Plastics (A Supplementary Film)

This educational short, likely produced in the mid-1940s, surveys the rapid expansion of the plastics industry, spotlighting its critical role during WWII. Filmed in black-and-white, it opens with a montage of plastic goods—helmets, radio casings, aircraft windows—tying their rise to wartime innovation. Narration traces the industry’s growth, from early Bakelite to new synthetics like nylon and Plexiglas, developed under wartime pressure to replace scarce metals and rubber. The film dives into manufacturing: factory scenes show molten plastic poured into molds, extruded into sheets, or pressed into shapes, with workers—many women—operating machinery. Fabrication follows, highlighting techniques like injection molding and cutting, as raw material becomes finished products—combs, gun grips, or medical tools. Aimed at students or industry trainees, it celebrates plastics as a modern marvel, reflecting the 1940s’ optimism about science solving resource challenges, with a nod to postwar potential.