I love this newsreel! Yes, it's a bit hokey and maybe it does make Ham radio ops look a little "different"; but it's supposed to be informative while being funny at the same time. And whether you notice it not, there are some time tested truths made evident in this piece of film that are as valid today as they were 60 years ago.
A) You can build your own Amateur Radio equipment and get on the air and have a ton of fun.
B) Ham Radio operators unselfishly give of their time and talent to help those in need.
C) Ham Radio ops young and old are still attracted to DX and the "magic" of radio waves traversing the globe.
These "Pete Smith Specialties" were used as fillers by MGM back in the days of double features, cartoons, B movies and all that stuff of a time gone by. And Pete Smith actually won an Oscar for one of these features. If you Google "A Pete Smith Specialty" you can see a lot of them on the TCM (Turner Classic Movies) Website. Pete may have been ahead of his time with a reliance on wit, sarcasm and dry humor.
I wouldn't be surprised, however, if this newsreel wasn't the inspiration for a lot of new Hams back in the 40s and 50s. I enjoy watching it over and over. You can actually copy the code, which makes real life sense. And even way back then, a little publicity for Amateur Radio never hurt.
On a different note, I supplied a new and totally different photo to Gennady UX5UO for the New W2LJ QSL card. I got the proof today and suggested one tiny change. I guess the next step is payment and printing. More on that after things are firmed up.
73 de Larry W2LJ
Thanks for putting it up. My dad was a projectionist and I remember seeing the Pete Smith shorts in the theaters. You can occasionally see them as fillers on the TCM channel. The folks in the film probably didn't have to deal with homeowners associations back in the 1930's. The kid probably didn't have a 50-foot tower and tribander in the back yard, either.
ReplyDelete73 de N2UGB
That's a GREAT film Larry...I've never seen it before. Thanks for sharing it with us all!
ReplyDeleteJohn N8ZYA
I had seen parts of this before but I took the time to watch it all. GREAT film. Somehow our lives have got complicated. As a kid we used to go to the movies on Saturday afternoon and watch 2 B western movies and a cartoon for 25cents. Great film and TNX de Paul
ReplyDeleteN0NBD