Synopsis
This 1944 film "Report from Illinois" looks at daily life in the small town of Golconda, Illinois during the war. The film begins with a map of Illinois, highlighting major cities for war production. This is followed by a small tour around the city of Golconda including to the post office, its coal mine, corn and dairy farm, a glove factory, and the local high school. (Note: the film does not appear to be complete and it is not clear how much of the film is missing.)0:12 “Report from Illinois”, 0:20 map of Illinois with major cities for war production labeled one by one, 2:15 map zooms in on the town of Golconda, 2:23 a steam train driving, 2:52 street scenes from the town of Golconda, 3:17 a railroad worker arriving on a bike and changing the signal to stop the train, 3:51 the train is unloaded and the railway worker speaks to the engineer, 4:12 the train departs after unloading, 4:20 railway worker takes the cart with the unloaded goods and begins his rounds, 4:49 mail is delivered at the post office, 5:01 coal miners being lowered in the mine, 5:24 a man farming corn, 5:43 cows being fed and milked at a farm, 6:21 women working at a glove factory, 6:42 a monument listing all the men that have left the town to serve in the war, 6:55 a farewell performance for five local boys that are about to be sent to war, 7:46 railway worker notes down everything that has happened in the town today. Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. For…
Uploader's description on archive.org
Details
- Running time
- 8 minutes
- Collection
- Ephemeral Films
Subjects on the Internet Archive
- Stock Footage
- Periscope Film
Reviews on the Internet Archive
★★★ · What They're Doing Back Home For the War · Dodsworth the Cat · 2026-10-11
A casual narrator (or were they called a "narratress" then?) spins a casual tale about a casual little town. It takes two minutes to get there. Now that's casual. The folks back home are a-diggin' coal and a-plantin' corn to help win the war. And milking cows to "become the powdered milk you had at chow last night." At the railroad station, Ed's got a little surprise or us, too. But we don't see it. The film's cut off.