White Wonder
White Wonder is a short film from 1958 released on 16mm. It is held in the Prelinger Archives collection.
Illustrates techniques for extraction of salt from the sea and from land. Tells the historical role of salt and its uses in national defense, industry, agriculture and home.
Story of salt, uses of salt in industry and the home. Mining and recovery of salt by evaporation.
Voiceovers: "Today, salt enters into almost 14,000 different uses."
Stock shots: globe spinning; salt crystals; many rows of salt shakers seen from overhead; laboratory; electrolysis occuring; Morton Salt plant, salt mines; mines are dynamited to free salt; CU Morton Salt logo (When it rains, it pours) woman applying lipstick; spray painting automobiles; smokescreen in battle; solar evaporation; salt being harvested loaded onto trucks; sheeps, pigs, chicken, turkeys eating from salt blocks; water pump (hand) strange section: use of salt in household cleaning: salt with oil to remove water marks on wood furniture; cleaning the kitchen sink; cleaning pots; salt on carpets; cleaning iron; cleaning grease; excellent shot of steaming, whistling (by inference) chrome tea kettle; water running out of a kitchen tap; hundred pound bags of salt; salt being spread on road in winter, also a demonstration of how salt cuts through snow; sequence: hydraulic drilling; large vats of brine; giant drying machines and kilns; adding iodine to salt; assembly line; canning and labeling of salt containers; display of many different kinds of salt in packages: consumer and industrial globe rotating in heavy smoke (good); then smoke clears a bit; bust of ancient Greek rolls by, then Roman; then Napoleon; then Abraham Lincoln; then Winston Churchill rotating globe continues CU large salt crystal CU, crane from top to side of 100 salt shakers (good) Zoom out from 200-lb pile of salt Zoom into 200-lb pile of salt LS 1950s-type factory, red car driving up on circular driveway GS Morton Salt research laboratory (modern 1950s-type building) Two men in lab CU electrolysis breaking down salt into sodium and chlorine CU salt falling into pile in middle of frame MS woman pulling clothes off rack MS smiling woman taking toothpaste out of cupboard MS woman applying lipstick [more not logged � good) freeway with cars small metal parts on conveyor running by under camera VS combat shots (poor quality) CU more salt pouring into frame Conveyor loading salt onto huge pile (exterior) Man on top of pile shoveling salt out of way of conveyor VS evaporating pools (concentrating ponds) VS water flowing through pools and channels MS man testing brine VS guarding ponds (garden ponds) Trucks and backhoes driving by to salt harvest Tractor and heavy equipment harvesting salt VS backhoes gathering salt, dumping it into bin (good � could be any white powder) Atomic blast Group of cows clustered around salt lick Pan left around larger group of cows Sheep clustered around salt lick CU salt blocks and bricks CU pigs eating out of trough (good) MS group of chicken clustered around feeder MS another group (turkeys?) GS farm scene, cows walking on grass MS woman in kitchen sitting at counter, writing (good) Hands open cupboard showing food inside All food products suddenly vanish, leaving empty shelves CU condiment and spice cupboard; all contents vanish Potato chips, peanuts and snacks � all vanish Cereals, jams, jellies, pickles, olives � all vanish Cupboard of pasta, noodles, biscuits � all vanish hands open refrigerator, showing contents; all progressively vanish as narrator explains that salt goes into all of them then the refrigerator itself vanishes, leaving an empty wall CU hands rubbing sponge in salt, then rubbing off stain on table Hands using salt and turpentine solution to clean stained sink CU woman�s hands using salt to clean tarnished copper-bottomed pan CU woman�s feet walking on patterned rug sprinkling salt in front of her to clean rug (good) CU hands sprinkling salt on ironing board in front of iron (good) Salt used to clean greasy oven tray in place and then in sink CU woman�s hands pouring salt into vase, then water, to make solidified base for flowers CU from top looking down into clotheswasher (washing machine) with lid up (good) CU water flowing out of gutter into rain barrel CU pan down pump with hand pumping it (old-style pump, good) Pan over drawing showing old rain barrel and underground rock strata CU kettle with steam spraying from spout (good) CU man maintaining industrial steam blower (good) Another CU looking down on open lid of clothes washer with suds (good) Map of United States showing hardness of water in different regions CU sink with water flowing out of fixture (good) CU Lindsay automatic water softener � lid raised showing insides Pallet loaded with large bags of Morton Salt moving by camera LS pan over salt flats (Utah?) and briny areas GS tunnel in salt mine VS salt mine tunnels, pillars, ceilings (pan around room) Pan down from roof along pillars Men using heavy equipment in salt mine Men drilling wall with long bit to set dynamite charge Undercutting machine cutting gap below section of salt to be mined Men on cherrypicker tapping blasting powder into holes Pan over wall with holes CU buzzer Man throws switch Explosion visible from one side of frame VS conveyors and tools gathering salt and moving it out Salt pouring from chutes into trucks VS Cars on snowy street in winter (poor quality stock shots) Driver�s POV driving behind salt spreader on road in winter CU demonstration showing how salt penetrates ice and snow on pavement, turning frozen water into dripping water Pan up road building machine onto dirt bed for unfinished road Two beakers filled with soil particles; the one with salt in it is bound and won�t pour out Truck moving away from camera on rural road with farm in distance (good establishing shot) CU drill on derrick turning around (like oil well, but drilling salt) Pan down drawing showing how salt is drilled for underground Pan over LS of brine settling tanks Man filling jar with brine and taking sample CU rotary dryer reducing moisture in brine Salt tumbled and baked in kiln Salt being carried through chute by long screw CU hand pulling out handful of table salt crystals from machine VS Rotating screw moving salt around (good) ECU rotating screw (good) VS cardboard salt containers moving by on production line (good) VS cardboard shipping carton receiving completed packed salt containers VS chemists in research laboratory Display of salt products packed in different bags Cars on wet freeway seen from above (good) Meatpackers (Black) moving carcasses (good) Man in lab working with beakers filled with colored fluid (not too bad) Display of objects made using salt (telephone, paint, fire extinguishers, etc.) Air-to-air shot of 3 bombers seen from above (then fighters) Air-to-air shot of U.S. Air Force plane from above (good) VS tanks moving over terrain (stock footage) Battleships in combat (good) Flamethrower (good) Defense sequence culminating in atomic bomb blast and missiles taking off (good, but weird) VS mining salt from evaporator polls CU salt shakers from side (good) Crowds walking on busy downtown streets (hand-held, probably downtown Chicago) Tunnel through salt mine (lights go off)
End title (Morton logo with girl and umbrella)| White Wonder | |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Wilding Picture Productions |
Production company | Wilding Picture Productions |
| Distributed by | Wilding Picture Productions |
Release date | 1958 |
Running time | 27:37 |
| Language | English |
- Thumbnail
