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1940's Travelogue Of Western China / Chengdu / Sichuhan 73892 (1940)

1940 · Short film · 19 min

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Synopsis

Created shortly after the death of President Franklin D. Roosevelt as a memorial, this newsreel was shown to U.S. troops overseas as part of the "Army/Navy Screen Magazine". The film shows the President's body leaving Warm Springs and going to Washington by train, and then the funeral parade through the nation's capitol, and ceremonial lying in state, and ends with the body interred at Hyde Park, New York. The film is set to music with the words of the fallen President throughout. The second part of the newsreel contains an exclusive message to the armed forces by President Harry S. Truman, followed by a Universal newsreel showing the President addressing Congress about the conduct of the on-going war against Japan and Germany. The final segment, "Truman Faces New Job with Confidence" is a morale-boosting bit showing the new President's arrival at the White House and introduces some of his staff. The backstory of the funeral is this: in the early afternoon of April 12, 1945 President Roosevelt was in his private cottage at Warm Springs Georgia signing papers and sitting for a portrait painter. Suddenly, he raised his hand to his head complaining of a headache. He then slumped forward, losing consciousness. At 3:35 PM he was pronounced dead from a massive cerebral hemorrhage. FDR’s sudden death stunned the nation. The public’s shock was magnified by the fact that Roosevelt had been America’s chief executive for over twelve years. Young Americans had no memory of any other…

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Details

Running time
19 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films
Internet Archive item
73982FranklinDelanoRooseveltMemorialNewsreel

Subjects on the Internet Archive

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