The March of Time

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The March of Time
March-of-Time-title.jpg
Intertitle
Based on The March of Time by Roy E. Larsen and Fred Smith
Produced by
Narrated by Westbrook Van Voorhis
Production
company
Distributed by
Release date
February 1, 1935 – August 1951
Running time
15–30 minutes
CountryUnited States

The March of Time is an American newsreel series sponsored by Time Inc. and shown in movie theaters from 1935 to 1951. It was based on a radio news series broadcast from 1931 to 1945 that was produced by advertising agency Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BBDO). [1] The "voice" of both series was Westbrook Van Voorhis. Produced and written by Louis de Rochemont and his brother Richard de Rochemont, The March of Time was recognized with an Academy Honorary Award in 1937.

Contents

The March of Time organization also produced four feature films for theatrical release, and created documentary series for early television. Its first TV series, Crusade in Europe (1949), received a Peabody Award and one of the first Emmy Awards.

Production

The March of Time was based on a news documentary and dramatization series, also called The March of Time , that was first broadcast on CBS Radio in 1931. Produced by Madison Avenue advertising agency, Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BBDO), the series was designed to cross promote Time magazine on the radio. [2] Usually called a newsreel series, The March of Time was actually a monthly series of short feature films twice the length of standard newsreels. The films were didactic, with a subjective point of view. [3] :75–76 The editors of Time described it as "pictorial journalism". Like its radio namesake, The March of Time included reporting, on-location shots, and dramatic reenactments. The March of Time's relationship to the newsreel was compared to the weekly interpretive news magazine's relationship to the daily newspaper. [4]

The March of Time was launched February 1, 1935, in over 500 theaters. Each entry in the series was either a two- or three-reel film (20 or 30 minutes). Westbrook Van Voorhis, who hosted the radio program, served as narrator of the film series. The series, which finally totalled close to 200 segments, was an immediate success with audiences. Because of its high production costs—estimated at $50,000 per episode, released at the rate of about one episode per month—the series was a money loser. However, it remained in production for six years beyond the cancellation of the radio show on which it was based.

The films were originally distributed by First Division Pictures, an independent distributor of minor-studio product. Major studio RKO Radio Pictures took over distribution in August 1935, and 20th Century-Fox began releasing the series in September 1942. At its peak The March of Time was seen by 25 million U.S. moviegoers a month. [5]

"Implicit in all March of Time issues was a kind of uncomplicated American liberalism — general good intentions, a healthy journalistic skepticism, faith in enlightened self-interest, and substantial pride in American progress and potential", wrote March of Time chronicler Raymond Fielding:

The men who made the March of Time were not political theorists, they were journalists. For them, fascism, communism, and native demagogues seemed foreign to the American ethic, and they exposed and attacked them accordingly. … A cinematic agent provocateur, the March of Time turned over a lot of rocks, both at home and abroad, and illuminated the creatures it found beneath them. The demagogues and quacks whom they attacked in the 1930s may seem like obvious targets now, but they didn't seem so then. They were popular, powerful, frightening people, and the March of Time stood entirely alone in theatrical motion picture circles as a muckraker. [3] :87

In late 1936, producer Roy E. Larsen reluctantly left The March of Time to serve as publisher of Life , a weekly news magazine that began publication in November 1936. Time executives had long vacillated over launching such a magazine, but the success of The March of Time's experiments in pictorial journalism overcame the hesitation of the corporation's board of directors. Larsen proposed that the new magazine be named The March of Time, but the name Life was purchased from the owners of a declining periodical. Life magazine was a great success and notable influence on photojournalism throughout its 36-year history. [3] :161–162

Louis de Rochemont succeeded Larsen as producer of The March of Time, while Larsen continued to supervise the operations of the series on behalf of the Time corporation. [3] :162

Crowd in front of a New York news cinema running Inside Nazi Germany (1938), deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry The March of Time Inside Nazi Germany 1938.jpg
Crowd in front of a New York news cinema running Inside Nazi Germany (1938), deemed "culturally significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry

Examining the subjects of The March of Time, series historian Raymond Fielding found that episodes dealing with a single country and its affairs comprised 32.6 to 36 percent of the entire series. Economic issues were the subject of 10 percent of the episodes, and domestic politics 5 percent. Between 1935 and 1942, approximately 24 percent of the episodes were about war or the threat of war; from December 1941 until the end of World War II nearly every episode dealt with war. [3] :172

"Although the March of Time was professedly nonpartisan, a clear and persistent antifascist tone was becoming apparent in its analysis of world politics and rising militarism", Fielding wrote. "'Rehearsal for War' [August 6, 1937] was unquestionably anti-Franco, which was exactly what liberal staff members had intended." [3] :175–176

During Louis de Rochemont's tenure (1935–1943), 14 percent of the March of Time episodes were about the impact of specific individuals on political, economic and military events — a number that dropped significantly after his departure. De Rochemont's particular interest in the geopolitical role of the world's waterways resulted in 7.5 percent of all episodes devoted to the subject. [3] :172

The March of Time film series ended in 1951, when the widespread adoption of television and daily TV news shows made the newsreel format obsolete. Newsreel series such as Pathé News (1910–1956), Paramount News (1927–1957), Fox Movietone News (1928–1963), Hearst Metrotone News/News of the Day (1914–1967), and Universal Newsreel (1929–1967) continued for a while longer.

Episodes

Unless noted, sources for episode information are The March of Time, 1935–1951 by Raymond Fielding, [3] :335–342 and the HBO Archive's summary of The March of Time newsreels. [7] Episodes 1.1–1.4 were distributed by First Division Pictures; episodes 1.5–8.13 were distributed by RKO Pictures; episodes 9.1–17.6 were distributed by 20th Century-Fox. [8]

Volume + issueU.S. release dateTitleLengthNotes
1.1February 1, 1935Saionji
Speakeasy Street
Belisha Beacons
Moe Buchsbaum
Fred Perkins
Metropolitan Opera
4:14
2:32
3:02
1:56
3:28
5:48
Prince Saionji counsels Japan's leaders
The 21 Club frustrates federal agents during Prohibition
Britain's transport ministry erects traffic lights despite hostility
U.S. tourist agrees to pay fine in France under one condition [9]
Manufacturer defies NRA wage-scale directives on principle
Giulio Gatti-Casazza retires; first sound pictures of the Met
1.2March 8, 1935Germany
New York Daily News
Leadbelly
Mohawk Disaster
Speed Camera
6:07
4:20
3:29
5:24
1:52
Adolf Hitler's rise to power and preparations for war
Scooping competitors with news of the Bruno Hauptmann sentence
Folk songs of Huddie Ledbetter preserved by the Library of Congress
Three consecutive sea disasters prompt consideration of International Safety Code
Harold Eugene Edgerton's new slow-motion camera
1.3April 19, 1935Huey Long
Munitions
Mexico
Trans-Pacific
5:56
3:51
4:08
7:23
Satirical study of Huey Long
Basil Zaharoff attends secret conference of munitions manufacturers at Cannes
Suppression of freedom of religion in Mexico by Plutarco Elías Calles
Pan American Airways's Sikorsky S-42 flying boats provide service to China
1.4May 31, 1935Navy War Games
Russia
Washington News
8:08
9:11
5:01
United States Navy war games in the Pacific
Review of the Soviet experiment, as Joseph Stalin attempts to unify Russia
The Washington press corps at work, featuring Arthur Krock
1.5August 16, 1935Army
Croix de Feu
Father Coughlin
9:17
8:17
5:43
General Douglas MacArthur leads Army maneuvers in a simulated invasion of the U.S.
Militant French fascist organization Croix-de-Feu forms and grows
Portrait of politically outspoken radio evangelist Father Charles Coughlin
1.6September 20, 1935Bootleg Coal
Civilian Conservation Corps
Ethiopia
5:47
7:27
7:13
Pennsylvania miners on strike dig coal from closed mines to survive
CCC camps save both the land and unemployed youth of America
British build dam for Emperor Haile Selassie as Italy mobilizes for war
1.7October 18, 1935Neutrality
Palestine
Safety ("— And Sudden Death")
Summer Theatres
5:14
7:50
4:53
3:30
With the invasion of Ethiopia, the U.S. embargoes arms sales to belligerents
Nazi oppression drives Jews into Tel Aviv
Dramatic staging of J. C. Furnas's Reader's Digest article on auto accidents
Young actors including Henry Fonda, Margaret Sullavan and Katharine Hepburn
1.8November 13, 1935G.O.P.
Strikebreaking
Wild Ducks
7:13
5:07
6:55
Herbert Hoover and fellow Republicans prepare for the 1936 Presidential election
Methods of professional strikebreaker Pearl Bergoff during the textile workers strike
Review of U.S. Biological Survey efforts to preserve migratory waterfowl
1.9December 13, 1935Japan–China
Narcotics
Townsend Plan
8:01
7:37
6:59
Japanese occupation of China and formation of the puppet state of Manchukuo
Federal Bureau of Narcotics works to stop cocaine smuggling into New Orleans
Francis Townsend's revolving old-age pension alternative to Social Security
2.1January 7, 1936Pacific Islands
Deibler
TVA
6:10
3:51
8:29
Bureau of Air Commerce colonizes uninhabited Pacific islands
Portrait of Anatole Deibler, France's executioner-in-chief
Profile of the Tennessee Valley Authority
2.2February 14, 1936Father Divine
Hartman Discovery
Moscow
6:36
5:17
8:07
Religious organization and theories of spiritual leader Father Divine
Dr. Leroy L. Hartman invents new painkilling technique for dentistry
Study of life in the Soviet Union
2.3March 13, 1936Devil's Island
Tokyo, Japan
Fisheries
6:09
5:00
6:13
Prisoners in French Guiana
Study of political revolt and killing of government officials by army officers
New England fishermen fear losing Canadian tariff
2.4April 17, 1936Florida Canal
Arson Squads in Action
Field Trials
Veterans of Future Wars
6:04
6:11
4:27
5:34
Angry debate over construction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal
Dramatization of fire marshal Thomas P. Brophy solving arson case in Brooklyn
Hunting and sporting dog trials in Tennessee
Princeton University student organization proposes bonuses for future military service
2.5May 15, 1936League of Nations Union
Railroads
Relief
7:14
8:04
5:34
Critical look at the weakened League of Nations and worsening international relations
Uncertain future of railroad industry
Dramatizations depict the decreasing national relief fund
2.6June 12, 1936Otto von Habsburg
Texas Centennial
Crime School
6:52
6:42
8:45
Archduke Otto of Austria in exile
Satirical study of the Texas Centennial Exposition
Fictional case history of a poor New York boy who becomes a criminal
2.7June 12, 1936Revolt in France
An American Dictator
Jockey Club
6:40
5:47
8:18
Social and political shifts in France since World War I
Exposé of Rafael Trujillo
The Jockey Club sets horse racing policies and investigates illegal practices
2.8August 7, 1936Albania's King Zog
Highway Homes
King Cotton's Slaves
6:25
6:31
7:40
Profile of Albania and King Zog I
Trailers are used for camping, recreation and affordable homes
Brutal economic conditions under which Southern sharecropper families live
3.1September 2, 1936Passamaquoddy
The 'Lunatic Fringe'
U.S. Milky Way
8:08
6:59
6:51
The Public Works Administration's Quoddy Dam Project for eastern Maine
Gerald L. K. Smith, Father Divine, Francis Townsend and Charles Coughlin
Dramatization of 1893 milk-borne typhoid epidemic; current dairy farming practices
3.2September 30, 1936England's Tithe War
Labor versus Labor
The Football Business
7:31
7:22
n/a
Church of England tithe law is an intolerable burden on farmers during the Depression
John L. Lewis of the United Mine Workers breaks away from the AFL to form the CIO
The amateur sport of college football is becoming big business
3.3November 6, 1936The Presidency
New Schools for Old
11:29
8:29
FDR reelected; review of first term and speculation on second term
The U.S. public school system celebrates its centennial; John Dewey speaks
3.4November 27, 1936A Soldier-King's Son
St. Lawrence Seaway
An Uncle Sam Production
6:30
5:35
9:17
Young King Leopold III of Belgium rules a country facing Nazi aggression from Germany and within
U.S. and Canadian efforts to open a binational deep waterway for trade through the Great Lakes face opposition
The Federal Theatre Project works to revitalize an industry ravaged by the Great Depression
3.5December 24, 1936China's Dictator Kidnapped
Business Girls in the Big City
9:57
8:01
Chiang Kai-shek is kidnapped by Manchurian ruler Zhang Xueliang
Women in business and industry, the professions and government; profiles include Edna Woolman Chase, Erma Perham Proetz, Josephine Roche and Frances Perkins
3.6January 22, 1937Conquering Cancer
Midwinter Vacations
Mormonism
6:01
6:56
5:56
The history and nature of cancer and the progress being made to combat it; profile of accused quack Norman G. Baker
Advertising agencies promote winter vacations in Florida; winter resorts attempt to attract tourist revenue
Brief overview of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Utah
3.7February 19, 1937Father of All Turks
Birth of Swing
Enemies of Alcohol
3:38
6:39
5:51
Turkey is Westernized under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Swing music's roots in New Orleans jazz; Nick LaRocca reunites the Original Dixieland Jass Band and performs "Tiger Rag"
Post-Prohibition resurgence of the liquor business faces two enemies — bootlegging and the temperance movement
3.8March 19, 1937Child Labor
Coronation Crisis
Harlem's Black Magic
6:10
7:51
5:03
Three presidents advocate a Child Labor Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
Lloyd's of London pays off on business losses due to the abdication of Edward VIII, and defunct souvenirs find a ready market in the U.S.
The New York World-Telegram exposes voodoo worship in Harlem as a racket for confidence men
3.9April 16, 1937Amateur Sleuths
Britain's Food Defenses
The Supreme Court
5:44
6:25
8:10
Volunteer sleuth clubs organized to help police solve crimes
Facing a military shortage due to malnourishment, Britain campaigns and trains for physical fitness
FDR combats legal challenges to New Deal innovations, including the Wagner Act, with an attempt to reform the Supreme Court
3.10May 14, 1937Irish Republic — 1937
Puzzle Prizes
U.S. Unemployed
7:09
5:12
6:33
With a new Constitution and the leadership of President Éamon de Valera, Ireland works to become self-sufficient through industrialization
Legal contests, puzzles and lotteries like the Irish Sweepstakes gain popularity
David Lasser's Worker's Alliance pressures U.S. legislators to combat unemployment; the WPA needs increased funding
3.11June 11, 1937Dogs for Sale
Dust Bowl
Poland and War
5:49
6:02
5:43
Catering to dog owners is big business; The Seeing Eye trains service dogs for the blind, and new legislation will lift restrictions
With more than nine million acres of U.S. farmland suffering major soil erosion, the USDA aggressively promotes planting and plowing methods that restore ecological balance
Historical overview includes the accomplishments of General Pilsudski and his successor, growing anti-Semitism and changing regional conditions
3.12July 9, 1937Babies Wanted
Rockefeller Millions
The 49th State?
4:59
4:48
7:08
More families seek to adopt as the U.S. birth rate declines; agencies improve childcare and screening methods
The philanthropy of John D. Rockefeller Jr., and the Rockefeller Foundation
The key role of Hawaii in the defense of the U.S., and its campaign for statehood
3.13August 6, 1937Rehearsal for War
The Spoils System
Youth in Camps
6:12
5:57
5:48
The U.S. looks for lessons in the Spanish Civil War as it prepares for future conflicts
Efforts to rid the United States civil service system of nepotism and patronage
Summer resident camps for underprivileged American children offer good food, exercise, competitive sports and outdoor skills
4.1September 10, 1937Pests of 1937
War in China
5:09
12:38
4.2October 1, 1937England's D.O.R.A.
Fiorello LaGuardia
Junk and War
4:51
10:17
3:55
4.3October 29, 1937Amoskeag-Success Story
Crisis in Algeria
U.S. Secret Service
6:21
6:59
5:09
4.4November 26, 1937Britain's Gambling Fever
Alaska's Salmon War
The Human Heart
n/a
7:33
6:33
4.5December 27, 1937The Laugh Industry
Ships-Strikes-Seamen
5:00
n/a
4.6January 18, 1938 Inside Nazi Germany 16:001993 inductee for National Film Registry
4.7February 18, 1938Old Dixie's New Boom
One Million Missing
Russians in Exile
7:31
5:27
5:34
4.8March 18, 1938Arms and the League
Brain Trust Island
7:06
11:02
4.9April 15, 1938Nazi Conquest — No. 1
Crime and Prisons
10:44
9:37
4.10May 13, 1938England's Bankrupt Peers
Friend of the People
Racketeers vs. Housewives
5:08
7:22
6:21
4.11June 10, 1938Men of Medicine16:07
4.12July 8, 1938G-Men of the Sea16:12
4.13August 6, 1938Man at the Wheel
Threat to Gibraltar
11:57
6:39
5.1September 2, 1938Father Divine's Deal
Prelude to Conquest
9:18
10:40
5.2September 30, 1938The British Dilemma
U.S. Firefighters
10:40
6:38
5.3October 28, 1938Inside the Maginot Line19:42
5.4November 25, 1938Uncle Sam: The Good Neighbor17:44
5.5December 23, 1938The Refugee — Today and Tomorrow16:53
5.6January 20, 1939State of the Nation — 193917:01
5.7February 1939Mexico's New Crisis
Young America
9:43
8:56
5.8March 1939The Mediterranean — Background for War17:38
5.9April 1939Japan — Master of the Orient17:57
5.10May 1939Dixie — U.S.A.18:09
5.11June 1939War, Peace, Propaganda18:11
5.12July 1939The Movies March On!20:58
5.13August 1939Metropolis17:33
6.1September 1939Soldiers with Wings18:07
6.2September 1939Battle Fleets of England17:59
6.3October 1939Uncle Sam — The Farmer17:21
6.4November 1939Newsfronts of War — 194018:16
6.5December 1939Crisis in the Pacific — 194017:10
6.6January 1940The Republic of Finland 1919–194017:25
6.7February 1940The Vatican of Pius XII17:54directed by Luís Buñuel[ citation needed ]
6.8March 1940Canada at War17:25
6.9April 1940America's Youth18:16
6.10May 1940The Philippines: 1898–194618:16
6.11June 1940The U.S. Navy — 194017:37
6.12August 1940Spoils of Conquest16:44
6.13August 1940Gateways to Panama19:09
7.1September 1940On Foreign Newsfronts18:10
7.2October 1940Britain's R.A.F.17:29
7.3October 1940Mexico — Good Neighbor's Dilemma18:18
7.4November 1940Arms and the Men — U.S.A.18:28
7.5December 1940Labor and Defense — U.S.A.18:02
7.6January 1941Uncle Sam — The Non-Belligerent20:36
7.7February 1941Americans All16:25
7.8March 1941Australia at War18:44
7.9April 1941Men of the F.B.I. — 194120:34
7.10May 1941Crisis in the Atlantic16:47
7.11June 1941China Fights Back17:37
7.12August 1941New England's Eight Million Yankees19:39
7.13August 1941Peace — by Adolf Hitler17:30
8.1August 1941Thumbs Up, Texas!18:30
8.2September 1941 Norway in Revolt 19:40 Academy Award nominee
8.3October 1941Sailors with Wings19:22
8.4November 1941Main Street — U.S.A.17:09
8.5December 1941Our America at War16:54
Special IssueDecember 1941Battlefields of the Pacificn/a
8.6January 1942When Air Raids Strike19:13
8.7February 1942Far East Command17:05
8.8March 1942The Argentine Question18:27
8.9April 1942America's New Army16:10
8.10May 1942India in Crisis18:31
8.11June 1942India at War18:33
8.12July 1942Men in Washington — 194219:00
8.13July 1942Men of the Fleet (The Ocean Fronts)17:15
9.1September 1942The F.B.I. Front19:34
9.2October 1942The Fighting Frenchn/a
9.3November 1942Mr. and Mrs. America19:43
9.4December 4, 1942 Africa - Prelude to Victory 17:35 Academy Award nominee
9.5December 1942The Navy and the Nation18:53
9.6January 1943One Day of War — Russia 194321:04
9.7February 1943The New Canada17:23
9.8March 1943America's Food Crisis17:47
9.9April 1943Inside Fascist Spain16:47
9.10May 1943 Show Business at War 17:34
9.11June 1943Invasion!17:53
9.12July 1943Bill Jack vs. Adolf Hitler17:37
9.13August 1943And Then Japan17:36
10.1September 1943Airways to Peace16:27
10.2October 1943Portugal — Europe's Crossroads18:25
10.3November 1943 Youth in Crisis 17:49 Academy Award nominee
10.4December 1943Naval Log of Victory18:56
10.5December 1943 Upbeat in Music 16:53
10.6January 1944Sweden's Middle Road18:42
10.7February 1944Post-War Jobs18:00
10.8March 1944South American Front — 194417:07
10.9April 1944The Irish Question18:35
10.10May 1944Underground Report19:19
10.11June 1944Back Door to Tokyo17:40
10.12July 1944Americans Alln/a
10.13August 1944British Imperialism17:42
11.1September 1944Post-War Farms16:37
11.2October 1944What To Do with Germany18:25
11.3November 1944Uncle Sam, Mariner?16:23
11.4December 1944Inside China Today16:53
11.5December 1944The Unknown Battle18:07
11.6January 1945Report on Italy16:28
11.7February 1945The West Coast Question16:15
11.8March 1945Memo from Britain16:00
11.9April 1945The Returning Veterann/a
11.10May 1945Spotlight on Congress15:19
11.11June 15, 1945Teen-Age Girls16:28
11.12July 13, 1945Where's the Meat?16:08
11.13August 10, 1945The New U.S. Frontier16:08
12.1September 17, 1945Palestinian Problemn/a
12.2October 5, 1945American Beauty17:23
12.3November 2, 194518 Million Orphans16:43
12.4November 30, 1945Justice Comes to Germany20:11
12.5December 28, 1945Challenge to Hollywood17:11
12.6January 25, 1946Life with Baby18:42
12.7February 22, 1946Report on Greece18:22
12.8March 22, 1946Night Club Boom20:38
12.9April 19, 1946Wanted — More Homes20:19
12.10May 17, 1946Tomorrow's Mexico19:31
12.11June 14, 1946Problem Drinkers19:19
12.12July 12, 1946The New France18:55
12.13August 9, 1946 Atomic Power 18:25 Academy Award nominee
13.1September 27, 1946Is Everybody Happy?16:26
13.2October 4, 1946World Food Production16:50
13.3November 1, 1946The Soviet's Neighbor — Czechoslovakia17:18
13.4November 29, 1946The American Cop17:39
13.5December 27, 1946Nobody's Children16:20
13.6January 24, 1947Germany — Handle with Care!17:36
13.7February 21, 1947Fashion Means Businessn/a
13.8March 21, 1947The Teachers' Crisis15:45
13.9April 18, 1947Storm over Britain17:49
13.10May 16, 1947The Russians Nobody Knows18:15
13.11June 13, 1947Your Doctors — 194718:24
13.12July 11, 1947New Trains for Old?18:05
13.13August 8, 1947Turkey's 100 Million17:49
14.1September 6, 1947Is Everybody Listening?18:05
14.2October 3, 1947T-Men in Action17:06
14.3October 30, 1947End of an Empire?17:53
14.4November 28, 1947Public Relations — This Means You16:03
14.5December 26, 1947The Presidential Year15:18
14.6January 23, 1948The Cold War: Act I — France17:57
14.7February 20, 1948Marriage and Divorce16:23
14.8March 19, 1948The Cold War: Act II — Crisis in Italy16:22
14.9April 16, 1948Life with Junior17:44
14.10May 14, 1948The Cold War: Act III — Battle for Greece16:43
14.11June 11, 1948The Fight Gamen/a
14.12July 9, 1948The Case of Mrs. Conrad17:5
14.13August 6, 1948White-Collar Girls16:23
14.14September 3, 1948Life with Grandpa16:14
14.15October 1, 1948Battle for Germany17:40
14.16October 29, 1948America's New Air Power17:15
14.17November 26, 1948Answer to Stalin18:15
14.18December 24, 1948Watchdogs of the Mail17:37
15.1January 21, 1949On Stage17:44
15.2February 18, 1949Asia's New Voice16:51
15.3March 18, 1949Wish You Were Here16:57
15.4April 15, 1949Report on the Atom18:24
15.5May 13, 1949Sweden Looks Ahead17:06
15.6June 10, 1949It's in the Groove18:22
15.7July 8, 1949Stop — Heavy Traffic!15:04
15.8August 5, 1949Farming Pays Off16:27
15.9September 2, 1949Policeman's Holiday18:45
15.10September 30, 1949The Fight for Better Schools19:44
15.11November 11, 1949MacArthur's Japan17:04
15.12December 23, 1949 A Chance to Live 18:11Boys Town of Italy aids destitute children after WWII; Academy Award Winner; The Academy Film Archive preserved A Chance to Live in 2005. [10]
16.1February 3, 1950Mid-Century — Half-Way to Where?16:20
16.2March 17, 1950The Male Look15:33
16.3April 28, 1950Where's the Fire?18:29
16.4June 9, 1950Beauty at Work17:10
16.5August 18, 1950As Russia Sees It15:36
16.6September 29, 1950The Gathering Storm15:52
16.7November 10, 1950Schools March On!17:49
16.8December 1950Tito — New Ally?17:12
17.1February 1951Strategy for Victory16:56
17.2March 1951Flight Plan for Freedom18:22
17.3April 1951The Nation's Mental Health18:21
17.4June 1951Moroccan Outpost16:47
17.5July 1951Crisis in Iran17:58
17.6August 1951Formosa — Island of Promise16:30

Reviews and commentary

Awards and recognition

Feature films

Four feature-length films were produced by The March of Time. [3] :343–347

Television

In 1949 The March of Time created the first extensive documentary series for television, Crusade in Europe , based on the book by Dwight D. Eisenhower. The ABC series received a Peabody Award and one of the first Emmy Awards (Best Public Service, Cultural or Educational Program). [19] It was followed by Crusade in the Pacific (1951). [3] :302

In 1965–1966, producer David L. Wolper revived the March of Time title for a series of documentary films produced in association with Time-Life, Inc. [20] The series was not successful. [3] :302

Cultural references

Dorothy Fields' lyrics for the song "A Fine Romance", introduced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in the 1936 RKO film Swing Time , include a reference to the newsreel series:

A fine romance, with no kisses.
A fine romance, my friend, this is.
True love should have the thrills that a healthy crime has.
We don't have half the thrills that The March of Time has. [21] [22]

The March of Dimes, a fundraising organization that still exists, was named by Eddie Cantor in 1938 as a play on The March of Time. Because Franklin D. Roosevelt founded the March of Dimes, originally called the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, a dime was chosen to honor him after his death. [23]

The March of Time series was satirized in Orson Welles's film Citizen Kane (1941) with the News on the March segment showing the life and funeral of the fictional Charles Foster Kane. [3] :258–260

The Canadian documentary series The World in Action (1942–1945) was patterned after The March of Time newsreel series. [24]

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References

  1. Meyers, Cynthia (2018). "The March of Time Radio Docudrama: Time Magazine, BBDO, and Radio Sponsors, 1931–39". American Journalism. 35 (4): 420–443. doi:10.1080/08821127.2018.1527634. S2CID   166288067.
  2. Meyers, Cynthia (2018). "The March of Time Radio Docudrama: Time Magazine, BBDO, and Radio Sponsors, 1931–39". American Journalism. 35 (4): 420–443. doi:10.1080/08821127.2018.1527634. S2CID   166288067.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Fielding, Raymond (1978). The March of Time, 1935–1951. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN   0-19-502212-2.
  4. "Pictorial Journalism". The New York Times. February 2, 1935.
  5. Gilling, Ted (May 7, 1989). "Real to Reel: Newsreels and re-enactments help trio of documentaries make history come alive". Toronto Star .
  6. 1 2 "Complete National Recording Registry Listing". loc.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  7. "Synopsis" (PDF). The March of Time Newsreels. HBO Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  8. Setliff, Jonathan Stuart (2007). The March of Time and the American Century (PDF) (PhD diss.). University of Maryland. pp. 78–81, 88–89. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  9. "France: Motorist Moe"; Time , September 10, 1934
  10. "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.
  11. Greene, Graham (November 1, 1935). "The March of Time". The Spectator . (reprinted in: Taylor, John Russell, ed. (1980). The Pleasure Dome . Oxford University Press. pp.  34–35. ISBN   0192812866.)
  12. Crowther, Bosley, "Time Marches On and On: A Hurried Investigation of That High Potential Screen Feature." The New York Times , October 31, 1937
  13. Genzlinger, Neil, "Time Marches … Backward!". The New York Times , September 2, 2010
  14. Shales, Tom, "'March of Time' newsreels on Turner Classic Movies a gripping record of history". The Washington Post , September 4, 2010
  15. The 9th Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; retrieved April 13, 2012
  16. "March of Time Honored for War on Disease." The New York Times , October 28, 1937
  17. The 14th Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; retrieved April 13, 2012
  18. 1 2 3 4 "The Official Academy Awards Database". American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . Retrieved December 21, 2017.
  19. Cook, Bruce, "Whatever Happened to Westbrook Van Voohis?" American Film, March 1977
  20. The March of Time 1965–1966 at the Official Website of Producer David L. Wolper; retrieved May 24, 2012
  21. "A Fine Romance". SongMeanings . Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  22. "A Fine Romance". The Dorothy Fields Website. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
  23. Barrett, William P. "March of Dimes' Second Act". Forbes , November 19, 2008.
  24. Ohayon, Albert, "Propaganda Cinema at the NFB – The World in Action"; National Film Board of Canada (blog), September 30, 2009