This black and white animated training film of the United States Navy emphasizes the importance of avoiding undesirable weather for the sake of preventing accidents (TRT 5:56).
Opening titles over an animated illustration of a cloudy sky above a football stadium (0:16). Cartoon naval officers cheer on a football team from the stands. A plane approaches the cloud overhead (0:28). The plane splits into two smaller planes that fly away in opposite directions (0:41). A newsboy sells newspapers in front of a billboard featuring a woman’s face. Pan to headlines: “Mystery Plane Baffles Crowd, Plane Becomes Twins” and “Navy Miracle!” (0:50). Caricatures of US Navy leaders and a nervous interviewee (0:58). A cartoon sailor rows a boat as the animated background shifts to storm clouds. A “bad influence” character in black named Kilroy appears and tells our hero to continue on. Lightning strikes (1:13). Riding a bike, car, or plane, Kilroy appears (1:46). A ringing alarm clock wakes the sailor. He leaps from bed and stands at attention (2:10). Noticing the dark scribbly clouds overhead (2:16). Drawing up a flight plan at an office labeled, “Operations.” Kilroy appears and objects (2:29). A consultant blows black clouds of smoke from a pipe to illustrate various types of storm clouds (2:45). The cartoon cloud approaches a map (3:20). A “ Grampaw Pettibone ” type points out radio checkpoints. He leans in to press the point (3:41). The pilot ready for takeoff in a plane with its propeller spinning (4:06). An aerial view (4:12). Kilroy appears on the plane as it heads towards clouds (4:20). The pilots argue (4:50). The plane splits in half. Crossfade to snowy stadium grounds. One plane returns (5:07). Kilroy’s crashed aircraft. “Kilroy Was Here” in the snow (5:32). Title card: “Your Neck is Worth a Weather Check” (5:43).
This cartoon draws from the contemporaneous work of Lt. Robert Osborn, who created a character known as Grampaw Pettibone in 1943 to enliven Navy safety tips for a Bureau of Aeronautics newsletter. Osborn was also the creator of more than 2,000 “Dilbert the Pilot” and “Spoiler the Mechanic” posters, which delivered helpful reminders to US pilots of WWII.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
