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| The March of Time | |
|---|---|
 Intertitle | |
| Based on | The March of Time by Roy E. Larsen and Fred Smith |
| Produced by |
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| Narrated by | Westbrook Van Voorhis |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
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Release date | February 1, 1935 – August 1951 |
Running time | 15–30 minutes |
| Country | United 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.
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
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 + issue | U.S. release date | Title | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | February 1, 1935 | Saionji 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 |
| 1.2 | March 8, 1935 | Germany 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 |
| 1.3 | April 19, 1935 | Huey 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 |
| 1.4 | May 31, 1935 | Navy 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 |
| 1.5 | August 16, 1935 | Army 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 |
| 1.6 | September 20, 1935 | Bootleg 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 |
| 1.7 | October 18, 1935 | Neutrality 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 |
| 1.8 | November 13, 1935 | G.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 |
| 1.9 | December 13, 1935 | Japan–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 |
| 2.1 | January 7, 1936 | Pacific 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 |
| 2.2 | February 14, 1936 | Father 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 |
| 2.3 | March 13, 1936 | Devil'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 |
| 2.4 | April 17, 1936 | Florida 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 |
| 2.5 | May 15, 1936 | League 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 |
| 2.6 | June 12, 1936 | Otto 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 |
| 2.7 | June 12, 1936 | Revolt 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 |
| 2.8 | August 7, 1936 | Albania'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 |
| 3.1 | September 2, 1936 | Passamaquoddy 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 |
| 3.2 | September 30, 1936 | England'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 |
| 3.3 | November 6, 1936 | The 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 |
| 3.4 | November 27, 1936 | A 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 |
| 3.5 | December 24, 1936 | China'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 |
| 3.6 | January 22, 1937 | Conquering 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 |
| 3.7 | February 19, 1937 | Father 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 |
| 3.8 | March 19, 1937 | Child 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 |
| 3.9 | April 16, 1937 | Amateur 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 |
| 3.10 | May 14, 1937 | Irish 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 |
| 3.11 | June 11, 1937 | Dogs 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 |
| 3.12 | July 9, 1937 | Babies 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 |
| 3.13 | August 6, 1937 | Rehearsal 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 |
| 4.1 | September 10, 1937 | Pests of 1937 War in China |
5:09 12:38 |
|
| 4.2 | October 1, 1937 | England's D.O.R.A. Fiorello LaGuardia Junk and War |
4:51 10:17 3:55 |
|
| 4.3 | October 29, 1937 | Amoskeag-Success Story Crisis in Algeria U.S. Secret Service |
6:21 6:59 5:09 |
|
| 4.4 | November 26, 1937 | Britain's Gambling Fever Alaska's Salmon War The Human Heart |
n/a 7:33 6:33 |
|
| 4.5 | December 27, 1937 | The Laugh Industry Ships-Strikes-Seamen |
5:00 n/a |
|
| 4.6 | January 18, 1938 | Inside Nazi Germany | 16:00 | 1993 inductee for National Film Registry |
| 4.7 | February 18, 1938 | Old Dixie's New Boom One Million Missing Russians in Exile |
7:31 5:27 5:34 |
|
| 4.8 | March 18, 1938 | Arms and the League Brain Trust Island |
7:06 11:02 |
|
| 4.9 | April 15, 1938 | Nazi Conquest — No. 1 Crime and Prisons |
10:44 9:37 |
|
| 4.10 | May 13, 1938 | England's Bankrupt Peers Friend of the People Racketeers vs. Housewives |
5:08 7:22 6:21 |
|
| 4.11 | June 10, 1938 | Men of Medicine | 16:07 | |
| 4.12 | July 8, 1938 | G-Men of the Sea | 16:12 | |
| 4.13 | August 6, 1938 | Man at the Wheel Threat to Gibraltar |
11:57 6:39 |
|
| 5.1 | September 2, 1938 | Father Divine's Deal Prelude to Conquest |
9:18 10:40 |
|
| 5.2 | September 30, 1938 | The British Dilemma U.S. Firefighters |
10:40 6:38 |
|
| 5.3 | October 28, 1938 | Inside the Maginot Line | 19:42 | |
| 5.4 | November 25, 1938 | Uncle Sam: The Good Neighbor | 17:44 | |
| 5.5 | December 23, 1938 | The Refugee — Today and Tomorrow | 16:53 | |
| 5.6 | January 20, 1939 | State of the Nation — 1939 | 17:01 | |
| 5.7 | February 1939 | Mexico's New Crisis Young America |
9:43 8:56 |
|
| 5.8 | March 1939 | The Mediterranean — Background for War | 17:38 | |
| 5.9 | April 1939 | Japan — Master of the Orient | 17:57 | |
| 5.10 | May 1939 | Dixie — U.S.A. | 18:09 | |
| 5.11 | June 1939 | War, Peace, Propaganda | 18:11 | |
| 5.12 | July 1939 | The Movies March On! | 20:58 | |
| 5.13 | August 1939 | Metropolis | 17:33 | |
| 6.1 | September 1939 | Soldiers with Wings | 18:07 | |
| 6.2 | September 1939 | Battle Fleets of England | 17:59 | |
| 6.3 | October 1939 | Uncle Sam — The Farmer | 17:21 | |
| 6.4 | November 1939 | Newsfronts of War — 1940 | 18:16 | |
| 6.5 | December 1939 | Crisis in the Pacific — 1940 | 17:10 | |
| 6.6 | January 1940 | The Republic of Finland 1919–1940 | 17:25 | |
| 6.7 | February 1940 | The Vatican of Pius XII | 17:54 | directed by Luís Buñuel[citation needed] |
| 6.8 | March 1940 | Canada at War | 17:25 | |
| 6.9 | April 1940 | America's Youth | 18:16 | |
| 6.10 | May 1940 | The Philippines: 1898–1946 | 18:16 | |
| 6.11 | June 1940 | The U.S. Navy — 1940 | 17:37 | |
| 6.12 | August 1940 | Spoils of Conquest | 16:44 | |
| 6.13 | August 1940 | Gateways to Panama | 19:09 | |
| 7.1 | September 1940 | On Foreign Newsfronts | 18:10 | |
| 7.2 | October 1940 | Britain's R.A.F. | 17:29 | |
| 7.3 | October 1940 | Mexico — Good Neighbor's Dilemma | 18:18 | |
| 7.4 | November 1940 | Arms and the Men — U.S.A. | 18:28 | |
| 7.5 | December 1940 | Labor and Defense — U.S.A. | 18:02 | |
| 7.6 | January 1941 | Uncle Sam — The Non-Belligerent | 20:36 | |
| 7.7 | February 1941 | Americans All | 16:25 | |
| 7.8 | March 1941 | Australia at War | 18:44 | |
| 7.9 | April 1941 | Men of the F.B.I. — 1941 | 20:34 | |
| 7.10 | May 1941 | Crisis in the Atlantic | 16:47 | |
| 7.11 | June 1941 | China Fights Back | 17:37 | |
| 7.12 | August 1941 | New England's Eight Million Yankees | 19:39 | |
| 7.13 | August 1941 | Peace — by Adolf Hitler | 17:30 | |
| 8.1 | August 1941 | Thumbs Up, Texas! | 18:30 | |
| 8.2 | September 1941 | Norway in Revolt | 19:40 | Academy Award nominee |
| 8.3 | October 1941 | Sailors with Wings | 19:22 | |
| 8.4 | November 1941 | Main Street — U.S.A. | 17:09 | |
| 8.5 | December 1941 | Our America at War | 16:54 | |
| Special Issue | December 1941 | Battlefields of the Pacific | n/a | |
| 8.6 | January 1942 | When Air Raids Strike | 19:13 | |
| 8.7 | February 1942 | Far East Command | 17:05 | |
| 8.8 | March 1942 | The Argentine Question | 18:27 | |
| 8.9 | April 1942 | America's New Army | 16:10 | |
| 8.10 | May 1942 | India in Crisis | 18:31 | |
| 8.11 | June 1942 | India at War | 18:33 | |
| 8.12 | July 1942 | Men in Washington — 1942 | 19:00 | |
| 8.13 | July 1942 | Men of the Fleet (The Ocean Fronts) | 17:15 | |
| 9.1 | September 1942 | The F.B.I. Front | 19:34 | |
| 9.2 | October 1942 | The Fighting French | n/a | |
| 9.3 | November 1942 | Mr. and Mrs. America | 19:43 | |
| 9.4 | December 4, 1942 | Africa - Prelude to Victory | 17:35 | Academy Award nominee |
| 9.5 | December 1942 | The Navy and the Nation | 18:53 | |
| 9.6 | January 1943 | One Day of War — Russia 1943 | 21:04 | |
| 9.7 | February 1943 | The New Canada | 17:23 | |
| 9.8 | March 1943 | America's Food Crisis | 17:47 | |
| 9.9 | April 1943 | Inside Fascist Spain | 16:47 | |
| 9.10 | May 1943 | Show Business at War | 17:34 | |
| 9.11 | June 1943 | Invasion! | 17:53 | |
| 9.12 | July 1943 | Bill Jack vs. Adolf Hitler | 17:37 | |
| 9.13 | August 1943 | And Then Japan | 17:36 | |
| 10.1 | September 1943 | Airways to Peace | 16:27 | |
| 10.2 | October 1943 | Portugal — Europe's Crossroads | 18:25 | |
| 10.3 | November 1943 | Youth in Crisis | 17:49 | Academy Award nominee |
| 10.4 | December 1943 | Naval Log of Victory | 18:56 | |
| 10.5 | December 1943 | Upbeat in Music | 16:53 | |
| 10.6 | January 1944 | Sweden's Middle Road | 18:42 | |
| 10.7 | February 1944 | Post-War Jobs | 18:00 | |
| 10.8 | March 1944 | South American Front — 1944 | 17:07 | |
| 10.9 | April 1944 | The Irish Question | 18:35 | |
| 10.10 | May 1944 | Underground Report | 19:19 | |
| 10.11 | June 1944 | Back Door to Tokyo | 17:40 | |
| 10.12 | July 1944 | Americans All | n/a | |
| 10.13 | August 1944 | British Imperialism | 17:42 | |
| 11.1 | September 1944 | Post-War Farms | 16:37 | |
| 11.2 | October 1944 | What To Do with Germany | 18:25 | |
| 11.3 | November 1944 | Uncle Sam, Mariner? | 16:23 | |
| 11.4 | December 1944 | Inside China Today | 16:53 | |
| 11.5 | December 1944 | The Unknown Battle | 18:07 | |
| 11.6 | January 1945 | Report on Italy | 16:28 | |
| 11.7 | February 1945 | The West Coast Question | 16:15 | |
| 11.8 | March 1945 | Memo from Britain | 16:00 | |
| 11.9 | April 1945 | The Returning Veteran | n/a | |
| 11.10 | May 1945 | Spotlight on Congress | 15:19 | |
| 11.11 | June 15, 1945 | Teen-Age Girls | 16:28 | |
| 11.12 | July 13, 1945 | Where's the Meat? | 16:08 | |
| 11.13 | August 10, 1945 | The New U.S. Frontier | 16:08 | |
| 12.1 | September 17, 1945 | Palestinian Problem | n/a | |
| 12.2 | October 5, 1945 | American Beauty | 17:23 | |
| 12.3 | November 2, 1945 | 18 Million Orphans | 16:43 | |
| 12.4 | November 30, 1945 | Justice Comes to Germany | 20:11 | |
| 12.5 | December 28, 1945 | Challenge to Hollywood | 17:11 | |
| 12.6 | January 25, 1946 | Life with Baby | 18:42 | |
| 12.7 | February 22, 1946 | Report on Greece | 18:22 | |
| 12.8 | March 22, 1946 | Night Club Boom | 20:38 | |
| 12.9 | April 19, 1946 | Wanted — More Homes | 20:19 | |
| 12.10 | May 17, 1946 | Tomorrow's Mexico | 19:31 | |
| 12.11 | June 14, 1946 | Problem Drinkers | 19:19 | |
| 12.12 | July 12, 1946 | The New France | 18:55 | |
| 12.13 | August 9, 1946 | Atomic Power | 18:25 | Academy Award nominee |
| 13.1 | September 27, 1946 | Is Everybody Happy? | 16:26 | |
| 13.2 | October 4, 1946 | World Food Production | 16:50 | |
| 13.3 | November 1, 1946 | The Soviet's Neighbor — Czechoslovakia | 17:18 | |
| 13.4 | November 29, 1946 | The American Cop | 17:39 | |
| 13.5 | December 27, 1946 | Nobody's Children | 16:20 | |
| 13.6 | January 24, 1947 | Germany — Handle with Care! | 17:36 | |
| 13.7 | February 21, 1947 | Fashion Means Business | n/a | |
| 13.8 | March 21, 1947 | The Teachers' Crisis | 15:45 | |
| 13.9 | April 18, 1947 | Storm over Britain | 17:49 | |
| 13.10 | May 16, 1947 | The Russians Nobody Knows | 18:15 | |
| 13.11 | June 13, 1947 | Your Doctors — 1947 | 18:24 | |
| 13.12 | July 11, 1947 | New Trains for Old? | 18:05 | |
| 13.13 | August 8, 1947 | Turkey's 100 Million | 17:49 | |
| 14.1 | September 6, 1947 | Is Everybody Listening? | 18:05 | |
| 14.2 | October 3, 1947 | T-Men in Action | 17:06 | |
| 14.3 | October 30, 1947 | End of an Empire? | 17:53 | |
| 14.4 | November 28, 1947 | Public Relations — This Means You | 16:03 | |
| 14.5 | December 26, 1947 | The Presidential Year | 15:18 | |
| 14.6 | January 23, 1948 | The Cold War: Act I — France | 17:57 | |
| 14.7 | February 20, 1948 | Marriage and Divorce | 16:23 | |
| 14.8 | March 19, 1948 | The Cold War: Act II — Crisis in Italy | 16:22 | |
| 14.9 | April 16, 1948 | Life with Junior | 17:44 | |
| 14.10 | May 14, 1948 | The Cold War: Act III — Battle for Greece | 16:43 | |
| 14.11 | June 11, 1948 | The Fight Game | n/a | |
| 14.12 | July 9, 1948 | The Case of Mrs. Conrad | 17:5 | |
| 14.13 | August 6, 1948 | White-Collar Girls | 16:23 | |
| 14.14 | September 3, 1948 | Life with Grandpa | 16:14 | |
| 14.15 | October 1, 1948 | Battle for Germany | 17:40 | |
| 14.16 | October 29, 1948 | America's New Air Power | 17:15 | |
| 14.17 | November 26, 1948 | Answer to Stalin | 18:15 | |
| 14.18 | December 24, 1948 | Watchdogs of the Mail | 17:37 | |
| 15.1 | January 21, 1949 | On Stage | 17:44 | |
| 15.2 | February 18, 1949 | Asia's New Voice | 16:51 | |
| 15.3 | March 18, 1949 | Wish You Were Here | 16:57 | |
| 15.4 | April 15, 1949 | Report on the Atom | 18:24 | |
| 15.5 | May 13, 1949 | Sweden Looks Ahead | 17:06 | |
| 15.6 | June 10, 1949 | It's in the Groove | 18:22 | |
| 15.7 | July 8, 1949 | Stop — Heavy Traffic! | 15:04 | |
| 15.8 | August 5, 1949 | Farming Pays Off | 16:27 | |
| 15.9 | September 2, 1949 | Policeman's Holiday | 18:45 | |
| 15.10 | September 30, 1949 | The Fight for Better Schools | 19:44 | |
| 15.11 | November 11, 1949 | MacArthur's Japan | 17:04 | |
| 15.12 | December 23, 1949 | A Chance to Live | 18:11 | Boys Town of Italy aids destitute children after WWII; Academy Award Winner; The Academy Film Archive preserved A Chance to Live in 2005.[10] |
| 16.1 | February 3, 1950 | Mid-Century — Half-Way to Where? | 16:20 | |
| 16.2 | March 17, 1950 | The Male Look | 15:33 | |
| 16.3 | April 28, 1950 | Where's the Fire? | 18:29 | |
| 16.4 | June 9, 1950 | Beauty at Work | 17:10 | |
| 16.5 | August 18, 1950 | As Russia Sees It | 15:36 | |
| 16.6 | September 29, 1950 | The Gathering Storm | 15:52 | |
| 16.7 | November 10, 1950 | Schools March On! | 17:49 | |
| 16.8 | December 1950 | Tito — New Ally? | 17:12 | |
| 17.1 | February 1951 | Strategy for Victory | 16:56 | |
| 17.2 | March 1951 | Flight Plan for Freedom | 18:22 | |
| 17.3 | April 1951 | The Nation's Mental Health | 18:21 | |
| 17.4 | June 1951 | Moroccan Outpost | 16:47 | |
| 17.5 | July 1951 | Crisis in Iran | 17:58 | |
| 17.6 | August 1951 | Formosa — Island of Promise | 16:30 |
Reviews and commentary
- Writing for The Spectator in 1935, Graham Greene favorably contrasted the film with contemporary British news films whose stories he described as "scraps of unimportant material [...] flung without arrangement on to the screen". Praising the producers of The March of Time, Greene suggested that "their fortnightly programmes can be compared with an authoritative article by a special correspondent rather than with a haphazard page of photographs from the Daily Mirror", and went on to discuss the danger of censorship for this nascent news medium in light of England's stronger libel laws and the British Board of Film Censors' decision to severely cut scenes of the Parisian riots related to the Croix de Feu, and to remove the film's final scene revealing the source of the Croix de Feu's funding - an act of censorship that Greene noted as making the film "Fascist in tone".[11]
- Alistair Cooke, The Listener (November 20, 1935) — The March of Time is not the result of bright inspiration. Behind it is ten years' experience with a magazine of the same style; an army of correspondents and cameramen scattered throughout the world; an historical film library it took two years to prepare; a newspaper cutting library as exhaustive as anything extant; and in New York and Chicago a vast research staff alert to trace the origins of any family, war, author, statesman, treaty, or breath or rumour. With no less than this should any other film company irresponsibly compete.[3]: 67
- Bosley Crowther, The New York Times (October 31, 1937) — And now, less than three years old but already an institution, the March of Time is today one of the most successful and forward-looking features on the screen — a dynamic force for the purveyance of information through the medium of the film.[12]
- D. A. Spencer and H. D. Waley, The Cinema Today (1939) — Although the ideal behind these films is to present, as objectively as possible, accounts of world happenings, there is no doubt whatever that they are helping to mould our views on such happenings. In America legislation regulating child labour … has at last passed both Houses of Congress by a narrow margin which is believed to be due to the March of Time. Their film on cancer has done a good deal to arouse the national conscience of America to the evils of the quackery that battens on fear of this scourge, while in England, before the present campaign for National Fitness was under way, their film Food and Physical Training aroused enormous interest and debate in that it brought home to many people's minds the fact that the animals at the zoo are better fed and housed than many of the nation's children.[3]: 176
- Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times (September 2, 2010) — It's hard to know today even what to call these films. (Raymond Fielding, a retired college educator who wrote a book about the series, told me that roughly 290 were made.) '"Newsreels'" seems inadequate; they are longer, more detailed and much more opinionated than the standard-issue newsreels that preceded them. "Documentaries" is closer, but the blaring orchestrations and outlandish voice-overs sound nothing like a modern documentary. It's tempting to give up and label these whats-its a mass-media Neanderthal — an evolutionary dead end; an attempt to merge the tools of newsgathering and filmmaking that had its moment but died out. Except that, once you watch a few and learn about how they were made, you start to see a little March of Time in almost everything: Fox News, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, the History channel, schlocky reality shows of the I Shouldn't Be Alive variety, PBS's P.O.V.[13]
- Tom Shales, The Washington Post (September 4, 2010) — Fascinating, enthralling, enlightening—many a superlative applies to these documentary shorts, which have gathered value with the march of time itself and have been rescued from the ravages of time by New York's Museum of Modern Art and the HBO Archive, corporate relative of the series's original creators. … It's something of an irony that The March of Time may be less famous today than a bull's-eye parody of it — a parody that millions have seen, many of them perhaps not even knowing that it is a parody or what it's lampooning. Does News on the March ring a bell? It's the title of the fake-out newsreel that begins the Orson Welles classic Citizen Kane, and it includes wily duplications of all the March of Time trademarks, including the white-on-black transitional title cards, the wall-to-wall musical score and the bombastic narration.[14]
Awards and recognition
- The March of Time received an honorary Academy Award in 1937 "for its significance to motion pictures and for having revolutionized one of the most important branches of the industry — the newsreel."[15]
- On October 27, 1937, The March of Time episode "Conquering Cancer" received the first Clement Cleveland Medal, established by the New York City Cancer Committee of the American Society for the Control of Cancer.[16] "Louis de Rochemont was especially proud of a letter he received from U.S. Surgeon General Parran crediting the film with providing a crucial influence in securing a federal appropriation for the National Cancer Institute", reported March of Time chronicler Raymond Fielding.[3]: 170
- The March of Time episode Norway in Revolt was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) in 1941.[17]
- Prelude to Victory was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) in 1942.[18]
- Youth in Crisis was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) in 1943.[18]
- Atomic Power was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) in 1946.[18]
- A Chance to Live received the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) in 1949.[18]
- Inside Nazi Germany, a 1938 March of Time episode directed by Jack Glenn, was an inductee of the 1993 National Film Registry list in 1993.[6]
Feature films
Four feature-length films were produced by The March of Time.[3]: 343–347
- The Ramparts We Watch (August 1940, 99 minutes)
- The Story of the Vatican (August 1941, 53 minutes)
- We Are the Marines (December 1942, 70 minutes)
- The Golden Twenties (April 1950, 67 minutes)
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]
References
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Fielding, Raymond (1978). The March of Time, 1935–1951. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-502212-2.
- ^ "Pictorial Journalism". The New York Times. February 2, 1935.
- ^ Gilling, Ted (May 7, 1989). "Real to Reel: Newsreels and re-enactments help trio of documentaries make history come alive". Toronto Star.
- ^ a b "Complete National Recording Registry Listing". loc.gov. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
- ^ "Synopsis" (PDF). The March of Time Newsreels. HBO Archives. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 6, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "France: Motorist Moe"; Time, September 10, 1934
- ^ "Preserved Projects". Academy Film Archive.
- ^ 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.)
- ^ Crowther, Bosley, "Time Marches On and On: A Hurried Investigation of That High Potential Screen Feature." The New York Times, October 31, 1937
- ^ Genzlinger, Neil, "Time Marches … Backward!". The New York Times, September 2, 2010
- ^ Shales, Tom, "'March of Time' newsreels on Turner Classic Movies a gripping record of history". The Washington Post, September 4, 2010
- ^ The 9th Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; retrieved April 13, 2012
- ^ "March of Time Honored for War on Disease." The New York Times, October 28, 1937
- ^ The 14th Academy Awards, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; retrieved April 13, 2012
- ^ a b c d "The Official Academy Awards Database". American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- ^ Cook, Bruce, "Whatever Happened to Westbrook Van Voohis?" American Film, March 1977
- ^ The March of Time 1965–1966 at the Official Website of Producer David L. Wolper; retrieved May 24, 2012
- ^ "A Fine Romance". SongMeanings. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ "A Fine Romance". The Dorothy Fields Website. Retrieved October 15, 2014.
- ^ Barrett, William P. "March of Dimes' Second Act". Forbes, November 19, 2008.
- ^ Ohayon, Albert, "Propaganda Cinema at the NFB – The World in Action"; National Film Board of Canada (blog), September 30, 2009
External links
- The March of Time and the American Century (2007) PhD dissertation by Jonathan Stuart Setliff
- The March of Time as Documentary and Propaganda, American Studies Program at the University of Virginia
- History of The March of Time 1935-1951 at harappa.com
- The March of Time Newsreels and Documentaries
- The March of Time at Alexander Street Press – cross-searchable online streaming video collection for available to academic, public and school libraries
- The March of Time at the Encyclopedia of American Journalism (limited preview, full eBook requires purchase)
- Jack Glenn papers at the American Heritage Center
- "March of Time" newsreel search on Youtube
