The 1939
Worlds fair took four years to plan and construct and was the biggest
international event since World War I. It held its grand opening
on April 30, 1939 with 200,000 people in attendance on opening day.
One of the most famous
exhibits at the fair was a time capsule, which was not to be opened
till 6939 A.D. The time capsule contains many important artifacts
of the era, among them; writings by Albert Einstein and Thomas Mann,
copies of Life Magazine, a kewpie doll, a dollar in change, a pack
of Camel cigarettes and millions of pages of text on microfilm..
The fair was open for
two seasons, and was officially closed on October 27, 1940. It attracted
over 45 million visitors during that time and generated approximately
$48 million dollars in revenue. Unfortunately, the Fair Corporation
had invested 67 million dollars (in addition to nearly a hundred
million dollars from other sources) to put on the event so the most
successful fair of all time was in fact an economic bust.
The 1939 New York World's
Fair was themed. It was divided into different "zones" much like
you would experience at Disney Land and Disney World today. The
zones were distinguished by many subtle cues, including differently
colored lighting. The "Theme Center" consisted of two landmark monumental
buildings named the Trylon and Perisphere. But it was the amusements
area that was the hit of the attraction - gathering many more visitors
than the various zones - as it was a way for people to "escape"
for a while and have some fun.
Here are all the films
that make up this historical 4 DVD 1939 New York World's Fair collection:
Contents of DVD 1
The World's Fair: August 1940
 
This film highlights the New York Worlds Fair in August of 1940. It shows
the Ford Building, the Electrical Building, the Japanese building, a parade,
the City of Light and several other exhibits. It provides an excellent
overview in its 4 minutes.
Producer: Unknown
Audio/Visual: Silent, Color
Run time: ~ 4 Minutes
|
New York World's Fair, 1939-40 (1939)
 
Take a 30 minute tour of the World of Tomorrow. This is a wonder film
to orient you on the goings on at the world fair - capturing all the major
highlights in its 30 minutes.
Producer: Wathen (R.W.)
Audio/Visual: Silent, Color
Run Time: 27:57
|
To New Horizons (1940)
 
This film documents General Motor's contribution to the worlds fair -
GMs Futurama exhibit in its Highways and Horizons pavillion. It showcases
the wonderful future world of 1960 - which given the mental state of the
American people during this time of war was quite a marvel and momentary
escape from a world that had just rolled from a depression to a war.
Producer: Jam Handy Organization
Audio/Visual: Sound, Color
Run time: 22:59
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Contents of DVDs 2-4 - The Medicus Collection
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