Mailman

Duration: 400 ft.

Year Published: 1940’

Creator: Encyclopaedia Britannica Films Inc.

Format: 16mm

Color: B&W

Sound: sound

Description: This educational film was produced and distributed by EB Films (:26). Encyclopedia Britannica was a major producer of educational films for schools and libraries during the 1940’s through to the 1990’s. It shows a day in the life of a mailman and opens with images of mail being set into mail boxes and later collected by post office workers (:52). Millions of letters are sorted and routed daily (1:04). A young girl collects a letter stuffed into her home’s mail slot (1:22). The letter has been sent from Pennsylvania to California. The correspondence is between two young female friends named Anne and Linda (2:01). A mailman; Fred Nelson, punches in for his shift at the post office (2:22). His work begins while most of the town sleeps (2:29). A postal clerk performs his duties even earlier than the mailman (2:33). Clerks sort mail for their designated routes (2:39). The mailman then works to sort his mail (2:43). The camera highlights the sorting case which mailmen use (2:58). A letter for someone whom is no longer on the mailman’s route is adjusted so the sender may know of the residence’s new address (3:18). A registered letter needs special attention (3:30). Anyone who handles the registered mail must sign for it (3:41). Mr. Nelson picks up a key which will unlock all the boxes along his route (3:55). He must also sort through newspapers and magazines which are to be delivered along the route (4:10). Parcels are loaded into relay sacks (4:30). He loads bundles which are to be delivered during the first part of his route (4:48). Much of this work must be completed prior to 8:30 am (4:57). He heads for his route (5:04) and moves from home to home (5:17). He takes a delivery to an apartment building where he will have to use his special key to open the bank of mailboxes (5:35). A storage box for mail to be delivered by the postman along his route is opened (5:56). Linda addresses the envelope for her response to her friend (6:36). At the post office, Linda learns what the zip code refers to (7:02). Linda and her mother approach the clerk at the post office for a stamp on their letter (7:20). Another letter receives a mark for special delivery (7:44). Linda choses to send her letter through air mail (7:56) so her friend may receive it the following day. The letter will first move by truck (8:12) and then by helicopter (8:14) as a LA Airways Sikorsky S-61 helicopter peels off. United Airlines DC-8 jet plane then takes the letter across country (8:19). A truck will then deliver it to the Philadelphia post office (8:23). From here it will go by train and then by truck (8:28) to a local post office. A mail man unloads packages here (8:36). A rural delivery mailman (8:43) begins his route through Anne’s farming neighborhood. Rural routes generally have mailboxes on the side of the road (9:17). A man accepts a package of live baby chickens (9:33). The rural mailman also sells stamps and money orders (9:35) as he acts as a miniature mobile post office. Anne receives her letter (10:07). The film begins to wrap up with a summary on the various ways with which mail moves (10:35).

Complete Record: Follows a city mailman and a rural mail carrier on their daily routes in order to present a complete picture of the varied responsibilities of mailmen. Traces a letter sent from a California city to a farm in Pennsylvania, pointing out the vast transportation network required for efficient postal services and describing the importance of these services in daily living.