Intertel; 22; America: The Dollar Poor

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Series
Intertel
Episode Number
22
Episode
America: The Dollar Poor
Producing Organization
Rediffusion Television Ltd. (London, England)
Contributing Organization
Thirteen WNET (New York, New York)
Library of Congress (Washington, District of Columbia)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/75-451g1q01
NOLA Code
ITTL
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Description
Episode Description
Although it is a nation rich in natural and mineral resources and progressive in its development, the United States has its poor. The nation's poor and its poverty-stricken areas are explored by the British partner of Intertel, Rediffusion Television Ltd., of London. In looking at the poverty that exist in this country cameras pinpoint the stark impoverished realities in Chicago's South Side, in California's prosperous agricultural fields, the mountainous regions of the Appalachian area, and parts of America's mid-West. America - The Dollar Poor focuses on the different faces and aspects of the poverty-stricken and also devotes attention to the effects of privation upon adults, the aged, and youngsters reared under these conditions. Observing sub-standard conditions in Chicago, the program captures the frustrations of Negroes living in the slums of the South Side; the aimlessness of men from Appalachia who have lost their coal mining jobs and now seeks "the pot of gold" in the city; and the unemployed and indigent who seek help from welfare and unemployment offices. Shifting to California, America - The Dollar Poor goes to San Francisco's breadlines of now unwanted skilled workers the "shape-up" lines in Stockton where migrants from the Ozarks work the cotton fields for meager wages; the shacks of Mexican-American and Mexican field workers (the Mexicans are imported for the harvest seasons); and Highway 99, called "the longest slum in California" with its rows of grim houses. In California, the program also covers the plight of the elderly who are very nearly destitute. Thousands of miles east, the documentary turns to the isolated hills of eastern Kentucky and captures the ghostly quiet of bleak towns that once boomed with men working the coal mines. Here, unemployed miners exist from day to day - many off whatever they can grow on the land and from Federal commodity surpluses of beans, cornmeal, and dried milk. For many of the children, the program notes, the hot lunches served in the schools are the most decent meals they receive. Retraining of unemployed skilled workers as one of the efforts in attacking America's poverty problem is demonstrated in the now deserted Studebaker plant in South Bend, Indiana. Here, Federal Government personnel are seen instructing auto workers who were laid off because of the recent plant shutdown." This hour-long piece was recorded on film. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
Series Description
Intertel, a dramatic breakthrough in the dissemination of ideas and cultural exchange through television, was conceived in November 1960. Five television broadcasters in the four major English-speaking nations joined to form the International Television Federation, to be known as Intertel, the first such international organization. The participants were Associated Rediffusion, Ltd. of Great Britain, the Australian Broadcasting Commission, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and for the United States, the National Educational Television and Radio Center and the Westinghouse Broadcasting Company. Intertel produced on a bi-monthly basis hour-long documentaries on important world topics, inaugurating a global television production agency dedicated to the creation of programs of substance and meaning. John F. White, President of NET, called Intertel "more than a fusion of the creative talents of the organizations involved in producing television programs of outstanding merit. It is a step forward to world understanding," he added. "I believe that the exchange of documentaries, while of great significance in the vastness of the mutual understanding in it can foster, is but the first step in a regular exchange of all forms of programming." Donald H. McGannon, President of WBC, hailed the new organization as "a pool of the technical and creative ability and knowledge of all the groups which will extend the international horizons of television in all aspects. This is the first practical step, after years of talking and hoping, toward the creation and use of international television for cultural exchange and an effective weapon for peace." By having observers examine topics far removed from their everyday assignments, Intertel gives viewers a fresh viewpoint. The founder members indicated that by dubbing these programs in foreign languages and making them available to all nations, they hoped television companies in Europe, Asia and South America will eventually join this unique project. The supervisory committee for the United States programming segments consists of Mr. McGannon and Mr. White; Richard M. Pack, WBC Vice President - Programming; and Robert Hudson, NET Vice President for Programming. Intertel came into formal being November 14, 1960, in a special meeting in Vancouver, B.C., and the culmination of plans for such an association which has been under way for a long time. John McMilliam of Associate Rediffusion, was named contemporary Coordinating Officer at that time. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
Description
Intertel is a dramatic breakthrough in the dissemination of ideas and cultural exchange through television. Intertel was conceived in November, 1960. Five television broadcasters in the four major English-speaking nations joined to form the International Television Federation, to be known as Intertel, the first such international organization. The participants were Associated Rediffusion, Ltd. of Great Britain, the Australian Broadcasting Commission, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, and for the United States, the National Educational Television and Radio Center and the Westinghouse Broadcasting Company. Intertel produces on a bi-monthly basis hour-long documentaries on important world topics, inaugurating a global television production agency dedicated to the creation of programs of substance and meaning. John F. White, President of NET, called Intertel more than a fusion of the creative talents of the organizations involved in producing television programs of outstanding merit. It is a step forward to world understanding, he added. I believe that the exchange of documentaries, while of great significance in the vastness of the mutual understanding in it can foster, is but the first step in a regular exchange of all forms of programming.
Broadcast Date
1964-12-23
Asset type
Episode
Genres
Documentary
Topics
Social Issues
Public Affairs
Media type
Moving Image
Credits
Director: Beattie, Randal
Executive Producer: Bennett, Cyril
Music: Buxton, Frederick
Narrator: Cameron, James
Producing Organization: Rediffusion Television Ltd. (London, England)
Writer: Johnson, Paul
AAPB Contributor Holdings
Thirteen - New York Public Media (WNET)
Identifier: wnet_aacip_2295 (WNET Archive)
Format: 16mm film
Duration: 00:54:02?
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2329494-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 16mm film
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2329494-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 16mm film
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
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Citations
Chicago: “Intertel; 22; America: The Dollar Poor,” 1964-12-23, Thirteen WNET, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed October 31, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-451g1q01.
MLA: “Intertel; 22; America: The Dollar Poor.” 1964-12-23. Thirteen WNET, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. October 31, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-451g1q01>.
APA: Intertel; 22; America: The Dollar Poor. Boston, MA: Thirteen WNET, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-75-451g1q01