A Frank Capra WONDERS OF LIFE film.
THE UNCHAINED GODDESS of weather, Meteora, finds two humans who know quite a bit about her secret ways.
In the mid-1950's, AT&T and Bell Science teamed with famed Hollywood director Frank Capra to produce a series of CBS television science films to educate the public about the Universe around them. A far cry from the dreary black & white fodder so often foisted off on young scholars, the Capra films would both instruct and entertain with lively scripts and eye-catching visuals shown in Technicolor. The four films - OUR MR. SUN (1956), THE STRANGE CASE OF THE COSMIC RAYS (1957), HEMO THE MAGNIFICENT (1957), THE UNCHAINED GODDESS (1958) - quickly became schoolhouse favorites, where they were endlessly shown in 16mm format.
The star of the series was Dr. Frank C. Baxter (1896-1982), an affable English professor at the University of Southern California. This avuncular pedagogue proved to be the perfect film instructor, genially imparting to his audience the sometimes complex facts in a manner which never made them seem dull or boring. Dr. Baxter, who won a Peabody Award for his achievements, continued making high quality instructional films after the Capra quartet were concluded.
THE UNCHAINED GODDESS, which was produced & co-written by Capra, relates the story of wind patterns and cloud types, thunder, lightning and rain, using humorous animation and dramatic photography. Film star Richard Carlson, who also directed, appears as the Fiction Writer, energetically helping Dr. Baxter relate the scientific facts.
The devotional sentiment & Scripture quoted by Dr. Baxter at the film's conclusion is completely in tune with the tenor & tone of the production.
THE UNCHAINED GODDESS of weather, Meteora, finds two humans who know quite a bit about her secret ways.
In the mid-1950's, AT&T and Bell Science teamed with famed Hollywood director Frank Capra to produce a series of CBS television science films to educate the public about the Universe around them. A far cry from the dreary black & white fodder so often foisted off on young scholars, the Capra films would both instruct and entertain with lively scripts and eye-catching visuals shown in Technicolor. The four films - OUR MR. SUN (1956), THE STRANGE CASE OF THE COSMIC RAYS (1957), HEMO THE MAGNIFICENT (1957), THE UNCHAINED GODDESS (1958) - quickly became schoolhouse favorites, where they were endlessly shown in 16mm format.
The star of the series was Dr. Frank C. Baxter (1896-1982), an affable English professor at the University of Southern California. This avuncular pedagogue proved to be the perfect film instructor, genially imparting to his audience the sometimes complex facts in a manner which never made them seem dull or boring. Dr. Baxter, who won a Peabody Award for his achievements, continued making high quality instructional films after the Capra quartet were concluded.
THE UNCHAINED GODDESS, which was produced & co-written by Capra, relates the story of wind patterns and cloud types, thunder, lightning and rain, using humorous animation and dramatic photography. Film star Richard Carlson, who also directed, appears as the Fiction Writer, energetically helping Dr. Baxter relate the scientific facts.
The devotional sentiment & Scripture quoted by Dr. Baxter at the film's conclusion is completely in tune with the tenor & tone of the production.
