Abcd of Health
- 1942
Signs of the Times No.58
A curious blue lake, a wonder tablet, a river boat and a picnic essential - sounds like the beginning of a story!
At the height of WWII, focusing on a blue lake in Switzerland which is a haven for trout seems a slightly odd topic for a Home Front news magazine - but Signs of the Times specialised in very short points of interest exactly like this. Other items include a mention for Elasto, the wonder tablet for joints, a variant of which is still available today. A tall mast on a river barge has a novel way to tackle low bridges - and the narrator doesn't hold back with the puns. Finally, audiences are reminded that it's essential to get the most out of wheat during the war, so ask your baker for National Wheatmeal Bread!
Cinemagazine combining general interest with advertising items.
Cover of a magazine called Signs of the Times. Words appear on the screen "THE MAGAZINE FILM" A hand turns the pages to the first story:
THE BLUE LAKE. A trout farm at Blau See, Switzerland where the water has a high lime content (125)
ARE YOU LEG WEARY? Advertisement for Elasto, the Wonder Tablet. Images of children running with optical tilting effect. Shot of a group of adult legs walking in the street, in slow motion, with on screen title, "Are you leg weary?"
Second shot of walking legs speeded up with titles, "Elasto will lighten your step! Elasto for... bad circulation... rheumatism... weak heart... leg ailments" Cuts to image of hand holding a box of Elasto tablets. Voiceover: "Remember the name. Elasto: the wonder tablet". Text on the screen, "Sold by chemists everywhere" (185).
SHOOTING A BRIDGE. A sailing barge approaches a low bridge. A man known as "the Huffler" rows out from the shore to aid its passage under the bridge by helping to lower the sails, which are raised again once the bridge is passed. Voiceover: "Just a barge, but built of the same stout English oak that conquered the seven seas" (310).
THE NEW STAFF OF LIFE. A wheat field. Voiceover: "It is essential in wartime that we get the best out of our wheat" A loaf of bread is sliced. "National Wheatmeal Bread contains all the wheat that is good to eat. So tomorrow, ask your baker for National Wheatmeal Bread." Name appears on the loaf. (335).
Tags
Ration Book Britain
As if the bombs weren't enough, wartime Britons faced another fearsome foe: the ration book...
Everyday goods, from food and fuel to clothing, became luxuries - especially with supplies from Britain's Empire territories routinely intercepted by Nazi U-boats. Public information messages urged housewives to get creative with dried eggs and potato peel. Austerity was soul-sapping, and lasted long after the peace was won.
But rationing did help foster a sense of 'all in it together' and focused minds on managing scarce resources (while also creating profitable opportunities for the entrepreneurial 'spiv'). Make-do-and-mend became second nature, and wartime Brits recycled and salvaged more diligently then even today's eco-conscious citizens.
18 videos in this collection
1
Abcd of Health
2
When the Pie Was Opened
3
Bob in the Pound
4
Bampton Shows the Way
5
Another Little Drop...
6
Bringing It Home
7
The Photographs Are Watching
8
Potatoes
9
The Wicked Witch (Rinso Advert),
10
Our Christmas 1941 - Spent at Daisy's and Dolly's
11
War Rationing Milk
12
How to Bake
13
Filling the Gap
14
Mrs. Mopp Asks Why
15
U.S. And Us
16
VE/VJ Don't Waste Bread
17
Sketchbook of Fashion (Knights Castile Advert)
18