Summary

Tommy Handley, comedian, narrates item about parachute catapulting in Moscow (Soviet Union, USSR), a vintage car race in Johannesburg (South Africa) and kids learning to drive in the United States of America (USA). <br/> <br/>C/U of Handley giving comic monologue to camera. <br/> <br/>L/S of man holding parachute ropes as it were an airborne kite. He stands on a platform in middle of Gorky Park. Air from the platform inflates parachute. A woman wears parachute harness, the man lets go of the ropes and she and the parachute soars into the air. Handley makes deliberately cheesy comment about the woman floating up to the place she belongs (i.e. heaven!). Various shots of woman landing, like a conventional parachutist. <br/> <br/>Various shots of people in vintage cars (from turn of century) driving around crowd lined streets of Johannesburg. Some people are wearing period costumes. <br/> <br/>M/S of an unusual classroom in the States: all the boys sit behind front halves of disused car instead of desks. The teacher at the front, draws diagrams on black board teaching boys how to drive. M/S of boys shifting the gear stick in their pretend cars. Their movements are registered on board of lights - they light up if a boy makes a mistake. C/U of boy's feet on pedals. C/U on light board. M/S of boy practising driving. <br/> <br/>M/S of boys getting into real cars and driving off one at a time. Various shots of boys driving around practice course, that includes working traffic lights. <br/> <br/>Note: Tommy Handley is commentator on all items in Pathetone 355. AH 2001.