This “Yesterday’s Newsreel” 1950s TV show (episode 40) offers the viewer “television highlights of the news of yesteryear” by providing vintage clips of famous people and events from the first half of the 20th century. The film begins with “1901-1949: A New World Power,” an overview of the rise of broadcast radio. At Rocky Point, New York (00:37) in 1933, Guglielmo Marconi—inventor of the radio—and David Sarnoff—American radio and television pioneer and protégé of Marconi—visit the birthplace of America’s radio broadcasting. In 1921 on WHN, the young movie star Miriam Battista (00:54) sings for listeners. Secretary of Commerce Herbert Hoover (01:24) uses radio in 1922. At the WJZ studio, Andrew White (01:38) updates listeners with the latest in sports. The rapid growth leads to larger, more powerful radio towers, such as the Port Jefferson tower (01:48) and the Darlington, Virginia tower (01:52) measuring over 600 feet. In 1923, the first American overseas broadcast is relayed all over England by Captain West of the BBC (02:00). One of America’s top radio studios is at Chicago’s Edgewater Beach Hotel (02:13), where members of Chicago’s Civic Opera sing (02:27) for nationwide audiences. Radio broadcasting brings operatic soprano Florence Macbeth (02:33) and tenor Angelo Minghetti (02:37) into American homes. In 1926, Marion Talley (02:43), opera coloratura soprano, sings in a New York City studio and is heard by 16 million listeners. At the Edgewater Beach Hotel’s glamorous Marine Room (02:55), the famed Oriole Orchestra (03:03) is broadcast live in one of radio’s first remote events. The rise of radio goes beyond entertainment: police departments use radio (03:07) to broadcast orders to officers on patrol. A mounted policeman receives his orders by radio (03:25). In 1923, Graham McNamee (03:37) calls the World Series (03:35) between the New York Yankees and the New York Giants. During the 1920s, radio is incorporated into airplanes and airports. U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt (04:07) uses radio broadcasts to deliver messages directly to the American public. The next segment, “1929: Just ‘Plane’ Dancing” (04:55), shows dancers in Paris dance their way onto a plane (05:00), where they continue dancing after takeoff to a live band (05:18). The “1923: Personalities” segment features etiquette writer Emily Post (05:39) returning from Europe; banker and philanthropist George F. Baker (05:48) stands beside her. Western actors Will Rogers and Tom Mix (05:58) practice their lassoing, with Tom appearing to give Will a lesson. Actress Alice Brady (06:13), who successfully transitioned from silent films to “talkies,” demonstrates how to apply makeup. In the “1928: Oil Goes Up In Smoke” (06:30) segment, viewers see footage of burning oil derricks (06:37) at Santa Fe Springs, California. Firemen can do little to put out the flames. It takes three days to bring the inferno under control. In “1931: Miracle of Faith” (07:23), viewers are treated to the end of the pilgrimage to Lourdes, France. At the Basilica of the Rosary (07:29), Catholic priests bless the sick (07:50), and injured men and women wait to bathe in the grotto’s healing waters (08:09). “1930: Fashions of the Day” (08:24) presents a fashion show in East Hampton, New York (08:30), where women debut ermine coats and bridal dresses. The second-to-last segment, “1930: Aviation” (09:09), shows Spanish autogyro inventor Juan de la Cierva (09:12) visiting the White House where an American version of his gyrocopter makes an expert landing on the White House lawn (09:40). President Herbert Hoover (09:56) presents an award. The final segment, “1920: Sports” (10:24), features a yacht race and two events from the 1936 Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany. The 1920 America’s Cup race in New York Harbor (10:33) pits Sir Thomas Lipton’s (10:38) Shamrock IV against the Americans’ Resolute, owned by Henry Walters. After losing the first two races in the best-of-five series, U.S. skipper Charles Francis Adams III leads the Resolute to a narrow win (10:55). At the 1936 Olympics, Norwegian figure skater Sonja Henie (11:10) wins her third consecutive Olympic championship. On 6 February 1936, during Group B play in the first round of Men’s Ice Hockey, the U.S. team (wearing dark uniforms) takes on the German national team (11:31), and a single American goal (11:58) is enough to defeat Germany 1-0.

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