Synopsis
This late 1950s color film opens with the Columbus Film Festival The ‘Chris’ Award, received for this documentary on heartbeat research by Dr. Paul Dudley White, a leading cardiologist. It was presented by the Douglas Aircraft Company as a scientific venture. A California grey whale swims, emerges and blows water (:43- 1:20 ). The Arctic Ocean and Bering Sea are ice covered ( 1:20 - 1:40 ). A vintage globe shows the migration path to warmer waters off Baha, California for breeding ( 1:41 - 1:57 ). Two grey whales swim ( 1:58 - 2:35 ). A vintage map of California shows migration paths ( 2:36 - 2:49 ). Various grey whales swim, flip, and spout. ( 3:02 - 3:50 ). Donald Douglas’ ship Dorado was used as the research vehicle; its goal was a cardiograph of a whale’s heart ( 3:41 - 4:02 ). Vintage Douglas Aircraft Company and National Geographic flags flutter ( 4:06 - 4:13 ). February 4, 1956, the men prepare for the first expedition in a motorboat ( 4:25 - 4:33 ). The tools are crossbows and hand-thrown harpoons with barbed heads and trailing insulated wires connected to a small telemetering boat ( 4:34 - 4:44 ). A gray whale causes damage with its tail as sharks gather ( 4:45 - 5:06 ). The next practice attempts in 1957 used a Douglas N350 helicopter with the telemetering boat, which is shown up close ( 5:26 - 5:46 ). A harpoon firing platform with two high-powered firing rifles is mounted on the helicopter before it takes off ( 5:47 - 6:34 ). Donald Douglas ( 6:04 ) and his son…
Uploader's description on archive.org
Details
- Running time
- 28 minutes
- Language
- English
- Collection
- Ephemeral Films
Subjects on the Internet Archive
- Stock Footage