CH-2 Vol 11 #243 Survivors Tell Story of Tragedy
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Telenews newsreel featuring interviews with young survivors of the December 1st, 1958 fire at Our Lady of the Angels School. It was the third deadliest school fire in U.S. history, killing 92 students and 3 nuns. The tragedy led to major improvements in standards for school design and fire safety codes.
Credits
Frank Koza (filmmaker)
Complete catalog record
Cfa collection: Frank Koza Collection
Notes: Begins with silent footage inside of a chaotic hospital. Then, a young girl named Mary is interviewed from her hospital bed by an off-screen reporter. She says her teacher told the students to "say some Hail Marys and stop yelling" when they first smelled smoke. She says a fireman helped her down a ladder to escape the blaze. Next, a small boy named Frankie Gallo is asked about his experience by his parents. He describes how he jumped out of a window.
Distributed by: Telenews (Firm)
Subjects: Fires; Children; Disasters; Catholic schools; Hospitals
Places: North America > United States > Illinois > Chicago
Language: English
Cfa elements: Print, 50 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/13650
Notes: Begins with silent footage inside of a chaotic hospital. Then, a young girl named Mary is interviewed from her hospital bed by an off-screen reporter. She says her teacher told the students to "say some Hail Marys and stop yelling" when they first smelled smoke. She says a fireman helped her down a ladder to escape the blaze. Next, a small boy named Frankie Gallo is asked about his experience by his parents. He describes how he jumped out of a window.
Distributed by: Telenews (Firm)
Subjects: Fires; Children; Disasters; Catholic schools; Hospitals
Places: North America > United States > Illinois > Chicago
Language: English
Cfa elements: Print, 50 feet
Cfa records: https://collections.chicagofilmarchives.org/Detail/objects/13650
Sources
- Chicago Film Archives · record ↗ — title, year, creator, length, format, color, sound, genre, description, credits, catalog record, video
Record added 2026-11-08 21:25:19