Summary

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Powers of Congress, The
PA-0095 Beta SP; DN-S-076 1 inch; AFP-29AJ 16mm
B W
Educational
1947
POLITICAL SCIENCE POLITICS UNITED STATES HISTORY CONGRESS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SENATE DREAMS SURREALISM SLEEP FANTASY NARRATIVES
Powers of Congress, The DIRECTOR: Ted Peshak CAMERA: Bill Rockar WRITERS: Dick Creyke, Tom Riha EDITOR: George Wilbern AUTHORITY: John Day Larkin, Ph.D., Dean, Division of Liberal Studies, Illinois Institute of Technology A fantasy is employed in this film to define and explain the powers of Congress. Mr. Williams drops off to sleep for a few minutes to find himself confronted with a world in which Congress has been suspended and federal authority dissolved. When he awakens from his dream, he has a better understanding of his own responsibility in the selection of that body. Ken Smith sez: This film marks Coronet's earliest excursion into surrealism. It opens in the living room of "Charles Bentley," whose checked suit and zebra-striped tie clash maddeningly with the room's bulls-eye wallpaper pattern, and give some hint of the strange sights to come. "Congress this! Congress that!" Bentley snorts as he throws down his newspaper. "I've got more things to think about than Congress!" He stomps down to the post office to mail his tax return, and continues his tirade for the benefit of his strange-looking friend, "Williams." "What's Congress ever given me except a lot of trouble?" Bentley grunts. "You know what I think? I think we'd be better off if there WASN'T any Congress!" CUs of soap bubbles suddenly appear as Bentley is catapulted into a black void nightmare world where all the sets are built on German Expressionist angles and everyone's voice has an echo. "LOTS of things are different without the powers of Congress!" cackles Williams, who has been transformed (thanks to LA lighting) into a kind of omnipresent demon. "YOU'LL see! Hee hee hee hee...." Bentley quickly discovers that, without Congress, his money is worthless, his court system is in ruins, and, worst of all, Social Security is bankrupt. "You'll have to look out for yourself when you lose your job!" Williams crows. Next, Bentley's wife arrives, sobbing that without Congress "our FHA loan was no good" and that now the Bentley's have been thrown out on the street! Thankfully, the soap bubbles reappear and Bentley wakes up back is his nightmare-inducing living room. It was all a dream! "NOW I know what to put in my speech for the club!" he chuckles, and we leave him with a better attitude and a Social Security system that his beloved Congress would eventually leverage into bankruptcy anyway. 07:12:32 Man and wife listen to large radio in living room 07:13:12 Man buys stamps at post office. He argues about politics with a friend 07:13:45 CU man pounds fist on table 07:13:54 CU gavel pounding. Newspaper headline reads "Congress Suspended". Soap bubbles float through air. 07:14:10 Surrealistic post office window with laughung, uncooperative clerk. 07:16:03 Man with 10 gallon hat with the word TEXAS written across it 07:17:51 Man sleeping in living room chair is awakened by wife 07:18:!9 Man at desk rehearses speech 07:19:40 Small suburban house 07:19:45 CU ham being carried. 07:20:01 CU railroad tickets and fare charters 07:20:48 CU face of gas pump with numbers changing ( $.23 gallon) 07:20:53 Golden Gate Bridge 07:21:01 Hydroelectric Dam 07:22:00 Men talk on telephones THE END 07:48:06 The Powers of Congress 19537 b&w, audio not great 07:48:47:00 CU of old-fashioned radio -- possible transition? VO - The New Congress still faces a multitude of tests, among the more controversial issues are tax reduction and appropriations for the armed forces (07:48:33) 07:48:33:00 CU of oldfashioned radio - camera pulls back to reveal nice living room -- Mom sits on couch, sewing, Dad sits at desk. Dad - Congress this, Congress that, Martha turn that thing off, I ve got other things to think about besides Congress. I came home early to finish this income tax. (07:48:50) 07:48:53 med shot - living room Dad rummaging through desk Where s the stamps? (07:48:55) 07:48:56 MCU Mom - Oh I used the last one yesterday..why don t you run down to the post office and get some? (07:49:00) 07:49:01 CU Dad - Run down to the post office?! It s only a mile away! (shot ends 07:49:05 dialogue 07:49:06) 07:49:33 MCU Dad and Dark Suit man in post office Dark Suit - Don t forget, we want Pierce for Congress 07:49:36 Dad - I don t care a hang who gets to congress, what s congress ever given me except a lot of trouble? Like this income tax..Has Congress given us the new post office we need? No! You know what I think, I think we d all be better off if there wasn t any Congress! (07:49:51) 07:49:50 camera moves down to CU of Dad s fist banging on table (07:49:53) 07:49:54:00 CU of hand pounding gavel VO - Hereby declare this Congress suspended indefinitely 07:49:56 superimposed newspaper headline - Congress Suspended (07:49:58) (sequence ends 07:50:00) 07:50:03:00 MCU german expressionist post office Dad comes to window with letter VO - Stamps? The man who wants to buy stamps? There aren t any more stamps! Can t you read? 07:50:15 MCU clerk points to Proclamation posted on wall VO - Congress is gone! So is the postal system! 07:50:17 CU of Proclamation of Congress being suspended (07:50:21) 07:50:22 MCU post office window with crazy mime for clerk VO The Williams Postal Service will deliver letters for a dollar an ounce! But not these dollars! 07:50:30 Dad gives money to clerk. Clerk tears up money VO - United States money is no good! Congress had the power to issue money... 07:50 38 CO of Proclamation with words monetary but no more! 07:50:42 MCU post office crazy clerk Only New York money is good here. Go over to the currency exchange, and take your letters. But don t bother about mailing this income tax. There s no body there to collect federal taxes 07:50:58 CU of Proclamation - financial (07:51:00) VO - Lots of things are different without the powers of Congress! You ll see! 07:51:01 - MCU crazy post office, Dad (sequence ends 07:51:03) 07:51:07 med shot - Man at german expressionist currency exchange VO Pretty, aren t they! You see, every state is printing its own money now...you remember? 07:51:19 crazy clerk points to Proclamation 07:51:21 CU of word Monetary (ends 07:51:22) VO - Oh, you don t believe its about Congress being suspended! 07:51:23 MCU Man looks angry, shakes fists 07:51:27 med shot - Man loses temper, pushes everything off table VO Well go ahead! Go to Washington! See for yourself! Man storms off, clerk laughs (sequence ends 07:51:35) 07:51:36 Man at Interstate travel tollbooth 07:51:39 CU of Man holding up one finger (looks crazed) VO - Round trip ticket to Washington? 07:51:42 CU of same clerk in tollbooth VO - That will be six hundred New York dollars! 07:51:45 CU of Man recoiling in shock 07:51:47 med shot of man at tollbooth Vo - Thats right Bentley! You re catching on! 07:51:50 Man points at Proclamation 07:51:52 CO of Man s hand pointing to commercial VO - No Congress! No regulation of commerce! 07:51:55 med shot - Man, tollbooth VO - No regulation of railroad fares! Man tears down sign VO - Oh, you don t like it? 07:52:01 wide shot of ticketbooth, Man VO - You want to take it to court? Go ahead! 07:52:04 same shot of ticket booth - two men enter, push Man Vo - Don t look so surprised, Bentley! 07:52:08 CU of attacker man s hat - TEXAS written on it!!!!!! VO The states have to create their own armies and navies and air forces! 07:52:12 CU of sailor turning around back of his uniform says New York State 07:52:15 med wide shot of ticketbooth VO - Because there s no Congress to provide for National Defense! (sequence ends 07:52:20) 07:52:20 med shot - Man opens german expressionist door in black wall 07:52:22 - door opens back out in Man s face - Judge (same as clerk) comes out 07:52:24 VO - Complaining about that high railroad fare? It s useless Bentley! No Congress... 07:52:33 CU of Proclamation - Judicial VO ...no federal court! 07:52:35 med shot - judge, Man, door VO - There just is no justice! 07:52:41 CU of door - US District Court written on it judge s hand draws a big x through it (sequence end 07:52:44) 07:52:45 MCU - Man walks trough another strange door sees clerk sitting in enormous chair behind desk marked president camera follows Man to desk VO - Here s your check 07:52:55 CU of Man recieving enormous paycheck VO Oh yes, it s more than usual! No deductions for savings bonds, or income tax, or social security! 07:53:02 MCU of clerk in huge chair VO - With Congress suspended, the whole social security system has fallen through! So you ll have to look out for yourself when you lose your job! 07:53:13 CU of Man looking very worried That s what I said! Lose your job! 07:53:18 med shot - clerk holds out proclamation VO - One of those micellaneous powers of congress... 07:53:20 CU of proclamation - micellaneous VO ...is the regulation of patents! 07:53:23 med shot VO - We have no protection! We re out of business! 07:53:27 Woman sreams incoherently offscreen 07:53:32 Wife runs in holding lamp, looking disheveled Wife - the State bank foreclosed on our house..{more unintellible screams} 07:53:40 Man collapses in chair - Wife stands over him camera zoom on Man s face Wife Charles I don t know what will become of us! fade out 07:53:46 07:53:47 CU of Man asleep in chair - Wife s hand shaking him Wife - Charles! Get up! 07:53:50 Man waking up, camera zooms out - interior living room Wife - Oh come now! Don t tell me that little walk to the post office tired you out! Man - Post office? What post office? I mean with Congress suspended... 07:54:03 med shot Man sits up, looks at Wife standing by chair 07:54:06 Man puts head in hand - Oh, what a dream! (end sequence 07:54:08) 07:54:18 Man sits at desk writing speech about powers of Congress, Constitution, etc. 07:55:47 MCU cute suburban cottage 07:55:50 CU of large piece of meat being carved (07:55:56) Man - We know that the food we eat is pure. Why? Because it s inspected under the power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce 07:55:57 CU of USDA booklet - US Graded and Stamped Meat 07:55:59 CU of page with picture of inspector looking a side of beef 07:56:01 CU of fingers holding train ticket - Chicago to New York (ends 07:56:05) 07:56:30 CU of blank check, pen hovers above it camera pans over stubs (07:56:33) 07:56:34 CU of check stub March 14 - Internal Revenue Service (ends 07:56:39) 07:56:46 CU of gas pump meter numbers for gallons turning price fixed at 23 cents (ends 07:56:49) 07:57:04 CU of Cancer poster - scary scary drawing of huge black tumor (ends 07:56:07) 07:57:47 Man calls friend, they talk about guy they want elected to Congress
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