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American Museum of Natural History

 Organization

Found in 134 Collections and/or Records:

Scientific hoaxes

 Collection
Identifier: Film Collection no. 55
Scope and Contents Scientific hoaxes of the past century are the subject of this broadcast hosted by Charles Collingwood. Paul Curtis's American Mime Theatre perform a shadow play on the discovery of the Cardiff Giant, the wolf-boys, Piltdown Man and other hoaxes. The celebrated case of the Cardiff giant proved to be a mass of gypsum that had been secretly buried near Cardiff, N.Y., and was discovered in 1869. Bergen Evans, professor of English at Northwestern University and author of The Natural History of...
Dates: 1954

Sea of darkness ; Oil well #4

 Collection
Identifier: Film Collection no. 118
Scope and Contents SEGMENT 1: Sea of Darkness is the title of the main portion of this broadcast, the second program in a series on "waters." Albert E. Parr, Director of the AMNH and a marine biologist, is interviewed by Charles Collingwood on the subject of the Atlantic Ocean. The discussion includes an analysis of the Atlantic from Labrador to Puerto Rico, and legends about the ocean. A scale model of the ocean floor and other visual aids are used to illustrate topographical features, particularly the...
Dates: 1955

Seabirds' struggle for survival

 Collection
Identifier: Film Collection no. 143
Scope and Contents Robert Cushman Murphy, AMNH ornithologist, is a guest on this program which examines the subject of seabirds struggling for survival. In Arne Sucksdorff's films, The Great Adventure, and the latest one on murres, The Defenseless Seabird, the efforts to prevent overpopulation and aggressive domination are discussed. The Great Adventure was shown in previous broadcasts (May 5, 1954 and December 12, 1954). The murres are attacked and preyed upon by two species of gulls on the open ledges and...
Dates: 1956

Seals and porpoises

 Collection
Identifier: Film Collection no. 120
Scope and Contents Another program in a series on "The Waters of the World," this remote broadcast discusses seals, porpoises, and dolphins from the Great Aquarium and Seal Pond at Marineland in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Ken Norris, curator of Marineland, is interviewed by Charles Collingwood. The trained seals and porpoises perform in the five-story oceanarium. Norris is assisted by Captain Winston, the keeper of the seals. With underwater photographs of animals in the background, the discussion...
Dates: 1956

Shintoism and Japanese culture

 Collection
Identifier: Film Collection no. 137
Scope and Contents Broadcast live from the Henry E. Huntington Museum Library and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California, the program examines Japanese religion and culture. Japanese dancers and musicians perform classical dances in a film which depicts classical Japanese music and dance performances and the effects of Shintoism, the main religion, on Japanese family life. In the Huntington Museum, the topic is initially introduced by showing a tea ceremony in the tea house with traditional Japanese...
Dates: 1956

Silkworms ; Constellations

 Collection
Identifier: Film Collection no. 102
Scope and Contents SEGMENT 1: Silkworms. The complete cycle of the silkworm, from birth to death, is discussed by Mont Adelbert Cazier, chairman of the AMNH Department of Insects and Spiders, who also narrates the Italian documentary that shows the silk-spinning process. SEGMENT 2: Constellations. Catharine E. Barry, assistant astronomer at the American MuseumHayden Planetarium, presents the second segment, which is primarily geared for young children. She speaks about the mythology of the heavens, recounting...
Dates: 1955

Slow-motion time ; Genetics

 Collection
Identifier: Film Collection no. 83
Scope and Contents SEGMENT 1: Slow-Motion Time. Both high-speed and slow-motion photography may be used to show details that are not necessarily seen by the human eye. Film material is presented that shows slowmotion images of a fly, a hummingbird, liquids, and an airplane explosion and demonstrates the diversified uses of this photographic technique. For example, the airline whose plane crashed may be able to determine the cause by viewing slow-motion images of the accident. The films were produced by the...
Dates: 1954

Snake cults

 Collection
Identifier: Film Collection no. 138
Scope and Contents

This program is a repeat of the broadcast from March 4, 1956 on snake cults and worship of snakes.

Dates: 1956

Snake superstitions ; Below the sahara

 Collection
Identifier: Film Collection no. 26
Scope and Contents SEGMENT 1: Snake Superstitions. Ancient fears and superstitions held by mankind about snakes are the topics of discussion for the first segment of this Adventure program. Charles M. Bogert, herpetologist and chairman of the Department of Amphibians and Reptiles at the AMNH, presents an experiment with rattlesnakes to determine how sensitive they are to heat. The snakes are blindfolded and balloons filled with hot or cold water are passed above their heads. The snakes strike the hot balloons,...
Dates: 1953

Snakes and snake cults

 Collection
Identifier: Film Collection no. 129
Scope and Contents Snake cults are the subject of this program which was a live remote broadcast from Bill Haas's serpentarium in Kendall, Florida. Haas maintained at that time the world's largest collection of snakes, including 150 cobras. Haas is seen milking a king cobra. Various snake cults in the United States, West Africa, and Burma are discussed. Film sequences include a Hopi snake dance (Avalon Dagett production), snake material from Sorcerer's Village by Hassoldt Davis (shown on Dec. 26 1954) and a...
Dates: 1956