Cancer awareness did not begin until the mid-20th century. This is a special compilation of cancer-related films from the 1940s, 50s & 60s. Skin cancer, stomach cancer, lung cancer and more is covered. This DVD has 6 great films of rare footage about the history of cancer.
Included Films:
Up In Smoke
Up In Smoke
Produced: 1960
Length: 21 Minutes
Up in Smoke is a comedic skewering of the tobacco industry. The Boss is the head of the Humbar tobacco cigarette company who goes ballistic when his profits stop climbing or anyone is able to stop smoking. He sends his marketing team out to blitz the American public with dishonest messages about tobacco in order to encourage more people to take up the deadly habit, not providing honest facts about smoking. In particular, the marketers are told to get everyone to smoke: men, women, and children (this is a very early film to address teen smoking). The greedy executives son, an athlete and an all-around good guy, comes to the office to see his dad and gets Shanghaid by the marketing executives who want to make him a selling point. Dad sees the error of his ways and gets a newfound respect for the value of human lives and the harmful effects of smoking with a little help from his goody-two-shoes son. Up in Smoke was made by Brigham Young University to dramatize the evils of smoking, which it does, but unintentionally provides big laughs and entertainment with kooky dialogue and cartoonish characters. The history of cigarette smoking and side effects has never been as enjoyable as in this anti-smoking movie.
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At the End of the Rainbow
At the End of the Rainbow
Produced: 1946
Length: 24 Minutes
Discover the history of science and discovery the intricate forms of light. This informational short film emphasizes the importance of getting enough sunlight in our daily lives. The sun is essential because it comes in the form of Vitamin D which aids in strengthening our bodies. Great narration provides facts and figures about the bounty of the sun’s rays as diagrams are displayed, making At the End of the Rainbow a information packed film.
Cancer
Cancer
Produced: 1940s
Length: 12 Minutes
Cancer is an interesting short film that explains the signs and symptoms of cancer and its treatment. It features Mr. Bert Marshall, an average man who was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Aside from illustrations of the human anatomy and how cancer cells develop, the film also shows the disease is not only a physical burden but also an emotional weight by showing Mr. Marshall getting depressed and worried. Mr. Marshall is shown sitting on a bench at a park and deeply worried about telling his family about the disease.This educational film also features how cancer is treated by using x-ray fluoroscopy. Most importantly, the film also gave emphasis on identifying the 7 danger signs of cancer which include (1) any sore that does not heal; (2) a lump or thickening of the breast or elsewhere; (3) unusual bleeding or discharge; (4) persistent indigestion; (5) difficulty swallowing; (6) persistent hoarseness or cough; and (7) any change in normal bowel movements. It also presents some possible causes of cancer like frequent exposure to sunlight, product irritation, and constant exposure to radiation without adequate protection. The film also refutes the common myths about the cancer. Dr. Swanson explains to Mr. Marshall and his family that the disease is not hereditary and that it does not only strike old people but everyone can get the disease. The film concludes with a positive note that doctors, scientific researchers, and institutions like the American Cancer Society are ardently looking for ways not only to cure the dreaded disease but also to inform the public.
Time is Life
Time is Life
Produced: 1949
Length: 16 Minutes
Time is Life highlights the importance of time in combating the second highest cause of death in the world, cancer. The film also underscores the efforts of the American Cancer Society towards the alleviation, if not elimination, of cancer in the American society. The film starts with Mary Bronson being stressed out with the possibility of having a cancer. Cancer is not given proper attention by the public so it causes insurmountable effects on people in the society. Cancer chooses no one. In addition, the film gives conveying figures on cancer fatalities in the United States saying that one in every eight American has cancer. The film has also mentioned that cancer has killed more Americans than the slaughter at the Pearl Harbor and Tokyo Bay during World War Two. The film also dispels the wrong notions of the public of cancer like it being hereditary and it being a disgrace. It also went as far as saying that cancer could be treated if treatment is done on time, thus supporting the idea of early detection and early treatment as crucial in saving the lives of hundreds of thousands in the United States. The film also supports the significance of scientific research in the prevention and treatment of cancer. It shows the different counseling and awareness programs of the American Cancer Society as a means of combating cancer in the United States. The film campaigns, time is essential in the detection and treatment of cancer. If cancer is prevented, detected and treated at the right moment, time becomes the greatest weapon in the war against cancer. Time means life.
Time Pulls the Trigger
Time Pulls the Trigger
Produced: 1960s
Length: 24 Minutes
This awareness campaign film focuses on the harmful effects of cigarette smoking. It raises issues of harmful substances found in cigarettes and how these harmful substances affect the body. Shown is a doctor on the deleterious effects of cigarette smoking. It starts with a scene on the cemetery and the funeral of a military man whose death could be attributed to lung cancer. In the film, the doctor gives a detailed presentation of cigarette smoking and its connection to lung cancer. Moreover, he discusses the major elements in cigars and their corresponding affects on the body such as nicotine, carcinogens and carbon monoxide. The statistics on cigarette production and cigarette consumption are quite impressive. The presentation of the doctor on the correlation between production and consumption adds credibility to his claim that increasing fatalities due to lung cancer can be attributed to geometric increase both in production and consumption of cigarettes. The doctors presentation also shuns the idea that cigarette filter can help remove harmful substances in cigarette. He goes on to explain that filters can not remove all the harmful substances in the cigarette. Time Pulls the Trigger tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time, cigarette smoking. Lung cancer has taken its toll on humanity like it never did before. There is a huge chunk of our population which still believes that smoking is a necessity. The film aims to help people understand that tobacco is a loaded pistol and time pulls the trigger.
Tobacco and the Human Body
Tobacco and the Human Body
Produced: 1954
Length: 15 Minutes
Here is a scientific approach to stop the spread of smokers in the year of 1954. Tobacco and the Human Body uses specially-designed apparatus for collecting cigarette smoke under controlled conditions. Collecting this vapor determines exactly what is being inhaled by those who take up the habit. By extracting these harmful substances, like nicotine, carbon monoxide, and tar, scientists prove cigarettes’ contamination within the human body. An interesting way to sway smoker’s minds, this scientific approach may have been the start to many non-smoking campaigns there are today.
