Presentation. If you can, please use the microphones so we can capture your voice online. For those of you watching online, you can ask questions. Log into the chat feature of this Youtube Channel and type your questions in. I will then ask the questions at the end of the session. You will find to hotlinks. One will take you to presentation slides and the other to live captioning. Todays program is entitled world war ii and the first unit picture films with specialists. They work in the National ArchivesMotion Picture preservation laboratory. They perform conservation and preservation work on Motion Pictures and records held at the National Archives. Before joining the lab in 2006, audrey worked with the film museum at at the bowdoin college. Heidi completed her education at washington university, earning a masters in history with a certificate in archives and records management. Works in the lab since it is 2009. A pleasure to have them return to highlight their work. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our presenters audrey and heidi. Works [applause] thank you. Hi. Today, we will share films of the Army Air Force teacher units. Picture unition made hundreds of films and we are touching on a handful today. Our goal is to provide an introduction to a group of fascinating films to explain why making them was important to the war effort. Everything you see today will be available on the National ArchivesYoutube Channel in a catalog so you can find complete films later. Us, we work in the Motion Picture preservation provide preservation into Vocation Services to all of the archives. That means we assess films for deterioration and we make new copies if necessary and we digitize for access. If you want to know more, check out this short video we made a a few years back which is available on the main page of our Youtube Channel. On to the main program. How did we end up with the first Motion Picture unit . After the bombing of pearl harbor and the United States entry into world war ii, there was an urgent need to train millions of men very quickly. Film number one, education had been proven to be an effective and efficient method that could also be used for recruitment and morel purposes. When the United States ramped up production of munitions and aircraft, the United States military turned to film to teach men how to use them. Demand in march of 1942, the commander Army Air Forces devised a plan with jack warner of warner bros. Studios to create a separate filmmaking unit for the army and air force. Remember, at the start of the war, the air force was only a itnch of the army and depended on the Army Signal Corps for filmmaking needs. The general believed they needed their own film making unit. It depended on the army signalin oa distinct units, so the idea of the first major Motion Picture unit was born. Over three years, the first Motion Picture unit had over hundreds of films and recruited members from the ranks of the studios. Notably stars such as Ronald Reagan, william holden, clark gable, whose films can be seeing today. The armyair force contracted warner bros. To make several films to serve their needs. At the top of the list was a recruitment film called winning your wings, that would recruit airmen to fly the 10th of tens of thousands of airplanes. Lieutenant james stewart, you probably recognize him, was the act in thert to film. He had enlisted in 1941. Enlisted as a private, made full colonel by the end of the year. Stuart struggled to be assigned combat duty. He was understandably peeved when he received orders to make winning your wings. Importancen the film and he got on board. It was so successful it resulted in hundreds of new recruits. Our clip today is from the opening of , winning your wings where we see lieutenant james stewart. James stewart well, hello. Looks like i am back in the movies again, huh . As a matter of fact, i like to do some talking. Dont go away until i get this thing off. I want to speak of my favorite subject, the Army Air Force. I cannot speak from long service. Ive only been in the service one year, but i have learned a lot about with the service has to offer. Right now, the greatest Mass Mobilization in the history of the world is taking place. Towns,m cities, farms, married men, single men, brothers, sweethearts, businessmen, people from the factories, students from high school and college, everyone from everywhere they are mobilizing in joining up. This war we are fighting today, tomorrow, and the next day, until we win is a war of the air. The whole world knows that. Our factories know that. So interceptors, light bombers, are rolling out of those factories. 65,000 fighting planes this year. 100,000 fighting planes next year. To keep them flying, 2 million men. Now, that is where you come in. The armyair force needs 15,000 captains, 40,000 lieutenants, 35,000 flying sergeants. How about it . Sorry. Another the Warner Brothers recruitment films was made before the Motion Picture was activated was not released until 1943. This film stars burgess meredith. You might know him better as the penguin from batman and he is a prolific actor, theater actor, he had already been innate prominent role in the adaptation of of mice and men and of course, Ronald Reagan in the bottom right hand corner. The film emphasizes everyone as a role to play. It follows merediths character as he learns his small stature is actually ideal for the position of rear gunner. Most of those as red gunners and doubles came in roles. Ronald reagan was the chief personnel officer. In july of 1942, the first Motion Picture unit began production in hollywood. The unit was mostly staffed by hollywood veterans, writers, producers, technicians, and actors. As you can see in this still, the unit operated like any Hollywood Studio with one major difference, all of its members were in uniform. The first film of the unit turned out to be a bit to run down for the purposes so they moved to another studio. They had joined the army signal legendary also a comedy producer and responsible for the our gang series. By march 1943, the first Motion Picture unit for the our gang series. Produced their first film which showed pilots examining their mistakes in the afterlife. This is important that we are not going into too much say, but in addition to the recruitment films, the first major Motion Picture unit was also in charge overseeing combat motion in the units and it was incorporated into the films and used for intelligence purposes. They had a very important job and on the front lines. Filmnext clip is from a made about the Motion Picture unit. The film is 20 minutes and can be found on our Youtube Channel. We will show you about six minutes today. Well, the big day finally [no audio] sorry. Forcesis the army air first Motion Picture unit in california. Here we produce inspirational films which graphically illustrate what we are fighting for, what we are fighting against and what we are fighting with. Today, the Army Air Forces bases a task of training men by the millions. Ismand and maintain it, it always having everincreasing numbers against the enemies. The maximum number of men and the minimum amount of time and to inspire them, as well as instruct them. Activating many specialized organizations such as this. Mainly from the Motion Picture industry come the men of the Motion Picture unit. Firstthey are writers, directors, actors, electricians, cameramen, sound recorders. Men carefully chosen from among the most proficient film technicians available. Men with long years of training in the art and science of major Motion Pictures. While they are making pictures for the army, the army is making soldiers of them. They are specialists, yes, but first and foremost, they are soldiers. Theyve got to do their job the army way. They have to be strictly g. I. From directive to finished film, the course of the major Motion Picture project is set by the Production Office. Here, the script is broken down, converted to minutes by men, money and materials. The Production Office coordinates and expedite the operations of many different departments that make up the first major Motion Picture unit. Of all the weapons of world war ii, none has proved more effective than words. Words are particularly potent when used by the major picture writer. His medium is a young, vital and compelling force, one whose possibilities for visual education are endless. Virtually unexplored. These writers work in close ngcst with collaborating agencies to secure information throughout the country. These structures are the soundstages of the first major Motion Picture unit. Especially designed and structured for film purposes, soundproofed, airconditioned, and they cover an area of 78,000 square feet. On a single stage measuring 236 has long, 60 feet high, it plenty of space so separate Production Units can operate simultaneously. Heres one section of stage five, where filming is about to begin on filming train project to 26, instrument flight. Final check and director calls. Quiet, please. Here we go. Rolling. [ bell rings] quiet. The Art Department is an example of how the art of peace turns to ardmore. They translate training film scripts into practical terms of sketches, architectural floor plans, blueprints. Often, they make up miniature models of sets built to scale. They are exact replicas and in every respect. Here is a model from stage five, set in south africa. This preplanning saves precious manhours and materials and enables the first Motion Picture unit to turnset in south africas that are economical as well as effective. Here is another model of headquarters somewhere in the south pacific. One of the sets and project 1024. Recognition of the japanese zero fighter. Reporting for duty, sir. Glad to have you with us, lieutenant. Glad to be here, major. We could certainly use you. Sit down. Cigarette . Thank you, sir. How was the flight over . I made it, sir with the p 40. You like the p 40. Yes, sir. A nice airplane. Good. Maybe we can count on you not to shoot any down. I did not have any plans, sir. That has been done, you know. You mean jet pilots . I mean american pilots. Men with as much enthusiasm for the p 40 as you have, what the inability to tell a friend from an enemy. Men here, members of a bomber crew are being made up for crash scenes in filming project Emergency Care of paratroop 1010. Casualties. First, there is a foundation of heavy grease paint. And then with other chemicals and strokes of a blending brush , he makes them look like this on the screen. Narrator not many months ago, these serious soldier artists were the very men who put life and laughter in mickey mouse. Today, they had turned their attention to technical things. Things like the trajectory of a bomb, the innerworkings of flight instruments. Things the student airman must know and the animated sequence of a training film can teach. Complex operations or minute mechanical details the camera areot capture in actuality authentically illustrated in the drawings of these artists. Famed for his resourcefulness as the Motion Picture property men. No matter how unusual the article or product needed for a film, the property man has to fr know where to get it or how to make it. His department to with the warehouse and museum houses thousands of assorted objects. At a moments notice, he can provide a b4 bag, a boomerang pedestal, or bananas. , a in the clip you just watched, you heard the types of films reduced by the first Motion Picture unit described as instructional, operational, inspirational and above everything the films were practical, addressing specific needs of the armyair force. One urgent problem in the Pacific Theater was some pilots failure to tell the difference between japanese and american airplanes, leading to incidents of friendly fire. The solution was recognition of the japanese fighter. The film starred a recent japanese fighter, as well as lieutenant Ronald Reagan. You sought a short clip in the excerpt but the real utility of first the film comes from animated sequences showing the differences, which i highlighted on the screen. These sequences are accompanied by a dramatic story, showing reagans character, who thinks he knows his stuff, making in all too common mistake. The big day finally came. He was on his own. He was keyed up, wouldnt you be . Do not expect too much, lieutenant. Not on your first day. Say something . A plane, all right. What sort . Friend or enemy . P40 or zero . Now is the time to remember your recognition. Radiator roundp tail, curved at the nose inline , engine . Then it is a p40, or doesnt have an oil cooler and air scoop . Radial engine . If it has, then it is a zero. Hard to tell from here. Maybe you can come closer. [engine noise] hard to tell from here. Take another look. Make sure. [engine noise] [shooting] [engine noise] now look at that plane. That is no zero. That is a p40. How do you think he missed . Look, it is coming back. Would you like to take another shot at it . Rub it in. You have got it coming to you. Wish i could apologize from here. Shot at it . In the end, he vid himself following the identification checklist laid out by the film and downing a zero. Copy we scanned from that comes from the Ronald Reagan library. Another famous face in the Motion Picture unit was clark gable, who joined to honor his late wife Carole Lombard who had recently died in a plane wreck. After completing the air force is rigorous candidate officer school, he received command of the six major motion unit, operating the first bombers to england. He earned an intermittent and distinguished flying cross. He returned to hollywood to edit the film shot overseas and the footage was used in a number of first unit Motion Picture films, most notably one produced by gable. He was also called upon to narrate a film recruiting men to be in the air force titled wings up. One flying fortress. Now visiting the pacific. Pretty, isnt it . It has been flying for 3000 miles. Unfortunately, it is lost. It is this mans fault. His nerve is gone. Everything he has taught has left him. [ominous music] pity is they got through their objective. Had to fight off half a dozen planes besides. Now, they are lost on the way back. One week late. The chain. Too bad. For our side. That plane was worth 350,000. I do not know what amount you would put on the man. How much would you take for your life . Why did this man get your job . Isnt there an xray machine it can look into a man and say he will do. Yes, there is such a machine that looks into mans mind, hearts and souls, and find them adequate. It is the Army Air Force academy situated in florida. I sustain the wings. These men and their minds, their discipline on the hope that we will always keep them flying. How does this school test these men . How does it expose those who must not lead and teach those who can tell lead . Where do we get those men . That is important enough to know. This film provides an overview of a program explicitly designed to weed out the men who could not perform under the pressure of combat. In the next clip, we can see what some of the recruits were subjected to. Still the same day they are being processed, what is your name . Look at, mr. , here it comes. You are a real estate agent, mr. Question mark when you hit that bottom step, your shoulders are back, and your hat is straight. Jump. How old are you . You get 25 wrinkles under that chin. You have a girl . Two . Two more wrinkles for them . Get that chest up in the air, get it up. Way up. More wrinkles. When i tell you to jump, i want you to jump this high. What did you come down for mr. . Wipe that smile off your face . Through and on the ground. Step on it. Doubletime. Halt. You are in it now, mr. For the next six weeks until you are upperclassman, you move only at doubletime. West point is not harder. Every waking minute is accounted for and deliberately arranged so you must hurry, hurry, hurry. You are allowed seven hours sleep. You will be lucky and a bright student if he can manage you are five. Not privileged to eat or drink in any public place. You cannot even go out of your room to visit. Hey, is this necessary . Maybe you are not the kind of person who commends himself to this is a plan. You know it is necessary, but it is not for you. You are too dignified. Or maybe you have your pride. That is all right, mr. Just resign. Nothing will happen to. You will go back to your old rank. Nobody will hold it against you, unless you hold it against yourself. But we want to find out now whether you have been picked to command can learn to obey. The soldier who cannot stand up under strict regulations, discipline, and restricti