A/V Geeks 16mm Lunch 12-18-2025

It's that time of the year at the post office when mountains of mail come through here day and night. >> Warren C. Jones, mail handler, Columbus, Ohio. >> Everybody sending millions of cards, letters, and packages to friends and family, and there's not much time to deliver it. >> Help the people who helped bring you Christmas. Please mail packages before December 10th. Cards and letters before December 15th. >> Please mail early. It's got to get there by Christmas. >> Hello everybody. This is Skip Alzheimer. Welcome to the Age Geeks Lunchtime streaming show. We're live today. Uh, I got over my horrible reaction to a flu vaccine or I'm sorry, a pneumonia vaccine that laid me up for two days. Basically, it was crazy. My arm is still sore, but I am back. Anyways, uh, so today's theme is about mail. And why is that? Well, it's because I got this in the mail. I got this in the mail and it says um please open on camera. That's way fun. Last time uh I promise there is no poop in it. So we will see. We will open this and uh uh in the meantime, let's watch this original cornet film called Letter to Grandmother. I've shown the second edition of this, but the first edition is it's great. Enjoy. >> [music] [music] >> Chips, you don't need to bark at me. I don't have your ball. We left your ball and blanket down at grandma's farm. Do I write to grandma and ask her to send us your ball and then we can play again. Dear grandma, we had now I have written grandma's name and address on the envelope. Mrs. Thomas Rogers, Green Castle, Indiana, World Route number two. Listen to this. You left Chips ball and blanket at your house. I wish you would send them to at me every day to tell me I must play ball with you. Thank you so much for all the things you do for me. Lovingly Mary, >> mother. Mary. >> Mother, I have written a letter to grandma and asked her to send us chips ball. Now I need a stamp. Do you always use a three cent stamp on a letter? >> You use a three cent stamp on an ordinary sealed letter that goes out of town. Mary, >> do you have any stamps? I want to mail it right away. >> I think so. There. >> You going to take the dog with you? >> Yes, I do. Mother, >> well, be sure to put his leash on and be careful when you cross the street. >> Yes, we will. Come on, Chip. Bye, mother. >> Goodbye, dear. Hello there. Mighty nice dog you've got. Hi, Brownie. >> His name is Chip. Quiet. Behave yourself. I just mailed his letter to grandma. >> I see. >> Do you come for the mail every day? >> Yes, I come twice a day on weekdays and once on Sundays later. Here's my schedule for this box. You see, mayo is collected from this box at 10:00 in the morning and fortune. >> That's my letter on top. >> Well, so it is. >> What are you going to do with it now? >> Well, I'm going to take it down to the post office. Have you ever seen what happens to a letter at the post office? >> No, I haven't. But I'd like to sometimes. >> You're Bill John's daughter, aren't you? >> Yes, I am. >> I thought so. Well, why don't you ask your mother to bring you down to the post office and see what happens to your letter? I'll be through picking up the mail on my route and be back down in an hour. >> That would be fun. Come on, Jess. Let's go home and ask mother. Goodbye and thank you. >> Goodbye, >> mother. There's the man who took my letter. >> Well, good morning, Mr. Steven. >> Good morning, Mrs. John. >> This is my daughter, Mary. >> Hello. >> Mary said you show us how the post office handles letters. >> Yes. I thought it would be nice if she saw the inside of the post office. Let's go up on the platform. I bring the mail from all over the city in these satchels and then take it into the post office. Some of the letters will go to people in the same city. Others will go on trains to other places. First, the letters are placed in order with the address and stamp sides all faced in one direction. >> Look, mother, there's my letter to grandma. >> The clerk sorts out all the mail that won't go through the cancelling machine and puts it up here. >> What does he do with the letters now? >> They go to the cancelling machines. Let's go over there and see what happened. >> What are those marks on my letter? The cancelling machine puts on the postmark which shows the city where the letter was mailed, the date, and the time of day. The machine also makes marks across the stamp that's on the letter. Let's go over here and see what happens next. >> Hello, Bill. Hello. This little girl's letter to her grandmother is the first one in that pile. You tell her what you do with the letters. >> Well, I put the letters into these pigeon holes according to where they go. Your letter goes into this pigeon hole along with a bunch of letters that go north on the noon train. After I get all the letters sorted, I tie each package together. Then I put them into the copper bag or pouch over here. Your letter is in one of the bundles that went into the pouch for local northbound train number six. It's time for the pouches that go on that train to be taken to the station. The pouches are locked before they leave the post office to make sure that no letters are lost. there. Now the boxes will be taken to the station where they will be put on the northbound train which leaves in about 20 minutes. >> Well, Mary, your letter's on its way to grandmother. We're very glad you and your mother came by to visit the post office. >> Mother, can't we go down and watch him put the mail on the train? >> Surely we can. It's only a couple of blocks away. Come along. >> Oh, thank you very much, Mr. Stevens, for showing us around. >> You're quite welcome. >> Goodbye. And thank you a lot. >> Goodbye. >> Are those mailbags here taking off? >> Yes. Mail to this city is taken off the train first. Then the mail going from the city is loaded onto the mail part of the train. You're not a grammar in one of those bags going on a train now. >> Your letter is going on to find mother. Inside the mail car, as the train goes on its way, some of the pouches are emptied and some of the bundles are put into other pouches. Other bundles are opened and the letters are sorted again so that they may be put off the train at other cities on or near this railroad. The railway mail clerk is sorting the letters according to the city where they go. Mary's letter goes into one of these pigeon holes with other letters addressed to the same post office. When the sorting is finished, the letters for each town are tied in a bundle. Notice how fast the man ties the bundle. The bundle containing Mary's letter is in one of these pouches, which will be unloaded when the train stops at the town near Grandmother's farm. Now, the train carrying Mary's letter is arriving at the city near Grandmother's farm. After the mailbags are put off the train, they're taken by truck to the loading platform at the rear of the post office. The pouches are then loaded onto a small hand truck and taken inside the post office. Then the pouches are unlocked and opened. Letters and packages are dumped out and sorted again. Some of these letters will go to people who live in the city, while others will go to people who live on the farms nearby. Mary's grandmother lives on a farm on rural route number two. Mary's letter will be delivered by a rural mail carrier in the morning. Early next morning, the rural mail carrier arranges his letters in the order in which people live on his mail route. He must know the name of every person who lives on his route and where each one lives. Meanwhile, in another part of the post office, this clerk is busy sorting packages for city delivery. The rural carrier has finished sorting his mail and is now tying it into bundles so that he can carry it easily. He delivers all the mail for the people on his route, including letters, newspapers, magazines, and parcel post packages. Each day, the rural carrier drives about 50 m through the country to take mail to people on his route. He also picks up mail to take it back to the post office. The rural carrier drives his own car and is paid for the use of it by the post office. And here is the rural carrier as he arrives at grandmother's mailbox. He takes the mail out of the box and puts Mary's letter in. He leaves the signal flag on top of the box up so that the people in the house can see that there's mail in the box. Oh, a letter from Mary. I knew she'd want that dog's blanket and ball. Well, I'll put them in a box right away, and tomorrow I'll send them to her by Park. Next morning, Mary's grandmother goes to the mailbox and waits for the rural carrier. She knows just about when he will come. >> Good morning, Mrs. Rogers. >> Good morning. I want to send this package to my granddaughter by Park. >> Is there anything breakable or perishable in it? >> No. >> Any reading matter? >> Do you want it insured? >> No, it's just a dog's blanket involved. What do you suppose the postage will be on it? Well, it weighs about 2 lb, I guess. And Bloomington is less than 50 mi away, so that puts it in zone 1. Should cost you about 12 cents, Mrs. Rogers. >> All right, here's 15 cents. Now, if there's any change, you'll just leave it in the box tomorrow. Oh, and here's a letter to my granddaughter, too, but I put a stamp on that. >> And there's your mail, Mrs. Rogers. >> Thank you. >> Goodbye. >> Goodbye. Later in the day, the rural carrier returns to the post office with the letters and packages he's picked up on his route. Inside the post office, the packages which the rural carrier has picked up are weighed, stamped, and postmarked by the clerk at the stamp window. The rural carrier must then make a note of the cost of stamps and return the change to grandmother next day. Grandmother's package for Mary goes into a sack along with other packages addressed to the town where Mary lives. Then the sack is locked and sent to the waiting truck. At the loading platform of the post office, the bags are put in the truck. The bags of mail are taken to the railroad station. And when the train arrives, this man loads the pouch containing grandmother's letter to Mary and a sack containing the package onto the train. This man also receives pouches of incoming mail from the train. Inside the mail car of the train, a clerk is putting all the bags that must be unloaded at the town where Mary lives beside the door of the mail car so that they'll be ready to be put off when the train stops. The mail is taken from the train to the loading platform at the rear of the post office at Mary's Town. Grandmother's package and letter for Mary are in the bags being unloaded. In the post office, the bags are unlocked and opened. The packages are dumped on the table and then sorted into the different city parcel post routes and the rural routes. The packages for people living in the city will be delivered by parcel post delivery trucks. Early in the morning, the several city mail carriers sort the mail on their routes and load it into their packs. When the pack is loaded and ready to take out, it weighs about 50 lb. Grandmother's letter to Mary is in one of those bundles. In another part of the post office, grandmother's package to Mary is being put in a sack ready for delivery. When all the sacks are ready, the driver of the parcel post delivery truck places the packages and sacks in the order of the streets along which he will go. The packages for the beginning of his route are not placed in sacks. Those for the end of the route are placed in sacks to keep them together. Meanwhile, the city mail carrier is delivering letters and magazines to the homes on his route. He walks over his route of four or five miles twice each day except Saturday afternoon and Sunday. The postman has just left grandmother's letter in the mailbox of Mary's house. >> Here's a letter for you, Mary. >> For me? >> It's from grandma. >> She sent in your ball and blanket. Maybe it will come today and then we can play again. She wrote a lot to you. >> Well, you better go to school, dear. You may be late. >> Bye. >> Bye, mother. >> You're bye, dear. Be careful. >> The driver of this parcel post truck delivers packages to houses in many parts of the city. Later in the day, while Mary's at school, he leaves Grandmother's package at Mary's house. Well, >> good morning, Mr. Steven. >> Morning, Mr. John. Here's a package for Mary. >> Well, that's from your grandmother. That must be the dog's ball and blanket. Thanks a lot. >> You're welcome. >> Hello, mother. >> Hello, dear. There's a package for you on the table. >> For me? Mhm. I did. Chips fallen blanket. I was just going to take Chips out for a walk. >> Oh, couldn't I, mother? Then we can play ball together. >> All right. Come on, Chip. And so we have seen how our great postal system has served to bring chips ball and blanket back to Mary. In a similar way, the postal system serves all of us. Um, yeah, great. I love it. Um, I still love the postal service. I love my mailman. I love my um postal employees that I see uh periodically when I still mail stuff. U So, here's some more det. So, this was what the package I got. And this is from uh kids who uh watch my lunchtime show that are homeschooled. And um they I feel like they've been watching a long time and I I think some of them aren't kids anymore. So um I got something wrapped. This is uh says from homeschool kids to uh to John I mean Skip. So John is my real name. Skip. So, let's see what this is. Oh, boy. All right. Age Geeks cookies. [laughter] Uh, Skipman's Age Geek Cookies Sampler. And it has uh various pictures from different [snorts] shows. And on the back there's recipes. Uh, chocolate skip snowballs, Jonathan Wyinners, uh, Levar pitch in treats, Big Betty's chocolate cake cookies, Wondercats, hot cho uh, cocoa in the face cookies, the counts, uh, cinnamon spyroets, dishes cycles, uh, chocolate chip wheelies. Wow. They know that I have a sweet tooth. And this is brilliant. I don't know if you can see the detail here. There's like the border is film and then there's little logos and there's me wearing my hat and then there's a drawing here for Gigas Gigas Skip. It says, "Dear Skip, merry Christmas. We made these cookies in home economics class, which is great. And once again, stop thinking we stopped watching. Please open on camera. That was fun to watch last time. Sarah is in college, so she doesn't watch anymore. Her cookies uh her college art teacher said that her art was poop. Please enjoy the cookies and look forward. Look on back for G gigas skip. So that's what that is. So there we go. Oh, so they are still watching. That's awesome. U let me just say that this all gives me great joy. I don't know these kids. Um except that they have been sending me stuff and uh have been boosting my morale. Uh and it is it is joyous. So, I mean, you guys are also great who comment and watch every day and occasionally comment and leave money and stuff like that, but to have random kids in New Jersey send me stuff is just warms my heart. So, uh here's a Army film that has water damage. Um, which is beautiful to watch, but it's also sad. And you can see the water damage is on the side and then it's still in the soundtrack. So, you'll hear an occasional This is take a letter. Enjoy. Long about 1917, John Q. Citizen set the pace for progress with his peg bottom trousers, fancy vest, and mama in her latest style. What could have been more up to date than Then that bamp the deer in shallow may the ladies hats were lovely created from feathers and old lampshades. That was the year America went to war to the tune of and women went to work as the boys said goodbye Broadway. Hello France. The dictating machine was a rockous infant, more often ignored than used. Ah, yes. Those were the days. [music] [music] Times have changed and there's very little in office today to remind you of 1917. Unless it's the dictation methods used by a large number of men and women. Take Charles B. Scatterbrain. When Charlie decides to dig into his correspondence, he simply calls for a stenographer and begins dictation. >> Will you come in, Miss Smith, please, and bring your book? >> Sounds simple, but watch what happens. I know I had it right here on the top of the desk, but it doesn't seem to be here now. I'm getting fed up with this. Every day it's the same way. You got to get a system. It's all there is to it. I think they hide the letters on me or something. I can't find any of them. We got to install a new system around here. I'm not going to put up with this every day. That isn't it. I can't find a letter. They must be hiding them on me all the time. That isn't it. Neither is that pile of letters here. Oh. Uh, good morning, Miss Smith. Take some letters, please. I'd like to find it. I Oh, it's not. Well, now the first one is to uh let's see. Let's see. The first one is to Mr. John G. Weatherbeby. Mr. John G. Weatherby, Acme Sales Appliance Corporation, Detroit, Michigan. My dear Mr. Weatherbe. My dear Mr. Weatherbe. Now let's see uh my dear Mr. weapon regarding yours of the 21st. I'm sorry to have to report that the figures you requested figures you requested. What figures? I can't find it. Anyway, the letter should go to Hol instead anyway. I think so. Uh, Weatherbe would only pass it on to Hol anyway. So, change that, Mrs. Smith. change that address to George P. Holt Acme Company. And since we're sending the letter to Holtz, I think we better explain to him what McCreaty wanted. Isn't that right, Miss Smith? >> Uh, yes, I guess so. >> Uh, let's see. Let's see. Uh, I guess you can leave that first paragraph stand as it is. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. You better change it. You better change it. And uh uh let's see. Uh let's see. Uh dear Mr. Holt, last week we received a request from Mr. George P. Hold of the Oh, no. Not Mr. George P. Hold, Mr. John G. Weatherby of of the Acme Company requesting figures for the uh for the uh let's see uh let's see what were they requesting. Oh, if I can only find that letter. What were they requesting? No, no, no. Ah, here it is. Now we're getting somewhere. Oh, uh, Miss Smith, uh, you better change that address. Yes, change that address to Mr. Charles P. Colby of the Acme Company. It says here to, uh, address the reply to him. Uh, have you got that, Miss Smith? >> Has she got it? She certainly has. Plus a nasty case of office nerves. No, sir. There's a man who hasn't progressed a bit. Never briefs his letters. Never plans his dictation. Always ends up spending an hour on a job that could be done in 20 minutes. Henry K speedwell is a dashing figure in more ways than one. He's a potentate of paration. His mind works with the speed of light and leaves his stenographer in the dark. >> Make a letter. Uh Johnson Jenkins, uh 157 36th Street, New York, New York. Uh gentlemen, we are very interested in your industrial ventilating fan which is advertised in the engineering journal for June. Uh paragraph, we plan to rebuild the ventilating system in our collectivity plant. Uh fans selected must meet special conditions in our factory. Paragraph, please send us information and prices on your 24-in band. Yours very truly. How did you get that? >> I got it up to uh industrial. Uh what came after that? >> Uh industrial ventilating fan which was advertised in the National Engineering Journal for June. Paragraph. We plan to rebuild the ventilating system in our connectivity plant. Uh, the fan collected must meet special conditions in our factory. Paragraph. Please send us information and prices in your fan and 24 in size. Yours very truly. Have you got that? >> Of course she hasn't. Speed well. You left her at the half mile post running a pretty sad for. And so every day it's a game of here we go, Miss Jones. Catch me if you can. And Henry wonders why his stenographers are so dreadfully inefficient. Another mastermind of management is Walter. Wait a minute. Walter has personality, looks, the old pep and go. When it comes to action, he really rings the bell. >> That's the hello. Oh, hello, Mr. Jackson. >> Yes. Yes. Fine. And you? Yes. >> [laughter] >> Yes, sure you are. Sure. No, no, I haven't seen it. No, no, no. [laughter] Yeah. Uh, [clears throat] Walter, how about releasing your stenographer? Wouldn't that be a good idea? Uhhuh. Anybody read any good books lately? >> Walter. >> Yeah, >> your stenographer. Maybe she has other work to do. Now, there's a very smart girl and evidently used to Walter's methods. It wouldn't be so bad if he didn't tie up a perfectly good stenographer, too. But Walter has only heard of the manpower shortage. Women in stenographers don't count. James T. Trotter won the Frogmore Cup at Alugma College for crossount walking, and he never got over it. Here's a man who likes to think on his feet, gives him a better flow of words, peps up his circulation, and gives him a better flow of words, says JT. Trotter is the outstanding living exponent of the principle of perpetual motion. Every letter he dictates is an excuse to play the entire third act from Hamlet. Not even heaven protects the waking [ __ ] from a man like Trotter. It's the stenographer who really gets a workout. Now you hear him, now you don't. Mrs. Gupel's school for secretarial service didn't prepare her for a human jack rabbit like JT Trotter. No, no, no, Trotter. Not out the window. Wouldn't it be better to sit down like a nice little boy and speak directly to your secretary? But nothing can stop this one-man walk-athon today or any other day. JT is just a wandering minstrel. His dictation is a thing of shreds and patches. And so it goes. Trotter's record to date is 14 lbs of shoe leather, three carpets, and a dozen shattered stenographers. Beneath DA Dreamer's gruff exterior, there beats a heart of gold. DA believes in sharing his pleasures with his fellow employees. Of course, that may mean taking time out for a brief discussion of labor in a changing economic system or the influence of children on things. DA is the kind of a man to keep things moving backwards. Mix up on the part of your company as to the uh materials to be shipped. Here are the facts in the case. The shipment instead of consisting of lumber as designated. Yes. Let me see. Uh what was that last sentence again? Oh, I remember. Uh the shipment instead of consisting of lumber as uh designated uh uh upon investigation was found to consist of uh uh uh 13 bulldozers with caterpillar tracks. Uh it is difficult to conceive how such that [laughter] reminds me. Did you ever hear the definition of a caterpillar? Puppies will kill you. A caterpillar is an upholstered worm. [laughter] [laughter] Oh yes. Uh uh it is difficult to conceive how such an error could be made. Uh, it will be necessary to establish a pictorial record of this. Oh, see, did I show you the pictures of the kid? I took them last week. Got him right here. You know, he's sharp enough to sell a nice box to an Eskimo. [laughter] Here he is. Cute, isn't he? >> He sure is, Da. Curfew shall not ring tonight for DA's secretary. And let there be a moment's silent tribute to the wasted hours in daydreamer's private graveyard of time. Presenting George P. Mumblemush. Mumble Mush is noted for his reaction pliff with regard to office procedure. With him it's all a matter of simplificatory behavior. His motto is clarity to zure clarity. Watch him as he rugged swiftly into port from radicalivity. >> The Dolphin Roberts Company of Bridgeport, New York. Gentlemen, this division is authorized to purchase. >> I'm sorry, did you say 40? >> 40? Of course not. I said 14. 14 sets of Model X4 6553 double reactive flexes, motoring. uh uh purchase will be made uh in line with the established policy referred to in the letter for the invitation of proposal issued by this office June actually what uh preliminary orders of request on preliminary bridge solicitation attached to com withholding yours very truly and so forth will you read that back >> Dalton Roberts company Bridgeport New York gentlemen this division is authorized to purchase 14 sets of model X4653 >> X4 6553 >> X46553 double reaction >> matrixes girl matrixes >> matrixes double reaction matrixes fortresses >> fortresses >> well fortresses >> what >> double reaction Matrix's horses. >> Horses. Let it go. I'll spell it out later. Go ahead. >> The purchase will be in line with established policy referred to in your letter of proposal issued. >> The letter of proposal? The letter of proposal >> referred to in the letter of proposal issued by this office June 1st, 1931. >> No, no, no. I very distinctly said issued by this office June of this year. Addition number one. >> Oh >> yes, sir. George speaks a language all his own and if his secretary can't understand him, that's her fault. It's another case of sophistication influencing an undue mortant powers of prag. Understand? Next, consider the case of Susie Q. One day, Suzie had 12 letters to type, the mail to sort, notes to transcribe, memorandum to file, 10 folders to fix. When through this door, for the 15th time, came the meanest man in the world. His name was S. Lree. Where's that letter to copy from? Here it is. No, it isn't. There it is. No, it isn't. Now you see it, now you don't. Hold this. Take that. Lift that bale. Took that barge. and Suzie was left holding the bag. So for the 16th time, Suzie sighed and went back to work. 12 letters to type, the mail to sort, notes to transcribe, memoranda to file, 10 folders to fix. One minute passed, 2 minutes, and then it happened. S Lree was in again. All Suz's long hard work, all her papers so carefully stacked, all her notes, all her memoranda, all all was chaos. And then Susie heard voices. To heck with it, said one. Ditto, said another. To heck with it all, said the third little voice. And so Susie asserted herself. Now, here is a man who's up to date. His workload is the same as our friends from the Chamber of Dictation horrors, but he's a man who gets things done. To begin with, he schedules his dictation time. Every morning at a definite hour, he plans his correspondence. This means briefing in detail each letter to be answered by noting the basic facts and figures to be included in each letter. A glance at the notes refreshes his mind regarding the letter to be dictated. There isn't sufficient stenographic personnel to get the mail out. So he uses an edapone or a dictaphone with as much ease as he handles a dial telephone. With the dictate lever in the neutral position and the carriage at the extreme left, the cylinder is placed on the mandrel. The dictate lever is pushed down and the machine is ready for dictation. When the speaking tube is lifted, the motor starts automatically. But the cylinder revolves only when the dictation control is depressed. He holds the side of the mouthpiece close to the side of his mouth so his dictation can be clearly understood. >> Johnson Supply Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gentlemen, we are pleased to advise you that the samples you sent us have been received and are now being tested. Period. Paragraph. You will be advised of the results of these tests as soon as they are completed. very truly yours. >> To listen back, he returns the dictate lever to neutral and moves the carriage to the left. Then he pushes the lever up. When the control is depressed, the dictation plays back. >> Johnson Supply Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Gentlemen, we are pleased to advise you that the sample view sentence have been received and are now being tested. Period. Paragraph. You will be advised of the results of these tests as soon as they are completed. Rightfully >> to warn against dictating. When the lever is in the wrong position, a buzzer sounds on the edone. A light flashes the warning that the lever is in the wrong position for dictating. Corrections or notes are indicated by depressing the marker on the left. The end of each letter is indicated by depressing the marker on the right. Notes such as urgent are written on the indicator slip. The cylinder is removed by placing the dictate lever in the neutral position, moving the carriage to the left, and pushing the cylinder ejector to the right. On the edifone, the cylinder is removed by pressing the ejector in the end of the mandrel. An indicator slip should accompany each cylinder. Regardless of whether you use a dictating machine or a good old-fashioned stenographer, keep dictation methods up to date. Don't be a mumble mush. Speak clearly, pronounce small words trippingly on the tongue, and spell out proper names and unusual words. Don't be a trotter. Sit down and talk directly to the stenographer. Don't be a speedwell. Match dictation speed with the ability of the stenographer to understand it. Don't be a dreamer. Avoid self-made interruptions. Make dictation periods short and snappy. Don't be a scatterbrain. Brief letters before dictating. Plan what to say and how to say it. Don't be agree. The girls have brains and they'll get the workout faster if left alone. And finally, don't be a wait a minute. Make the best use of time. Don't waste one day, one hour, or one moment, please. I mean, the Navy spent all this money buying these trans uh transcription machines and we have to train people how to use them. And so that's what that film is all about. All right, what else we got? We got some a lot of stuff here. U this is to skip from Sarah. Oh, that's great. Oh my gosh. Holy cow. Skipper Town. It is a comic. It is an epic comic. Holy cow. Oh man, it has an ad for my favorite uh thing that was in comic books that I obsessed about. And also, this is something I did buy. I actually sent $1.98 and got 200 World War II soldiers and armies, and they were these crappy plastic flat thing. But oh my gosh, look at this. This is This is epic. This is so epic. Uh, at the end she writes, "Dear Skip, even though I'm not in school anymore, I couldn't pass up writing and drawing a comic because writing comics is also fun. Uh, also because I was bored at work and little man Chris is too lazy to watch if I'm actually working. Anyway, hope you enjoy the comic. It took me nearly two weeks to write, sketch, draw, and color, but it was so much fun. This is epic. Absolutely epic. Wow. Okay. I Yes, this is something. All right. Um All right. Uh I was surprised I haven't shown this film. This is a film about uh male and men in transit. And so this is all about the work that is done processing mail on a train. Enjoy. >> [music] [bell] [music] [music] >> Every minute of every day, one of America's 600 railway companies rolls a train out of a terminal. All ever on the move over the greatest network of rails [music] in the world, trains carry people, goods, and mail. [music] Mail by rail helps tie together the business economy, the free press, and the human relations of this great country. For a few pennies in postage, great industries, publishers, small businesses, and just plain people hire postal transportation service on every railroad crisscrossing the United States. There are hundreds of railway post offices built and owned by the railroads and rented [music] to the Bureau of Transportation of the Post Office Department. called RPO cars and manned by hardworking postal transportation crews. They provide almost half a billion miles of valuable service every year. In addition to trains, today highway post offices help speed the mail to every corner of the country. These vehicles regularly travel established routes on fixed schedules. Working with fittings similar to those in a railway post office car, one or more clerks and a driver serve about 20 post offices twice a day. In an expanding postal service, many forms of transportation are used. Among these are buses, trains, ships, and planes. Air mail service is also a vital activity. Mail of all classes, except that which may be damaged by low temperatures or high altitudes, is accepted for air mail. Postal transportation [music] clerks distribute air mail in terminals right at the airfields, much the same as they work on trains and buses. Working the nation's mail 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, [music] takes a lot of men, an army of public servants. Who are these men? They might [music] be like Kathy Smith, the man next door. Let's stay with him and watch a typical RPO [music] clerk's workday right from the beginning. That's Cappy's wife. She's as proud of his job as he is. In addition to doing important work, the job is paying [music] for their house and is sending their girl to college. The letter was from the office notification [music] that Cappy was to break in a new man on his next run. In another [music] part of the city, the substitute clerk, Phil Davis, was also getting ready. Like thousands of other clerks, regulars, and subs, he was doing his homework, stamping facing [music] slips with his name, RPO train, and date. These slips are the [music] means of tracing missile. Like all subs, Phil was excited about his new job. Until the skills were learned, it all seemed tough, which is natural. The package of slips are part of the equipment Phil will need on the job. Since he had time, the practice case was on [music] his mind. And as he had done many times, he began throwing cards. This in miniature is the job of distributing mail according to a set pattern. In this way, all clerks learn the schedules and schemes and build up their speed. Their periodic examinations are conducted the same way. Rehearsed and [music] confident, Phil was now ready for his first run as a postal transportation clerk. In Cappy's house, a similar scene was underway. Although he always kept his road grip packed, Cappy carefully checked its contents before leaving home. tags and slips, revolver, holster and shells, schedules [music] and schemes, badge and manual, goggles, pencils, twine knife, labels, stamp and pad. He knew that on the road it's difficult or impossible to obtain the tools of his trade. After checking the grip, Cappy checked his wallet for travel commission, revolver [music] permit, and money. In addition to lunch, there were work clothes to prepare and pack. Safety toe shoes, cap, gloves, shirt, and pants. [music] At last, Cathy was ready. He liked the layoffs his job gave him. The nature of the work requires [music] working in accordance with railroad schedules. So, this was goodbye, Mrs. Smith until next week. As the city awakens, the railroad [music] terminal comes to life. Here is where most postal transportation men have to report for work. At the [music] transfer office in the railroad station was where Cathy Smith had the appointment to meet Phil Davis. This is the place where RPO crews [music] assemble before going out to the cars, where they pick up notices and where they just meet the boys. Phil arrived first and [music] was looking around as Cathy showed up. Cathy liked the boy right off. Thought he would make the grade because he showed interest. The old-timer put the newcomer at ease by showing him the ropes. Explained the order book for special orders and general notices. After checking the RPO schedule, they went to [music] the wall map where Cathy traced the geography of the trip they were about to take, the route, [music] the time due at various towns, the pouch list, and the terminus. From the questions Phil asked, it was clear he was bright and had done his homework. Their next stop was the blackboard where US mail car assignments were listed. Together they read the track location and number of their car. After Cathy explained the board, they headed for their car. On the way, Cappy warned the new man to be alert to new dangers, to watch out for station tractors and railroad switching equipment. Cappy warned Phil never to cross tracks unless it was absolutely necessary. They watched a trackman do it easily and right. There it was, an RPO car, 62 tons and costing more than $50,000. Cappy demonstrated the safe way to board. Grasp high up on the handrails, left foot on the first step, then shift weight to the next step. Duck low under the catcher arm. Phil got the idea. After sliding his grip aboard, he climbed into the car correctly. Cappy gave him a further word of caution. Never try to enter a moving car. As soon as Cappy switched on the case lights, Phil snapped on the car lights. They looked around the clean, quiet car and began to change into their workclo. In a few hours, this calm seed will take on a new look as the train crew goes to work to sort the mail on the road, to catch the mail on the fly, and to help the letter carriers bring the public tidings of sadness and gladness, news and business. Right after they changed into workclo, they strapped on holsters and pinned on their badges. They both knew the rules covering the use of firearms, not to leave loaded revolvers at home, nor carry them loaded between home and depot. And finally, always to point the revolver downward to avoid accidents while loading. After Phil loaded his revolver correctly, Cappy explained the time rule. how if a clerk is due to work at a certain time, he must be in workclo and ready at that time. These men were working advance time, that is time in which the crew prepares the railway or highway post office and distributes mail prior to the scheduled departure from the terminal. After Cappy unpacked his road grip and laid out the tools of his trade, he hung his clipboard. As supervisor, he had a lot more paperwork than any other clerk in his crew. Kathy was now ready to set up the car, and he asked Phil to help him. Together, they fastened the pedestals to the floor plate to provide a solid base for the tables. Next, they place the center rods on top of the pedestals to support the full length of table. For now, they temporarily hung the sections of the distributing table on the crossbar. Eventually, these sections would be made up as a strong workt with stationary pedestal legs. Observing safety measures, Cappy showed Phil how to let down all the racks that would be needed. He particularly cautioned Phil against bumping his head on the overhead box hooks. Although Cappy was completely familiar with the car diagram, he hung it up as a guide for Phil. The car diagram showed where sacks and pouches were to be hung in each rack. Next, Cappy demonstrated how to check for mail which may have been left in the empty sacks, inserting his arm to open the entire sack for inspection. Then, as Cappy hung the sacks, Phil took up the job of inspection, holding each sack opened and looking for mail. The post office uses 25 million sacks and pouches. If a letter were lost in one of them, it might be lost a long time. The metal eyes were placed on hooks so set that the sides of each sack became taut, leaving no space between sacks. After being pulled tight, the tie cords were hung over the rail and dropped into the sacks. Finally, all the racks were dressed. This business is full of such unique terms, and since they're widely used, it is well for all employees to know them. When Phil asked Cappy to check his work, Cappy pointed out a hole between the sacks where male might slip through. This was easily corrected by rehooking and tightening the tie cords. Together, instructor and student checked over the job, making sure the racks were dressed according to the car diagram. It was important to know the differences between a sack which is used for newspapers and parcel post and a pouch which is used for first class mail and then the label holders for the two containers as well as the different methods of closing. The sack is tied with cords while the pouch is strapped and sealed with a lock. Yes, there was a lot to learn about the job of becoming a postal transportation clerk. Next, the labels, how they first mark the various separations and later serve to label the sacks when they're ready to be tied out. Labels have to be inserted according to the same diagram which set the pattern for hanging the sacks. Nothing to this job as long as you follow directions. But put one label in the wrong holder and an awful lot of mail may be miss. The substitute proved to be a quick learner, a necessary talent for all postal transportation clerks. Together they distributed the labels in all the overhead boxes and in all the sacks and pouches. Now they put sections of the distributing table in place. Cappy raised the table, resting the front hooks on the center bar, and being careful of his hands, grasp the back hinge hooks and released them to slip over the rod of the adjoining rack section. In this case, the diagram called for a double distributing table, and the men were ready when the mail arrived. As always, it was quite a load. When the mail porter got his truck in position, Cappy and Phil were on hand to take in mail for storage and for working. The mail was accepted and the load was stacked according to plan. As the sacks were taken on board, the labels were read quickly and accurately. Bulk mail has to be stored so that it may be unloaded at various points on the run. Cappy kept his eye on the sub. There were many safety precautions to observe while stacking bulk mail. Tie cords have to be kept out of the aisles. They're a tripping hazard. He showed Phil how to make a good base for the pile. Arranging the sack so as to leave about an 18in aisle. A solid foundation will prevent movement of the train from toppling the sacks. Lifting a heavy item incorrectly risks injury. The right way to lift is feet apart, bent knees, back straight, firm grasp, and a steady upward thrust to the legs. Then the mail is stored between stansions in such a way that the clerk knows what each separation contains. Phil soon got the hang of it and began to place heavy, bulky items at the bottom. Starting the base of the pile as far out as possible. Together they lifted the extra heavy ones. Two men lifting a load divides the weight. In the meantime, male was also being loaded in the storage car, usually adjoining the RPO car. As Phil continued to stack bulk mail in the RPO car, he learned that dragging the sacks is an easy way to move them. And as the piles got higher, Phil began to use the knee lift, which gave the load an extra push to assist in putting up a sack. Fragile items like this box of chicks were put aside to be placed on top of the pile. In the meantime, the remainder of the crew arrived. Supplies of twine and locks were unloaded and distributed to the men at their stations. The clerks immediately set up their cases in order to perform their advanced distribution of mail. Important mail like registered which may contain money, documents or any other things of value is always given special handling. To maintain integrity of the males, many procedures are followed which make it possible to know exactly who handles each registered letter every step of the way. For instance, one man on each crew is designated the register clerk and reds, the familiar term given to registered male are his responsibility for the entire run. The man who handles registers should have special knowledge of rooting and distributing registered matter. Registered pouches are sealed with special locks which record every time they are opened. After dumping the pouch, the clerk makes sure it's empty. The registers are individually checked before they can be written up for dispatch. The pouch man first distributes letter packages containing number one mail. mail which can be worked later is held back. The letter slips are left on the top letter of each package in order that the clerk can check miss. Later, the same letter slip is saved as each package is distributed. Once the mail is ready, the clerk begins distributing letters by reading each address and flipping each letter into its right pigeon hole. Number one, letter mail contains mail for the first towns through which the RPO will pass. The distributor at the paper rack gives priority to newspapers, parcel post, and ordinary papers in just that order. But number one mail means what it says. It's worked first. Flipping newspapers neatly into the sacks is an art that all clerks learn. Just before departure, the transfer clerk shows up with a consist which is a record of the cars in the train, the amount of storage mail loaded in the RPO, as well as the storage car. He also checks if there are any pouches which they hadn't received. To prevent robbery or mail falling out of the car, the doors are kept closed and locked. This is one job where a man can't be late in reporting to work. This office moves. People's mail. Going someplace, [music] coming from someplace. people's possessions, things they are buying, selling, or giving away on the move. The most exciting thing about handling mail, when you stop to think of it, is that each letter contains a person's thoughts, his hopes, business, love, and promises, neatly folded in a tiny package. The important thing is that these men help make sure each item arrives at its destination on time. Once on a run, the schedule becomes part of them. Cathy checks his watch, spots a familiar landmark, then knowing they were nearing their first station, begins to tie out packages of letters to be put off. And here's where the facing slip comes in. It tells who worked each package on which train and when. Every letter package is neatly tied with a minimum of motions. Then with a finger knife, the twine is cut. These tie outs are given to the pouch man who distributes them. Care is taken to get all packages of first class letters for this destination in the right pouches. These pouches are strapped and locked and then taken to the end of the car for eventual dispatch. Sacks of newspapers and parcels are also tied up. To empty the overhead boxes, empty sacks are hung on the hooks below. Labels from the boxes are transferred to the sack label holders before the boxes are emptied of their contents. These sacks are then tied out and locked. With the help of the substitute, the load is moved to the car door. The train pulled into the station on time. [music] >> [music] [music] [music] >> Now the mail was going to be transferred with the help of station employees and mail messengers. Phil was given the job to pull the box, which means emptying the letter box at a stop station. >> He emptied the box and was careful to carry the letters in a pouch. locking the box, unloading and loading the sacks of mail, and the station transfer was completed. That's all there is to it. In that brief exchange, which happens every minute of the day, many thousands of people are swiftly served by the Postal Transportation Service. As the run gets underway again, the fun begins. Men working the mail race the speeding train toward the next station. It's a driving force that keeps them on their toes and never lets them quit. Now, watch how they catch mail on the fly with the help of a mail messenger. 10 minutes before the train is scheduled to pass a non-stop station, the mail messenger carefully hangs the special catcher pouch of mail. After it is securely fastened top and bottom, he steps aside and waits nearby to witness the catch and receive any mail which may be thrown off aboard the Train local mail is being tied out as the clerk spots his landmark. This was it. Must get every letter package for this dispatch in the pouch and tied out. The race against time and speed was on. As soon as the last pouch was made ready, the clerk grabs his safety goggles and goes to his station. The engineer is required to signal the RPO car that they are approaching a non-stop station. >> [bell] >> And a dramatic moment is at hand. In Cappy's crew, the local clerk was getting ready to make an exchange. First he put on his safety goggles. Then he tried the catcher arm. This time for Phil's sake, he demonstrated the mechanism, pushing down to show the catcher arm being lifted outside the train. With one hand, he tossed the pouch out and down, assisted with his foot. With the other hand, he brought down the catcher handle, and the catch was made. A neat two-handed operation. To save the public precious hours and days in delivery, railway mail clerks sort and exchange great quantities of letters and printed matter. Yes, men and male in transit speed the mail on speeding trains, affecting dramatic exchanges almost every minute of the day. A bullseye. The dispatch was delivered. Now Phil, wearing safety goggles got his first chance to make an exchange on the fly. Like Phil, all new men qualify themselves quickly, provided they take up this work with a sense of responsibility and willingness to devote their best talents and efforts to the service. Kappy was right. Bill Davis was going to make the grade. These men who treat the nation's male like it's their own ask for no salutes. Few jobs are more exacting. These men know no night or day. They are possessed of a retentive memory and [music] a sense of honesty matched by few. >> [music] >> These then are your postal transportation clerks in action whose efforts and sacrifice speed onward the vital correspondence of our great nation come darkness, deluge [music] or disaster. [music] >> [music] >> I love it. Absolutely love it. All right. Um before I go, I got another gift. This is from Athena. Um, and so this is to recap. These are uh young people who have been watching my show for since CO and have been sending me amazing gifts. So, this is uh let's see what it says here. Oh boy, there's a bunch of stuff here. Uh, dear Skip, Merry Christmas. I hope you don't think we stop watching your show. We still do. Sarah doesn't watch anymore because she's at co art college but still wanted to make something. Uh her letter is or the last page of her thing. So don't miss it. Um her art teacher said that she had no talent and not to waste her time on being an artist. So I hope you like it and uh if you don't please don't say anything. I love it and I'm sorry. Uh, that's a horrible art teacher. Um, I'm just going to say an art teacher helps cultivate. And if that art teacher felt like the student wasn't good at something, guess what? There's other things that that student can do. You want to foster the creativity. And that's I'm I'm a result of that. I had really good art teachers when I was a kid. Um, let's see. See what this is. Open this up. Where's my blade? I got so much stuff. Right. One second. I think I'd be more prepared. But what did I do with that? Wait. Anyways, uh so this is why so this arrived in the mail today, which is why I showed films about the mail and a film about telecript. uh uh transcription machines. This is very well taped. I know this is exciting. It's an unboxing and I don't have the a way to move the uh webcam. Uh, thanks somebody for noticing that the webcam is better than the the camera that is on the knack. Oh my gosh. [snorts] Holy cow. It was crocheted. I love it. I absolutely love it. What is this on the back? So, it's Yeah, it's really phenomenal. Uh, so anyways, uh, crocheted you the hat that's in the box. It's made of wool, so I hope you're not allergic. Did you have a good year? I had a good year and went to see I can't read what that is. I don't know what that is. Got to see a band live in June. I'm still buzzing off of that high. I also got a job at a grocery store and I love it. Anyway, merry Christmas. Stephven's letter is in with mine. It might look like garbage, but it's not. [laughter] This is Stephen. I love the fact that they all write in cursive. This is hilarious. And it's on the back of a invoice. Um, which is what I used to do as a kid. I used to write on the back of paper. Uh, dear Skip, I would like to express my sincerest gratitude for the birthday presents that you sent me as well as the special show that you put on. You helped what is probably possibly the best birthday I've ever had. Oh, that's very sweet. Uh, sincerely, Stephen. Also, I apologize for the um Oh, for the uh I guess for this piece of paper. It was the only piece of paper I could find. Lol. Well, that is fine. Um, so the reason why I do this show is because of things like this, but also because of people like you and because of how kind you are. I try to be kind and gracious. Uh, but you are also kind and gracious. So, thank you so much. It's it's about the films, but it's kind of not about the films. It's about the community. And so, thank you so much. And I'll see you tomorrow. I'm feeling better. So hopefully whatever I had didn't is not going to creep back. But um yeah, we'll see you soon everybody. Take care. Have a great rest of your day. Bye.