Crossroads to the Orient (1950s)

[Applause] [Music] what wonders modern science has wrought in the great clippers of the air over the vastness of the pacific they now speed us regularly to far-off islands of tropical beauty and romance the city of manila capital of the philippine islands glistens like a jewel in a strong tropic sun through the center of the city flows the pasig river its banks crowded with splendid new buildings parks and modern bridges beyond is the old city enclosed within mighty stone walls built by the spaniards when they first took possession of the philippines in 1517 [Music] the waterfront along famous manila bay is lined with piers steamers from all parts of the world meet at this crossroad of the pacific mile after mile of rice fields dot the countryside heading straight across the island of luzon we pass over the volcanic crater of lake tahoe the only place in the world which has a mountain within a lake and a lake within a mountain across hundreds of square miles of unexplored wild country and coastlines we wing our way over zamboanga toward the little-known island of holo in the sulu sea there are over 100 islands in the philippine group beautiful palm-covered islands which lie in the path of the soft trade winds a tropic paradise removed from the world where the moral life goes on much as in the days before this tiny island was even charted here an entire city is built up on stilts over the water the streets are narrow bamboo walkways often broken and patched but the natives seem to have no difficulty in navigating them anyway this type of construction is handy for the children a swimming pool just off the front porch and they love it imagine coming home over these streets late at night perhaps a little giddy the result of saltwater bath in the sea below the apparent reason for building this village over the water is the equatorial heat which is never as intense over the water as on land the waterfront always presents an interesting scene here natives from all the surrounding islands dry their cobra chop coconut meat firewood is one of the necessary commodities and has to be brought from the islands some far distant in little native boats the morrows are mohammedans these lads give ample proof of their love for bright colors once a week the morrow natives from all the surrounding little islands come to hollow to trade the marketplaces shrill with the clatter of tongues and reek with the smell of unfamiliar foods all kinds of strange tropical fruits fish and native pastries as well as clothes and household goods are sold meat is scarce and the natives rely on coconuts fish and rice as the major parts of their diet even the fish here seem to have gotten the fever for color these large fruits are durians a special delicacy in the east famous for their pungent odor it is said that when opened they can be smelled a block away the people live as did their forefathers remote from the paths of travel and progress their interesting manners costumes and tribal festivals all swinging along as before in their custom cycles [Music] a wedding is being held in the village the women escort the bride from her home to the wedding place each has on her best sarong for the occasion and many have come in their tiny boats from far distant islands many days away an interesting native is the gong ringer a pure morotype who wears a typical costume of silk skin-tight trousers the moral men file their teeth to a sharp point and stain them black with beetle nut a strange and painful custom which some say is done to change the shape and color of their teeth so that they no longer resemble those of a pig an animal the morrows despise the groom and his escorts of men friends and priests leave his house in a body to join the women at the wedding [Music] and here is the happy bride [Music] in this ceremony the bride seems to play a very unimportant part the wedding arrangements consist of a contract between the bride's father and the bridegroom this is solemnized by the priest covering their clasped hands with a cloth a ritual which apparently has some sacred significance [Music] the wedding over the native orchestra rings out with exotic music on oriental flutes shrill string instruments and xylophone-like bells dancers like those of java except for their costumes interpret a strange wedding dance in sharp angular movements [Music] the wedding over the people returned to their own islands in a fleet of moro ventus found only in this part of the philippines undoubtedly these picturesque and colorful crowd are among the most beautiful boats on any sea with their immense sails and ornately carved hulls the designs and colors of the sails indicate the tribe and island the boat is from most of the men are pearl fishers and when not at work they delight in dressing in clothes of brilliant satin whole families cook eat and sleep on the ventas and often travel in them as far as manila or borneo these daily colored sails skimming over seas of sapphire the rustling of the palm leaves and the soft sea breeze the golden crescents of gleaming sand are far removed from the present-day routine of our own busy life to which we must now return enriched by one more travel adventure a far-off south sea life you