Summary

Safe Use of Pesticides, The

Source Archive Films by Getty Images
Title: Safe Use of Pesticides, The
File Number: DN-RLB-188 Beta SP
Color: Color
Type: Educational
Subjects: farms; farming; farmers; fields of grain; food shipping; rural; plants; food inspections; seizure; confiscation; crop dusting; pests; industry; beneficial insects; harmful insects; extermination; chemicals; pesticides; insecticides; labels; warnings; safety; progress; responsibility; FDA; Food & Drug Administration; US Government; technology; animal testing; artificial; additional keywords also listed in individual shots
Description: 23:01:04:08 - 23:22:15:09 color sound 1963 - 1964 Educational & instructional film produced by US Department of Agriculture w cooperation of US Department of Health on the correct use of pesticides w farmers as intended audience Good overall portrayal of family farm of that era (especially in contrast to modern corporate agri-business) Could also be useful as background info on the contemporary topic of genetically modified (GMO) food Covers: many aspects of farming & harvest dealing w pestulance shipping of produce & grain inspections of food seized shipment of produce crop dusting farmer as small businessman insect animation animal testing researchers in labs 23:01:04:08 - 23:02:56:07 color sound 1963 - 1964 Opening seqence VS harvester rolling over golden grain field VO slightly grandiose narrator says: Farmer, this is your achievement, America the bountiful Americana farm equipment CU hand picks a peach off tree CU large pile of harvested peaches LS farming machinery in field 'Fruit Growers Express' train Semi- trucks & cars on highway, drive under concrete overpass Semi turns corner at night VS freight trains on railroad tracks Transportation of produce VO narrator explains integral role shipping plays in nation's food supply Grain pours out of metal silo tube, filling up freight train car through opening on top Barge in port w grey industrial buildings in BG One freight car sits idle on tracks CU Deputy US Marshal Official Business sign in windshield of car Officials attach legal notice on 'Western Fruit Express' train car, seizing contents confiscation seizure contraband VO narrator, The food in this car will never reach its destination It has been placed under arrest 23:02:56:13 - 23:03:45:17 color sound 1963 - 1964 Title screen: US Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service & US Department of Health, Education & Welfare Food & Drug Administration Present The Safe Use of Pesticides Letters of title rearrange themselves to read, Follow the Label Graphics very typically 1960s Worker unloads wooden crates of food seized by court 23:03:46:25 - 23:04:30:18 color sound 1963 - 1964 VO narrator takes us back 10 days previous to shipment seizure Two farmers discover caterpillar infestation of crop shortly before harvest, one smokes, other wears sunglasses They discuss VO narrator says news reports alerted other farmers & inspectors FDA inspector in white shirt & tie gets out of freight train car with sample of produce that was loaded for delivery He puts apple in brown paper bag & marks it, Acme truck in BG VO narrator explains that inspector suspects there might be illegal chemical residue on crops Places sample in box and tapes up 23:04:32:00 - 23:05:14:20 color sound 1963 - 1964 Black laboratory technician holds syringe in front of his eyes He injects contents into machine CU machine w large numbers & red pointer creating graph print-out of results reveals presence of toxin, pesticide researchers scientists testing chemicals chemistry analysis Official in suit at desk w District Director nameplate making phone call, talking Lawyer with General Counsel nameplate on desk talks on telephone & writes VO narrator explains legal process of confiscating produce w illegal pesiticide residue CU Federal Court Order with Southern District of Virginia listed on document bureaucracy 23:05:15:19 - 23:07:35:18 color sound 1963 - 1964 VS judge in robe signs order as official waits in front of him bureaucracy legal lawyers Farmer, Cliff Osborne, drives tractor up to barn VS Osborne in straw hat in barn VO narrator explains that Osborne decides to handle caterpillar infestation w same pesticide he had used weeks before that time was running out, he had to move quickly Osborne uses tractor to spray crops with pesticide VO narrator describes farmer's meticulously careful use of this particular chemical: proper concentration, proper format of application, etc Bags of pesticide dry concentrate piled up on each other in storage area VO narrator says But Cliff Osborne made a single, expensive error Either purposefully or through carelessness, he disregarded this one important precaution: he didn't follow the label & avail himself of its built in protection CU red label: Do Not Use Within 10 Days Of Harvest Workers unload Great Northern Railway freight train car into US Marshal van Crates of produce destroyed, squashed by bulldozer and buried at local dump landfills US Marshal van parked at dump site, two officials watch VO narrator says, All this from an insect invasion 23:07:36:26 - 23:08:25:08 color sound 1963 - 1964 ZI white animated catepillar on black BG insect begins wiggling around White drawings of various insects superimposed over CU locust or grashopper eating green stem harmful insects infestation White drawing of cartoony evil rat superimposed over CU corn cobs behind chicken wire rodents vermin mice White drawing of weeds superimposed over corn stalk plants animation of weeds growing from root & overtaking, choking crop CU peach w white drawing of blight superimposed on it 23:08:26:20 - 23:08:44:19 color sound 1963 - 1964 Good CU of praying mantis (beneficial insect) eating another insect (harmful insect: locust or grasshopper?) ECU mantis cleaning its leg, very good: can see details of its head mantidae mantid predators nature biological controls Person wearing protective clothing & gas mask drives red tractor between fruit trees in orchard surreal hazardous materials haz-mat 23:08:44:20 - 23:09:52:06 color sound 1963 - 1964 Elementary school children, boys & girls, burst through school doors & run down steps after class VO narrator discusses population explosion CU farm workers picking carrots WS workers & huge machinery harvesting or refining crop VO narrator describes 4 major methods farmers have to control the enemies of his crops 1 Cultural practices: farmer plows field w red tractor to expose pests to elements & predators 2 Biological controls: farmer kneels & empties tin of beneficial insects CU insects he has placed there writhing in soil VS CU wasp crawling in soil, flying 3 Resistant varieties of crops: botanist wearing special magnifying attachment on eyeglasses inspects plants collects pollen from blosom of tomato plant in greenhouse horticulturist horticulture botany artificial selection breeding genetics resistant strains genetically modified GMO science scientists 4 Chemicals: man in complete protective suit, including gas mask & breathing apparatus, mixes pesticides hazardous materials haz-mat chemistry CU weight hanging from balancing scales 23:09:52:08 - 23:11:39:19 color sound 1963 - 1964 Man in protective suit & gas mask climbs on top of large wheeled pesticide tank CU man in protective clothing holding hose to fill tank hazardous materials haz-mat toxins toxic Good rear view of pesticide tank spraying fruit trees in orchard VO narrator says & so the farmer who uses pesticides must be careful, because they can be harmful to humans, animals or plants Rear view farmer, Sam Rogers, drives green tractor out of barn Rogers stops green tractor in front of storage shed Rogers enters storeroom, looks through his shelves for right pesticide He reads labels CU label: Do Not Use Within 10 Days Of Harvest CU other labels w animated graphics highlighting specific phrases, such as active ingredients, & directions for use 23:11:39:20 - 23:12:02:14 B W sound 1963 - 1964 Stills montage of scientists at work in laboragories VO narrator says capsuled information that represents many years of work, great sums of money, & the combined genius of field researchers, chemists, toxicologists, etymologists, pathologists, engineers, scientists in private industry & the government working together as a team in behalf of the farmer & all the people science experiments chemistry test tubes lab coats petri dishes 23:12:03:26 - 23:12:28:05 color sound 1963 - 1964 Three men in suits, all wear glasses, joined by fourth at meeting, map of US in BG VO narrator explains these men are involved w registering pesticides & pesicide labels businessmen meetings board meetings executives experts government officials 23:12:28:06 - 23:12:51:11 color sound 1963 - 1964 Farmer Rogers wearing nose mouth protection pours pesticide from hose into tank masks chemicals hazardous materials haz-mat Good: mother feeds baby sitting in highchair in kitchen CU baby smiles CU Collie dog eating from red bowl cute pets housewife housewives families family 23:12:52:20 - 23:15:35:01 color sound 1963 - 1964 Story details development of new pesticide Two scientists & two men in suits at fairly informal meeting in laboratory CU middle aged businessman in horn-rimmed eyeglasses talking VO narrator says, The manufacturer comes up with a new chemical, which shows promise for contoling a pest CU of product, generic looking yellow tin, labeled, compound 776 corpororations businessmen Researchers test chemical in lab ECU nozzle sprays liquid chemical Test plants pass beneath chemical spray on conveyor belt in closed chamber EXT: one researcher sprays crops w small exterminator-style equipment other researcher kneels taking notes on clipboard CU documents & files for compound 776 ZO to show hands organizing papers into files VO narrator explains paper trail process Manufacturer businessman walks up steps to Dept of Agriculture In an office w white haired official, he opens briefcase to present proposals to register new product, compound 776 Manufacturer takes files out of briefcase, hands them to official VS CU registration documents Overhead: man in suit writing or filling out form Official seated in cubical writing on paperwork VO narrator discusses evaluation of product CU pages w chemical reaction diagram turning in manilla file folders fade slowly to superimpose over row of rabbits being used in experiments CU hand applying blue chemical paste to shaved skin of rabbit animal testing animal creulty Manufacturer approaches entrance to Food and Drug Admin (FDA) Manufacturer presents documents to FDA official can see Capitol Building through window behind them bureaucracy government Washington, DC CU hands flip through peticide petition VO narrator mentions US Food, Drug, & Cosmetic Act 23:15:36:10 - 23:17:20:02 color sound 1963 - 1964 FDA scientists in lab coats look at & discuss charts, data in laboratory CU chart Other FDA experts (not wearing lab coats) look at documents at desk w microscope CU hands of the two men pointing at various information in documents Wall of shelves holding jars & scientific equipment CU brown lab rats in moving around in boxes animal testing animals cruelty experiments Red haired FDA chemist in lab coat performs tests on compound CU Federal Register document ZI to ECU of FDA specifications for product VO narrator says, The information is now compressed & printed on the label CU printing press making product labels 23:17:21:15 - 23:20:07:05 color sound 1963 - 1964 Truck on busy street passes road sign for Maryland State Line VO narrator & the new pesticide can be legally marketed for interstate commerce shipping Fade to pesticides w poison warning & scale on shelf CU 10 day warning on pesticide label Farmer Rogers, wearing mask, mixes dry chemicals in hopper on tractor lots chemical dust blows past him in the air (Farmer & filmmakers, probably didn't consider this a danger, but looks foolhardy by t today's standards, as does farmer's skimpy respiratory protection) Rogers sprays water w hose into tractor VS CU charts, lists, labels warnings Rogers holds pesticide cans & reads labels on containers VO narrator says, Today's farmer has a complex job He must be a businessman & a practical scientist Rogers walks away w out choosing any pesticide Farmer Rogers sits at desk smoking cigar & talking on telephone home offices businessmen VO narrator explains that Rogers is calling the county agricultural agent experts advisors advice CU older man in horn-rimmed eyeglasses talks on phone Profile county agricultural agent, Phillip Greene, drives car past fields of crops Car POV corn plants in field, mailbox on side of road Greene meets Rogers in person Animation explains length of time residues remain on plants 23:20:08:15 - 23:20:20:24 color sound 1963 - 1964 Farmer Rogers climbs atop tractor & dumps powder chemical into hopper Dust Dry chemical weighed on scales 23:20:22:05 - 23:20:40:06 color sound 1963 - 1964 Farmer Rogers checks nozzle openings on sprayer, gestures to off screen assistant CU hands reassembling nozzle apparatus after inspection CU hand turning knob on gauge 23:20:40:08 - 23:21:12:13 color sound 1963 - 1964 Good VS spraying crops by plane crop dusting biplanes crop dusters Rear view of tractor spraying orchard trees, same as earlier shot, superimposed w earlier shot of red haired FDA scientist in lab coat VO narrator summarizes 23:21:13:23 - 23:21:50:04 color sound 1963 - 1964 CU ripe peach Hands pick peaches Farm worker carries bucket of peaches to crate & empties it blue collar migrant workers VO narrator says, Man in the past two decades has made tremendous strides in the use of chemistry as a tool to produce abundance The abundance which has given us the highest living standard the world has ever known Hint of propaganda Americana LA harvester machine rolls over golden field of grain VS workers & large machinery harvesting crops Good: Hispanic worker in cowboy hat dumps canvas bucket of green apples (or tomatoes?) into large crate 23:21:50:05 - 23:21:53:19 color sound 1963 - 1964 TD red neon sign, Food, at night supermarkets shopping grocery stores 23:21:55:01 - 23:22:15:09 color sound 1963 - 1964 HA PAN interior of supermarket Customers at checkout counters Coats of arms of US Dept of Agriculture & of US Dept of Health, Education, & welfare flash against light blue BG The End
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