WIRE FOR SOUND

Year Published: 1962

Description:

Directed by Paul Cohen, “Wire for Sound” (1962) is a color promotional film produced by Western Electric, the manufacturing and supply arm of the Bell System. The film takes viewers on a journey through the evolution of telephone wires, from molten copper to finely crafted multi-wire bundles. With an original score by American composer Gene Forrell (1915–2005) and cinematography by Michael Livesey (1929–1990), it features detailed scenes from the foundry and factory, showcasing the process of melting copper and transforming it into telephone wires, which are then installed underground by dedicated crews.

Film opens, title page (0:09). Copper wire spun onto cable spools (0:17). Factory worker inspects telephone wire on assembly line (0:27). Foundry molten metal poured into molds; Operator controls ladle carrying molten metal in and out of furnace (0:39). Quenching hot metal in pools of water (1:46). Serial number, logo etched into copper cast bar (2:00). Foundry worker operates large, industrial crucible tongs to assemble copper cast bars as they are led into oven (2:01). View as copper cast bars released from oven onto assembly line (2:14). Heat emanating from cast bars boils over coffee in furnace, foundry worker pours himself a glass of coffee (2:31). Drawing and annealing process: copper cast bar drawn through series of dies, each smaller than the last, to reduce the diameter and increase the length of the copper (2:46-3:54). Operator manages system that coils wire with what appears to be silver plating (3:56). Completed wire coil sprayed with cool water as it passes along conveyor belt (4:22). POV foundry worker operates an overhead crane to place wire coils into pools of water, coils come out steaming (4:28). Copper wire undergoes what appears to be another round of the drawing and annealing process, close-up shots of the various automatic machines and mechanisms used in process (4:54). Thin wire coiled on spool by automated machine (5:20). Another shot of thin copper wire spun onto cable spools (5:36). Factory worker operates switch board (5:40). Likely green plastic chips funneled into machine, green coating applied to wire as it passes through machine acting as insulating layer around the conductive metal core of electrical wire (5:45). Fragment wire drawing equipment (5:53). Spools appear to be winding coated and uncoated wire (6:09). Multicolor trends of coated wire flash across screen (6:15). Wire stranding or bundling machine; Round plate with multiple holes suggests that it is part of a stranding die used to group several individual wires together to form a multi-strand cable (6:41). Multi-strand cable fed through another bundling machine (6:52). Completed multi-strand telephone cables wound onto spool (7:13). Close-up control panel used for managing production or testing of telephone cables at the factory; Dials with numbered settings appear to control speed at which spool is wound (7:16). Wire passes through what appears to be metal casing die (7:38). Factory worker seems to feed wire through black plastic casing (8:03). Perhaps Caterpillar D8N cab and gantry crane surveys depo of Western Electric-branded telephone cable spools (8:13). Telephone cable technicians slowly unwinds spool on back of construction truck as telephone cables strung above ground (9:06). Men in hard hats slowly lower telephone wire into pothole (9:20). Aqua blue 1959 702B Princess Western Electric telephone (9:28). Closing credits (9:36). Film ends (10:23).