In Focus (1958 ca.)

[Music] [Applause] [Music] did some of those people in scenes look for well if they did it's because you've seen them before they were highlights of television programs you and millions of others first watched on your own television sets some were created in studios like this some where the events were actually taking place I'm Harold fellos president of the National Association of broadcasters during this next half hour you'll see further outstanding television excerpts because this is a story about television itself to tell you this story The Way television eliminates both the screens and the lives of Americans every day I want you to be a city and its people it's a city that could be yours with people such as you who all over the United States own and enjoy nearly 50 million television sets the city is Bingington New York population 85 ,000 located where the ssan and the Shenango rivers meet to form what the people of the city call the valley of opportunity now let's bring the story of television and Binghamton into [Music] Focus [Music] [Applause] [Music] lington and its television station serve a widespread shopping population of nearly half a million it's a major crossroads for many families who live and work on the fertile sprawling farms in Dairy Land beyond the city and for skilled industrial workers turning out products for the entire world we interviewed many citizens of Bingington to get their views about television you'll meet them and hear their own words about the contributions television makes to their lives as television brings the Sight and Sound of the whole world into their homes at the link Aviation plant these complex units go into an amazing training device the flight simulator in simulators Pilots can learn how how to fly the very latest Jets while still on the ground flight simulators can take a crew on a 3,000m trip in all weather conditions and never leave the ground one of the skilled technicians is Bucky Harris at like Aviation my job is in sembler television tends to Aid me in my job I have a better knowledge of the trainer in which I work on television tends to botom my scope in the progress of research and development in our latest [Music] aircraft television completes the story for Bucky Harris from the factory into the clouds with pilots who once trained in simulators he built television does the same for people in Industry All Over America on television they see the finished product in action as in this program narrated by by Walter kronite Precision flying is the end result of skills developed during training when their training is complete Lieutenant Smith and his fellow students will have developed the combat Effectiveness which makes air power the most effective deterent to war that we possess the men flying these planes are fighter pilots mockbusters [Music] television is also important to thousands who live beyond the city limits on the rich surrounding Farmland one of binghamton's fine Farmers is Steve jera my farm is a dairy farm it's uh Farm of 344 Acres we have 60 cows and run about 20 head of young stock and have six saddle horses three tractors and we have three boys there working we do all kinds of dairy farming and some vegetable farming television helps us on the on our farm my wife enjoys television very much it's a wonderful thing for the ladies to have this television it makes them better natured when we all come in grouchy and little discouraged sometimes and they're always there to cheer us up and turn on the television says listen to this and you'll feel a lot better this is a way we can get around the world without leaving our easy chairs Farm families All Over America got these same benefits from television in fact television shows all of us the changing ways of old countries in a modern world as in this program about India described by former Ambassador Chester Bo Young India must draw from old India and even today you'll still find occasionally the Pomp and ceremonial glitter of tradition centuries old stripped of their political importance now but remain to enrich the present with the glories of the past [Music] so much in India's past is exquisite for instance the raggers of its music The Great lyric sweep of its ancient poetry the structure of its classical dances stylized subtle [Music] [Music] lovely this is the home of Shirley Walford housewife and mother of three children Shirley is active in Community Affairs but her main activity is here with her family at this time of day Mr Walford is at work their teenage daughter and two sons are waiting inside as in all families every member of our family has different interests and certainly television gives us a chance to share these interests together after a busy day we welcome television as something that we all enjoy it gives us relaxation entertainment and information at the same time we're all sports fans we love football baseball swimming some of us can participate and some of us is watched but television brings the major sports events the events we can't go to right into our home and while we watch together we are never all for the same team especially at World Series time [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] it's even fun to see the reactions of different members of our family to a specific prr [Music] program for our family seeing the news on television has made the world smaller when we see things happen on television it brings us closer to the people and the [Music] events as the feeling as the [Music] spirit [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] at Central High School in bton teachers agree with Mrs Walford that television makes their students much more aware of what's going on in the world when school is out the students seem to be aware of other things too as Carol's mother said each member of the family has his or her own separate interests this is one of Carol's interests his name is Barry Schuman Barry is captain of the football team and president of the student body now Barry has an interest in things scientific which he can try to explain to Carol but this is one interest that Carol just doesn't seem to share completely as for the instrument itself Barry uses it to test the heating effect of electricity in the high school laboratory Barry's interest in science shared by hundreds of thousands of students All Over America is intensified and clarified by television television programs dramatize both the current problems of Science and its challeng es for the future television explains the importance of research and shows the breakthroughs being made in all fields of Science in this television program dealing with basic medical research Eric seide speaks to a doctor about brain surgery this patient has had epilepsy for seven years in this brain operation they hope to remove a scar which causes these seizures and he has a 50/50 chance to be entirely normal afterward with no seizures how dangerous is the operation it's not dangerous there's no risk to his life in this the brain surgeon down there is Dr Earl Walker this is not an experiment Dr Walker must determine the location of certain brain functions in that particular patient he does this in order to avoid injuring vital brain areas during the the operation itself now if I stimulate again a little lower down along this same convolution that pencil like instrument in his hand is an electrode each time he applies it to the patient's brain a weak electric current stimulates that part of the brain you'll see how it evokes a body movement or a sensation ready on no no no no no no there was no movement nothing at all buddy did you feel anything yes I did what I felt that my hand was numb what the your whole hand yes sir my hand and fingers and fingers I see he's awake through all this he's awake through it all he can tell the surgeon things that will be helpful to the surgeon in terms of this brain mapping that's why he's kept awake that's why he's kept awake is it true that one does not feel pain in the brain itself no it doesn't hurt to stimulate the brain ready on no now if I stimulate again further forward ready on left hand is shaking left wrist is twitching left wrist is twitching left wrist is twitching stop stop binghamton's municipal building is the center of its government and political life Mayor John Burns and his assistant Ted Moyer believe that people are better informed on every subject because of Television mayor Burns says television is an extreme ex L effective way to inform the people of Bingington about the problems of their Community I have a special TV program monthly and on this program the public call in questions about city government and these questions give me an idea of what they really want to know television helps us all to understand the problems of other cities and other areas we see films showing problems of other cities cities all over the country on this television program a nationwide audience discovered how a hospital in a major American city handles the treatment and Rehabilitation of drug addicts you said it in this new crowd that you met you you didn't feel sure of yourself why don't you feel sure of yourself what do you mean why don't I feel sure of myself you tell me why I don't feel sure of myself what's been happening I just can't seem to adjust well why can't you adjust jeez I don't know you tell me you do know like I always have to play a part in front of people I'm sick and tired of playing a part that's what makes me different but why are you playing people can't let me be myself people can't accept me for being [Music] me I think one of the major contributions of Television is this it brings into the home of the average person the picture and the voice and the image of great National and international leaders right in our own living room we can see and hear these people and we can watch their reactions and hear their words I think we understand them better because we can see them because we can see their expressions we can hear the inflections of their words and we can see their faces and personalities project ed through the television screen into our living room and that way we get to know better these leaders who make the decisions that affect the entire world these three men prime minister Neu in India author eldis Huxley in Italy and Thomas dwey in Maine participate in an international television conversation with Edward aruro in New York control of One's Own Destiny to the destiny of this planet is it possible that a policy of non violence such as Mr gandy's could be made to work in this thermonuclear age well the question you have put is an extraordin difficult one but one thing seems to me quite clear that one cannot put an end to Violence by greater violence one cannot put an end to an evil by something that is also an evil I can't say if Gandhi's nonviolence can be applied in ful always um certainly I don't think it can be applied by any modern State fully nevertheless I do think that basically that is the only way out of this present uh past and Deadlocks where violence over leaps itself it's very difficult logically to justify these things but I'm merely stating a belief that has grown in me and one can only approach it in life and not perhaps be able fully to to act up to it that would require Saints and Saints normally are Stoned by the crowd although they may be revered afterwards binghamton's main library is expanding to answer the demand for more reading material Library director Marcus Wright is already responsible for the circulation of more than 1 million books each year our experience here in Binghamton correlates very closely with that of the rest of the country the first year we had a television station on the air here we noticed a definite decrease in the circulation of books from the public library however after the first year we have noticed a very steady increase in the number of books taken home from the library as soon as a book is mentioned on a television program we have all kinds of requests for it many fine dramatic programs are based on books and they bring a flood of inquiries for these titles and for books on similar subjects reading interest is increasing among children too for they request books and stories they see on television we have also noted a definite Revival of interest in the reading of fairy tales because of Television this telecast of Sleeping Beauty one of many fairy tales presented on television entertained millions of people young and old alike before the child is woman Gran she shall reap what you have sown the spell is wound the deed is planned a spindle Point shall pierce her hand All Shall cease for her but breath in a sleep as deep as death safe from Passion safe from Strife safe from all that makes life life not shall touch her None Shall take her till a true Prince comes to wake her open to the prince of the pruning shears [Music] Roberson Memorial center is binghamton's General Museum it has exhibits classes and children taught by Emily for when this room is full of children it's a mad house of activity but it's an exciting stimulating mad house the youngsters love it and their work is all fresh from their imaginations and television really starts the wheels rolling they take their Impressions and bring them right here from all kinds of good programs I can see the results of Television right here animals ballet dancers good lettering and Designs they talk about television all the time and all kinds of programs start them thinking Mr Apothecary Mr Apothecary a house to mix us up a cloud Rush ordered how's that a cloud a cloud won't take a minute clown see a cloud cloud cloud here is pound pure [Music] air add water vapor till humid where did I put that water vapor oh oh yeah I he to what water vapor just water in the form of gas now most air has water in it even though you can't see it no interruptions please mind your manners add water vapor just short of saturation p and now the final ingredient Cloud dust there's no such thing as Cloud dust H oh yes there is Curly you can't see cloud dust anymore than you can see water vapor but the air is full of it we live in a Perpetual dust storm without knowing it salt crystals from the sea ash from fires and volcanoes exhaust products from Automobiles and factories Cloud dust just like a told you one pinch then cool and it's when air is cooled that dust makes clouds possible the excess water vapor millions of water molecules keeps fastening on to the bits of dust until they become visible Cloud droplets a cloud just like a told you now here's a prescription if you want to make up a cloud to hum mix air water vapor and dust chill thoroughly and there you [Music] be television stimulates the children not just to draw something they've seen But to know a little more about themselves and the world around them the purpose of Art in American schools is to help children grow and mature television contributes in This Way television sets them thinking at the Robertson Center television does even more Keith Martin the museum director has his own program this is typical of the way in which television stations all over the country serve their communities here we try to inform people of the secrets of the universe and all fields of human activity the behavior aspirations and accomplishments of man on our daily program we inform people about what we have at the center its exhibits concerts lectures films classes and demonstrations television is a binding medium which can lead to understanding and common progress all over the world as we look to the heavens for more and more knowledge so that mankind will not be lost Among the Stars this is the way you saw the atomic bomb on a television program with both its threat of Destruction and its promise of a bful future the Alternatives were presented by jet Huntley nuclear energy can look like this or it can look like this the force of fishing which can scatter a city in its Thunder can pick our bones and Whispers in the heart of matter in the world of Inner Space there is no good nor evil only the particles which are energy and the energy which is mass we know that now and that knowledge is in our hands to use to unlock an ever expanding world to dangle the prospects of a long and healthy life or no life at all [Music] the shape and challenge of the future as it was seen and continues to be seen every day on television the people of Binghamton and you in your city are continually served by this exciting Medium television as you have seen contributes in many important ways to your life lives and thoughts just as it does to your neighbors in bingamon New [Music] York l