A BALLAD FOR THE FAIR

Year Published: 1964

Description: Created to promote the New York World's Fair by the Bell System, "A Ballad for the Fair" is a tone poem with musical score by folk singer Oscar Brand. The film shows construction and events up through the opening of the Fair. All major areas of the Fair are represented -- international, industrial, federal and states, transportation and amusements, but with special attention paid to the Bell Pavilion. Guests are shown riding the moving, Disney-style slow ride through telecommunications history (with music by Morton Gould), and visit various exhibits: The Vocoder, Patterns of your Voice, Electronic Switching, and the futuristic Picturephone. 0:00 - Construction of the pavilions and the Unisphere. Themes of peace and goodwill. 0:24 - Song of progress 0:29 - The construction symbolizes hope and unity 0:36 - Materials and skills are crucial for progress. 0:40 - Rivets, nails, timber, and rails build a peaceful future. 0:44 - Efforts signal a world improving. 0:48 - Hope for peace and goodwill concludes the section. 1:26 - From a high vantage, a fair displays global splendor, with East and West promoting understanding. 1:30 - The fair showcases diversity, encouraging learning. 1:34 - It brings distant lands close for peaceful exchange. 1:38 - Lands with varied climates and histories are featured. 1:43 - The Fair celebrates freedom and unity via festivals. 1:46 - Visitors wonder at the exotic, seeking understanding. 1:50 - Peaceful interactions bridge cultural gaps. 1:54 - Understanding is central to the event. 1:58 - The exchange aims for harmony. 3:12 - The fair’s motto, “peace through understanding,” is universal, showing distant lands nearby. 3:14 - It highlights diversity in peaceful exchange. 3:17 - Eastern and distant sights enrich the fair. 3:22 - Ancient and new lands are contrasted. 3:25 - The Fair fosters global ties. 3:33 - Regional traits are celebrated. 3:35 - Diversity is key. 3:38 - Climates and histories are noted. 3:40 - The fair links old and new regions. 3:44 - Freedom and celebration are themes. 3:48 - New beginnings symbolized. 3:50 - Festive beats unite. 3:54 - The Fair promotes hope and freedom. 3:58 - Festivals reinforce the message . 5:02 - A windmill of sound casts shadows on future tools, symbolizing innovation. 5:07 - Tech advancement. 5:13 - The windmill suggests progress. 5:15 - A time traveler and moon face symbolize exploration. 5:19 - Progress in time and space is evoked. 5:21 - A steel maze represents challenges. 5:24 - The journey targets abundance for all. 5:28 - Progress needs effort and vision. 5:33 - The maze symbolizes industry challenges. 5:37 The Bell System Pavilion shows communication’s evolution via a ride, hinting at future wonders. 6:40 - Future tech like picture phones previewed. 6:43 - Visitors anticipate future powers. A Vocoder shows electronic switching. 6:49 - Innovations seem magical. 6:52 - Picture phones merge sight and sound. 6:58 - The ride tells a story of communication overcoming time and distance. Humanity seeks nature’s secrets. 7:09 - Languages and writing shrink the world. 7:14 - Machines speed knowledge and advance understanding. 7:20 - Electricity and Bell’s phone transform communication. Bell’s words birth a network. 7:26 - The ride shows communication's potential. The story is ongoing. 8:02 - It’s a search for secrets. Progress conquers distance. 8:08 - Early inventions like writing are noted. Machines spread knowledge. 8:13 - Science and math measure the world. Electricity enables tech. 8:18 - The phone network reflects free society’s ingenuity. Humanity reaches beyond. 8:25 - The Fair drives progress. Tyrannosaurus exhibit, symbolizing raw power. 12:05 - Its ferocity contrasts with peace. 12:08 - It may symbolize challenges overcome. The vision of a strong world with peace and goodwill. 12:59 - Hope for a better future remains. The world’s song continues as night falls. 13:09 - Lights fade, but peace and progress endures.

Complete Record: Created to promote the New York World's Fair by the Bell System, "A Ballad for the Fair" is a tone poem with musical score by folk singer Oscar Brand. The film shows construction and events up through the opening of the Fair. All major areas of the Fair are represented -- international, industrial, federal and states, transportation and amusements, but with special attention paid to the Bell Pavilion. Guests are shown riding the moving, Disney-style slow ride through telecommunications history (with music by Morton Gould), and visit various exhibits: The Vocoder, Patterns of your Voice, Electronic Switching, and the futuristic Picturephone. 0:00 - Construction of the pavilions and the Unisphere. Themes of peace and goodwill. 0:24 - Song of progress 0:29 - The construction symbolizes hope and unity 0:36 - Materials and skills are crucial for progress. 0:40 - Rivets, nails, timber, and rails build a peaceful future. 0:44 - Efforts signal a world improving. 0:48 - Hope for peace and goodwill concludes the section. 1:26 - From a high vantage, a fair displays global splendor, with East and West promoting understanding. 1:30 - The fair showcases diversity, encouraging learning. 1:34 - It brings distant lands close for peaceful exchange. 1:38 - Lands with varied climates and histories are featured. 1:43 - The Fair celebrates freedom and unity via festivals. 1:46 - Visitors wonder at the exotic, seeking understanding. 1:50 - Peaceful interactions bridge cultural gaps. 1:54 - Understanding is central to the event. 1:58 - The exchange aims for harmony. 3:12 - The fair’s motto, “peace through understanding,” is universal, showing distant lands nearby. 3:14 - It highlights diversity in peaceful exchange. 3:17 - Eastern and distant sights enrich the fair. 3:22 - Ancient and new lands are contrasted. 3:25 - The Fair fosters global ties. 3:33 - Regional traits are celebrated. 3:35 - Diversity is key. 3:38 - Climates and histories are noted. 3:40 - The fair links old and new regions. 3:44 - Freedom and celebration are themes. 3:48 - New beginnings symbolized. 3:50 - Festive beats unite. 3:54 - The Fair promotes hope and freedom. 3:58 - Festivals reinforce the message . 5:02 - A windmill of sound casts shadows on future tools, symbolizing innovation. 5:07 - Tech advancement. 5:13 - The windmill suggests progress. 5:15 - A time traveler and moon face symbolize exploration. 5:19 - Progress in time and space is evoked. 5:21 - A steel maze represents challenges. 5:24 - The journey targets abundance for all. 5:28 - Progress needs effort and vision. 5:33 - The maze symbolizes industry challenges. 5:37 The Bell System Pavilion shows communication’s evolution via a ride, hinting at future wonders. 6:40 - Future tech like picture phones previewed. 6:43 - Visitors anticipate future powers. A Vocoder shows electronic switching. 6:49 - Innovations seem magical. 6:52 - Picture phones merge sight and sound. 6:58 - The ride tells a story of communication overcoming time and distance. Humanity seeks nature’s secrets. 7:09 - Languages and writing shrink the world. 7:14 - Machines speed knowledge and advance understanding. 7:20 - Electricity and Bell’s phone transform communication. Bell’s words birth a network. 7:26 - The ride shows communication's potential. The story is ongoing. 8:02 - It’s a search for secrets. Progress conquers distance. 8:08 - Early inventions like writing are noted. Machines spread knowledge. 8:13 - Science and math measure the world. Electricity enables tech. 8:18 - The phone network reflects free society’s ingenuity. Humanity reaches beyond. 8:25 - The Fair drives progress. Tyrannosaurus exhibit, symbolizing raw power. 12:05 - Its ferocity contrasts with peace. 12:08 - It may symbolize challenges overcome. The vision of a strong world with peace and goodwill. 12:59 - Hope for a better future remains. The world’s song continues as night falls. 13:09 - Lights fade, but peace and progress endures.

Transcription

[Music] [Music] and before our wide eyes saw tomorrow or eyes fancied or real a ballad and steel splendid and Strong building a song of a world that is yet to come hammered and Mill welded and drilled rivets and Nails Timber and rails are B to skill to peace and goodwill of a world that is on the way [Music] [Applause] [Music] high in the air over the fair watching the show down there below in splendor AR raay the world's on Parade seen from a holiday height from lands far away they walk on display East and the West the world at its best each tempted to stare at his friends of aair trying to understand the Exotic the new strolling in view learning to understand [Music] [Applause] [Music] a [Music] [Applause] [Music] peace through understanding that's the motto of Our Fair easily translated to any language anywhere a far away land seen close at hand the foreign the strange in peaceful exchange a colorful east of sights from the east from lands far beyond the sea from lands where the rain beats a ceaseless refrain where the Sun at midday bakes the mud into clay lands as ancient as man where story began and lands with a tale Just Begun traveling on to the lands of the Dawn where freedom is Hil to the beat of a festival from [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] welcome [Music] the blades WHL around in a windmill of sound casting Shadows upon the tools of the future below then a slow blazing clim of the traveler in time and a portrait of space in the Moon cratered face then arise in a days through a steel GED maze towards a symbol of Plenty for all [Music] [Applause] [Music] oh [Music] we are now coming to the beautiful Bell System Pavilion where you'll see the story of communications as you ride in a comfortable looking for dreams someday we may own walking to wonders the strange the unknown waiting on lines till the moment is ours when we'll Taste of the future rejoice in its powers the patterns you see on these television screens are pictures of sounds this machine is called a vocoder it is used for analyzing a speaker's voice while he is talking I have now adjusted the voder electronic switching is almost like magic it will bring you telephone services never before thought possible someday people may want to see as well as talk over the telephone what we are doing here is trying out one model of a picture phone a new dimension in telephoning in a place where electronic wonders abound a marriage of sight to the drama of sound a wonderful coupling of vision and speech then a ride to the Future and the past Within Reach and now all are welcome on the Bell System ride you know this ride you're taking never ends at least the story it tells never ends it's the story of man against time and distance the never-ending Human Adventure of man's need to communicate the story is a search for Secrets buried deep in nature long before time Secrets magical enough to make mountains deserts oceans vanish but only a moment ago as nature tells time in the ancient Wilderness the sound of man was only man's [Music] [Applause] size because you must you invent a language that talks louder than your loudest shout words carved with a chisel you have Shrunk the world you achieve the Marvel of the written word words to be sent only as far and as fast as two feet can carry them but handmade words take too long so you make words by Machine pressed into paper printed into books knowledge you can send anywhere everywhere and still another language the language of plus and minus and equals numbers mathematics which can take the measure of the world but you learn to read the language of nature's laws you invent science gravity magnetism light and you teach electricity to speak speak Alexander Graham Bell's seven simple words Mr Watson come here I want you from these seven words have grown the telephone nerve system of our nation a living network which mirrors the Ingenuity and Enterprise of free men in a free Society yes you have the world at your fingertips but you can't help reaching for tomorrow up to tell star and Beyond and this is only part of what you'll see at the Bell System ride [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] n e [Music] [Applause] [Music] a [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] and here is the largest most ferocious monster of all times Tyrannosaurus the Tyrant lizard with his great jaws and teeth he attacked every living creature in sight [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] and before our wide eyes saw tomorrow rise fancied or real a ballad and steel Splendid and Strong building a song of a world that is on the way as the day and its light turns into Night Lights fading on are the Harrows of dawn of a dawn dreamed of still with peace and good willll of a world that is on the way [Music] [Applause] [Music]

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