YESTERDAY'S NEWSREEL - 1931 BALKAN EARTHQUAKE TRANSCONTINENTAL PHONE CALL WILL HAYS

Year Published: 1950s

Format: 16mm

Description: This black & white film is an episode of the early TV show "Yesterday's Newsreel", which drew on the archives of the General Newsreel Co. and added contextual narration. It was aired on television in the early 1950s. Opening titles: Yesterday's Newsreel. Title: 1931 - Serbian Shake-up! (:07-:41). Worst earthquake in Serbian, March 8, 1931, donkeys roam, crumbled homes, destroyed buildings. Animals wander. Stunned sheep. Survivors, children, tents. A child eats. People work through the dirt. People try and remove debris and chop at wreckage (:42-2:11). Title: 1924 - College Invaded. Middle 1920s, girls at Harvard. Men take off their hats, people cheer and throw confetti at one another (2:12-2:47). Title: 1915 - California, Here I Call! Mountains. January 25, 1915. On trine tracks. San Francisco Mayor makes a historic phone call to Boston's Mayor. Submarine cable laid in the Atlantic between Florida and Cuba. People pull a cable on land (2:48-3:52). Title: 1927 - Dancing? Couples dance in a Harlem dance hall. "The Lindy Hop." Various couples dance, shake, and drop down to the floor (3:53-4:34). Title: 1922 - Personalities. Ethel Levey aka Mrs. George M. Cohan the first, smiles and winks at the camera. Georgette, her daughter smiles, wears a hat. Daniel Frohman, American theatrical producer of yesteryear, sits at a desk. Lili Damita, French actress, smiles, she's with Will Hayes. She kisses a stuffed animal with an American flag (4:35-6:01). Title: 1921-1927 - Crime and Punishment. 1921, Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti were two Italian migrant anarchists who were controversially convicted of murdering a guard and a paymaster during the April 15, 1920, armed robbery of the Slater and Morrill Shoe Company in Braintree, MA. They are heading to court for a new trial. Men walk around. Horses. In 1927, Sacco and Vanzetti head to court again. After an appeal, the two are convicted again and sentenced to death in 1927. People exit the courthouse (6:02-7:16). Title: 1915 Theodosia Goodman - Girl Siren. Theodosia Goodman aka actress Theda Bara walks into a room, a man is shocked as she's there looking crazed. This is all for the film "A Fool There Was" where she plays The Vampire (7:17-8:40). Title: 1925 - Aviation. February 21, 1925, Igor Sikorski is ready to fly on Long Island. People board as he'll go flying over NYC. The plane takes off. August 9, 1925, a flying boat is ready to take off (8:41-9:41). Title: 1923 - Fashions of the Day. Paris models, synthetic jewelry. A model poses with her rhinestone. A pin with a picture in it. Pear shaped earrings (9:42-10:27). Title: 1928 - Sports. April 28, 1928, Des Moines, IA, gun goes off, men run. Iowa wins many, Iowa men pose, Badger State and Wisconsin also win, men cross the finish line. 100 yard dash, Jack Elder of Notre Dame wins this. 70,000 witness Santa Anita Handicap in 1939. The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in early March at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Horses race, and Kayak II wins (10:28-12:21). No end credits.

Complete Record:

Transcription

[Music] television highlights are the news of yesteryear Europe's worst earthquake in years makes shambles of Serbian countryside and breaks up scores of Balkan towns night of March 8 1931 was black and cold lashed by terrifying storms and then just few minutes before two violent tremors rocked and shattered the earth sending thousands racing panic-stricken from crumbling homes and tumbling buildings to storm wrecks safety of open fields one town Balam dov'è is totally wrecked near ghurabaa there's loss of livestock too as mountainsides collapse but here are lucky those stunned survivors doing best they can till help arrives food is a scarce the shelter and what little there is goes to children first [Music] following initial quake seismograph in Belgrade records series of tremors for 10 hours and rumblings of Earth's are felt and heard in Bulgaria Greece and Yugoslavia destruction of bridges railways and communications lines delays bringing of food and clothing and aid in digging for dead and injured but survivors do best they can until official help can reach them reports of damage and death are scattered and varied with fatalities estimated at from fifty to five hundred destruction of property runs high as the tinderbox of turbulent Europe suffers eruption worse than war Hey look fellas girls Cambridge Bowl Harvard College is filled with women for annual class day exercises in middle 1920s in Laura day's graduation as gala affair alumni take their hats off to graduating class and in stands mothers and sweethearts cheer another batch of John Harvard stalwart sons that climaxes battle of confetti between brands and audience no casualties and a good time is had by all that phone call from coast to coast is old stuff today but here it's January 25th 1915 and lines from Atlantic to Pacific have just been completed in San Francisco mayor Rolf center makes initial call across transcontinental telephone lines assistance listen in and record historic conversation as mayor of Pacific Coast City talks to youthful mayor Curley of Boston but this isn't full extent of long-distance phoning in 1921 telephone lines are laid by submarine cable between Key West Florida and Havana Cuba April 11th job is finished but first man must cope with laying of longest cable in history up to then boys mark root of underwater line and accomplishment marks historic step in the conquest of man's communication with man [Music] spry bones high jinks in a Harlem dancehall its 1927 and the spirit of Charles Lindbergh's recent leap of the Atlantic his cause of this ballroom born bending it's the Lindy Hop before all age crept up on it and told it down here it is being demonstrated by some of its rubber boned originators that's dancing that's tamping the Lindy Hop [Music] here in the long-ago is at the levy better known as mrs. George M cohan the first at one time cohan's dancing partner in days of vaudeville and mother of georgette M Cohan lovely georgette was born to a life behind the footlights followed parental footsteps and became an actress heiress to one of the brightest names ever to glitter in Broadway lights georgette cohan here at his desk is Daniel Froman leading theatrical producer of yesteryear with brother Charles he did much to make Broadway greatest street in theatrical world alone he formed Daniel Foreman stock company which further improved Broadway's reputation and his Daniel Froman Broadway immortal it's May 11th 98 and here's French actress Lili Damita on her first day in America with her right is will Hayes welcoming her and behalf of Hollywood which has just secured her for series of motion pictures best of them was the cockeyed world a talkie in which Lily's delightful accent made her range of moviegoers everywhere [Music] it's 1921 and in Dedham Massachusetts here are Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti on way to courthouse to seek new trial and reversal of sentence of death and posed on them for murder in payroll robbery year before it was no world-shaking crime but agitation and radical papers here on the board caused riot and death in Paris US Ambassador Herick was targeted bomb in one stack ovens any demonstration in France 20 persons died in time case grew to incredible international importance so here in 1927 Sacco and Vanzetti once more appear in court appeal is once more denied but public opinion sold favors Doon men that Massachusetts governor fuller is forced to form advisory committee of reading Americans to consider reversal imprecision and pull for addictive guilty as charged and on night of August 22nd 1927 the payoff for a payroll murder is death what an echo and bans a tea [Music] meet miss Theodosia Goodman watch that door and you'll see the most beautiful girl in the world yes here she comes tiptoeing gracefully across the room missed the a dosha goodman of Cincinnati Ohio showing the stuff that makes her irresistible oh by the way miss Goodman is also rather well known as Theda Bara now you'll sit up and take notice won't you and notice the effect miss Berra has on our hero who can blame him if he thinks he's dreaming but no he realizes this vision of loveliness is true he can even reach out and claw I mean touch her and she's for real and this whole thing is for real one of the vampire passion pact motion picture starring Theda Bara in 1915 there's no record on identity or career of the hero in this scene but there's a next movie actor in our town who ever since 1915 has been walking around in circles and talking to himself [Music] figure ships for better flying its February 21st 1925 and with designer igor sikorsky in cockpit giant passenger plane is ready for test flight from Roosevelt Field West very Long Island Sikorsky watches as eleven passengers enter his big ship for trip which will take them for 100 mile an hour jaunt over city of New York it's all aboard as famed ex Russian flyer does another successful pioneering job for aviation and here's another success for big ships on coast of England August 9th 1925 huge flying boat is prepared for takeoff British Air Minister Sir Samuel horrors aboard and gigantic cloud cutter will attempt flight through dangerous skies of North Sea takeoff is without incident and so is the flight [Music] diners in early 1920s Paris models have plenty of sparkle but the synthetic jewelry they sport outshines them easily how much candle power can diamonds have quick my dark glasses pretty isn't she in shining white silk but she's lost in the glitter of rhinestone necklace and bracelet can you see the pin this lovely girl is wearing but here's a good look can you picture that well we just did here's a pair of pear shaped earrings very ornate the girl too Drake Relays in the morons Iowa April 28 1928 drilling meat comes to fast finished with most honors going to Illinois tops in Western Conference track but IOL wins mile and quarter-mile relays with this quartet and two-mile run goes to contestant from badger state runners are bunched most away but in final stretch winners laurels go to Wisconsin as tape is broken by bull amore in winner's circle but out of breath [Music] and here's the ever-popular 100-yard back in close finish with George Hester of Michigan winner is none other than touchdown maker Jack elder of touchdown making Notre Dame 70,000 witness 1939 running of Santa Anita Handicap and all eyes are on kayak the second as they're off to a good start with which see on inside taking early lead specify second main man third kayak the second of four none promising seventh track is fast then leaders are setting grueling pace as field passes grandstand kayak the second is still far back with winner as horses head down backstretch with which sea still leading kayak moving into fourth far turn into home stretch its which sea first specify still second kayak now third and moving up outside the leaders taking center of the track and with jockey Adams driving hard in kayak the second coming home fast kayak the second striding into the lead and pulling for the wire in victory its kayak the second [Music]


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