Larry O'Reilly
2021Whistle in the Night
Larry O'Reilly
Dwight Weist
A look at post-war American railroads during their conversion to peace, operating under the handicap of little to no new equipment. It then looks at the plans for the future designed to provide swifter, safer and more comfortable traveling for the American public. Swifter is about all that is now left of the plans detailed in this 1947 short. The vast majority of the American public has no access to rail travel, all of the depots are gone, along with thousands and thousands of miles of track, and railroading is now a shipping service, mostly of truck trailers and containers. No complaints, other than most wish they could have at least kept the mournful, lonely and lovely sound of the old steam whistle. Diesel horns in the night have inspired very few songs or dreams. The essence of railroading, for older America, is captured in the title of this short.
Whistle in the Night
The Future Is Now
Larry O'Reilly
Dwight Weist
This short goes inside government research laboratories to showcase some of the products that will be used in the near future. Some are for general use, such as computerized assembly lines, nuclear energy and solar powered batteries, and industrial uses for television. Others are consumer products, including video telephones, videotape to make instant home movies, irradiated food, and fully automated kitchens.
The Future Is Now
Black Cats and Broomsticks
Larry O'Reilly
Peter Roberts
Superstitions are examined in the context of mid-20th century America. Walking under ladders, spilt salt, stepping on cracks, haunted houses, voodoo dolls, and such are used to illustrate the widespread belief in the supernatural.
Black Cats and Broomsticks
Phonies Beware!
Larry O'Reilly
Bob Hite, John Zaic
This Screenliner short shows how the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) looks at drug claims that may be fraudulent. In this case, a product called Elixirex is advertised as a cure-all for almost any ailment, including arthritis, rheumatism, and diabetes. After a diabetes patient dies following the use of Elixirex, FDA inspectors start their investigation.
Phonies Beware!
Alert Today - Alive Tomorrow
Larry O'Reilly
André Baruch, Val Peterson
This short shows how the city of Reading, Pennsylvania would implement civil defense procedures to help residents survive a nuclear attack. Through a network of volunteers, makeshift hospitals would be set up, auxiliary police officers would maintain order, and other elements of the civil defense program would be put in place.
Alert Today - Alive Tomorrow
Letter to a Hero
Larry O'Reilly
Ann Dere
Letter to a Hero is a 1943 American short documentary film produced by Frederic Ullman Jr. A school teacher in Monroe, NY writes a letter to her former student who is fighting in WWII. It was nominated for an Academy Award at the 16th Academy Awards for Best Short Subject, Two-Reel.
Letter to a Hero
