A/V Geeks 16mm Lunch 11-10-2025

Hi everybody, this is Skip Alzheimer. Welcome to the AV Geeks Lunchtime streaming show where we watch old 16 mm films. And I forgot that I had a uh Zoom meeting with a bunch of library science and archavists uh at the same time as my show. So, uh, this is pre-recorded, but the here's the films that I wanted to show you today. Uh, it's all we have a theme, of course, um, as I often do sometimes. Uh, the first film is a silent film called Oil Transport, and it's about how oil is transported, uh, from where it's uh, pumped from the ground to where it's processed. The next film that we have is uh atomic oil and this is a partial film. This is a segment uh and it's about how oil helps uh with um the atomic research. um you know the the thing was that the discovering nuclear energy um it was like oh that's going to replace oil and a lot of times it's like no no we're still going to use oil and this is how we're using it. So that's kind of a what that is. Uh next film is um this one is it's made by Shell Oil and it is called this is oil uh volume one perspecting for petroleum and this this is interesting because it's actually made by George Pal the guy who made a bunch of interesting science fiction films um the time machine uh when Worlds Collide and uh War of the Worlds. And [snorts] so this is some work that he did before he was doing big Hollywood things. Uh let's see the next thing is is oil for Victory. Uh which is you know this was made around wartime uh I think in well actually 52 no 42. So this is right during World War II and um so this is made by Esso and talking about how oil is going to help with the war effort. I mean obviously and then we're going to end up with this kind of crazy film. It's animated as well. The George Pow one has some animation. This one is called it's made by the Petroleum Industry Exhibition. It's uh the musical review oil can and it does um made in 1940 and uh yeah it's it's visually is just kind of crazy. It has this animated um kind of puppet animation of uh oil drop and kind of his adventures and about how great petroleum is. [laughter] So, um, yeah. Uh, I hope you enjoy it, and we will be back live on Tuesday. And, uh, if you like what you saw, hit the thumbs up, hit the like, uh, subscribe. You can also donate via the superthanks button. Go to kofi.com/avgeeks or patreon.coms. Those are other great ways to support us. All right, enjoy all these films about oil. See you tomorrow. Bye. two most of the time. I think so. >> Well, what do you know? [music] [music] It's not just oil. >> Yeah, I know. The work the doctors are doing with radioactive isotopes may mean a new approach to almost every sickness we have. There's work being done with plants that may increase the food supply of the whole world. They're even going so far as to use radioactive particles to find out how a plant takes energy from the sun and changes it to food that we can eat. When you tackle something as basic as that, you're dealing with big stuff. >> Bloody big. Of course, things like that are too far away for most people to think about. this uh confounded oil. >> Compounded oil. >> This oil with the things in. You think it's good, huh? >> We not only think it is, we know it is. >> Then why are you tested? Huh? >> He's got you there. >> He sure has. >> But when something as new and big as atomic science comes along, a lot of things are going to be tested. Modern cars are more powerful, smoother, and more economical than those of even a few years back. To achieve this new performance, it was necessary to increase compression ratios, to make parts smaller, to fit them closer together, and in general to design engines that run faster and hotter than they did before. On top of that, new cars use lighter oil than older cars. For thousands of years, men thought the world was flat, and if you sailed too far, you'd sail right off the edge. As long as they thought that way, they were afraid to cross an ocean. Well, even some of the ancient Greeks said the world was round. >> Sure, but no one could prove it. No one could prove it until we had a telescope to work with. [clears throat] The telescope brought us facts we'd never had before. And those facts opened up a whole new world of possibilities, including the discovery of our own country. You know, I never looked at it that way before, but you're right. It's the same way with a microscope. People used to think that sickness was caused by demons, but when we got the microscope, we could see the germs. That sure made a difference in medicine, didn't it? >> It sure did. >> Do you have a new oil yet? >> No, we haven't. We don't even know if it's really possible to improve oil. Present oils are about as good as can be made with the old methods of research. But now with radioactive rings, we may do better. We're sure going to try right now. So, some of them took their engines in for overhaul. And they found out that cost money, too. Some of them thought they could beat the wrap and trade the old heap in. But you don't get too much for a car in that condition when you try to sell it to a man who knows. Altogether, in our survey, you say that all this concerns me. Maybe you better start at the beginning. >> Well, in a way, it all started right here in your own service station a couple of minutes ago. >> How do you mean? >> What were you doing when we drove in? Well, I was servicing the car that just drove out. >> The lady was pretty interested in that fancy paint job of ours, wasn't she? But the man, he seemed concerned about something else. Oh, he was just bothered about how much oil he's using. Oil consumption bothers a lot of people. In the old days, we'd run a test car for thousands of miles under all sorts of conditions, hot and cold, slow and fast. When the test was over, we'd tear the engine down and measure it. But that would tell us just one thing. The overall wear, the average wear for all sorts of driving conditions lumped together. We wouldn't know how much wear had taken place in traffic, how much on the highway, how much under hot conditions, how much under cold. The test wasn't selective. In our new cars equipped with radioactive rings, we know exactly how much wear is taking place every second as we drive along. We know how much occurs in city traffic, how much on the highway, how much when we drive fast, and how much when we drive slow. We're able to get exact facts and we're able to sort them out. >> How would you like to listen in on the atomic world? >> We sure would. [music] >> [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] [music] >> Yeah, they've got the new oil. >> Where do we see it? >> Tonight at 8. We'll show it to you then. Bob and I promised to show you the first oil developed through the aid of atomic science. We're here to keep that promise. As we can't take you through our laboratories, we've brought four demonstrations with us. Four demonstrations that will prove the superiority of this new oil over all conventional oils. >> This had better be good. >> As a result of a careful survey, we learned that more than half the cars that come into repair shops for overhaul come in because of excessive oil consumption or because of oil consumption plus some mechanical failure. >> 120 bucks. You see what I mean? >> Of course, oil failure is often due to mistaken ideas. Even the best oil must be changed at regular intervals. This next test is a little dramatic. It's what we call a go or no go test. The oil performs or it doesn't. >> No alibis. >> No alibis. Now, whether engine wear is aggravated by dirt and rust or not, it's primarily a matter of friction of two metal surfaces rubbing together. The first duty of any oil is to maintain a lubricating film between those rubbing surfaces. In this test, we'll show that in an extreme form. That's one piece of wire you're using, isn't it? The tension is equal on both ends. As we can only use two oils this time, we'll put our new compounded oil on the left and a conventional compounded oil on the right. A single drop of each. Here we go. You better watch this carefully. This demonstration reproduces and speeds up the wear conditions in your engine. The two ends of wire rubbing so fast that you can hardly see them are like two pistons rubbing against the cylinder walls. We'll rub the wire until one end wears thin and breaks until the oil protecting that end fails in its duty. There it goes. The conventional oil gave up while the new oil was still going strong. This shows how the new oil will add thousands of miles to the life of your engine. Miles on the road instead of days in the shop. >> No alibis, >> no 120 bucks. That's right. You'd have saved your money. With this oil, you'd have doubled the life of your engine. Of course, as you said, people will still have to change oil. That's very important. I can't repeat it too often. Oil should be changed at regular intervals. >> Well, how about between drains? Will you have to add as much? >> Oil consumption depends mainly on the condition of your rings and pistons. If they're tight and clean, you won't use much oil. But if they're all gked up with gum and varnish, you'll use plenty. As you two gentlemen know, gums and varnishes are caused by oxidation. >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] [music] [music] >> [music] >> I am oil flowing from the depths of the earth serving man in a thousand different ways. I help communications on the land, sea and air routts of the world. For ships, fuel, oil, for aircraft, high octane for cars and lries, gasoline for locomotives, diesel oil. [music] I am all around you. In the surface of your robes, [music] in the polish upon your floors, in the paints upon your walls, in the protection of your roofs, in the warmth of your homes. I fight friction and wear in every gear, in every bearing, in every moving part. I am oil, liquid mineral out of which a thousand useful products grow. Listen to my story. The story of my origin and of how men carry on the neverending search to find me. Well, how about it, professor? >> Oh, uh, yes. Yes. [clears throat] Uh, to understand the theory of how oil is formed, we must know something about the earth in which it is found. Most of us think of the earth as a solid unchanging mass. But this is not the case. Volcanoes, earthquakes, geysers, and other disturbances prove that powerful forces of heat and pressure are at work within the Earth. These internal forces constantly act upon the Earth's outer shell or crust, causing some areas to sink, others to buckle or fold. In fact, it's something like what happens to the skin of a plum as it wrinkles into a prune. While these powerful forces are working from within the earth, there are also many external forces acting upon the surface of the earth. Wind, rain, snow, ice, and changes in temperature all combined to wear away the higher places and so to fill up the lower parts. Rivers and streams carry countless tons of loose materials towards the sea. Age after age, layer upon layer, this sediment is built up. And during the process, millions of dying plants and marine animals are buried in the layers or stratter. These layers of sediment are often several miles in depth and their gradually increasing weight exerts a tremendous pressure on the lower strata causing them to solidify. Thus mud becomes shale, sands become sandstone, skeletons of marine animals become limestone. The remains of plants and marine animals are preserved by salt water and petroleum is eventually produced from this organic matter by heat and pressure. Beneath the layers of sediment, the earth shrinks. This causes the layers gradually to wrinkle or fold. During the folding process, the oil and water are squeezed out of the strata in which they are formed and concentrated in the more porous layers. The oil and water separate and oil forms at the top since oil is lighter than water. This is a typical oil trap. A domelike structure or anticlim. The salt water has forced the oil to the top. Layers of harder rock above and below prevent the oil from escaping. Now gas, lightest of all, collects in the upper part of the dome. Another typical oil trap is called a fault. Often the strain set up in the earth's crust may cause a fracture of the oilbearing rock. Under tension, one side may slip down along the fault plane. Under compression, one side may be forced up along the fault plane. The oil is trapped by the cap rock above and by a layer of imperous rock at the fault plane. Sometimes oil may seep out of the earth and be found on the surface. These oil seepages may be caused by a number of conditions. For instance, by leakage along a fault plane, by fracturing of the cap rock above the dome, or by erosion of the strata over the oil trap. Oil seepages are rare, and for many years, they formed man's only source of oil. But that that's another story. >> Yes, that is another story. It's a story which takes us back about 5,000 years, back to ancient Babylon. Here, men are dipping torches in cauldrons of heated asphelt. The torches burn with an eerie light while men bow down in worship. They think the oil is holy, mysterious. It was still mysterious even a century ago when only the medicine man made anything out of it. I'm going Louisiana [music] to see it rained all night. The day I left it dry. Sun so hot I froze to Susanna [music] don't you cry. Oh Suz [music] with my banjo on my knee. Oh Suz [music] with my banjo on my knee. >> [music] >> Step right this way, folks. Yes, folks. It's the petroleum panacea. Petra means rockolum means oil. That's why we call it rock oil. Guaranteed to cure dandruff, stomach ache, pen, and arches. Takes the sweet out of your knees. You might even fry it on your wagon wheels. >> During all this time, people used only the oil which they found on the surface. >> They knew nothing of the great wealth of oil hidden beneath the surface. for their candles and oil lamps. They depended on oil from sperm whales. >> But every year sperm whales were getting scatter. Then someone refined a lamp oil. It was made from coal oil and petroleum seepages. Lamp oil proved to be a satisfactory source of light. But as the demand for it increased, the sources of supply decreased. Then one day a Mr. George Bissell saw a news item about somebody drilling for salt. That gave him an idea. If they could drill for salt, why shouldn't he drill for oil? Bissell's company engaged a Colonel Drake and they decided to start work near an oil spring at Titusville, Pennsylvania. Drake's job was one that had never been attempted before. He was going to drill for oil without benefit of science and with very crude equipment. Day by day, foot by foot, they forced their crude drill into the ground. And at 69 ft they struck oil. Drake's discovery was followed by a period of wild speculation. [music] Sites were selected by the toss of a coin. >> [music] [music] >> Some people believe they could find oil by using magic twigs or diving rods. [music] >> [music] >> A few men made quick fortunes, but most lost heavily, and the easily found oil deposits were soon exhausted. There was plenty of oil in the ground, but nobody knew how to look for it. It was in 1860 that the first serious attempts to discover oil deposits were made by geologists. At this time they depended entirely upon surface observations. They first noted the layout of wells in existing oil fields observing that those in a certain pattern were producers whilst others in the vicinity were not. They also observed that the successful wells were often in the middle of a valley and that the hills on both sides had strata which sloped away downwards. This indicated that the valley was over a dome or anticline, the top of the anticline having been worn away by erosion. [clears throat] From this geologists concluded that oil was most likely to be found in anticclinal structures. For many years, surface methods alone were employed until most of the easily found anticlines had been investigated. Then with the invention of the motorc car, there came a big demand for a new petroleum byproduct, gasoline, and geologists were called upon to make greater efforts. They knew that there must be large numbers of anticclimal structures hidden underground, but the question was how to find them. So they had to devise various methods of seeing into the ground. One of these methods is to make test drillings to obtain samples of the rock strata beneath the surface of the earth. By analysis and measurement of these samples, the types of strata and their inclination can be determined. The microscope may reveal in the samples traces of marine animals that help in identifying the various types of strata. In another method, the principle of magnetism is used. Most rocks contain a proportion of iron compounds which make them magnetic. Magnetic intensities can be measured with a magnetometer. In places where rock strat are deeply buried, the magnetic intensity will be weaker than in places where the rocks are nearer the surface. The strongest magnetic intensity often indicates the center of an anticlim. A similar method uses a gravimeter which measures the force of gravity exerted by rocks. Heavy rocks near the surface will exert a stronger pull than the same types of rock more deeply buried. One of the most successful methods uses the principle of sound reflection. Sound is rather like a rubber ball which rebounds more strongly from say um a hard tabletop than from a soft pillow. In the same way, sound is reflected better from hard rocks such as limestone than from softer rocks such as shale or sandstone. So suppose we dig a hole in the ground and at the bottom explode a charge of dynamite. The sound of the explosion travels down through each layer of rock and is reflected back to the surface. Reflections from the hard limestone are stronger than the reflections from the softer sandstone and shale. To detect these very small differences in sound volume, a seismometer is used. And since sound always travels at a certain known speed, we can determine the depth of each layer of rock. From experience, we can identify each layer of rock by the intensity of its sound reflection. The seismograph records a wiggle for each of the various reflected sounds in the order in which they reach the surface. The wiggles from the layers of limestone are much more pronounced than the others. Also by recording the time each sound takes to reach the surface we can calculate the depths of the various strata. Thus by creating several explosions short distances apart the geologists can form a picture of the underground rock formations. Today all the resources of science from soil analysis to aerial survey help the geologist. But the geologist can only point out land which might yield oil. [music] Yes, I am oil. After being almost ignored for thousands of years, I have grown in a century to become one of the world's biggest industries. From Colonel Drake's crude well producing a few barrels a day to an enormous output of millions of barrels a day. [music] From a hit or miss pursuit on the part of the adventuresome few to a vast, highly organized industry employing millions of people. Petroleum and its byproducts have become an indispensable feature of civilian and industrial life. It takes a lot of oil to fill the world's everyday needs. Where can it be found? How much oil remains hidden in the world? [music] Well, millions of acres of land remain unexplored. Many producing areas are not yet fully developed. Natural gas, coal, and shale are possible sources of petroleum as yet unneeded. To keep pace with the everinccreasing demand, the search for new oil fields must go on. This is the challenging responsibility of those who form the [music] oil industry. [music] Heat. Heat. [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] >> [music] [music] >> As dawn broke over the vast Pacific Ocean on the fateful morning of December 7th, 1941, the far-flung oceanic territories and possessions of the United States of America lay at peace with the world. But listen, suddenly the quiet calm of this peaceful Sunday morning was shattered by the roar of planes and then bomb. [music] In a surprise maneuver of dastardly treachery, the people of the United States found themselves attacked like a boat from the blue without provocation without warning. At strategic spots throughout the Pacific, Pearl Harbor, Midway Island, Wake Island, Guam, Manila, British Malaya, and on the high seas, the United States and the British Commonwealth together were stabbed in the back by Japan. treacherous axis partner of Adolf Hitler. The horrifying news united our nation as one man. Declarations of war were a mere formality. Thousands of furious American men jammed recruiting stations [music] eager to fight. Overnight, American industry jumped from the tempo of production for defense to the temple of production for war. Shooting war. Assembly lines began to roll 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Overnight it was all out for victory. All important factor in the fighting strength of the United States is America's resources of raw materials. Steel, aluminum, alloys, chemicals, and one of the most vital war materials of all, oil. The war today is fought on oil. Oil for pursuit planes, interceptors, [music] bombers. Oil for tanks, motorized artillery, jeep cars. Oil for battleships, destroyers, airplane carriers, submarines. Oil for power and lubrication of industry. For every phase of mechanized war, oil is supremely important. And the war has found the petroleum industry well prepared for the emergency. Together, the North and South American continents [music] produce almost 80% of the entire world supply of crude oil. [music] Desso Marketers, one of the world's leading petroleum organizations, falls a large share of the responsibility of supplying all the vitally needed products which come from oil. From countless thousands of wells, oil is being pumped in everinccreasing volume. So marketers refineries [music] run 24 hours a day, converting the crude oil into petroleum products for both war and civilian use. The SO Laboratories, world's leading petroleum research organization, has made numerous [music] important scientific contributions to the development of new materials such as 100 octane aviation gasoline, special lubricants for heavy duty machinery, synthetic rubber made from [music] petroleum, and others. As our war machine goes into action and war industries reach a new high in production, the transportation of oil to meet these increased demands is a pressing problem. And here again, the [music] petroleum industry is continuing to do its part, moving swiftly to employ every practical means of carrying oil. For example, so marketers operate the largest fleet of oceangoing tankers in the world, more than adequate for normal peaceime requirements. The emergency has taken many of these tankers from their regular routes to transport oil to England and other parts of the world. Other tankers have been pressed into service supplying the US Navy and other wartime jobs. But the resulting tanker problem [music] is being rapidly met by the SO marketers and the petroleum industry in general by the biggest job of oil tanker construction ever undertaken in history. Soon more than 200 new modern [music] tankers will slide down the waves. Meanwhile, a large amount of oil has been carried by the costlier method of rail transportation. Thousands of railroad tank cars have been [music] put into emergency service to help keep the vitally needed oil moving forward in a steady [music] stream. The American petroleum industry's great network of pipelines from the mid-continent oil fields to [music] eastern refining and distribution centers carries more than 2 and 1/4 million gallons of crude oil daily. and new pipelines recently completed step up this total by over 4 million additional gallons a day carrying not only crude oil but finished products as well. For example, the Plantation pipeline from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Greensboro, North Carolina, built by the ESO marketers in cooperation with other oil companies, transports gasoline and other refined petroleum products over a 1,261 mile route, thus ensuring a steady flow of petroleum products to the whole southeastern area. Another vital link in the pipeline system is the new so pipeline from Portland, Maine to Montreal, Canada, which is transporting South American [music] crude to Canadian refineries and increasing service to our own eastern coast by cutting down the number of tankers formerly [music] needed for the Canadian service. Let's study the situation. Crude oil from Latin America to the Montreal refineries has always been delivered by tanker over the long sea route [music] around Cape Breton Island and up the St. Lawrence River. From the New England coast, that's a distance of a,000 miles. 2,000 mi for a round trip. Formally, such deliveries had to be made in summer and fall, for the St. Lawrence [music] River is icebound during the winter months. By contrast, with the long water route, the distance overland from Portland to Montreal is only 236 mi. And thanks to the ESO pipeline, oil now flows steadily every day in the year. Building such a pipeline is a man-sized job. But for 50 years, the ESO marketers have been training and equipping men to do this kind of a job. and do it fast. Much of the new ESO pipeline had to be laid through the thickly wooded mountains of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. In dense forests like this, fastworking crews of experienced woodsmen slash through endless miles of timber to open up the pipeline right of way, sawing and chopping as their colonial ancestors [music] once did to clear the woods of New England for farmlands and town sites. These modern pioneers open the way for a vital link in our petroleum transportation system. The woods of New England have always known the ring of the woodsman's axe. But never before had this peaceful wilderness witnessed the coming of such strange monsters as these machines called bulldozers. Powered by diesel engines, these crawling juggernauts follow the woodsmen, ripping out tree stumps and undergrowth with ease as they clear and smooth a path for the pipeliners to follow. In bad weather, the bulldozers battle water and mud for the job must go on. Like their military cousins, the army tanks, these peacetime tanks never take no for an answer. The cleared right ofway looks as though a giant sythe had cut a path through the deep woods that cover the mountains and valleys. Onto this cleared right ofway [music] roll more machines called ditchers. Machines which dig the actual trench in which the pipeline is laid. Different types of ditchers are used [music] depending on the location and types of soil encountered. This ditching machine is called a trench hoe. Scooping backward instead of forward, it can dig a,000 ft a day. In open stretches where the soil is free from rocks, continuous bucket ditchers can be used. These work far more rapidly and are a big help in rushing the job to completion. Lifting the soil and dumping it neatly to one side. Each of these machines on the line can dig as much as a mile of trench per day. This flat open type of terrain is easy. But in the tough rocky ledges of the mountains, it's a different story. Here in the green mountains of Vermont, the new So pipeline reaches its highest altitude, [music] almost 2,000 ft above sea level. And up here, every foot of progress is a battle. Stubborn rock formations against manpower and dynamite. Dynamiters drill into the solid granite, fuse their explosives, and let them rip. [music] Meanwhile, the pipe itself, 32,000 tons of it, is rushed to every section of the line [music] by railroad and special trucks. Scenes long familiar in the great oil fields of the Southwest seem strange indeed in this picturesque rural main countryside. When the pipe has been dumped along the right of way, powerful caterpillar cranes arrive [music] on the scene to string it into place beside the ditch. These machines, called boom cats, handle with ease the 40ft lengths of seamless steel pipe, each weighing almost a ton. It takes a lot of steel to lay a big 12-in line like this all the way from Portland, Maine to Montreal, [music] Canada. When this heavy steel pipe must be bent to turn corners or conform to the rise and fall in the ditch, it's the boom cats that do [music] the trick. caught under a shoe on the side of the machine. The end of the pipe is pulled up until the desired angle is made. It takes tremendous power to bend [music] cold steel like this, and the experienced eye of the foreman enables him to judge accurately the exact angle needed. First clamped into position, the lengths of pipe are temporarily tacked in place by welding. Afterward, expert pipeline welders join them permanently together with a solid bead of steel. The welded joint is stronger than the steel pipe itself. The finished line forms a continuous 12-in tube of steel 236 mi long. These crews have seen service in many parts of the world and will be rushed to other important so pipeline jobs as soon as this line is completed. Sometimes several lengths of pipe are welded together and the entire string bent to proper shape before being lowered into the ditch. This is done where the line crosses a river, and it happens frequently in this famous vacation land, noted for its many beautiful rivers and streams. The pipe is maneuvered into place by two boom cats, and while they hold it in place, welders join it up to the lines already strung up on both banks. Afterward, it can be lowered into the ditch, which has already been blasted in the bed of the river. Construction on many parts of this privately financed $8 million defense project moves forward simultaneously. Here in South Portland Harbor, a dock must be built to unload the tankers two at a time. Preliminary work includes dredging the harbor bottom to a depth of 35 ft at low tide to accommodate the largest oceangoing tankers, thus saving each tanker an extra 10-day trip over the long sea route to Montreal. Expert divers work on the harbor floor, another of the many skilled and highly specialized professions that enter into the big job of building a pipeline. At high tide, divers must work in almost total darkness 50 ft below the surface of the water. Their job is to lay the rock foundations for heavy cribs that will support the dock. Materials are lowered to the divers as they work, and it's slow, dangerous work at best, but it's all part of the job. Ashore giant steel [music] storage tanks will feed the oil into the pipeline. Six tanks of latest and finest design will hold a total of over 33 million gallons of oil. Sometimes the pipeline must be laid right through city streets, and this is accomplished in quick time by the use of giant high-speed ditchers. This trench is being dug a long way from the front lines of the war, but it's a fighting trench just the same in the battle of transportation. To avoid long interruption of traffic and intersections, the pipe is laid immediately in the trench and quickly covered over. Where the soil has corrosive qualities dangerous to steel, the pipe must be specially treated before being buried. First coated with quick hardening hot asphaltic enamel, it is then wrapped with protective asphalt paper. The finished pipeline will last indefinitely. In fact, some of the first oil pipelines put into operation over half a century ago are still in service today. Oil is pushed through the completed line by powerful pumping stations spaced 30 mi apart all the way from Portland to Montreal. When the entire line had been welded, as we see it here, then lowered into the ditch and covered over, it took several days pumping merely to fill the pipe itself. Now in operation at a flow of three m hour, as much as 2 million gallons per day flows through this line in a neverending stream, a shortcut in transportation, which means more tankers made available for war use in other parts of the world. And at the same time, better year round service to our Canadian allies. Oil to fly more bombers and fighting planes to the fighting fronts. Oil to protect the vital seaways over which arms and supplies must go. Oil for all the thousand needs of embattled democracy. Oil for victory. Those dateless days before the age of men when scaly monsters prowled the steaming swamps have left deep underground their own memorial. [music] >> [music] [bell] >> Oil. Oil. Oil's the subject of this film. And I'm the star, you see. Pete's the name Petroleum. You all have heard of me. But let's go back to olden times. So tedious and slow before they drilled the first oil well some 80 years ago. Those were the days when drones and creeks were heard throughout the nation. White even dubbed it with his tweaks cried out for lubrication. >> [music] >> Beware, a horseless buggy comes at 7 m an hour, so clear the way. This buggy runs by motor driven power. But what is this? The buggy speed is rapidly decreasing. Aha, I see now what we need. A little job of greasing. that down here. But oil has made some mighty strides in modern transportation. Today, petroleum provides both fuel and lubrication for motorcars and diesel trains and ships that cross the ocean. For motorcycles, buses, planes, all kinds of locomotion. But petroleum has other uses. So just let me show you a few of the wonderful things it produces, the marvelous deeds it can do. Now suppose we take up the matter of soap. It's in every cake. And we eagerly hope all the scrubbing and the rubbing that your undies get on Mondays make them spotless. Leave them plotless for there's oil in soap. And our wish is that the dishes that you scour by the hour shine brightly for rightly there is oil in soap. When you're bathing or you're shaving, I will take you and I'll make you bright as any brand new penny for this oil and soap. Now, here is a bad situation. This watch has had no lubrication for more than a year, and it's really quite clear it needs oil for its smooth operation. [music] Oh boy. [music] [music] >> [music] >> A coating of protective wax will save this apple from attacks by hungry worms and flies and germs. And then this lady can relax. except that she'd be filled with dread if she but knew a most illbred and very smug old doodlebug sit watching her from overhead. Why? There's a spot the lady missed. Such tempting fruit he can't resist. A man at last comes running fast to make that doodle bug desist. Sack him. When every other thing he tried, he got some oil insecticide. And with a shrug, that doodlebug curled up all 30 toes and died. >> [music] [music] >> Oh, the polish is the beauty and the ladies fine. And the motor oil remark, >> if she were only mine, >> fort was running through his mind to ask the lady to be kind to him, and would she look upon him as her valentine. [music] >> It's the oil in auto polish makes the finish shine. So don't you tore the lubricating oil in. He was smooth and most refined to, but the lady just as kind to let him think of her a moment as his valentine. Do you know of oil's connection with this lady's fair complexion? Take cosmetics. There is ample oil and lipstick for example. Oil in all the suntan lotion that she uses at the ocean. Oil makes fingernails alluring when she gets a manicure. >> Listen Pete, this is all very well. >> Who said that? >> Me out here in the audience. >> And who are you? >> Customer of yours, Pete. I drive a car. And there's something I want you to explain. Come on out there, Pete. Well, we can see you. There. That's better. >> What's on your mind? >> Where all the money goes. I use a lot of gasoline, and I want to know what's done with my cash. >> Why, that's easy. >> Now, wait a minute, Pete. Not so fast. Suppose we say I'm buying a dollar's worth of gas. Here's the dollar and change. Now, what do you people do with that dollar? >> I'll show you. Suppose we take an average for a typical year. >> That's okay with me. A typical year. 35 cents. What does that go for? >> That's for production. Things like oil der, refineries, tank cars, pipelines. >> 10 cents. What's that for? >> Service station where you get your oil and gasoline. >> Well, that's okay. What's next? labor 28 cents. That represents one of the highest wage scales paid in American industry. And there are hundreds of thousands of families depending on that money. >> There's 27 cents left. That's a lot left over. Where does that go? >> Don't you know? >> I don't know. I think there's a catch in this somewhere. >> There is. And here it comes. taxes 25 cents. >> Ouch. >> And the last two cents represents a typical return to the shareholders on the savings they've invested. After all, they have made the whole industry possible. And where would we be today without oil? >> We got along all right before oil was discovered. >> But we've built a whole new world since then. >> Yes, but just the same. Take it away and let's see what happens. Go ahead. Take it away. Back into the earth with you, Pete. Back where you came from. You and all your relations. Into the underground pools again. Go back. Go back. We're going. You'll see what it's like without oil. >> [music] >> Pete. Peace. You win. Pete, this is a nightmare. Come back, Pete. Bring back the oil and let's get things going again. Oh, Pete, am I glad to see you. They're all coming back. Pete, you're a good fella. Put them back to work. We need that oil. Okay, boys. Let them have it. [music] >> [music] >> Take it play as we go. We hope that you all around here you have found here things you wanted to know. [music] When you pack up your grip to take a plane or a ship or a car on the [music] highway, a plane in the sky, oil will feed you on your trip. We hope you see what we mean. We keep you handsome and clean. We keep the fire burning. The wheels are turning on every busy machine. Think what petroleum does. Think what petroleum. It's a major triumph of science. Oil can do it. And it's [music]