PICTURE POSTCARD PANORAMA

[Music] so good evening ladies and gentlemen this is jack douglas with a brief introduction to tonight's colorful armchair vacation picture postcards they're popular throughout the world and especially in america they're so pretty so appealing and yet what if what if the picture postcards of america could come to life well tonight we shall try to make the postcards live and breathe we present during the next 30 minutes favorite scenes of america in a picture postcard panorama [Music] [Music] [Applause] it is autumn in new england in the states of maine and vermont the colors of the leaves are indescribable [Music] the fishing season has almost precious hours remain just time enough to store up memories to last the winter [Music] the crisp air brings to a close another season the last hunters the last of the hunted the last look at a free-flowing waterfall [Music] this is provincetown the heart and soul of cape cod [Applause] he is a professional man a lawyer or a doctor but not a professional painter and yet i'd pay as much as i could afford to have this watercolor and not a few of the spectators had the same idea [Music] it seems to the visitor that almost everyone who comes to provincetown paints or sketches and what a lovely model this young artist sketches in pastel chalk and crayon who is she where does she come from i don't know and it really doesn't matter does it we meet people we pass them by but sometimes we don't forget a character out of cape cod's past the town crier saturday july 25 high tide 103 this afternoon eight at seven cents feet tide will be low this evening at 703 one and one cents foot the sun rose this morning at 5 28 a.m at 8 12 p.m the sun goes down on another day a sand buggy scurries us away the frigid frost of fall is unmistakable the cold relentless atlantic pounds the shore the afternoon wind slashes the few patches of scrubby vegetation but here's the real picture postcard a lighthouse against the sky of black orange and pale blue not far from the cape at concord which is near boston the concord river is spanned by a small bridge across the bridge is the famed statue of the minuteman and the words are by emerson by the rude bridge that arch the flood their flag to april's breeze unfurled here once the embattled farmer stood and fired the shot heard round the world this is also sacred ground to all americans independent square in philadelphia and in the huge hall a proud nation displays for all to see and revere the most famous bell in all the world the shy young hands reach out and touch the crack and when they go back home they'll tell all who will listen i actually touched the liberty bell and as long as they live they will never forget this moment they shared with washington and franklin and paul revere yes this is also in philadelphia the magnificent garden that is really a part of japan in america and at the right time of the year it is the most beautiful garden of its kind that i at least have ever seen [Music] arlington virginia the tomb of the unknown soldier it is the dawn's early light and the changing of the guard [Music] orders all send orders remain as directed borders acknowledged this is also virginia the valley of the shenandoah [Music] so [Music] [Applause] [Music] it is sunday morning in the shenandoah and here we see the mennonites going to church service in horse-drawn buggies now these pictures were not taken 20 or 30 years ago but a few months ago a picture postcard from the pages of yesteryear [Music] if we identify the river steamer as the george washington the river as the potomac then surely we need only one guest as to our destination even in tibet and timbuktu they've seen this picture of mount vernon in the deep south in georgia you'll take more than one snapshot of this enormous water wheel indeed it's so big you'll probably have to photograph it in sections as we did and there's water of plenty at wiki-watchy springs in nearby florida for the placid surface of this pool conceals the flow of millions of gallons of spring water daily and the best underwater show in america [Music] cypress gardens is florida's number one show attraction for tourists from all parts of the world and here's that proverbial picture that's worth a thousand words [Music] you'd better believe it cypress gardens is the greatest water show on the face of the earth and this is hard to believe even when the camera proves it now watch well at sundown after the shadows fall cypress gardens presents a different image to all who pass this way in tennessee the ridges and valleys of the smoky mountains remind us a great deal of the new england states during indian summer the trees are splashed with the same vivid colors the waterfalls are just as pure and numerous but look up up from the valleys to the mountain peaks and we can understand why this mountain range is so aptly named here's a great snapshot a tiny hamlet about to be obscured by huge billows of smoky [Music] clouds they gave it a nickname and they called it the bluegrass state the grass isn't really blue but oh so lusciously green and yes they sure enough raised thoroughbreds here in kentucky everybody's make-believe home away from home the old kentucky home and the days of stephen foster one word is sufficient alamo [Music] and i've never seen the sky as red as a texas sky in the south west and the west mother nature crammed most of america's natural wonders leaving texas were at white sands national monument in new mexico unique among the country's deserts because of the gypsum-like quality of the blazing white sand in sharp contrast to white sands national monument is the gold and rich brown sand of the arizona deserts the dunes are as smooth as glass but not for long yeah [Music] the navajos are the biggest of america's remaining indian tribes we cannot help but wonder how they managed to survive in this tough terrain but they manage yes this is rugged country but there is a wild untamed beauty here that captivates the senses this was their home long before the white man came and for all we know long before the forces of nature carved the hole in the ancient rock [Music] it snows on the plateaus of the grand canyon it really snows but when the shrieking wind dies down and the white flakes have been exhausted this is what the world's number one natural wonder looks like the grand canyon in the winter [Music] still in colorado we cut through the great sand dunes national monument sometimes called the sahara of colorado according to the maps it's not a very big desert but i'd hate to be stranded out here without a weak supply of water the sand soaks up the moisture the tree dies yet at the base of the tree a daisy stubbornly defies the thirsty sand and here and there we see other traces of scrub vegetation but by and large the great sand dunes is all sand and as far as the youngsters are concerned all fun and i'll bet the no mad children of the sahara do the same thing in colorado's skiing country at aspen especially there are more memorable picture postcards here's a goodie an eskimo sled drawn by a big team of huskies you can rent the team and driver for a few hours or if you're the adventurous sort for an overnight trip [Music] at nighttime the mountain slopes overlooking aspen glow with the purple light of burning torches a highlight of the annual ski carnival it is impressive even from a distance the magnificent monolith in wyoming known as devil's tower america's first national monument we can drive our cars almost to the very base and then look up 600 feet the tower has been climbed but only by a handful of the very best climbers yellowstone national park was the first of its kind set aside by the us government for the benefit of all the people it is noted for its waterfalls and the native fauna of the park has been jealously preserved the deer antelope moose and hundreds of other species of wildlife roam the more than two million acres in absolute freedom the bears are a panic they're awful hams the minute they hear the camera click they all get into the act and naturally there's a rebel in every crowd he probably just wants overtime yellowstone's most amazing spectacle is its display of more than 3 000 geysers and hot springs that's right 3 000 geysers and bubbling springs [Music] [Applause] [Music] old faithful is of course the most famous and the most admired of the parks geysers for these reasons the regularity of its eruptions the violence of its explosions and the grace and beauty of its water column we were here at the outset of winter and the wind as you can see is dissipating what is normally a straight column here's the same scene during a snowstorm old faithful is vaporized into a huge billowy cloud [Music] yellowstone is open to visitors during the winter and you can skim across the snow in relative comfort and be rewarded with uncommon scenes such as this [Music] well given a choice between wyoming in the winter or wyoming in the summer i'm a softie i'll take it in the summer and love every moment of it here are the picture postcards in wyoming they'll tell you that the jackson lake country is about as close as one can get to heaven on earth well be that as it may they have a right to brag about the tetons considered by many to be the most beautiful mountain range in the americas you stand in the forest of the dakota black hills you raise your eyes and another picture postcard becomes a reality yes this is mount rushmore the most monumental sculptural achievement of modern times a classic example of man joining hands with nature to memorialize both man and nature oddly enough rushmore is more impressive seems much more massive from the air than from the ground and here it appears that our helicopter is almost touching the head of washington yet we were a good 500 feet away the indians of the dakotas were by no means sissies but even they were frightened by this part of the land the indians minced no words they called it the bad land well the white man came along took just one look and had to agree with his indian brothers these were badlands indeed a nightmare of nature a land of heat and wind and erosion today thanks to highways and modern transportation the badlands national monument is no longer a place to be feared but a tourist attraction well worth visiting a freakish yet awesome display of nature's perversity picture postcards well try slate gorge in utah or mountain fishing in the beehive state take a few giant strides and presto we're in oregon that's mount hood in the background towering over the city of portland which is actually miles away then drive the forested highways of oregon and don't please don't pass up crater lake for some reason it appears even bluer in the wintertime and notice that the small peaks which rim the lake are reflected on its glassy surface what a jewel of a lake and what a picture postcard from oregon fly on to washington and then alaska mount edgecombe a dormant volcano it looks bluish from a distance but as we approach the mouth or the inverted cone we can see the greens and rust red hues of the volcanic rock by air or by car go out of your way if you must to see america's mightiest mountain the shimmering majesty that is mount mckinley [Music] yes hawaii calls and all there are hundreds of picture postcards in the 50th state especially at the polynesian village what was i saying earlier about texas skies well i may have spoken too soon just a few miles offshore from honolulu a giant catamaran is etched against the tropical midnight sky it's a beauty isn't it a real picture post the golden gate bridge san francisco a beautiful day typical yet some instinct prompted our photographer tom mccue to wait and be patient well luck joined hands with skill the fog rolls in from the sea and the result is a picture postcard masterpiece from many points of view the finest single shot i have ever seen in any travel film it isn't just the fog that makes the picture but a combination of elements the mood the right moment the wind velocity the precise time of day truly a priceless picture postcard i sincerely hope that you enjoyed tonight's armchair vacation and that will meet again next week somewhere in america until then jack douglas saying thank you so much and good night ladies and gentlemen boys and girls [Music] so [Applause] you