Plot

A man looks at stacks of canisters of film on shelves. He pulls out a few to show real-life events caught on camera. He pulls out spools of film that include clips of the effects of heavy rain, of early attempts to fly, of an auto race with a spectacular series of crashes, and, last, of the destruction of a suspension bridge newly-built near Tacoma, buffeted and then ruptured by wind. None of these events were staged, and the camera caught them.—<jhailey@hotmail.com>

This MGM short, part of the A Pete Smith Specialty series, looks at film footage of actual events. These include a major winter storm, torrential rains and violent ocean-front waves; demolitions, such as building implosions; early aircraft, mostly of the silly variety; automobile races, including crashes and fires; and the building of a 6000 ft suspension bridge, which proved to be less than reliable.—garykmcd