Another Great Ambassador - Wireless!

Series

Series Name

Topical Budget

Issue

Issue No.

645-1

Date Released

3 Jan 1924

Stories in this Issue:

1. 1Honours List Surprise
2. 2Gymkhana on the Ice
3. 3America’s News Year Gift to Britain
4. 4Another Great Ambassador - Wireless!

Story

Story No. within this Issue

4 / 4

Summary

[1ST SUBTITLE]: "The eve of the new year, was the eve of a new era when millions in Britain ‘listened in’ to America." Shot of aerial mast and rooftops. [2ND SUBTITLE]: "In this little hut at Biggin Hill was first heard the voice of a man speaking at Pittsburgh USA". View of hut, taken at night. [3RD SUBTITLE]: "Captain West of the BBC who first heard the voice from America - a voice which proclaims the beginning of a new bond between the two English speaking nations". Close-up of Captain West wearing earphones. [4TH SUBTITLE]: "The nine-valve set which picked up America on a 100 metre wave length". Shot of two men wearing ear-phones standing beside the set. [5TH SUBTITLE]: "Here they are! America talking". The men listen with their ear-phones, one removing his set to use a telephone. [6TH SUBTITLE]: "Switching through the voice of America to Broadcasting Station". Man turns down a switch on bench. [7TH SUBTITLE]: "From Biggin Hill runs a connecting line to the broadcaster". Shot of telegraph pole. [8TH SUBTITLE]: "The broadcaster". Man speaking into microphone. [9TH SUBTITLE]: "'Hello! Uncle Carectatus! Can you put me onto Mars?'" Boy seen tuning in a crystal set. [10TH SUBTITLE]: "And all over the country, people ‘listened in’ to ‘Big Ben’". People shown wearing ear-phones, facing a large photograph of the face of Big Ben. [1TTH SUBTITLE]: "A happy new year to you all" [message scrawled across the film]

Keywords

Communications; Science and technology

Length of story (in feet)

132

This series is held by:

Film Archive

Name

British Film Institute (BFI)

Email

For BFI National Archive enquiries:
nonfictioncurators@bfi.org.uk
For commercial/footage reuse enquiries:
footage.films@bfi.org.uk

Web

http://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web

Phone

020 7255 1444

Fax

020 7580 7503

Address

21 Stephen Street
London W1T 1LN

Notes

The BFI National Archive also preserves the original nitrate film copies of British Movietone News, British Paramount News, Empire News Bulletin, Gaumont British News, Gaumont Graphic, Gaumont Sound News and Universal News (the World War II years are covered by the Imperial War Museum).

Series held

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