UNITED NEWS [Series Title]

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  • Title: UNITED NEWS [Series Title]
  • Film Number: UNY 139
  • Other titles:
  • Summary: Edition of US-produced wartime newsreel, featuring the inauguration of President Roosevelt for his fourth term in office; a demonstration of air-sea rescue by helicopter; an Allied airstrike against a Japanese airfield in the Philippines; and fighting in the Philippines as the United States Sixth Army approaches Luzon.
  • Description: Part 1: United News main titles. 'President Roosevelt inaugurated'; aerial view of the White House. Queue of guests. Guests entering the gates; one attendee is pushed past in a wheelchair. An amputee man passes on a crutches. Crowd gathered outside. Crowd with the Washington Monument in the background. Bank of newsreel cameras. Cameraman. Broadcasters at wireless sets. Roosevelt's grandchildren on the steps of the White House. Harry Hopkins at the foot of the steps. Stimson, Forrestal, Ickes, Chief Justice Stone, Admiral King, Stettinius, General George Marshall arrive. Military policeman outside the White House. Massed crowd. Truman is sworn in. Roosevelt swears the oath (with live sound); he finishes the oath to cheers. Roosevelt addresses the crowd; he speaks of the supreme test of the war to the world's essential democracy. Close-ups of faces of people in the crowd; many are warmly dressed against the cold January weather. He speaks of the need for a just and durable peace. Applause. He waves to the crowd. Part 2: 'Sea rescue by helicopter'; on Lake Michigan a Sikorsky helicopter retrieves an airman from a 'crashed' aeroplane. Wider shot of the helicopter with airman dangling beneath; another helicopter is nearby (the second helicopter is fitted with floats). The dangling airman is recovered to the helicopter. The airman is set down in front of a bank of spectators. Part 3: 'Japanese airbase hit by Allies in Philippines'; aerial footage of B-24 Liberator heavy bombers in flight. Animated map showing Borneo, Celebes, Morotai and New Guinea; an arrow points from Morotai to Puerto Princesa. Vertical aerial footage of bombs exploding on an airfield. Various angles bombs falling and exploding. B-24s in flight. Part 4: 'Philippines - the road to Luzon'; map of the Pacific to map of Philippines with Luzon, Bataan, Manilla, Leyte, Mindanao and Davao marked. Closer map shows an arrow looping around southern Leyte to Ormoc. Troops coming ashore. Vehicles drive off landing craft. Troops on the march. M8 Howitzer Motor Carriage passing. General Bruce in discussion over a map. Troops in cover. An M8 firing. Smoke rises from a treeline in the distance. The infantry with an M8 nearby. Smoke in trees. Long lens view of an explosion. High shot troops crossing a river and a shingle beach. Huts in foreground with shrapnel bursting in the distance. Troops go forward. More shrapnel bursts. A casualty is carried across a river on a stretcher. A tank destroyer. Casualty carried on stretcher. A walking wounded man is helped along. A stretcher is carried by bearers with an M8 following behind them. More stretcher cases seen passing. A wounded man lies on a stretcher; a man wafts his face with a palm leaf. Men being bangaded. Man put onto an ambulance. More of wounded. Map of the Philippines; arrow points to Mindoro from Leyte. Landing craft underway. Aerial view of the landing craft heading ashore. Naval bombardment. Troops disembarking a landing craft, apparently under fire. Troops going forward. A B-24 Liberator bomber passes at low altitude. Troops moving up. Jeeps pass. Civilians applaud passing lorries. More vehicles drive off landing craft. End title.
  • Alternative Title:
  • Colour: B&W
  • Digitised:
  • Object_Number: UNY 139
  • Sound: Sound
  • Access Conditions: IWM
  • Featured Period: 1939-1945
  • Production Date: 1945-01-26
  • Production Country: United States of America
  • Production Details: Office of War Information (Sponsor) United Newsreel Corporation (Production company)
  • Personalities, Units and Organisations: Roosevelt, Franklin Delano (person) Truman, Harry S (person) Forrestal, James (person) Stettinius, Edward R (person) Ickes, Harold L (person)
  • Keywords: Washington D.C. (geography) Lake Michigan, USA (geography) Morotai Islands (geography) Philippines Campaign 1944-1945, Pacific War 1941-1945, Second World War (event)
  • Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W Sound format: Sound Soundtrack language: English
  • Technical Details: Format: 35mm Number of items/reels/tapes: 1 Footage: 911 ft; Running time: 11 mins
  • HD Media:
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    UNY 139

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