Summary: Coverage of the historical flight of Commander Byrd and Lt. Bennett as they circle the North Pole and return to Kings bay in a Fokker Tri-motor aircraft. Included are scenes of the escorting of the "Norge" dirigible over the same flight path (Photo'd by Pathe News). EDITED INFORMATION: UNDISMAYED BY THE ODDS AGAINST THEM, THE OARSMEN PLUG ALONG AT THEIR JOB. CU of man seated in boat, rowing--ice floes in bg. 13' MLS across ice floes--wing of aircraft in upper frame. 22' MS of the ship stuck in the ice floes. 37' MS of men in a rowboat pushing boat through ice floes--camera pans over to a boat on which the Fokker is mounted. 69' MLS RV of the Fokker on the boat. 86' PATHE CAMERAMEN, UNABLE TO GET IN RANGE FROM THE SHIP, REFUSE TO BE STUMPED. UP GO THEIR TRIPODS ON BITS OF FLOATING ICE. 101' CU of cameramen on ice floe--in bg small rowboat and ship. 113' CU SV motion picture cameraman. 125' CU of the aircraft as it is being manually rolled up on shore, written on side of aircraft: FOKKER "JOSEPHINE FORD" BYRD ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 136' SUBTITLE: AFTER 36 HOURS HEROIC WORK, PLANE IS ASSEMBLED--ITS AIR-COOLED MOTOR TESTED, THE WHIRR OF THE PROPELLERS IS MUSIC TO BYRD'S EARS. CU of the center engine stafting. CU of Cmdr. Byrd. 169' NO TIME IS WASTED ON FORMAL MEALS, GRUB IS SERVED IN THE SHADOW OF THE PLANE. 179' MS of the men eating--in bg Fokker tri-motor plane. 190' CU same scene description. 198' TO BYRD, ENGROSSED IN HIS TASK: FATIGUE AND HUNGER ARE INCIDENTAL--A CUP OF COFFEE NOW AND THEN IS ALL HE ASKS. 213' CU of Cmdr. Byrd. 224' THE TIME COMES TO GIVE THE PLANE ITS FIRST ARCTIC GROUND TEST--A SMOOTH RUNWAY IS LEVELLED OFF. 235' MS of men working on the runway. Several CU's of men with shovels breaking up clots of snow and ice. 266' OFF FOR THE FIRST WORKOUT OVER THE SNOW FIELD--TRI-MOTORS TURNING AT MINIMUM SPEED. 289' CU SV Fokker tri-motor equipped with skis--camera pans to the tail section showing man lifting and lowering tail section, testing the skis. Shows a taxi test to the right. 331' DISASTER LOOMS FOR A MOMENT WHEN THE PLANE STRIKES SNOWBANK, CAREENING ABRUPTLY AND BREAKING ONE OF ITS SKIS. 345' MS RV of the aircraft taxiing. 362' CU of the Fokker tri-motor as it hits snowbank and swerves. 376' CU of the men as they dig the snow away from the skis. 401' AT THIS MOMENT WHEN THINGS SEEM DARKEST, OUT OF THE SKY COMES THE DIRIGIBLE "NORGE" PREPARED FOR ITS OWN POLAR ATTEMPT. LS FV of the NORGE in flight. 429' MS same scene. 455' THE NORGE'S HANGAR CREW BERTHS HER NEATLY AND SPEEDILY. Several angles of the landing of the NORGE--placing the NORGE in the hangar. Shows the nose section only in the hangar. 500' END OF PART I. THE OFFICIAL AND COMPLETE MOTION PICTURE RECORD OF THE FIRST FLIGHT OVER THE NORTH POLE. COPYRIGHTED BY PATHE EXCHANGE INCORPORATED. APPROVED BY OHIO DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DIVISION OF FILM CENSORSHIP. 516' PHOTOGRAPHED BY PATHE CAMERAMEN ROBERT E. DONAHUE AND WILLARD VEANDERVVEER, NEW YORK STAFF, AND LESLIE WYAND, LONDON STAFF. 534' FOR THREE HUNDRED YEARS THE NORTH POLE HAS BEEN THE GOAL OF HARDY ADVENTURERS OF ALL NATIONS. GREELY, NANSEN, THE DUKE OF THE ABRUZZI. 551' OF ALL THOSE WHO SOUGHT THE POLE BY SEA AND SLEDGE, ONLY ONE, AN AMERICAN NAVAL OFFICER SUCCEEDED, COMMODORE ROBERT PEARY, USN. Still photo of Commodore Peary. 573' PEARY PASSED ON, BUT NOT TILL HE HAD RECOGNIZED THAT THERE WAS A NEW WORLD TO CONQUER, THE WORLD OF THE ATMOSPHERE. 588' PEARY BELIEVED A PLANE WOULD FLY TO THE POLE--IT TOOK ANOTHER AMERICAN, ANOTHER NAVAL OFFICER, TO MAKE HIS DREAM COME TRUE, LT. CMDR. RICHARD E. BYRD. 606' CU of Cmdr. Byrd. 615' SHARING HONORS WITH BYRD, AVIATION PILOT FLOYD BENNETT, FIRST MAN TO FLY AN AIRCRAFT ACROSS THE POLE. 627' CU of Bennett. 638' THE CHANTIER, AN AMERICAN SHIP, MANNED BY AMERICAN VOLUNTEERS, BEARS THE FLYERS ON THE FIRST LAP OF THEIR JOURNEY FROM NEW YORK. 657' CU of the ship being pulled by a tugboat. MS harbor scene--mixed personnel in fg. 670' ENROUTE, BYRD AND HIS AIDES STRIVE TO LESSEN THE ELEMENT OF CHANCE. 677' CU of Cmdr. Byrd and his companions clotting a course. 694' THE FIRST TOUCH OF THE ARCTIC COMES 22 DAYS OUT--SCATTERED ICE FLOES. 706' MLS looking out over the side of the ship snowing ice floes. 720' CU of the ice floes. 729' CHANTlER NOSES INTO KINGS BAY, SPITZBERGEN, AN ICE BLOCKED HARBOR WITH ONLY ONE DOCK NOW BEING USED BY A GUNBOAT. 753' LS camera pans left, showing the harbor area. 770' HARB0R MASTER COMES ALONGSIDE TO EXAMINE THE SHIP'S PAPERS. 781' MS high angle, men in a rowboat working their way through ice floes. 802' NO DOCK IS AVAILABLE, IN TYPICAL NAVY STYLE, THE AMERICANS CONTRIVE ANOTHER MEANS OF LANDING THEIR PLANE, LIFE BOATS ARE LASHED TOGETHER. 824' High angle shot down into life boats--men are fastening them together with 4x4's. 832' High angle shot down on the boats--men are laying a floor on the 4x4's. 849' High angle shot down on platform on which they are going to haul the Fokker. 853' THE BIG F0KKER PLANE, BYRD'S HOPE, IS MOUNTED ON A MAKESHIFT RAFT FOR THE HAZARDOUS JOURNEY TO SHORE. 869' High angle shot down on the aircraft as it is being lowered over the side of the boat. 896' CU of the aircraft on the makeshift raft being navigated toward shore through the ice floes. 910' UNDISMAYED BY THE ODDS AGAINST THEM THE OARSMEN PLUG ALONG AT THEIR JOBS. 921' Total footage in reel. Reel 2: AMERICA'S P0LAR TRYOUT. 2' PATHE EXCHANGE INCORPORATED. 4' THE BROKEN SKI MENDED, BYRD PUTS HIS INSTRUMENTS IN ORDER, THE DRIFT INDICATOR OF HIS OWN DESIGN. CU of the drift indicator. 32' THE SUN COMPASS, AN INFALLIBLE INDICATOR OF TRUE POLE, AS DISTINGUISHED FROM THE MAGNETIC POLE. 42' CU of the sun compass. 50' AS THE MOMENT FOR DEPARTURE APPR0ACHES, HERE IS A LAST MINUTE BUSTLE, ONLY FAREWELLS REMAIN TO BE SAID. 62' CU of the men bidding farewell to each other. 70' CU same scene description. 80' ALL SET AS THE HUGE FOKKER TOES THE LINE, THE PATHE PLANE TAKES OFF NORTHWARD. 88' MS of the Pathe plane and the Fokker plane prior to taking off, all engines warming up. 101' CU RV of the Pathe plane, cameraman in rear cockpit--aircraft takes-off--it is an open cockpit bi-plane. 127' THE F0KKER THROBS, HER MOTORS ROAR, SHE GLIDES FORWARD ON HER SKIS--THE FIRST AMERICAN FLIGHT TO THE POLE IS ON. 137' CU of the Fokker plane as it taxis. 148' LS SV aircraft taking off. 157' MS of group of ground crew members waving goodbye. 168' ALS of the Fokker in flight to the right. 180' ACCOMPANIED BY HER CAMERA CONVOY, THE BYRD SHIP RACES NORTH AT A HUNDRED MILES AN HOUR, PAST THE MOUNTAINS THAT ENCLOSE KINGS BAY. 192' ASV aircraft in flight. 214' GROTESQUE ICE FORMATIONS RISE FROM THE WATER'S EDGE, GLACIERS 200 FEET HIGH. ADS on a glacier. 275' HER MOTORS BREAKING THE ICY SILENCE, THE FOKKER PASSES THE LAST ARCTIC MOUNTAINS, THE OUTER BARRIERS OF THE POLE, PHOTOGRAPHED BY CMDR. BYRD ON HIS POLAR FLIGHT. 293' LS of the mountains--tail section of aircraft in fg. 314' TWO MEN, MASTERING THE MACHINE, ARE PITTED AGAINST THE RELENTLESS ARCTIC. BENNETT AND BYRD TAKE TURNS WITH THE CAMERA, PHOTOGRAPHING A COMPLETE PICTURE LOG. 333' INT of plane, cameraman at his station. 361' GRADUALLY THE ICE PEAKS RECEDE, GIVING WAY TO THE LEVEL PLAIN--THE POLAR ICE PACKS THE GOAL IS NEAR 373' ADS on the Arctic terrain. 384' IN THIS BLEAK DESERT OF SEA AND ICE WITHIN THE 250 MILE RANGE OF VISIBILITY, IS THE NORTH POLE. 395' ADS on the Arctic terrain. 410' BYRD, SURE OF HIS PROXIMITY TO THE POLE, MAKES A LAST CALCULATION OF POSITION. 421' BELOW, A DREARY WASTE OF ICE-COVERED SEA, IS A GOAL THAT LURED SO MANY OF THE WORLD'S SPLENDID ADVENTURERS--THE NORTH POLE. 443' ADS on the Arctic terrain. 452' INT of aircraft as Byrd extends himself up through the skylight reading his bearings of the stars. 465' ADS on the Arctic terrain. 493' CONFIRMING PEARY'S CLAIM IN EVERY DETAIL, BYRD CIRCLES THE POLE, MAKING IT PART OF HIS OFFICIAL RECORD, THE FIRST MOTION PICTURES OF THE TOP OF THE WORLD. 515' ADS on the Arctic terrain, location--North Pole. 519' BYRD'S AERIAL CONQUEST OF THE POLE IS A TREMENDOUS FEAT, NOT ONLY OF AVIATION, BUT EXPLORATION. OBSERVATIONS WERE MADE OVER AN AREA OF 15,000 MILES. 522' Animation, map of the Arctic Region. Byrd's course northward is marked on the map. Superimposed over the animation Byrd circles the pole making observations and photographing. Animation shows Byrd circling the pole twice and then returning back to Kings Bay. Superimposed on the animation Byrd returns to Kings Bay. Total mileage 1,360 in 15 hours and 30 minutes. 579' BYRD SAFE--BACK FROM POLE--HOW AMERICA THRILLED AT THE FLASH! IN THE FOKKER ITSELF, HOURS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE, TWO MEN LIVED ON THE CLIMAX OF THEIR LIVES--KINGS BAY BELOW--THEIR QUEST A SUCCESS. 597' INT of aircraft as one crew member looks out through window. 602' ADS on King's Bay. 613' LS GC the Fokker aircraft circling area. 629' CU of a steam whistle blowing the signal of the return of Byrd and Lt. Bennett. 632' MS of the personnel at Kings Bay welcoming the flyers. 646' LS of the Fokker plane landing. 677' SALUTED BY AMUNDSEN AND ELLSWORTH, WARM TRIBUTE IS PAID BY THE NORGE FLIGHT LEADERS TO THE FIRST AIRMEN TO CONQUER THE POLE. 693' CU of the Byrd crew being welcomed and congratulated. 726' ABOARD THE SS CHANTIER A RIOTOUS CELEBRATION IS UNDERWAY. A SEAMAN WHO SWORE HE WOULDN'T SHAVE UNTIL BYRD FLEW TO THE TOP OF THE WORLD AND BACK IS RELIEVED OF HIS OBLIGATION AND 34 DAYS GROWTH. 740' CU of seaman's beard being clipped, other crew members congregating around, one playing a guitar. 770' HIS OWN QUEST SUCCESSFUL, BYRD ORDERS EVERY AID BE LENT AMUNDSEN. THE FOKKER'S INSTRUMENTS AMONG THE AMERICAN'S GREATEST ASSETS, ARE TURNED OVER TO THE LEADER OF THE NORGE FLIGHT. 789' CU of Raold Amundsen as he walks away from the Fokker tri-motor carrying the instruments. Lincoln Ellsworth walks up to Amundsen to examine the instruments. 815' CU of the Nobel, Ellsworth and Amundsen crew examining the instruments. 839' AN ACT OF AMERICAN SPORTSMANSHIP--BYRD TAKES OFF IN HIS NORTH POLE PLANE TO ACCOMPANY AMUNDSEN ON THE FIRST LEG OF HIS JOURNEY. 851' MS takeoff of the Fokker tri-motor--in bg, prior to taking off was a group of people under the balloon of the Norge. 881' THE NORGE TAKES TO THE AIR HEARTENED BY REPORTS OF GOOD WEATHER AHEAD. 889' LS Norge just above the ground. 908' FOLLOWING THE ROUTE OF THE AMERICANS THE NORGE POINTS TOWARD THE POLE. 916' ASV of the Norge underway--flight to the left. 941' BYRD, HIS LIFE AMBITION ATTAINED, HIS WISH FOR AMUNDSEN'S SUCCESS EXPRESSED, HIS SHIP READY TO START FOR HOME, BRINGS ABOARD HIS MOST PRECIOUS POSSESSION, THE AMERICAN FLAG HE CARRIED TO THE POLE. 962' MS deck of ship, group of men standing at the railing looking over as the American flag is brought aboard ship followed by Commander Byrd. He shakes hands with the men. 988' AMERICA'S POLAR HEROES: ROBERT PEARY, USN, RICHARD E. BYRD, USN. 1017' CU of Cmdr. Byrd. CU of a rooster crowing. 1029' Total footage in reel. Good
