The Two Philadelphias, 1960s

good evening ladies and gentlemen this is Jack Douglas the city of Philadelphia is one of the few major cities in America older than the nation's Independence yet as up to date as tomorrow's skyscrapers now travel agents call Philadelphia a package deal meaning it offers the visitor just about everything from history to hij Jinks so if you haven't decided where you'd like to spend your next vacation tonight's armchair nomination is the two Phil pH Adelphia this is the skyline of Philadelphia in population the fourth largest city in the United States and the Cradle of American independence now if you haven't been to Philadelphia in the past 5 years you're bound to notice a lot of changes for the city is engaged in a long program of rebuilding and restoration some 200 years ago Philadelphia looked like the this as Benjamin Franklin its most famous citizen knew it and loved it William Penn the great Quaker founded Philadelphia in 1682 after first concluding his historic treaty with the Indians that established the Providence of Pennsylvania the plot of ground on which the treaty was made is marked by a small Obelisk and the last two words are unbroken faith Independence Hall is easily recognizable even by tens of millions who have never been to Philadelphia and inside the hall more than a million hands each year reach out to touch the world's most famous Bell of course the Liberty Bell cast in England in 1752 it cracked the first time it was rung in Philadelphia that same year it was recast In the City by pass and stow and served well for many years ringing out the Declaration of Independence on July 4 1776 it cracked and was used for the last time in 1835 when it told for the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall Congress Hall is an adjunct of Independence Hall and here located the chambers of the US Senate when Philadelphia was the nation's capital between 1790 and 1800 the vice president's desk and chair were occup IED by men later to be presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson Freedom week Fourth of July week is celebrated annually on the huge mall at Washington Square a similar and equally inspiring observance takes place during Freedom week in the shadows of this Memorial to Washington is the tomb of an unknown soldier of the American Revolution while a marine Place Taps into the wreath is placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier these youngsters descendants of revolutionary soldiers raisal standards of that war remembering as they do the words on the memorial freedom is a light for which many men have died in darkness the house of worship in the background the renowned Christ Church on Second Street is unique among America's churches although designated a National Shrine by AC of Congress and founded in 1695 it is still in use and supported wholly by its congregation and Friends inside Miss Susan Smith of our staff asks Reverend Ernest Harding Rector of the church about the Pew in which they are seated well as Pew is known as the George Washington Pew it's the spot in which he and Martha Washington sat while he was here in Philadelphia at the same time that the government was had its capital here in in Philadelphia and they came each Sunday to church and sat in this Pew and of course Before Time of the Revolution it was known as the because as you'll see on the column up above the coat of arms of William and Mary and the Royal Governor their governor sat here for the church services because there many older things here in the church than even these pews and the coat of arms for instance the baptismal font down in the back of the church that came here in 1697 from All Hallows barking by the tower in London it was in that font that William pen was baptized when he was around 20 years old because you know he was a Quaker later in life but was born an Anglican and his grandson is buried in the grave just below the wine glass Pulpit the wi glass Pulpit was very famous kind of architecture in the 1700 this one was done by John fwell it was given by a Mary Andrews who's buried in a grave in the back of our Center AER and cost 70 was the pulpit made here in Philadelphia it was made here in Philadelphia by Philadelphia Craftsman and designed as I said by John Falwell the Christ Church burial grounds a few blocks away from the church itself is the sight of the grave of Benjamin Franklin and of his wife Deborah history has happily recorded that Franklin lived to a r old age and enjoyed life immensely he was silent in still life only for in real life he was a tireless and fluent talker and a Man Who Loved letter writing even when he sent a copy of the Constitution to a friend Franklin couldn't resist adding a few marginal notes a letter to his wife visiting in New York was mailed free you guessed it Thrifty Ben was the postmaster his poor Richard Almanac is understandably an American classic and presented Franklin at his philosophical best he that cannot obey cannot command an egg today is better than a hand tomorrow and Illustrated Proverbs such as experience keeps a dear school but fools will learn in no other when the well is C they know the worth of water and here's a Thrifty reminder to it foolish men make feasts and wise men eat them again on Thrift creditors have better memories than detor Franklin practiced what he preached he kept a debtor's book indicating monies owed to him and while he labeled The Ledger small debts no debt was too small for The Ledger but if we Overlook Franklin's passion for Thrift there is a fuller man a greater man who has left his mark on a great City and a Grateful Nation this enormous statue of Franklin is in the Memorial Hall of this imposing building the Franklin Institute founded in 1824 as a permanent Memorial and dedicated to the promotion of the mechanic arts and the dissemination of scientific knowledge let's quickly look at some of the fascinating exhibits such as this display of various types of clock pendulums dating from about the 12th century through the 19th now watch Susan as she approaches the parabolic reflector but this is tame stuff sus is in for a real shock the vandag graph machine that generates static electricity the vandra generator separates the positive and negative charges of static electricity as you're touching the negative sphere the negative charge is accumulating in your body the positive charge and the grounding rod is attracting the negative charges in your hair I think if you shake your hair you'll find that it will stand up and be attracted to this thing quite vigorously like you should have a mirror and see yourself in this condition now you will notice that when we ground out the machine the hair will drop down as now now we can again cause it to rise up again and if we turn the machine on off of course the charge will no longer accumulate now it will be perfectly safe to let go of the machine now the rolling cone appears to roll uphill actually the center of gravity is lower than the top of the hill and pulls the roller up I haven't the faintest idea what that means but that's what they told us what follows is easier to understand at least this part is just fill the funnel with sand and let the pendulum swing but hear this these patterns called lisu figures are useful in designing or testing electrical circuits such as those required in your TV set well there's much much more here at Franklin Institute inside and out to spellbind vacationers of all ages now plan on a full day and honestly you won't go wrong alr's alley on Second Street north of Arch is literally an 18th century Street not merely because of the stone cobbling but because its houses are not Restorations they have been in continuous use as residences since colonial times and speaking of houses let's satisfy the Natural Curiosity we all have about the homes of famous people the flag with 13 stars is enough to tell us that this is the Betsy Ross house the home and shop of the seamstress who by all indications designed the first American flag this old three-story house is where Edgar Allen Poe lived from 1842 to 44 and it was here that the Moody tormented Genius of literature wrote The Raven the gold bug The Telltale Heart and other works it is known that PO complained bitterly of the high rent which was $10 per month unfurnished in sharp contrast to Po's humble accommodations is the Magnificent home milgrove near Philadelphia once owned by John Penn title eventually passed on to a young Frenchman in 1804 he left France and came here to take possession of the property and once through the door of his Studio the pictures on display reveal the Frenchman's identity for no one before him no one after him painted birds and wildlife as he did the world may never know another John James aaban the man is gone the memories remain at milgrove a sid light of your visit too some of the elegant homes and mansions on Philadelphia's fashionable main line now the main line is not not a Street or Avenue someone once described it as a series of well suburbs linked together by a train well that definition is about as good as any the commuter train originates at the Philadelphia terminal and the first important stop is haford station now haford is the home of the Marian Cricket Club the club of the main line you don't just become a member of Marian you must practically be born into a membership they play tennis doesn't everyone also squash badminton Etc many national and international tennis matches have been hosted here at [Music] Marian brinmar is the next stop after haford station a stop noted mainly for brinmar college one of the most highly regarded colleges for women in the country our gal Susan was born and raised in the town of ginmar where her daddy owned the local hardware store the in of the four Falls is where the elite meat to eat on the main line now from the parking lot below you'll be driven to the main entrance in a four-wheeler with a fringe on top the four Falls is modeled after an 18th century in the main attraction however are the four small Falls from which the in derives its name and the these are views from the several dining rooms that make up the inn and Overlook The [Music] Falls the Devon Horse Show is rated as one of the top Mainline social events of the year the show has been a seasonal highlight for the past 70 years usually in the last month of May and among some mainliners missing the show would be as sinful as skipping baptism this is the open jump event the Devon show runs for a week and I think that even the committee would agree that you have to be one of the horsey set to understand and truly appreciate all of the events the judges have more Authority than a European Monarch winners put on a show of humility while the losers are expected to react as if they had just won the crown jewels it may seem stuffy but what a fine education and sportsmanship ship this is especially for the younger set at the Devon Horse Show Pei is the last stop on the main line and after that it's back to the city perhaps in time for lunch da Vines is one of the smaller but more popular eating spots in Philadelphia and during the spring and summer when the weather is just right it's delightful to sit at one of the sidewalk tables and they dream through the extensive menu you can put on 2 lbs just reading it while the waiter discreetly serves antipasto which you agree is precisely what you wanted and how in the world did he know well after lunch he may decide to walk off a few calories with a stroll through Written House Square in the Heart of the City at Walnut and Chestnut streets written house is one of several plazas deed to the City by William pen now during the vacation season the square is likely to feature clothline art exhibits as they're called here in Philadelphia all schools and styles of art are generally represented in these clothline exhibits and the prices are sharply reduced from what you would pay at the art galleries the art that is a part of architecture and Landscaping is best typified by the Japanese exhibition house in Fairmount Park a gift of private citizens in Japan and the US and the New York Museum of Modern Art it's the most beautiful Japanese setting of its kind that I at least have ever seen anywhere in America Philadelphia is a port but not a sea port thanks to the Delaware River which flows into the Atlantic Philadelphia is the largest freshwater port in the world do and I repeat do take one of the many fine harbor tours such as this one aboard the showboat originating from the Chestnut Street Warth and what will you see well since the Navy maintains a major yard here some part of the fleet is almost always in Port destroyers battleships even aircraft carriers like the mammoth taroa yes and an occasional reminder of sailing ships of yester year a rotting Hull left here by Port officials to appease nostalgic minded taxpayers they don't dare remove it also in the harbor you can board one of the most famous ships in American Naval History the cruiser Olympia the flagship of Admiral Dewey during the Battle of Manila Bay in 1898 the Olympia is a National Shrine and incidentally the last remaining Fleet ship of the Spanish American war these me footprints on the deck Mark the very spot where Admiral then Commodore dwey stood when he uttered his classic command you may fire when you are ready Gridley by present day standards the Olympia is a small ship but it is a proud ship that added a shining chapter to American Naval History after your harbor cruise hunger and curiosity will lead you to the old original bookbinders restaurant to established in 1865 by one Samuel bookbinder it is to Philadelphia what anan's is to New Orleans Albert taxon the son of the present owner has learned how to hypnotize lobsters how why let's e drop well people come in here and they select lobsters from the lobster tank in turn we cook them in the steam kettles people used to always ask doesn't it hurt the lobster when they're put into the steam kettles alive actually they feel no pain well 3 years ago an Indian came into the restaurant and he says I can solve your problem I said just exactly how he said well I'll show you how to hypnotize a lobster then if anybody ask you can put them to sleep first I said boy that would be great in turn he showed me how to hypnotize the lobster as I am doing now for you people are amazed now that I can hypnotize lobsters I'm probably the only hypnotist in the world that can put lobsters to sleep beside this Indian boy I'm doing now you just rub the back if you can sing it could even make it easier for me now I'm going to let him stand on his head here if he's a good boy he probably can do it you just rub the nerve on their back just rub the nerve on their back with or without hypnotized lobsters there is only one book binders and philadelphians are the first to recommend it night life in Philadelphia is almost non-existent the blue sky law have only recently been modified and never fully repealed but during the social season the coming out parties for the city's debutants are a lavish substitute for what you might expect to see at a nightclub our young Deb is Miss Virginia riddle reading guests in the reception line with her mother Mrs James ridle and watching these young adults 17 18 19 years of age I for one was impressed mostly with their Poise the sincere smile the attractive clothes and always just the right words of greeting the setting by the way is the bell of you Stratford Hotel some of the parents also showed up but even so the party was a smashing success a happy night in Philadelphia the Virginia riddle will never [Music] forget the CR Club is one of the city's few nightclubs most philadelphians with a Yen for late hours or carousing will cross over into New Jersey the CR Club generally features a single starring attraction and dancing by the patrons in between Floor [Music] shows the Warick Hotel they pronounce it Warick is the Gourmet me meeting place on Thursdays and Sundays when the hotel serves its extraordinary smorgas board now I'm not a gourmet or a connoisseur of good food but I've been around these 50 states and I can't remember a smorgas board table like it by the way the tab is only 550 which may be stiff at home but on a vacation you just can't get a better meal for the money the table always features a gay decorated cake and this being Freedom week the chef saluted the 4th of July and what would any celebration in Philadelphia be without the Mummers the famous string marching band that has become as synonymous with the city as Philadelphia scrapple the Mummers on Parade in the early hours of a summer [Music] Eve [Music] well our vacation is over and I think we can honestly say that this Philadelphia really two cities in one is quite a place it took us 6 weeks to photograph what you have seen during the past 30 minutes but as a sightseer you can cover the same ground see and do the same things in a week or 10 days at most best of all I think Philadelphia is an excellent choice for a family vacation blending as it does the charm of the historic past with the loveliness of the changing present to for the price of one the two magnificent philadelphias