This 1950s color educational film in Technicolor is about B.F. Goodrich man-made rubber and its many uses. It is a John Sutherland Production directed by True Boardman. A man drives a Pontiac Star Chief to the B.F. Goodrich Research Center. A boy sits on its steps bouncing a rubber ball (:37-1:24). Inside, the man shakes hands with an executive and sits down (1:25-3:19). An animation explains the small amount of experimental man-made rubber produced in 1941 compared to the 650,000 tons used in the U.S. Pearl Harbor and Japanese take-over of rubber countries stopped rubber imports. The war used the reserves (3:20-4:31). President Roosevelt requested rubber, petroleum, and chemical companies to combine efforts to make man-made rubber. Goodrich built the world’s largest synthetic rubber plant in Port Neches, Texas in 1943, providing the needed rubber to the military to win WWII. The animation ends (4:32-5:19). The lab is full of tubes and beakers. Men and women researchers work in khaki lab coats (6:05-7:15). Glass jars are labeled crude rubber, man-made rubber, and geon. Acids are added to the man-made rubber liquid, immediately turning it into latex (7:16-8:00). An animated film explains the components to make vinyl chloride (geon). A drop contains billions of active molecules. Adding a catalyst causes the molecules to grow and hook together in strong chains (polymerization). The result is polyvinyl chloride. Adding plasticizer makes the chains pliable (Goodyear geon) (8:24-10:16). This knowledge made it simpler to develop man-made rubber (10:17-10:39). Live action footage is shown of man-made rubber products. A man in a hospital bed receives an IV. A woman watches a machine test surgical gloves. Firemen battle a large blaze. Long outdoor conveyer belts move products. A woman wearing a 1950s two-piece blue suit with gloves and pillbox hat rides an escalator (10:40-11:25). A rotary drilling rig is shown in action. V-belts keep heavy pumping equipment working (11:26-11:48). A Pontiac Star Chief is lifted by a piece of rubber cemented to a steel hoist (11:49-12:00). A hunter’s rubber boots are shown, followed by examples of insulated boots. A couple play tennis wearing tennis shoes. A woman wears a bathing cap (12:01-12:25). A model of B.F. Goodrich airplane de-icers is shown in action (12:26-12:40). An exhibit shows the molecular structure of man-made rubber (12:42). A Military Air Transport Service (MATS) plane tires taxis by, followed by tires on cars and semi-trucks. An overhead highway view is shown (12:43-13:14). An exhibit shows a tubeless tire having a heavy object dropped on it that bounces back up. It also is punctured over and over yet self-seals (13:15-14:00). Tires are shown on PFL semi-trailers, a tractor in a cotton field, an earthmover, and jet planes. A Grumman F9F lands on a carrier deck (14:01-14:39). A white-wall tire and hubcap are shown (14:40). The researchers in the lab are shown using various pieces of equipment (14:47-15:00). The light switches on and the film projector turned off (15:06). The two men stand outside the building and talk (15:25-16:35).
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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 www.PeriscopeFi...