- Title: VM-1478
- Summary: THE FOSSIL STORY: COVERS THE EARTH'S RECORD OF PREHISTORIC LIFE AS REVEALED IN THE STUDY OF FOSSIL REMAINS. THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO OIL, IRON AND GEM STONES IS SHOWN IN SCENES FROM THE GRAND CANYON, PETRIFIED FOREST AND THE LA BREA TAR PITS IN LOS ANGELES. GEOLOGY. FILM TELLS OF FOSSILS CONTAINED IN LAYERS OF ROCK AT GRAND CANYON TELL SECRETS OF LIFE, CREATION OF PETROLEUM AND OTHER MINERALS THAT HELP SUSTAIN THAT LIFE.
- Description:00:30:39 - VIEW OF GRAND CANYON OF THE COLORADO. "A MILE HIGH MONUMENT TO TIME ITSELF". PAN MONTAGE VARIOUS SCENES OF MASSIVE ROCKS CARVED INTO STONY CORRIDORS BY CHURNING WATERS OF THE COLORADO RIVER. 00:30:55 - HIGH ANGLE RIVER WAVES ROLLING ONTO BEACH, AGAINST ROCKY CLIFFS. TILT UP FROM WATER TO MASSIVE ROCK FORMATIONS. 00:31:14 - PAN OF HUGE, EERIE GRANITE ROCK FORMATIONS OF MOUNTAINOUS AREA. NARRATOR'S VO: "A MONUMENT TO TIME ITSELF", "A MONUMENT A MILE HIGH". "A MONUMENT MORE THAN A BILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS OLD". 00:31:30 - PAN OF MORE OF THE GRAND CANYON'S GRANITE SCENIC MOUNTAINS. 00:31:56 - MONTAGE VARIETY ROCK FORMATIONS INCLUDING WALL OF NEATLY PILED LAYERS OF SLATE. 00:32:04 - GEOLOGIST (?) PULLS OUT A PIECE OF SLAT FROM ROCKY HILLSIDE. CU OF ROCK SHOWING FOSSIL OF A SIMPLE FERN THAT GREW AND FLOURISHED 140 MILLION YEARS, BC. 00:32:17 - CU FOSSIL OF FISH THAT SWAM THE OCEANS 300 MILLION YEARS AGO. 00:32:22 - PILES OF LARGE BONES AND OTHER FOSSILS OF ANCIENT LIFE LOST LONG AGO. 00:32:32 - CU FOSSIL OF ANCIENT BIRD. CU FOOTPRINT OF DINOSAUR. CU HOLES WHERE PRE-HISTORIC WORMS ONCE CRAWLED. 00:32:50 - FIELD OF DERRICKS. OIL PUMPING UNIT IN FRGD. OIL DERRICK RISES HIGH OVER COUNTRYSIDE. 00:33:09 - OIL DERRICK WITH HARD HAT WORKERS. CU DRILL AT WORK IN CENTER OF DERRICK. CU DRILL SPINNING RAPIDLY IN EXPLORATION WELL 00:33:28 - DRILL BEING RAISED. CORE SAMPLES OF MUD INSIDE DRILL CAVITY IS REMOVED, TAKEN TO ON SITE PORTABLE LABORATORY TO GEOLOGIST AND EXAMINED 00:33:48 - CU USES PENCIL TO POINT OUT PARTICLES IN CORE SHOWING PRESENCE OF FOSSILS WHICH SHOW AREA WHERE PRESENCE OF OIL CAN BE FOUND. 00:33:53 - OIL DERRICK, TREE BRANCH IN FRGD 00:34:00 - PAN HUNDREDS OIL DERRICKS AND OIL TANKS BUNCHED TOGETHER IN FIELD. 00:34:18 - PALEONTOLOGISTS USE PICK AXES, SHOVELS AT FOSSIL SITE IN SEARCH OF FOSSILS. CU MEN USE BRUSHES, SMALL TOOLS TO UNCOVER THE MINUTE DETAIL OF FOSSILS. 00:34:35 - AS HAND OF ONE SCIENTIST USES BRUSH ON ROCK, ANOTHER GENTLY LIFTS ANOTHER ROCK, CHECKS IT FOR FOSSIL. CU PALEONTOLOGIST PAINSTAKINGLY USE SMALL PRECISION TOOLS TO CHIP AWAY DEBRIS FROM PREHISTORIC FOSSIL. 00:35:01 - DERRICK AT WORK IN STONE QUARRY. 00:35:08 - TWO TEENAGE BOYS CHOPPING INTO SIDE OF ROCKY HILL. ONE EXCITEDLY SHOWS HIS FIND OF HUGE BONE TO OTHER. CU BONE. 00:35:33 - SCIENTIST EXAMINE BONE, TURNED TO STONE BY CHEMICAL CHANGE, IN GROUND. 00:35:39 - CU ANCIENT FOOT-PRINT. 00:35:41 - CU IMPRINT OF LEAF; CU IMPRINT OF INSECT'S WING 00:35:52 - PAN LIMESTONE ROCKS WHERE THE OLDEST TRACE OF LIFE HAS BEEN FOUND. MCU PAN UNUSUAL ROCK FORMATIONS. 00:36:12 - CROSS GRAVE MARKER ON HILLTOP. CU OLD GRANDFATHER CLOCK FACE. CU CLOCK'S PENDULUM SWINGING. 00:36:23 - MAN IN BEACH ROBE PACES BACK AND FORTH IN FRONT OF HIS, WAITING FOR TO GO TO BEACH. WIFE. SHE NONCHALANTLY WALKS TO CAR GETS IN. AS HE STANDS WITH FOLDED ARMS SHOWING OBVIOUS ANNOYANCE. NARRATOR VOICE OVER SPEAKS OF THE INSIGNIFICANCE OF TIME MAN WAITED FOR HIS WIFE IN RELATION OF THE BILLIONS OF YEARS IN DEVELOPMENT OF OIL AND OTHER COMPOUNDS.. 00:36:49 - MAN AND WIFE DRIVE OFF IN CAR WHICH, NARRATOR SAYS, "THAT SHINY CAR OF STEEL AND CROME, WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY TINY VEGETABLES THAT DIED ONLY 750 MILLION YEARS AGO". 00:37:09 - CAMERA PANS ROCK FORMATIONS IN GRAND CANYON, AS NARRATOR TELLS THE RELATION BETWEEN ROCKS AND CREATION OF IRON. CU ANIMATED DRAWINGS SHOWS PROCESS IN DEVELOPMENT OF IRON. BY DYING PLANTS. 00:37:57 - COMPLEX OF STEEL GIRDERS IN HUGE BUILDING UNDER CONSTRUCTION. 00:38:02 - ALL-STEEL "GOLDEN GATE" BRIDGE IN SAN FRANCISCO. PASSENGER TRAIN SPEEDING ALONG; CRUISE SHIP AT UNIDENTIFIED PORT. 00:38:14 - PAN DESERT HILLS, ROCK FORMATIONS, WHICH ONCE WERE FAR BENEATH THE PRIMORDIAL OCEAN. NARRATOR TELLS OF "DEVELOPMENT OF LIFE", "SOME 500 MILLION YEARS AGO". 00:38:19 - VIEW OF OCEAN. VIEW OF SEAWEED FLOATING ON OCEAN WATERS, A COMMON PLANT IN PREHISTORIC TIME. 00:38:36 - CU FOSSIL SEAWEED WHICH ONCE LIVED IN SAME WATERS OF EARLIEST ANIMAL LIFE. 00:38:40 - CU FOSSIL THALLABITES, HARD SHELL CREATURES ON FORM OF CRABS AND LOBSTERS. 00:38:56 - CU VARIOUS TYPES OF CORAL. CU BIVALVES, ANOTHER FORM OF MARINE LIFE. CU VARIETY OF SNAIL-LIKE SHELLS. 00:39:05 - CU FOSSIL FOOT PRINTS OF ANCIENT SCORPION. CU SCORPION OF TODAY. CU SEVERAL VIEWS SCORPION. 00:39:39 - PAN PAINTING WITH FOREST OF STRANGE TREES, FERNS, PLANT LIFE OF MILLIONS OF YEARS AGO. CU MONTAGE FOSSILS OF PLANTS FROM THAT TIME. 00:40:05 - CU VARIETY OF FISH FOSSILS, INCLUDING (PAN) FOSSIL OF HUGE FISH-LIKE ANIMAL SKELETON. SOME OF WHICH REACHED FANTASTIC SIZES AND SHAPES. 00:40:35 - PAN PAINTING DEPICTING FOREST OF 250 MILLION YEARS AGO INCLUDING GREAT AMPHIBIANS AND DINOSAURS. 00:41:05 - SKELETON OF GIANT DINOSAUR IN MUSEUM. 00:41:18 - CU SKELETAL HEAD OF FIERCE DINOSAUR WITH HUGE SHARP TEETH. PAINTING WITH VARIETY DINOSAURS. 00:41:40 - CU MONTAGE PETRIFIED TREE STUMPS TURNED INTO STONE. THE MOST BEAUTIFUL FOSSILS IN THE WORLD. PETRIFIED TREES CONTAIN BEAUTIFUL COLORS 00:42:09 - PAN PETRIFIED FOREST. 00:42:31 - CU DISPLAY OF SEMI-PRECIOUS JEWELS DERIVED FROM SAME PROCESS WHICH CREATED PETRIFIED TREES. WOMAN PICKS UP BRACELET, POSES WITH IT. 00:42:52 - STONE STATUES OF SABER-TOOTHED TIGERS IN COMBAT AND OTHER PREHISTORIC ANIMALS AT FAMED LE BREA TAR PITS IN CALIFORNIA. CU TAR PITS. CU BUBBLING TAR IN PIT. 00:43:22 - CU MONTAGE SKELETONS OF SLOTH, CAMELS, FIERCE FLESH EATING BIRD, LARGE WOLF AND SABRE-TOOTH TIGER ALL REMOVED FROM THE TAR PITS. ICE AGE ANIMALS 00:43:37 - KANGAROOS 00:43:43 - POSSUM IN A PINE TREE 00:43:47 - KANGAROO EATING 00:43:52 - LEMUR IN CAGE AT ZOO 00:43:58 - VIEW OF ANIMALS THAT CAN BE TRACED BACK MILLIONS OF YEARS, INCLUDE THE KANGAROO, LEMUR. 00:44:00 - CU SCIENTIST PEERING THROUGH MICROSCOPE. CU VIEW UNDER MICROSCOPE OF DESCENDANTS OF TINY MARINE ANIMALS 00:44:24 - LITTLE GIRL WRITING ON BLACKBOARD WITH CHALK. CU MARBLE BEING CUT. 00:44:32 - CU PHARMACIST POURS CALCIUM POWDER FOR PRESCRIPTION FROM BOTTLE. WORKERS SCREEDING CEMENT WALK WITH SCREED ON LONG POLE. 00:44:40 - DERRICK FILLING DUMP TRUCK WITH DIATOMACIOUS EARTH. CU HANDS BREAKING STONE MADE OF DIATOMACIOUS EARTH A VERY POUROUS MATERIAL. 00:45:16 - WORKER PUTS SHOVEL FULL OF DIRT INTO VAT TO REFINE SUGAR. IT IS USED FOR COUNTLESS OTHER ITEMS SUCH AS MOUTHWASH, HAND LOTION, LIFE SAVING DRUGS. 00:45:41 - BOTTLES OF MEDICINES BEING FILLED BY BOTTLING MACHINE IN PLANT. 00:45:47 - FEMALE SCIENTIST EXAMINES DIATOMS UNDER MICROSCOPE. CU MONTAGE DIATOMS IN VARIETY OF FORMS AS SEEN UNDER MICROSCOPE. 00:46:17 - CU LIVE DESCENDANTS OF DIATOMS AS SEEN UNDER MICROSCOPE. THEY MULTIPLY DO RAPIDLY THAT A SINGLE CELL BECOMES A BILLION WITHIN A MONTH EACH OF WHICH CONTAINS A TINY DROP OF OIL WHICH IT CARRIES TO BOTTOM OF SEA. 00:46:50 - SMOKE STACKS AT OIL REFINERY PLANT. OIL DERRICK 00:46:58 - CU OIL PUMP RISING AND LOWERING IN OIL DERRICK. LONG COLUMN OF OIL PUMPS CHURNING AWAY. 00:47:23 - MONTAGE TILT UP FROM COLORODO RIVER TO ROCKY HILLS AND CLIFFS OF THE GRAND CANYON. PAN THE UNIQUE, BIZARRE SHAPES, ROCKY FORMATIONS, OF THE CANYON.
- Collection: Historic Films
- Producer:Historic Films
- Transmission Date:01/01/1953
- Rights:On request
- Decade: 1950s
- File Name: VM-1478