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dakelmanm
Reviews
Song of the Clouds (1957)
This documentary deals with the importance of world wide commercial aviation, years before the threats of hijacks and disasters.
SONG OF THE CLOUDS was one of many outstanding films to be produced by the Shell Film Unit during the 1950s. Produced by Stuart Legg, SONG OF THE CLOUDS takes the audience on a world wide tour from New York City to South America, Africa, the Mid-East and Asia. A number of travelers are watched as their journeys begin and end, while the audience is taken on a behind the scenes tour of the aviation industry. Since the film is fifty years old, the planes seen are classic props from fallen-flag airlines. The American prints were in Eastman Color, and the 16mm print I have has faded to the red side. I wondered if the British prints may have been in Technicolor. SONG OF THE CLOUDS, with its chilling original musical score, is still one of my favorite films in the industrial/documentary genre. I wish that a restored print on DVD would become available!! One last note, the film runs 33 minutes.
Born in Freedom: The Story of Colonel Drake (1954)
The film is a dramatization of Col. Edwin Drake's discovery of oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859
The film has a copyright date of 1954 and it was produced for the American Petroleum Council and was distributed free of charge to schools and community groups. I acquired a retired print in 1974 and occasionally one pops up on ebay.
The character of Uncle Billy was played by Andy Clyde. Alan Hale, Jr. played one of the hired hands hired by Drake, and is almost drowned as water escapes into a hole that the diggers were excavating to find the oil.
In as much the film is accurate to the story, it was filmed, I am told, in California and not in Pennsylvania. The film was an incentive for me to visit the Drake Museum site a number of years ago.
The film was a true Hollywood production with no expense spared. Using an original musical score, Technicolor, the film still holds an audience's attention and is an outstanding production in the industrial film genre.