Dating to the 1960s, “A Vital Service” was produced by the USPS department of personnel. This morale boosting recruiting and retention film is about the operations and significance of the Postal Service. Notably, it includes footage of a fully integrated staff at the USPS with Black / African American and white clerks and personnel. It highlights:

• Role and Importance: The Postal Service is described as a vital link of communication that connects people, promotes trade, and supports mutual understanding and goodwill.

• Scale and Workforce: It emphasizes the vast scale of operations, with over 600,000 employees handling millions of mail items daily.

• Mail Processing: Detailed descriptions of the processes involved in collecting, sorting, and delivering mail, including the use of mechanical aids and the responsibilities of various postal workers.

• Special Services: The roles of special delivery messengers and rural letter carriers, who provide additional services like selling stamps and money orders.

• Support Roles: The importance of other employees, such as automotive mechanics, janitors, and office clerks, who support the overall operation.

• Security and Efficiency: The role of postal inspectors in ensuring the security of mail and the implementation of new programs and procedures to improve efficiency, such as the ZIP code system.

Overall, the film underscores the essential role of the Postal Service in maintaining communication and supporting the daily lives of Americans.

0:36 – 1:25: The Postal Service is described as a vital service that connects people, promotes trade, and requires a well-trained workforce to maintain communication across the nation. Interior of a post office with mail being sorted. A Black woman sorts mail, followed by the face of a white employee.

1:25 – 2:08: The text highlights the vast scale of the Postal Service, with over 600,000 employees handling millions of items of mail daily, and the importance of each employee’s role. At 1:41, automated machines quickly tie bundles of mail.

2:08 – 3:06: Details about the daily operations, including the distances covered by letter carriers and the volume of mail processed, are provided. At 2:16, a Black mail carrier hitches a ride on a bus with his sacks of mail. At 2:23, a Dodge mail truck. At 2:36, a Postal Money Order is shown being processed.

3:06 – 4:19: The process of mail collection, sorting, and cancellation is explained, including the roles of mail handlers and the use of mechanical aids. At 3:12, a mail carrier empties a post office mail drop box. At 3:35, letter mail is sorted by hand. At 4:06, mechanical facing and cancellation of letters.

4:19 – 5:02: Describes the sorting and dispatching of mail to meet transportation schedules, ensuring timely delivery. At 4:56, mail goes aboard a United passenger airplane.

5:02 – 6:14: Incoming mail is further sorted and prepared for delivery by letter carriers, who arrange and bundle the mail in the order of delivery. At 5:21, a Fageol Mobile Postal Van cruises down the highway. At 5:25, a train picks up mail without slowing down.

6:14 – 7:05: The responsibilities of letter carriers, including handling heavy mail loads, using relay boxes, and delivering mail on foot or by vehicle, are outlined. At 6:55, a Rand/Cushman Mailster drives down the street.

7:05 – 8:04: Special delivery messengers and rural letter carriers are discussed, highlighting their roles in delivering mail and providing additional services. At 7:30, a Dodge mail truck drives down the road.

8:04 – 9:03: The text mentions other essential employees, such as automotive mechanics, janitors, and office clerks, who support the overall operation of the Postal Service. 8:16 letters are retrieved from a post office box. At 8:48, a Jeep mailster is serviced.

9:03 – 10:04: Postal inspectors ensure the security and efficiency of mail operations, while a special division caters to stamp collectors. 9:37, postal inspector examines mail to detect fraud.

10:04 – 11:01: The principles of postal operations are summarized, emphasizing the use of new mechanized equipment and electronic sorting machines to improve efficiency.

11:01 – 12:04: New programs and procedures, such as the ZIP code system and mail users councils, are introduced to help the Postal Service keep pace with increasing mail volume and improve service.

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