Video Parts (2)
This clip is Part 1 of a 2-part film.
WHEN BLACK IS READ Part 1
Description
The original catalog description provided by the Ford Motor Company reads as follows: “Extra! Extra! All about the ballgame.” Newsboys running out of building with papers, pedestrian traffic. “Simple isn’t it? A few minutes after the last ball is pitched, the complete story of the game is sold on the street.” View of baseball game in progress. “Fire! Fire! Big downtown blaze! And hardly before the fire bells have stopped ringing, the story is on the street.” Firemen fighting warehouse fire. “And how do they do it? We’ll show you -- the reporter leaves the fire and telephones his story to the paper --” Reporter leaving scene of fire. “The copy is prepared by the Editorial department.” Men working at desks in large room. “And delivered to the ‘Linotypers.’” Worker operating Linotype machine, “A wonderful machine is the Linotype -- the operator manipulates a keyboard similar to a typewriter and the machine does the rest.” Close-up of keyboard, operator’s hands - operator opening front of machine, lines of type in place, closing machine - showing line of type removed from machine. “Now the next step is the making of a matrix -- a stiff cardboard impress of the type cast by the Linotypes.” Workers placing cardboard over frames of type and passing them through rollers - workers at long table placing type frames with cardboard over them into dryers, removing and inspecting matrixes. “And from the matrix, the cylindrical plates are cast from which the paper is printed.” Workers operating plate casting machinery - close-up of frame of type, matrix, plate, and newspaper. “Then the plates are attached to big steel cylinders and we’re ready to ‘go to press.’” Worker attaching plates to cylinder. “Maybe you’ve wondered how the ‘news’ came out so quickly. Well this will tell the story, for here you see a battery of presses delivering 432,000 newspapers each hour.” Presses in operation, workers tending them. “Every 24 hours, the big presses consume a half ton of ink.” Truck loaded with barrels and hauling tank trailer, ‘Printing Ink For The Detroit News by the Austin, Kelly Ink Co.’, on side, driven into building. “75 tons of paper, each roll weighing 1,500 lbs. and six miles in length, are used every day.” Truck loaded with rolls of paper entering building - workers walking through room filled with rolls of paper - paper on presses, worker pushing roll on cart running on tracks, placing it in press. “Cut, folded, and counted faster and more accurately than could be done by hand.” Machinery in operation - newspapers coming out of machinery. “And conveyor systems carry the paper from press to truck.” Papers on conveyor, entering box, worker removing batches of papers - bundles of papers on conveyor, workers tying bundles, placing them on conveyor - workers loading bundles into truck as they leave conveyor. “The American newsboy, there’s not a ‘liver’ wire on earth. So while he’s waiting for the baseball edition he ‘limbers’ up.” Two boys boxing, others watching, policeman refereeing. “And your old friends ‘Mutt and Jeff’ and the ‘Katzenjammer Kids’ are born in the midst of this mighty mass of flying gears - the color press.” Press in operation, newspaper, workers. “If anything the newspaperman is versatile, so when he needs a little recreation -- why a game of tennis on the roof.” Tennis game. “Yes ma’am, we’ll try and find your dog -- our want ads never fail. Where did you lose him???” Women workers at long table taking ads over phones. “Seasons come and seasons go, but the news goes on forever.” People sitting on benches labeled ‘Ladies Only’ and ‘Men Only’ - man asleep on ‘Ladies Only’ bench, two women trying to wake him, man waking, looking at woman, grinning, putting his arms around ladies on both sides. [1919]
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