Going to Blazes!

Gunther von Fritsch directs this typically handsome 'Theater of Life' short -- camerawork courtesy of Floyd Crosby -- along with the narrator, who speaks in short paragraphs, like he's reading things off small index cards.

Firemen have been a favorite of the movies since early in the 20th Century. LIFE OF AN AMERICAN FIREMAN was a major hit for Edison -- much more so than LIFE OF AN AMERICAN POLICEMAN. That's because a fire man is the guy who comes by to save life and property in an emergency. Cops, especially at the time I write this, alas -- are not always seen as benign.

This episode of MGM's "Theatre of Life" documentary series goes behind-the-scenes at a Los Angeles Fire Department. The focus is on telling viewers how to prevent house fires. A fire occurs every 75 seconds. We learn how well-trained firemen are, and see them get dressed while answering calls. The opening fire is caused by someone smoking in bed. Fires are caused by human carelessness with smoking and matches. Other causes include misused electrical outlets. "Sometimes I think women do not understand electricity," is what a fireman thinks when he finds a woman's wet stockings hanging on an extension cord. Good footage.

***** Going to Blazes! (1948) Herbert Morgan : Gunther von Fritsch

There is another fire. The fire department is called. It is another person smoking in bed. In L. A., there are 20k fires a year.

MGM presents Theatre of Life with the cooperation of LAFD. It is most interesting to see the behind-the-scenes within the fire department. All the early communication and file keeping like the punch cards before advanced computing is amazing. That stuff looks cool. That's a tiny part of this short. There are the old fire engines and some fire footages. Those parts are fine. Certainly, those aspects of fire fighting haven't changed as much. This is good educational film. So much beans.

Apparently there is a call to a fire station every other minute in the United States, causing over 10,000 deaths a year and $600 millions in damage. Over twenty thousand fires occur in Los Angeles alone and that's where this short documentary takes us, as we follow the fire crews attending everything from a cigarette-burned mattress to a 400-pupil wooden school now little more than kindling. We learn a little of the hectic nature of their jobs, their unpredictable eating habits and of their attempts to warn Joe or Jean public of the dangers of hoarding or overloading power sockets or leaving the wet laundry on a power extension. This latter element does rather presuppose that it's the housewife that's to blame, but I suppose that's how the filmmakers perceived LA life in 1948 and though it is a bit cringemaking to watch now, it still makes a valid point about carelessness causing conflagrations. It's a job that requires preparation, co-ordination and courage and if you can overlook the stereotyping, it's an interesting look at how emergency services coped in days when fire towers, maps and index cards were crucial tools.

This is a Theatre of Life series entry of educational shorts. This one takes place at a fire department in LA. When someone calls for an emergency, she's asked what street. She answers with a name then they ask if it's "Avenue" or "Street". She says "Place". Then they ID by looking at lots of file cards put on a circular file. We find out one fire was caused by someone smoking in bed. One of the men is preparing a meal when he gets called for duty. When he returns, that meal is burned so he opens a can of baked beans and serves that for lunch when they're called again. The film ends after we're told and shown how to prevent a fire from even starting. So on that note, Going to Blazes! is worth a look for anyone interested in these vintage PSA films.