The metropolis of today, New York City 1940, a blend of buildings and streets and familiar colors, familiar patterns, familiar forms.
Here are the materials we have used for years.
Architectural forms to which we are accustomed, life as we know it and live it toady.
Our camera sweeps the horizon turning into the new direction of the new world that symbolizes man's dream, prophesies, hopes, and aspirations.
In the distance we see it a shinning white in the sunlight with its giant prylon(?) in Paris(?) arising to the sky to silently voice the peaceful projections of mankind.
The New York World's Fair of 1940, so vast is it the visions of the worlds greatest fair that you and I could spend two weeks in it just walking through all the exhibits without pausing to examine them in detail.
But let us skim the surface for a few moments, feel some of its excitement, color and human interest, see some of its new marvels, reveal for the fist time and examine in some detail one of its most beautiful buildings.
Here literally is the greatest show on earth.
This year bigger and better than ever.
And through these gates come visitors from all over the world.
Crowds they're what make a fair a fair and here on plushing meadows is everything a crowd loves.
Bands, gay flags, picturesque costumes and folk dances, color and movement, and never a dull moment.
The 1940 World's Fair is dedicated to the twin ideals of peace and freedom, probably no figure symbolizes these ideals better than that of George Washington.
It wouldn't be a World's Fair without the participation of other countries.
Here are the exhibits of many nations displayed in the heaven of peace.
Visitors may step into these buildings and view foreign art, industry, craftsmanship, and culture pridefully contrived and beautifully displayed.
The United States government, in its own beautiful building, gives an occult of its stewardship and the states have their own displays.
Dramatizing their attractions, their products, their history, and their progress.
On every side is the beautiful and the strange.
Man-made waterfalls designed as an integral part of the buildings, thundering in an incredible cascade, fountains leaping and dancing in the sun, flowers and lovely landscaping, unsuspected angles and distance, a paradise for the camera fan.
There is so much to see and wonder at now and then we simply have to stop for rest and refreshment.
Ah ha that's and idea, even in the midst of all these wonders Mrs. Elmer and the children must have their ice cream cones.
For the real key of what the future holds for us, look to the exhibits of industry and trade.
For here are the forms and patterns of the new day.
The fascinating new materials that are being introduced.
The advances in technology and things that will effect the way we dress, eat, work, play, travel and live.
Here are the advances in metals and plastics, the drama of progress in electricity, gas, oil, rubber, glass.
The new materials for the building of homes, the new in home furnishings and housekeeping, the improvements in communication and transportation.
The authentic forecast of life as we will come to know it.
In the transportation zone this you'll just find the most beautiful, certainly one of the most dynamic, and according to attendance records, one of the most popular industrial buildings in the fair, The Ford Exposition Building.
Newly designed for 1940 the Ford building together with its gardens covers seven acres.
It is strikingly modern in design and full of action.
To the left of the front entrance is a huge statue of the mythical god Mercury, symbolizing fleet effortless travel.
The main entrance hall is a symphony in color and a fascinating introduction to what follows.
Here is a panorama of the motorcar age, starting with the first Ford car built in 1903, and coming down to the present Ford, deluxe Ford, Mercury, Lincoln Zephyr, and Lincoln, style leaders for the road of tomorrow.
Visitors pause long before Henry's first gasoline engine and marvel at the huge mobile mural by Henry Billings, the first moving mural in the world symbolizing the dependence of industry upon pure science.
From ten in the morning until ten at night the industrial hall is a scene of activity with crowds thronging around the manufacturing exhibits and dominating this scene is the central exhibit.
The forward cycle of production, a giant turn table one hundred feet in diameter, weighing one hundred and fifty-two tons and floated in twenty thousand gallons of water.
Here dramatized by delightful activated models, is the story of how the automobile industry spreads employment.
Backed through its suppliers, back to the raw materials and the millions engaged in their production.
Twenty-seven typical raw materials are traced through their processing stages to the finished parts of a Ford car.
With the cycle of production as a background, other exhibits show actual operations, the casting of molt and iron, the growing use of farm products and industry with a demonstration of soybean processing, and the making of plastics.
And a dramatic contrasting of hand work and machine work.
This exhibit shows that the Ford car if made by hand would cost about seventeen thousand dollars while machinery makes cars at prices people can pay and creates millions of jobs as a result.
These are just a few of the highlights of this fascinating industrial hall, directly off this hall is the new Ford theater where seated in cushioned air conditioned comfort visitors witness a veritable three star production.
A ballet fantasy called a Thousand times nay in which a talking horse takes the feature comedy role.
A Gala style show that combines the latest in fashions with the newest in motorcar designs and a full length technicolor picture titled Symphony in Ept(?), where in the figures of the cycle of production come to life and tell an interesting tale.
From the industrial hall, visitors stream into the garden court and on to the loading platform for a thrilling ride on road of tomorrow.
A dream highway of the future built as a part of the Ford Exposition Building.
In brightly colored Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln Zephyr cars visitors are driven around this road of the future for more than half a mile.
Up the spiral ramp showing how traffic can be lifted to the express level without wasting space.
Around a through the building itself, the Ford building is on the highest point of land in the fair grounds and the view from the fair from the road is one of the best.
No cross traffic, complete separation of opposing streams of traffic, the road of tomorrow.
In the landscape garden court, visitors are invited to rest and relax and listen the the music of the new world ensemble under the direction of the famous composer Ferde Grofe.
Using the latest type of electronic instruments Mr. Grofe creates novel and interesting musical effects.
Throughout every foot of this colorful, dramatic, and beautiful 1940 New York World's Fair we find inspiration for new ideas and the grounds for renewed faith in the future.
Inspiration and faith are the truly needed by every individual today.
And it wouldn't be a World's Fair without an amusement section.
On the great white wave there is fun for young and old.
Here are new ways to enjoy yourself, new 1940 thrills and excitements.
Here's a parachute jump, not for daredevils but for all of us to try.
Music, games, excitement.
Some walk and some ride.
Everybody buys souvenirs and everybody eats whether its a packaged lunch or full meal in one of the many restaurants.
And when the day gives way to night the pageant of beauty starts all over again in a different way.
For the march of science has brought new brilliance in lighting, new panoramas of color to delight the eye.
And then of course the fire works, beauty, action, color, drama, the greatest show on earth, the 1940 World's Fair.