Hear and Now

A film about the history and importance of radio. The film covers the development of radio and its impact on people's lives, from its use as a tool for emergency broadcasting during World War II to its role in providing immediate news coverage and weather warnings. The film also highlights how radio has become an integral part of people's daily lives, with local radio stations serving as a vital source of information and emergency response. It concludes by emphasizing the importance of radio as a means of bringing people together and keeping them informed. 05:18:39:00 LS Little boy sleeps in bed; portable radio in table next to bed 05:19:03:00 LS Boy wakes up in morning; he is wearing striped pajamas 05:19:24:00 CU Bread pops up in toaster; woman's hands remove it; zoom out; woman places more bread in toaster 05:19:40:00 MS Woman sips coffee; starts to butter mounds of toast 05:19:49:00 MS Man shaves with electric razor while looking into mirror 05:20:00:00 LS Family sits eating breakfast; radio prominently displayed 05:20:10:00 LS Father listens closely to radio; weather forecast is broadcast 05:20:15:00 LS Mother puts coat on little boy who kisses her goodbye; father and mother kiss goodbye; father takes son with him 05:20:35:00 CU Harold Phillips, president of the National Association of Broadcasters speaks to camera about the importance of radio 05:21:20:00 MS Man with headphones on works in front of control panels 05:21:28:00 LS Men work adjusting dials and switches 05:21:32:00 Montage of city shots: subway, crowd seen from overhead; city streets 05:21:39:00 LS Draft animals pull cart on hillside 05:21:46:00 MS Man in control booth; reflections of reels spinning are seen on his windows 05:21:47:00 CU Light "ON AIR" sign 05:21:48:00 LS Camera pans up radio broadcast tower 05:21:56:00 MS Ham or crystal radio set being used by man and boy 05:21:58:00 CU President Warren Harding 05:22:02:00 CU Presidential candidate James Cox 05:22:05:00 LS presidential convention 05:22:22:00 LS Old couple listen to radio account of presidential convention; radio has large cone amplifier 05:22:27:00 LS Ticker tape parade, 1928 presidential candidate Alfred Smith waves to crowds 05:22:43:00 LS Herbert Hoover speaks into a radio microphone 05:22:50:00 LS Family, including older people, sits around 'watching' the radio 05:23:00:00 LS 1933, crowds of somber people gather to hear Franklin Roosevelt; FDR says line "It is my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself." 05:23:17:00 LS Man, supine, sleeping in public park with hat over his head 05:23:21:00 LS Men in breadlines 05:23:29:00 LS Scrawny, hungry Depression-era cat 05:23:31:00 LS Man washes his face at public outdoor tap 05:23:35:00 LS Children on bicycles and roller skates on sidewalk 05:23:37:00 LS Children being spun around on carnival ride which is handcranked by boy 05:23:42:00 LS Montage of shots of people listening to radio at home and work 05:23:46:00 MS King Edward VIII of England is shown in a studio; voiceover is Edward abdicating his throne; Edward walks with Wallis Warfield Simpson down path 05:23:59:00 CU Wallis Simpson 05:24:00:00 LS Zepplein Hindenburg explodes; voiceover radio reporter 05:24:35:00 CU Radio; voiceover: Japanese attack Pearl Harbor 05:24:40:00 LS Warplanes seen in air 05:24:54:00 LS Explosions of ships at Pearl Harbor; voiceover: FDR saying "December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy" 05:25:05:00 MS American soldiers in city move stealthily through town; tank parked in background (this sequence is all World War II footage) 05:25:14:00 LS Explosion of shell on hillside 05:25:18:00 LS American tanks shoot 05:25:23:00 LS Artillery shoots 05:25:26:00 LS NBC studio; many children with headphones on 05:25:33:00 CU NBC reporter interviews English child who is staying in U.S. for the duration of the war; her mother's voice is heard as well 05:25:54:00 LS U.S. Naval troops stand on deck of ship 05:25:57:00 CU Japanese minister signs surrender in WWII 05:26:01:00 LS Exterior United Nations building 05:26:06:00 LS United Nations meeting 05:26:11:00 LS Radio broadcast tower seen from below 05:26:21:00 CU Tabletop radio 05:26:23:00 LS Government building in Singapore 05:26:25:00 LS Riots in Paris; police beat people 05:26:28:00 LS Capitol building; trees in foreground 05:26:31:00 LS President Harry Truman, circled by a bevy of reporters 05:26:35:00 CU Harry Truman 05:26:37:00 MS Reporters scramble for telephones 05:26:44:00 LS Reporters in phone booths next to each other call in their stories 05:26:46:00 LS Newsroom 05:26:49:00 CU Reporter reads news into a microphone 05:26:54:00 LS/MS President Eisenhower has press conference which is broadcast 05:27:20:00 CU Harold Phillips, president of NAB, speaks about how much radio touches the lives of Americans 05:27:52:00 LS Woman works in kitchen; reaches over to adjust radio dial 05:27:57:00 LS Giant radio antenna, used for civil defense warning 05:28:04:00 LS Rocket launches 05:28:07:00 LS Military airplane takes off 05:28:11:00 CU Hand adjusts dials on radio 05:28:16:00 LS Clouds move across sky; dust blows across field; 05:28:27:00 MS People secure their buildings against severe storms 05:28:33:00 CU Radio is pictured; voiceover "warning a tornado is headed this way" 05:28:43:00 LS Funnel of a tornado is seen in the distance 05:28:51:00 CU Radio reporter uses telephone in car 05:28:57:00 LS Tornado seen in distance over city 05:29:05:00 LS Much debris is blown very high into the air by a tornado 05:29:00:00 MS Radio reporter on car telephone broadcasts; vehicle has a sign which reads "KNAB" 05:29:32:00 Lightning streaks 05:29:37:00 CU Water flowing down muddy hillside, first in streaks, then torrents 05:29:44:00 LS Flood waters rush through streets; through homes; 05:29:56:00 LS Helicopter seen overhead 05:30:00:00 LS Aerial view flooded railroad tracks 05:30:08:00 LS Seen from above, fire engine drives by 05:30:14:00 LS "KNAB" station wagon drives up; reporter leans out; reports on the phone 05:30:20:00 LS Firefighters unhook hoses and begin spraying fire with water 05:30:47:00 CU Portable tape recorder is turned on 05:30:50:00 CU Reporter interviews fire chief on the scene 05:31:00:00 MS Reporter interviews mother, son, daughter 05:31:04:00 CU Reporter talks on phone, hanging out of car window 05:31:10:00 CU Sign "Missing Persons Bureau/Special Investigations Squad" 05:31:12:00 MS Police office reads information about missing persons into radio microphone 05:31:21:00 CU Wrecking ball 05:31:26:00 LS Wrecking ball crashes into building; demolishing it 05:31:40:00 LS Sailboats on the Potomac river; Capitol in the distance 05:31:49:00 Montage of shots: traffic jam; pedestrians feet; classroom 05:32:00:00 MS Woman listens to radio at kitchen table 05:32:06:00 CU Radio 05:32:19:00 MS Radio announcer reads news 05:32:39:00 MS Traffic jams 05:32:44:00 CU Two men inside traffic helicopter 05:33:00:00 CU Car radio 05:32:05:00 MS Car drives from traffic jam to clear secondary roads 05:33:16:00 MS Men working in radio control booth as seen in a mirror 05:33:21:00 LS Father sitting in easy chair; son on carpet puts on clear plastic "space helmet" and plays with toy rocket; while listening to radio 05:33:43:00 MS Father balances son on his knee while sitting in easy chair in living room 05:33:58:00 MS Woman writes note at kitchen tables; tacks it to bulletin board 05:34:35:00 LS Top-down convertible driving along 05:34:40:00 LS POV driver looking down highway alongside body of water 05:34:48:00 MS Man gets up from milking cow; he walks over to radio, turns it on; he has a cigarette in his mouth 05:34:55:00 CU Hands sorting mail into boxes 05:34:57:00 MS Barber cutting hair stops and puts his ear to the radio 05:34:59:00 LS Professional baseball game; batter hits to shortstop side 05:35:01:00 CU Barber smiles happily about baseball game 05:35:03:00 MS Two childen on the beach sitting next to beach towel; woman throws herself down on towel and turns on radio 05:35:08:00 MS Teenage boy (crewcut) listens to transistor radio on street with a small earphone 05:35:14:00 LS Sunsets in rural area 05:35:18:00 MS Nighttime car drives up on suburban street; headlights visible, not much else 05:35:30:00 MS Father wakes up sleeping son in front seat of car; son has toys, balloons. Dad picks him up and carries him into house 05:36:11:00 MS Mother tucks son into bed and kisses him goodnight 05:36:27:00 CU Hand sets alarm on clock radio [END OF FILM] • worth noting: nice, short shots of storms. • 5:29:05:20- 5:29:21:20 Nice, grainy shot of tornado ripping apart small buildings in either Dallas or Kansas—debris flies towards the camera. Lots of movement in this sequence. • 5:29:45:10- 5:29:54:23 Main Street (in California ?) flooded—small buildings practically under water. • 5:31:21:09- 05:31:35:12 Good shot of demolition of building (the narrator indicates this is part of "slum clearance projects") which starts with ball on crane and cuts to it smashing a large, urban building. worth noting: two nice driving POV shots from a convertible, but they're short (the first starts at 5:33:04:28 and the second 5:34:35:08).