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Film List

Also see: About the Film Collection | Viewing Films | Using Footage

The 291 titles listed below represent all the films that have been identified, cataloged, and transferred to video tape. They are arranged consecutively by their assigned number. Clicking on the title of the film will link to the full catalog entry in the library catalog. An asterisk (*) immediately following the title indicates that the AMNH Library holds full rights to the film.

Some items on the list are part of a larger series. You can click on the links below to jump to those films that are part of a series:

An African Safari [videorecording.] *
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1948; 2 videocassettes (80 min.) : silent, color; 3/4 in. Filmed during the AMNH Central African Expedition, 1948. Starting at Cape Town and going round the southern tip of Africa up to Mombasa, Kenya, the AMNH Central African Expedition, led by AMNH director of preparation and installation James Lippitt Clark, then traveled through Nairobi, the Mountains of the Moon in the Ruwenzori Range in Uganda and Zaire, Ripon Falls (Uganda), Bagasson (Congo) and Stanleyville (now Kisangani in Zaire), all north of Lake Victoria, then to Uganda, the Belgian Congo (now Zaire) and Congo.
Film Collection no. 3 (see also Film Collection no. 145)

Alaskan Eskimos [videorecording.] *
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1941; 1 videocassette (26 min.) : silent, color; 3/4 in. Filmed during the AMNH and the University of Alaska excavation of the Ipiutak archaeological site in Point Hope, Alaska, 1941. In the summer of 1941, Harry L. Shapiro, then associate curator of the AMNH Department of Anthropology, visited Froelich G. Rainey of the University of Alaska during the excavation of the Ipiutak archaeological site in Point Hope, Alaska.
Film Collection no. 4

Amahuaca [videorecording.] *
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1960-1961; 1 videocassette (116 min.) : silent, color; 3/4 in. In 1960-1961, anthropologists Robert Carneiro (AMNH curator) and Gertrude Dole filmed the Amahuaca Indians, who inhabit a remote area of Peru, as documentation for their field work.
Film Collection no. 5

And so ... we went to Africa [videorecording.] *
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1959; 1 videocassette (35 min.) : sound, color; 3/4 in. David A. Lowry, a donor to the museum, and his wife Barbara went on safari in 1959 with professional hunter Sidney Downey. The film documents the Lowrys' vacation trip, starting from Nairobi, through Amboseli National Park and Garba Tula in Kenya to Tanzania's Lake Manyara National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Unit, and Serengeti National Park.
Film Collection no. 6

Archaeological exploration in China [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, [between 1935 and 1941]; 1 videocassette (9 min.) : silent, b&w ; 3/4 in. Davidson Black, professor of anatomy at the Peking Union Medical College, conducted the first systematic excavations at Choukoutien, China, where the fossil remains of Peking Man had been discovered in 1926. This film illustrates the painstaking excavation activities, such as panning, scraping, digging, and brushing, carried on at Choukoutien under the direction of Black's successor, Franz Weidenreich, director of the Cenozoic Research Laboratory in Peking.
Film Collection no. 7

Australian Government Films (1920-1928): Film Collection nos. 8-12

In the late 1930’s the AMNH investigated the possibility of building an Australia-New Zealand wing. During efforts to promote the new hall, Leslie R. McGregor (Australian Trade Commissioner to the United States) presented several promotional films produced by the Australian Government to the Museum.

Bushland revels [videorecording] : featuring the Australian lyrebird.
Publisher Canberra? : Govt. of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1920?; 1 videocassette (8 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Australian ornithologist R. T. Littlejohns spent four years in the bush filming the beautiful lyrebird, resulting in this rare footage of the bird's behavior.
Film Collection no. 8

Follow the sun [videorecording.]
Publisher Canberra? : Govt. of the Commonwealth of Australia, between 1920 and 1939; 1 videocassette (11 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. In an effort to promote tourism to the Great Barrier Reef, the Australian government produced this film. Atolls, Keppel and Duke Islands, beaches, and tourists sailing, waterskiing, fishing, swimming, and shelling introduce this vast reef along the coast of Queensland to the viewer.
Film Collection no. 9

Glimpses of South Australia [videorecording.]
Publisher Canberra? : Govt. of the Commonwealth of Australia, between 1920 and 1939; 1 videocassette (11 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. This introduction to Adelaide, South Australia, and its environs was produced by the Australian government to entice travelers to the area.
Film Collection no. 10

The golden fleece [videorecording.]
Publisher Canberra? : Govt. of the Commonwealth of Australia, between 1920 and 1939; 1 videocassette (10 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. When the Australian government made this promotional film, Australia's sheep industry was supplying 25% of the world's wool. The activities on a large sheep ranch are presented in detail: merino sheep, herded in from the grazing land, are moved in single file into large dipping vats containing a chemical solution to kill parasites, and oral medication is administered with a squirt gun.
Film Collection no. 11

Native animals of Australia [videorecording.]
Publisher Canberra? : Govt. of the Commonwealth of Australia, 1928; 1 videocassette (13 min.) : silent, b&w ; 3/4 in. Animals of the Canberra Reserve, located in the Australian Capital Territory in southeastern New South Wales, are featured in this film: kangaroos, tree kangaroos, bandicoots, pademelons, kangaroo rats, wallabies, opossums, albino opossums, flying opossums, wombats, koalas, Tasmanian devils, tiger cats, spotted native cats, echidnas and platypuses.
Film Collection no. 12

End: Australian Government Films (1920-1928)
Film Collection nos. 8-12

* * * * * * * * * * *

The Bennett-Bird Bolivia Expedition [videorecording.] *
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1933-1934; 1 videocassette (34 min.) : silent, b&w ; 3/4 in. Filmed during the AMNH Bennett-Bird Bolivia Expedition to Bolivia and Peru, 1933-1934. Inca and pre-Inca archaeological sites are the main focus of this film photographed by Junius Bouton Bird, then AMNH assistant field archaeologist.
Film Collection no. 13

The Bernheim-Conant Expedition [videorecording.] *
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1953-1954; 4 videocassettes (295 min.) : silent, color; 3/4 in. Filmed during the AMNH Bernheim-Conant Expedition to northern Africa, 1953-1954. This film is a good overall record of an expedition which covered 16,000 miles in northern Africa, showing Moslem architecture and the great variations in people and terrain of the region.
Film Collection no. 14

Beyond the mountains of the red mist in Hainan [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1937; 1 videocassette (37 min.) : silent, b&w ; 3/4 in. Filmed during the Munroe-Clark-Smith Expedition to Hainan, 1937. This film was made by Jack Munroe, a friend of AMNH President Trubee Davison.
Film Collection no. 15

Bird islands of Peru [videorecording.] *
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1920?; 1 videocassette (20 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Filmed during the Brooklyn Museum's Peruvian Littoral Expedition, 1919-1920. This film was made during the expedition to the islands off Peru under the auspices of the Brooklyn Museum. Robert Cushman Murphy, who was then a curator of the Department of Natural Science at the Brooklyn Museum, led the expedition and narrates the film. The expedition went to study the guano-producing birds on these islands.
Film Collection no. 16

Birds of Peru and northern Chile [videorecording.] *
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1953-1954; 1 videocassette (27 min.) : silent, color; 3/4 in. In 1953 and 1954, Robert Cushman Murphy, AMNH ornithologist, filmed bird colonies of coastal Peru and Chile and the outlying islands.
Film Collection no. 17

Bottom of the world [videorecording.] *
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1912-1913; 1 videocassette (38 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Filmed during the AMNH South Georgia Island Expedition, 1912-1913. Robert Cushman Murphy, AMNH ornithologist, introduces this film; he presents a map of Antarctica and explains that he went to South Georgia in 1912 for the AMNH while a staff member of the Brooklyn Museum.
Film Collection no. 18

Brazilian primitives [videorecording.] *
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1955; 1 videocassette (98 min.) : silent, color; 3/4 in. In 1953 the AMNH hired filmmaker Victor J. Jurgens to make the first two films (Brazilian Primitives and Guatemala) in a projected series of twenty-four documentaries intended to record vanishing cultures. Neither the films nor the series was completed. The three reels of unedited footage for Brazilian Primitives contain important documentation of Brazilian tribes in the process of change.
Film Collection no. 19

The Burden East Indian Expedition [videorecording.] *
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1926; 1 videocassette (12 min.) : silent, b&w ; 3/4 in. Filmed during the AMNH Burden East Indian Expedition to Malaysia, 1926. William Douglas Burden, AMNH trustee, his wife Katharine, and a small expedition team traveled to the East Indies to study the fauna of the region, and especially to film and capture the rare lizards Varanus komodoensis found on Komodo Island, one of the Lesser Sunda Islands.
Film Collection no. 20

Cameroun [videorecording.] *
Publisher France : Ministère des colonies, between 1920 and 1939; 1 videocassette (13 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. This film, made by the French government while Cameroon was still under French trusteeship, shows the dances of people of the southern provinces of Akonolinga, Yaounde, Doume, and Batouri. Details of clothing, ornaments, hair styles, and the xylophone that provides the music for the dances are shown.
Film Collection no. 21

Camping among the Indians [videorecording.] *
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1927; 1 videocassette (22 min.) : silent, b&w ; 3/4 in. Filmed during the AMNH-Woodcraft Indian Trip to the Southwest, 1927. The AMNH Woodcraft Indian trip was led by Ernest Thompson Seton, the author, and George Clyde Fisher (AMNH curator of visual instruction). The film depicts a variety of dances (the buffalo, hood, war, eagle, corn, deer and snowbird) performed by Indians of the Tesuque, Taos, Acoma and Santa Clara Pueblos.
Film Collection no. 22

The Captain Marshall Field Brazilian expedition [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1926; 1 videocassette (22 min.) : silent, b&w ; 3/4 in. Filmed during the Captain Marshall Field Brazilian Expedition to Brazil, 1926. This film record of the Field Museum of Natural History's 1926 Brazilian expedition, financed and led by Captain Marshall Field, presents expedition life as stylish and romantic.
Film Collection no. 23

Carl and Mary in Africa [videorecording.] *
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History, 1926; 1 videocassette (8 min.) : silent, b&w ; 3/4 in. Filmed during the AMNH Eastman-Pomeroy-Akeley East African Expedition, 1926. In the opening sequence, Carl Ethan Akeley (associate in the AMNH Department of Mammalogy, and associate curator and adviser in the AMNH Department of Preparation) watches artist William R. Leigh painting habitat studies for the background of the klipspringer group, one of the dioramas now in the museum's Akeley Hall of African Mammals.
Film Collection no. 24

CBS/AMNH Adventure Series (1953-1956): Film Collection nos. 25-144

The popular and successful CBS/AMNH Adventure television series aired from 1953 to 1956. The show married science and culture through a format including: interviews with AMNH staff members and other scientists, personalities, and celebrities; the presentation of AMNH exhibitions, halls, and artifacts; the execution of scientific experiments; film clips; dancers illustrating scientific concepts; mime shows illustrating historical and cultural events; and the creation of ingenious set pieces demonstrating how natural phenomena work.

The series was broadcast live, which was an adventure in itself, presenting such problems as cue cards falling over the camera lens; an out of control young gorilla; rattlesnakes not staying on their mark; and interviewees extemporaneously contradicting the host.

All of these elements, existing in the 120 extant shows out of the 136 broadcast, document United States cultural history in the 1950’s as well as the museum’s activities during those years. The Adventure series programs were a precursor to the sophisticated nature films seen on television today.

Trip through space ; Life in a garden ; Tuna fishermen [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Trip Through Space. Man in space and what he would find on a journey through the universe is the topic of this first segment. SEGMENT 2: Life in a Garden. Richard H. Pough, chairman of the Department of Conservation and General Ecology at the AMNH, discusses the sun as an energy source in the second segment of this broadcast. SEGMENT 3: Tuna Fishermen. The last segment features Albert E. Parr, oceanographer and Director of the museum, introducing the film Undersea Story about the difficult lives of tuna fishermen off the coast of Sicily.
Film Collection no. 25

Snake superstitions ; Below the sahara [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Snake Superstitions. Ancient fears and superstitions held by mankind about snakes are the topics of discussion for the first segment of this Adventure program. SEGMENT 2: Below the Sahara. The second segment of this broadcast features Armand Denis and his wife Michaela in an editing room.
Film Collection no. 26

Rams of the rimrock ; Brontosaurus ; Trance and dance in Bali [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Rams of the Rimrock. Harold E. Anthony, AMNH mammalogist, introduces the first segment of this program while standing in front of the bighorn sheep diorama in the museum's Hall of North American Mammals and discusses the courtship behavior of the rams. SEGMENT 2: Brontosaurus. Shot in the Hall of Early Dinosaurs at the museum, this segment features AMNH paleontologists George Gaylord Simpson and Edwin Harris Colbert giving an informative, yet brief, presentation on evolution and the era of brontosaurus and other dinosaurs. SEGMENT 3: Trance and Dance in Bali. The last segment of the broadcast features Margaret Mead, museum ethnologist, examining the lack of schizophrenia in Balinese society due to the ritual enactment of man versus demon.
Film Collection no. 27

Spiders ; A day in the life of a lion [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Spiders. This segment is concerned with the world of spiders and includes a presentation of a live tarantula and other smaller specimens. SEGMENT 2: A Day in the Life of a Lion. George Gilbert Goodwin, associate curator of mammals at the museum, is introduced in the second segment. This illustrative film, which was made in the Kruger National Park (in Transvaal, South Africa), deals with a lion's search for prey and his successful capture of an antelope.
Film Collection no. 28

Behavior of bees ; The legend of Colonel P.H. Fawcett [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Behavior of Bees. Bees are examined in the first segment of this program. SEGMENT 2: The Legend of Colonel P. H. Fawcett. The mysterious disappearance in 1925 of Colonel P. H. Fawcett is the next topic of discussion.
Film Collection no. 29

Our moon and other moons ; Invertebrates [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. In our moon and other moons, the earth's moon and other satellites in space are discussed by Joseph M. Chamberlain, Catherine E. Barry and Frank H. Forrester, astronomers at the AMNH-Hayden Planetarium.
Film Collection no. 30

Mutiny on the Bounty ; Otters ; The story of oil [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Mutiny on the Bounty. On April 28, 1789, a mutiny occured on the H.M.S. Bounty, resulting in a unique intermingling of Tahitian and English culture on Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific. SEGMENT 2: Otters. This segment provides the audience with live and filmed views of otters. SEGMENT 3: The Story of Oil. Oil, and how it came to accumulate under the earth's surface, is a subject of this segment.
Film Collection no. 31

The $2,000,000 J.P. Morgan gem collection ; Lampreys ; Antarctic animals [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: The $2,000,000 J. P. Morgan Gem Collection. Brian Mason, AMNH curator of physical geology and mineralogy, describes the museum's collection of gems, which consists of diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds. SEGMENT 2: Lampreys. Lampreys and their detrimental effect on the fishing industry in the Great Lakes is the subject of the second segment of this broadcast. SEGMENT 3: Antarctic Animals. Robert Cushman Murphy, chairman of the museum's Department of Birds, presents material relating to his 1912 Antarctic adventure, including footage from his movie entitled Bottom of the World. Murphy also discusses his book on Antarctica entitled Logbook for Grace.
Film Collection no. 32

Weather and storms ; Mouth-breeding fish ; Volcanoes [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Weather and Storms. Frank. H. Forrester, astronomer at the AMNH-Hayden Planetarium, and Ernest J. Christie, meteorologist for the U. S. Weather Bureau, give scientific explanations for weather, cloud formations, and storms, including lightning and thunder. SEGMENT 2: Mouth-breeding Fish. With a tankfull of mouth-breeding fish brought into the studio to demonstrate the unique characteristics of these fish, Eugenie Clark, research associate for the museum's Department of Animal Behavior and author of Lady with a Spear, describes how the male fish incubates eggs by carrying them in its mouth until they hatch. SEGMENT 3: Volcanoes. Frederick H. Pough, AMNH curator of physical geology and mineralogy, introduces the final segment of the program, which deals with the formation and eruption of volcanoes.
Film Collection no. 33

Afghanistan archaeology ; Chicken egg embryo [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Afghanistan Archaeology. Walter Ashlin Fairservis, archaeologist at the AMNH, discusses archaeological findings in Afghanistan. SEGMENT 2: Chicken Egg Embryo. In this segment Alexis Romanoff, professor of chemical embryology at Cornell University, explains how eggs are incubated and hatched.
Film Collection no. 34

Gorillas ; From the neck up [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Gorillas. At the CBS studio, James Howard McGregor, research associate at the AMNH and a noted expert on gorillas, discusses historical and characteristic aspects of gorillas. SEGMENT 2: From the Neck Up. This segment is a presentation of the AMNH exhibition of the same name. The exhibition examines human adornments such as hair styles, make-up or other cosmetics, lip, ear and nose decorations, tattooing, cicatrization, etc. of both "primitive" and "civilized" people.
Film Collection no. 35

Who rules the world? Insects ; Bird islands of the Pacific [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Who Rules the World? Insects. In this first segment, Mont Adelbert Cazier hypothesizes that someday insects might dominate the earth. SEGMENT 2: Bird Islands of the Pacific. Camera studies of birds on the guano islands provides valuable information for the audience.
Film Collection no. 36

Spear hunting jaguars ; Kontiki [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Spear Hunting Jaguars. Charles Collingwood, narrator of the Adventure series, interviews Sasha Siemel, a professional hunter for 35 years who makes his living spear hunting jaguars for cattle ranchers in South America. SEGMENT 2: Kontiki. The second segment of the program presents an in-depth analysis of the controversy over Thor Heyerdahl's theory that migration from Peru to Polynesia was possible, contradicting most theories which stated that modern civilizations had been settled as a result of West to East migrations.
Film Collection no. 37

The Chavantes of Mato Grosso ; Field work, snakes ; Meshie [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: The Chavantes of Mato Grosso. Edward Moffat Weyer, editor of Natural History magazine and the first non-Indian to visit the Chavante (i.e. Shavante) Indians, presents rare photographic images and observations of the Chavantes who live in the Xingu River region of Brazil. SEGMENT 2: Field Work: Snakes. Robert Northshield, host, observes Charles M. Bogert, chairman of the Department of Amphibians and Reptiles at the AMNH, in the field collecting snakes. SEGMENT 3: Meshie. Harry L. Shapiro and Jane Raven Orttung, museum anthropologists, describe stages in the development of Meshie, the chimpanzee who grew up on Long Island, N.Y., as a member of the family of Henry Cushier Raven.
Film Collection no. 38

Djuka [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Located in the bush country of Dutch Guiana (now Surinam), the Djuka civilization and its history are examined in this broadcast.
Film Collection no. 39

Australian fauna ; How to build an igloo [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Australian Fauna. Armand Denis, noted wildlife photographer and filmmaker and leader of the 1952 New Guinea Expedition for the AMNH, and his wife, Michaela, discuss the origins of the Australian continent and the subsequent evolution of wildlife there. SEGMENT 2: How to Build an Igloo. This brief film on igloo construction describes how only a knife and Arctic snow are necessary to build an igloo.
Film Collection no. 40

Army ants ; Rodeo [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Army Ants. Theodore C. Schneirla, curator of animal behavior at the AMNH, describes these unusual ants and their habits. SEGMENT 2: Rodeo. Robert Northshield, host of the second segment, satirizes man's relationship with the horse and the romanticization of the wild West. Included in this segment is an uncredited rodeo film.
Film Collection no. 41

Life in the sea [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Clark and Parr discuss the movement of the ocean and life in the sea in a remote broadcast from Gilgo Beach, Jones Beach State Park, New York.
Film Collection no. 42

Australian aborigines [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. This program closely examines Australian aborigines, first through a pantomime by the American Mime Theatre acting out racial migration from Asia, then through discussion and film.
Film Collection no. 43

Mayan Indians [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. In this broadcast, Gordon Frederick Ekholm, museum archaeologist, and noted architect Frank Lloyd Wright discuss Mayan archaeology and culture while in the museum's Hall of Mexico and Central America.
Film Collection no. 44

History of life on earth #1 [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. This is the first of a series of four broadcasts on the history of life on earth.
Film Collection no. 45

Navajo Indians [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. The cultural conflict resulting from differences in the basic way of life of the Navajo Indian and the white man in America, is discussed in detail on this program.
Film Collection no. 46

The romance of the soil [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. An in-depth presentation of the physical and chemical properties of soil and man's dependence on it is made by Richard H. Pough, chairman of the AMNH Department of Conservation and Plant Ecology.
Film Collection no. 47

The American look [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. This program examines the historical development and nature of the American physical type with the help of Harry L. Shapiro, AMNH anthropologist.
Film Collection no. 48

Animal life in the desert [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Charles M. Bogert, curator of herpetology at the AMNH, conducts a survey of American desert creatures for this broadcast.
Film Collection no. 49

Life in Greenland [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Commander Donald B. MacMillan, who accompanied Robert Peary on his expedition to the North Pole in 1909, is interviewed by Charles Collingwood. MacMillan, 79 years old, recalls the expedition through photographic records and film footage of Arctic life.
Film Collection no. 50

The Sudan [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. This show begins by examining the type of African films presented to the public, presenting as examples a clip of Simba, King of Beasts and Hollywood versions of African life.
Film Collection no. 51

Mountain climbing [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. William O. Douglas, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and Maurice Herzog, author of the best-seller Annapurna (an account of his expedition to the Himalayas), are the celebrated guests of this program. Douglas, an avid mountain climber, wrote several books on his travel experiences including Beyond the High Himalayas, Of Men and Mountains, and Strange Lands and Friendly People. The two men speak of the dangers, rewards, memorable experiences, and the physical equipment involved in their expeditions.
Film Collection no. 52

Animal courtship behavior [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1953; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. The courtship behavior of various animals in relation to human behavioral patterns is the topic of discussion for this broadcast.
Film Collection no. 53

Bees (Russian film) [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. This program presents a film produced in the Soviet Union as propaganda celebrating the "hive." Host Charles Collingwood first looks at the film without its soundtrack, as a natural history film, and then comments on its use as a propaganda film.
Film Collection no. 54

Scientific hoaxes [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Scientific hoaxes of the past century are the subject of this broadcast hosted by Charles Collingwood. Paul Curtis's American Mime Theatre perform a shadow play on the discovery of the Cardiff Giant, the wolf-boys, Piltdown Man and other hoaxes.
Film Collection no. 55

Men of the Montaña [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Harry Tschopik, curator of ethnology at the AMNH, is interviewed for this program, which examines the cultural characteristics of a small Indian tribe living near the Amazon River in the Montana region of Peru and Ecuador.
Film Collection no. 56

Embryology [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Evelyn Shaw, of the Department of Animal Behavior at the American Museum of Natural History, introduces the program, which opens with film clips of chicks, monkeys, kinkajous, and cocker spaniels and discussions of their beginnings.
Film Collection no. 57

Elastic time [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Richard H. Pough, chairman of the Department of Conservation and General Ecology at the AMNH, demonstrates new photographic techniques.
Film Collection no. 58

Solar and lunar eclipses [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Charles Collingwood interviews Joseph M. Chamberlain, astronomer at the AMNH-Hayden Planetarium, on solar and lunar eclipses.
Film Collection no. 59

The Aymara Indians, heirs of the Incas [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. This broadcast is concerned with the story of the Aymara Indians of Peru and Bolivia.
Film Collection no. 60

Portrait of the Arctic [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. The entire show is a film narrated by Robert Cushman Murphy, AMNH ornithologist. Murphy discusses life in the Arctic and identifies various animals and birds seen in the film.
Film Collection no. 61

The Bapende of the Belgian Congo [videorecording.]

Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Harry L. Shapiro, anthropologist, is introduced as the expert on the topic and addresses the subject of acculturation in relation to the traditional culture and to the benefits of modern medicine.
Film Collection no. 62

Admiralty Islands [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Margaret Mead, AMNH anthropologist, discusses the sociological, economic, cultural, and political changes that have taken place on Manus in the Admiralty Islands in the twenty-five years between her first and second visits.
Film Collection no. 63

History of life #4 [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. The Rise of the Mammal is the fourth program in a special series on the Adventure series. George Gaylord Simpson, AMNH paleontologist and author of The Meaning of Evolution, and Edwin Harris Colbert, curator of fossil amphibians and reptiles at the museum, discuss the emergence of the mammal as a dominant form of life on earth.
Film Collection no. 64

The sea hunters [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. This remote broadcast from the Gilgo Beach Marine Laboratory of the AMNH, surveys the techniques of marine hunters.
Film Collection no. 65

The Bakuba of the Belgian Congo [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. The first segment of this program, a commemoration of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, narrated by the Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Bernard De Voto, is missing from this tape. The rest of the broadcast is a documentary on a Bakuba (i.e. Kuba) tribal wedding ceremony in the Belgian Congo (now Zaire).
Film Collection no. 66

Visual recording of speech ; Bali [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Visual Recording of Speech. This segment examines new technological advances in the visual recording of speech. SEGMENT 2: Bali. Dr. Sudjarwo, Indonesian delegate to the United Nations, and Claire Holt, an authority on Balinese culture, present and discuss a documentary on the art, culture and customs of the Balinese people, the sophisticated development of dance forms, the carved musical instruments, flowers, and food.
Film Collection no. 67

Amazon head-hunters ; Theory of flight [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Amazon Head-Hunters. Harry Tschopik, ethnologist at the AMNH, discusses the custom of head-hunting as a means of vengeance practiced by the Jivaro Indians in the Montana region of Peru and Ecuador (near the headwaters of the Amazon River). SEGMENT 2: Theory of Flight. In a remote broadcast from the Naval Air Base at Floyd Bennett Field, associate producer Robert Northshield shows the ways in which man has exceeded birds in flight, both in speed and motionless suspension.
Film Collection no. 68

The Hopi Indians ; Balance of nature [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: The Hopi Indians. This documentary deals with the culture and acculturation of the Hopi who live in virtual isolation from the white man's world on a group of mesas 100 miles northeast of Phoenix, Arizona. SEGMENT 2: Balance of Nature. The next segment addresses the delicate balance found in nature regarding the basic struggle to live, reproduce, and nourish both one's self and one's family.
Film Collection no. 69

The first anniversary show [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. The first anniversary celebration of the Adventure series brought participation of more than twenty scientists from the American Museum of Natural History. Taken from kinescopes, the program rebroadcasts highlights of programs aired during the series' first year.
Film Collection no. 70

After hours at the Museum ; Domesticated animals ; Peter Freuchen [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: After Hours at the Museum. In a CBS film starring actress-artist Tuuklikki, the protagonist is a museum secretary who gets disoriented in the halls of the American Museum of Natural History after the museum closes. SEGMENT 2: Domesticated Animals. Peter Putnam, a blind history instructor at Princeton University, is interviewed by Robert Northshield about his guide dog, Wick. SEGMENT 3: Peter Freuchen. Peter Freuchen, a seasoned Arctic explorer for fifty years, is interviewed by Charles Collingwood about the difficulties of living in Greenland, and the lives of the Eskimo people.
Film Collection no. 71

Spear hunting jaguars ; Evolution of man [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Spear Hunting Jaguars. This first segment consists of a 25-minute documentary on the exploits of Sasha Siemel, who recounts his experiences about killing 300 jaguars with various weapons in the Mato Grosso area of Brazil. SEGMENT 2: Evolution of Man. Harry L. Shapiro, AMNH anthropologist, addresses the subject of man's origin with science reporter Robert Northshield, and concentrates on the relationships between apes and men.
Film Collection no. 72

Wild birds and man ; Male fish incubation ; Bullfighting [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Wild Birds and Man. Robert Cushman Murphy, AMNH ornithologist, discusses the useful relationships between wild birds and men, as illustrated by the honeyguide bird used by the Wandorobo (i.e. Dorobo) to track down wild beehives in the east African forest. SEGMENT 2: Male Fish Incubation. Lester R. Aronson, chairman of the Department of Animal Behavior at the museum, describes the role of the male fish in incubating the young after the eggs have been laid, in a remote broadcast from the American Museum of Natural History's roof laboratories. SEGMENT 3: Bullfighting. The history and art of bullfighting are discussed by Barnaby Conrad, author of the best-seller Matador.
Film Collection no. 73

Lie detection ; Primitive art vs. modern [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Lie Detection. The pursuit of truth is the subject of the first segment of this broadcast, which features demonstrations of scientific methods of lie detection and hypnosis. SEGMENT 2: Primitive Art vs. Modern. This segment of the program focuses on an examination of the comparisons between primitive and modern art.
Film Collection no. 74

Young wild animals ; Antibiotics ; Whaling industry [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Young Wild Animals. In a take-off on Edward R. Murrow's "Person to Person" program, Charles Collingwood, narrator of the Adventure series, "interviews" a young bear and shows films of bears interacting with a fox, skunk, raccoon, porcupine, otters, and other animals in upstate New York. SEGMENT 2: Antibiotics. In a remote broadcast from the largest manufacturer of antibiotics in the world, Pfizer & Company in Brooklyn, Jasper King, vice-president in charge of research, allows viewers to see how antibiotics are made, researched and discovered by his company. SEGMENT 3: Whaling Industry. Curator Edouard Stackpole of the Mystic Seaport Museum of Whaling in Connecticut presents models of whaling ships and explains the procedures required to harpoon a whale.
Film Collection no. 75

The story of Marco Polo ; Campa ; Drums [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: The Story of Marco Polo. Eleanor Roosevelt is the honored guest on this Adventure broadcast. She narrates a documentary on Marco Polo's expeditions, and recounts her own experiences in the Orient. SEGMENT 2: Campa Indians. Harry Tschopik, assistant curator of ethnology at the American Museum of Natural History, describes the careful negotiations which take place with native people to record their culture on film and tape. SEGMENT 3: Drums. A performance of Haitian dancers and talking drums is presented in the studio.
Film Collection no. 76

Spiders ; The Sahara ; Snake farm [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Spiders. The mythology and scientific reality of spiders are the subjects of the first segment. SEGMENT 2: The Sahara. Shown here is the documentary record of a 16,000-mile African expedition by Claude Bernheim and his family. SEGMENT 3: Snake Farm. Ross Allen, the operator of a commercial snake farm in Silver Springs, Florida, and Charles M. Bogert, curator of the AMNH Department of Amphibians and Reptiles, are the guests on this broadcast about snakes.
Film Collection no. 77

Niagara Falls ; Navajo [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Niagara Falls. This remote broadcast from Niagara Falls features Bobb Schaeffer, AMNH paleontologist, and Dr. Anderson, Niagara Park official, discussing a disaster which occured six weeks earlier when Prospect Point broke away from the Falls. SEGMENT 2: Navajo. The second segment of the season's premiere describes the Adventure crew's three-week journey through the Navajo Reservation in Arizona and Utah.
Film Collection no. 78

All things flow ; Japanese monkeys ; Genetics [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: All Things Flow. This segment takes its name from a film it presents that shows the constant motion in nature, through time-lapse photography. SEGMENT 2: Japanese Monkeys. Aronson narrates a film on the social life of an isolated group of Japanese monkeys. SEGMENT 3: Genetics. The final segment is the initial broadcast of a projected series on genetics and traces the birth cycle backwards from the moment of birth to the initial fertilization.
Film Collection no. 79

The Tomas of West Africa ; Birdwatching ; Troy [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (60 min.) sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: The Tomas of West Africa. The Tomas of Liberia and Sierra Leone, Africa are depicted in a film based on the book Sacred Forest, with special emphasis on their rituals and sacrifices, including male and female initiations. SEGMENT 2: Bird Watching. Robert Cushman Murphy, AMNH ornithologist, discusses the southward migration of birds in the fall, especially of Canadian geese and other waterbirds. SEGMENT 3: Troy. The story of Troy is presented with an elaborate floor painting and sand table set up in the studio.
Film Collection no. 80

Origins of races, Australian aborigines [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. This broadcast traces the origins of the world's races, with special emphasis on the Australian aborigines.
Film Collection no. 81

Arctic exploration ; Indo-European languages [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Arctic Exploration. Sir Hubert Wilkins, the first person to explore the Arctic Circle in a submarine (in 1931), discusses the climate of the region and his unusual experiences in the submarine. SEGMENT 2: Indo-European Languages. Languages and their historical interrelationships as part of the Indo-European language group are examined by Russell F. W. Smith, dean of the University College, University of Chicago.
Film Collection no. 82

Slow-motion time ; Genetics [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Slow-Motion Time. Both high-speed and slow-motion photography may be used to show details that are not necessarily seen by the human eye. SEGMENT 2: Genetics. In this second program in the series on genetics, Harry L. Shapiro, AMNH Department of Anthropology, explains how a knowledge of dominant and recessive hereditary characteristics helps predict the probable make-up of an unborn child.
Film Collection no. 83

Stone age culture of New Guinea [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Ernest Thomas Gilliard, AMNH ornithologist, presents specimens of birds of paradise he has collected on a recent expedition to the Sepik River Valley in New Guinea.
Film Collection no. 84

Musicale of primitive instruments [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Willard Rhodes, Columbia University anthropologist specializing in musicology, discusses numerous musical instruments from the AMNH collection.
Film Collection no. 85

The story of cortisone [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. The subject of the program is the discovery of cortisone as a treatment for arthritis.
Film Collection no. 86

Bird brains [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Robert Cushman Murphy, AMNH ornithologist, is a guest on this program. The topic under discussion is the intelligence of birds and their relative lack of intelligence in relation to other creatures.
Film Collection no. 87

Primitive strikes back [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1954; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Harry Tschopik, AMNH curator of ethnology, discusses the relationship between primitive peoples and the scientific anthropologist and others who study them.
Film Collection no. 88

Fish behavior [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1955; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. This remote broadcast from Gilgo Beach, Long Island, N.Y., is a discussion of fish behavior introduced by Eugenie Clark, research associate in the AMNH Department of Animal Behavior. The pros and cons of laboratory research versus field research are examined.
Film Collection no. 89

Space [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1955; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Joseph M. Chamberlain, chief astronomer of the American Museum-Hayden Planetarium is introduced as a guest on this program, along with G. R. Pendray, a noted pioneer in American rocketry. The history of rockets and man's attempts to learn more about the earth and space by rising above the earth's atmosphere are discussed in detail.
Film Collection no. 90

Dance forms around the world [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1955; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. A comparative study of dance forms around the world is examined in this program by Harry L. Shapiro, AMNH anthropologist, and the dance critic of the New York Herald Tribune, Walter Terry.
Film Collection no. 91

Animal behavior [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1955; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Konrad Lorenz, foremost authority on animal behavior from the University of Muenster in Germany, discusses imprinting and animal behavior on this broadcast.
Film Collection no. 92

Life in Tibet [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1955; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas describes life in Tibet to Charles Collingwood in this program. The extreme differences between poverty and nobility in this region are examined.
Film Collection no. 93

Living fossils, the crocodilians [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1955; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. The history of living fossils is the topic of discussion for this broadcast. Charles M. Bogert, AMNH herpetologist, discusses the habits and history of huge reptiles, such as garials, caymans and other crocodiles.
Film Collection no. 94

Birds of paradise and spiders (beauty and the beast) [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1955; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. SEGMENT 1: Birds of Paradise. Ernest Thomas Gilliard, AMNH curator of birds, joins Charles Collingwood to discuss birds of paradise as examples of beauty. SEGMENT 2: Spiders. Demonstrating the beauty and the beast in nature, this segment contrasts with the previous one.
Film Collection no. 95

Weather [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1955; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. In a remote broadcast from the U.S. Coast Guard's weather ship Half Moon, Frank Forrester, meteorologist at the American Museum-Hayden Planetarium, and Charles Romine take viewers along on their scientific search for spring.
Film Collection no. 96

Darwin's voyage [videorecording.]
Publisher New York : American Museum of Natural History : CBS, 1955; 1 videocassette (30 min.) : sound, b&w ; 3/4 in. Edwin Harris Colbert, AMNH curator of fossil reptiles and amphibians, is interviewed for this broadcast concerning Charles Darwin's five year voyage around the world on the H.M.S. Beagle.
Film Collection no. 97

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