation of blood pressure to urine flow, and the rate of secretion as affected by sugar, water, and temperature.

15527. 10 - Friends (03:42)

Date:
1939/1946
Main contributors:
Jay, John, 1918-2008, Jay, Hilda L., 1921-
Summary:
These films are part of the John and Hilda Jay family papers. They likely date between 1939-1946. This film has no sound and shows clips of the Jay family and friends boating at a lake shore, working and playing in the yard, at home for Christmas, and taking portraits on the IU campus.

15528. 501 So. Woodlawn, Bloomington, Ind (04:45)

Date:
1939/1946
Main contributors:
Jay, John, 1918-2008, Jay, Hilda L., 1921-
Summary:
These films are part of the John and Hilda Jay family papers. They likely date between 1939-1946. This film has no sound; shows residential and campus life in Bloomington.

15529. 6 - Westminster Inn (04:14)

Date:
1939/1946
Main contributors:
Jay, Hilda L., 1921-, Jay, John, 1918-2008
Summary:
These films are part of the John and Hilda Jay family papers. They likely date between 1939-1946. Silent home movie of family and friends playing, cooking, and eating together.

15530. [Boy Scouts in Washington, D.C.] (16:39)

Date:
1939/1946
Main contributors:
Jay, Hilda L., 1921-, Jay, John, 1918-2008
Summary:
These films are part of the John and Hilda Jay family papers. They likely date between 1939-1946. Silent home movie shows Boy Scout troop at train station and in Washington, D.C.

15531. [Ellen Jay] (04:36)

Date:
1939/1946
Main contributors:
Jay, Hilda L., 1921-, Jay, John, 1918-2008
Summary:
These films are part of the John and Hilda Jay family papers. They likely date between 1939-1946. This silent film shows two young children playing outside and around a campfire with a woman.

15532. Class of '37; Detroit Relatives at Lake and Bontragers and babe (05:01)

Date:
1939/1946
Main contributors:
Jay, Hilda L., 1921-, Jay, John, 1918-2008
Summary:
These films are part of the John and Hilda Jay family papers. They likely date between 1939-1946. Silent home movies shows family and friends at the beach, eating and playing outside, and boating on the lake.

15533. Elkhart Boy Scout Troop activities (05:27)

Date:
1939/1946
Main contributors:
Jay, Hilda L., 1921-, Jay, John, 1918-2008
Summary:
These films are part of the John and Hilda Jay family papers. They likely date between 1939-1946. Silent home video of the Elkhart Boy Scout troop marching in Bloomington, at official events, and setting up camp together.

15534. Elkhart High year book etc. (04:36)

Date:
1939/1946
Main contributors:
Jay, Hilda L., 1921-, Jay, John, 1918-2008
Summary:
These films are part of the John and Hilda Jay family papers. They likely date between 1939-1946. Silent home movie shows students looking at yearbooks, groups at an amusement park and picnic, beach scenes.

15535. Emily Sue (05:30)

Date:
1939/1946
Main contributors:
Jay, John, 1918-2008, Jay, Hilda L., 1921-
Summary:
These films are part of the John and Hilda Jay family papers. They likely date between 1939-1946. Silent home movie of young children playing in gardens and the river.

15536. Relatives Greensburg and ??? (04:07)

Date:
1939/1946
Main contributors:
Jay, Hilda L., 1921-, Jay, John, 1918-2008
Summary:
These films are part of the John and Hilda Jay family papers. They likely date between 1939-1946. Silent home movie shows a woman riding a bike, farm scenes with sheep, gardening, etc.

15537. Wedding picnic [illegible] G.E. Bond, Emily Sue (04:43)

Date:
1939/1946
Main contributors:
Jay, John, 1918-2008, Jay, Hilda L., 1921-
Summary:
These films are part of the John and Hilda Jay family papers. They likely date between 1939-1946. Silent home video of the family taking wedding portraits, strolling the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and playing in the yard with the children.

15540. [Fishing trip 1939--Wilkinson family] (04:57)

Date:
1939
Summary:
Shows the Wilkinson family taking a fishing trip on a lake or river. Includes many shots of the water taken from a motorboat. Bernadine Bailey's nephew, Paul Freeman Wilkinson, is seen rowing a boat. Closes with more footage of the Wilkinson's Scottish terrier playing with a crawdad.

15541. Community Sing: Songs of Stephen Foster (11:02)

Date:
1939
Main contributors:
Columbia Pictures Corporation
Summary:
A Columbia short subject presentation, distributed for classroom exhibition by Teaching Film Custodians. Presents Stanley Brown, Donald Grayson, and others in a program of Stephen Foster songs: Oh Susanna, Beautiful Dreamer, Jeanie with the Light Browns Hair, Old Folks at Home, Camptown Races, and My Old Kentucky Home. Costumed performers in an antebellum Southern plantation setting, each song is given a brief introduction with invitation for the audience to sing along. [Spoken dialogue and song lyrics include mutliple uses of the pejorative "darky."]

15542. Endocrine Glands (10:49)

Date:
1939
Main contributors:
Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, inc., A. J. Carlson, H. G. Swann, Erpi Classroom Films Inc
Summary:
Demonstrates the importance of various glands of internal secretion. Experiments and diagrams illustrate how the pituitary gland exercises control over other glands and over growth, how parathyroid glands partially control calcium in the blood, and how insulin from the pancreas controls metabolism of sugar. Also describes how the thyroid affects respiration, and how certain hormones stimulate the growth of mammary glands.

15543. Giant People: The Watussi of Africa (10:53)

Date:
1939
Main contributors:
Encyclopaedia Britannica Films, George Herzog
Summary:
Reveals the activities, customs, and traditions of the Watussi, an African people characterized by their advanced culture. Shows the ruling prince and royal family and activities in the royal household, including weaving, decorating, cooking, and churning. Portrays the prince as he inspects his cattle and leads a hunt, and depicts his young son presiding over a ceremonial dance.

15544. Heritage (15:42)

Date:
1939
Main contributors:
Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau
Summary:
History of the settlement of the western Canadian prairie lands, from pioneers in covered wagons to the booming wheat industry of the early 20th century. Shows that the prosperity brought by wheat built the western cities and led to rampant increases in production, when "wheat flowed like a golden river." The plowing of vast acreage without concern for soil conservation led to the disastrous collapse of the western agricultural economy. "Long years of intensive drought, coupled with a disastrous fall in prices, forced many Prairie farmers to board up their homes and seek work elsewhere. But the majority remained, hating to leave the land they had broken, often lacking the capital to make a fresh start. To these, the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration, working through engineers and scientists on the experimental farms and stations, restored faith and morale. Conservation of moisture, development of new methods of farming and conversion of sub marginal land to other uses all helped to put these derelict farms once again on a working basis" (National Film Board of Canada catalog record http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/en/our-collection/?idfilm=18392).

15545. Juarez (29:51)

Date:
1939
Summary:
Teaching Film Custodians classroom film of excerpts from the 1939 Warner Bros., feature film, "Juarez". Dramatizes the struggle of Benito Juarez to maintain independence and republicanism in Mexico from 1863 to 1867. Focuses on the Juaristas' resistance to French-supported Emperor Maximilian. Records that, with the end of the Civil War, the United States government warned Napoleon to withdraw his troops from Mexico. Shows Maximilian gambling on a victory by the loyalist Mexican troops over the Republican Army, failing, and being executed.

15547. Land of Mexico (11:00)

Date:
1939
Main contributors:
Erpi Classroom Films, inc., Wallace W. Atwood
Summary:
Portrays, with animated maps, the physical characteristics of Mexico and its strategic geographical relation to the United States. Enumerates her natural resources and industries. Depicts urban life and rural activities such as corn harvesting and grinding, home-building, beverage preparation, pottery-making, and handicraft work.

15549. Navajo Indians (10:52)

Date:
1939
Main contributors:
See Other Contributors
Summary:
Tells the story of Taska and Alnaba, a young Navajo couple who are betrothed. Portrays their native environment and such activities as building a home, tilling the soil, tending sheep, carding the wool, and weaving it into colorful blankets. Also shows barter at a local trading post, the performance of native dances, the wedding ceremony, and the wedding feast.

15550. Round the World Trip 1939 : Part 2 – Europe (1:13:21)

Date:
1939
Main contributors:
Richard Leslie Gair (1892-1970)
Summary:
McRobbie-Gair Family Home Movies: Film is comprised of travelogue sequences primarily from south, central, and western England, but also of Sweden and Scotland. County and city locations in England include Canterbury, Nottingham, Twickenham suburb, Surrey, Manchester, the coastal town of Llandudno, Salisbury, and the Isle of Wright. Cities and locations in Scotland include Meikleour, Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, Loch Lomond, and Edinburgh, and locations in Sweden include Gothenburg, Stockholm, and Upsala, according to title cards. Highlights from England include shots of the “White Rabbit” monument in Llandudno commemorating Lewis Carroll’s inspiration for “Alice in Wonderland,” shots of Windsor, Conway, and Arundel Castles, the Manchester Piccadilly Station, Canterbury and Salisbury Cathedrals and a selection of hotel and restaurant signs from Canterbury (Tudor House, The Sun Hotel, Chequers Inn, Senlac Hotel, The BattleAxe – Crafts and Restaurant, Pilgrim’s Rest, and Fremlins George Hotel). Notable locations in Scotland include the Meikleour Beech Hedge [sic], and the Nigg Church of Nigg Parish (Nigg Old Church), Loch Lomond, and Edinburgh (Princes St.) city shots. Finally, sequences in Sweden open with travel on a passenger ship, the “Patricia,” to Gothenburg. In this sequence is also a shot of a Nazi flag, which according to the title card, was taken in Stockholm. Upsala cathedral is also shot with lots of sequences on waterways throughout. Footage consists of color film stock with title cards inserted for new locations or sites.