YESTERDAY'S NEWSREEL - EPISODE 101 FREEDOM TRAIN CHARLES RAY

[Music] television highlights are the news of yesteryear taking freedoms tour it's 1920 and the nation's capital children from over all of America file reverently and curiously through State Department library to have long and lasting look at declarations and documents of their country's claim to freedom among famed papers on display our Declaration of Independence and first draft of Constitution with nation recently embroiled in First World War doughboys children see what daddies were fighting for one war and 29 years later freedom train stands on siding at Penn Grove New Jersey as famed papers of Independence come to the children of 1949 and getting second look at historic documents our boys and girls of 1917 now enjoying the sweet fruits of freedom as the voting men and women of Liberty here's original copy of nation's all-important Bill of Rights here's President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address right words of hope and faith pronounced in midst of freedom's darkest days nations of children created equal come to traveling Freedom Train for loving look at scenes of their common heritage here's young America re subscribing to the call for freedom and equality of 1776 and now recorded for posterity as new America's endorsement of historic America's claim to life liberty and the pursuit of happiness [Music] and cupcake it's the early 1920s and here's both bills the great Laroy he's about to risk his life on street outside Parker's Theatre in New York so he signs waiver of responsibilities as eager hundreds watch great know Roy holds handcuffs he aware for horrifying stunt starting at bottom he gets cuffed around ankles noticed pumps worn in place of shoes seems as if one set of cuffs isn't enough for this cut artist he wears them with a half dozen and with supposedly impartial woman finishing preparations great the Roy is now a little too tied up in his work to walk away from the job hey what's this a necktie party in streets of all New York no it's the Grateful boy going into his act and getting up in the world to do it wait ones claim is that he'll wiggle out of those handcuffs around his arms and legs while hanging by his neck six stories above the street and there's no net under him only the sidewalks of New York and a lot of rarely impressed New Yorkers looking up at him with their mouths open [Music] now watch him closely as he twists around flying into spinned he goes into his act and gets out of those arm and leg loads of bracelets the great Laroy is free and incidentally saw was the great performance [Music] JPMorgan's gems it's 1921 and here are some of our gems and jewels given by financiers J Pierpont Morgan to American Museum of Natural History sporting lovely name of lapis lazuli this is one of world's oddest if not rarest string of beads these are called agate beads once worn by some pretty French Maiden in the 4th century closer look shows 20th century kids would call these merely marbles from heart of California Mountain here's rare and beautiful rubellite made by nature with tons of pressure and eons of time and here's 13 lucky pounds of aquamarine sold by the carats and here are a few carats cut this colossal star sapphire is from Silla a gift of nature's magic this is one of many fabulous marbles in startling stone now in the American Museum of Natural History a gift of JPMorgan barrelling cannonball Baker its 27th of May 1920 and Erwin Baker highballs from New York to Chicago over what passes for highways in those early days of cross-country travel by car but lights guide him through the night on route Fame pioneer of auto driving gets good wishes from Colonel Woodson of army and after 27 hours Baker ends thousand mile journey in Chicago to get Vlad Han from Major General woods here in 1921 is pierre monte most famous of all french orchestra conductors with success on both sides of the atlantic monter is also a success with his family here at home he enjoys admiring company of his charming wife and adoring daughter after graduation from Paris Conservatory of Music Monti began professional career as violist founded so siete de musique Madera then graduated to podium and everlasting Fame in costume for Shakespearean role here's actress Peggy wood as she looked in 1928 year she had starring role in Merchant of Venice loss or vocalist in her early days on stage miss would take sleeves in musical comedy from 1910 in 1949 was televisions mama it's 1921 and here's New York's mayor Highland greeting Hollywood's Charles Rey on silent screen ray won stardom as country boy who came to big city and made good now in real life boy from tiny Jacksonville Illinois comes to New York as matinee idol of millions [Music] it's May 4th 1930 and fire blazing and forestland of Monmouth County New Jersey slithers like a sea of frightened snakes across acre after acre of maple oak pine and elm that by placing under drush fire leaps to tops of highest trees and travels across the countryside on the long leaping strides of a steadily blowing wind [Music] firefighters hope this road would act as natural firebreak but nimble flames hop over highway and forest on both sides of roadway is doomed here's how Holocaust looks from air as 50,000 acres then 75 then 100,000 acres are in flames sudden shift in wind plus clever work by forest men and volunteer firefighters puts in the blaze by nightfall of second day it's 2nd of November 1921 at a Camden New Jersey bus loads of homebuyers flock to housing development homes built by government to house civilian workers in first world war will now be sold by government to highest bidder [Music] auctioneer Joseph pide will put nearly sixteen hundred homes on auction block here in Camden alone buyers will get expensive and well-constructed homes for fraction of cost that government will get millions of dollars back in Treasury doing the impossible test pilot lloyd child climbs in the cockpit of curtiss hawk 75a and adjusts oxygen to for its 24th of January 1939 and child is going to test plane over Buffalo field in power died of that most experts say will tear the plane apart and kill its pilot says child oh yeah [Music] 22,000 feet child waves farewell to fellow pilot that might be his last refined down and down he goes for 13,000 feet here's meter in chart showing speed the diving plane attains hey it's running off the paper first dive reduce speed of 575 miles an hour pretty good or 1939 [Applause] [Music] little red schoolhouse for students of beauty its March 1926 and here's typical phenomena of the time sudden interest in beauty is so universal beauty experts open schools where would-be beauty parlor operators take courses in the tricks of the trade this chamber steams wrinkles out of tired faces and here student is applying hot wax which dries and leaves clear neckline ouch beauty students learn art of deception your golden locks need not be all your own look ma I'm just beautiful Rock jumping breakneck style its 1919 as at Seal Beach California youths who didn't have thrill enough in world war one get it here and here later at Antwerp Belgium world's greatest athletes compete in 1920 Olympics here's thrilling 400 meter hurdles winner for us is FF Loomis of Chicago and here's winter Loomis left with runners up God watches fight for team honors between Finland and the United States pentathlon goes to Finland's Lehtonen and here's start of popular hundred meter dash runners are off their marks and down short straightaway watch leaping finish by eventual winner who is that California's Charlie paddock of course and who wins meet we do