Ardis Smith

Decade for Decision

Short news featurette produced by Pathe-RKO after the Russians launched the first orbiting satellite, Sputnik. It is a patriotic 'call to arms' from the threat posed by this and the need for Americans to spend more on education in general and a college education in particular. A visit to the University of Buffalo highlights many of its science programs and the need for more college graduates all science specialties if America is to rise to the challenge. It bemoans the fact the PhDs earn less than a mechanic and the need to re-order priorities.

Battle for Survival

This is a two-reel short appealing for financial support from Americans to assist in the feeding and resettlement in Palestine of 1.5 million European Jews who in 1946 were "incredibly, alive." Orson Welles' magnificent narration stirs one's soul.

Letter to a Hero

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.