Going to Blazes!

Going to Blazes! (1948)

** (out of 4)

Part of MGM's "Theatre of Life" series, which was often co-produced with The Associate Press as well as a group that the film is centering on. This film centers on the Los Angeles Fire Department and how they live, work, react to calls and even how they cook. If you're a fan of the "Theatre of Life" series then I'm sure you're going to love this film but I'll be honest and admit that I really don't care for the series, although I've only seen three to date. This one comes off very well in the heart and story its trying to tell but I found the direction to be too dry for its own good. It seems like the series just wanted to point a camera at a certain event and show us and on this level the movie works as a documentary but at the same time it makes the subject matter come off rather dry and lifeless. We get many great scenes including the firemen trying to cook and eat before the next call comes in but there's no energy behind the scene. Another good scene shows us how the calls come in and how the addresses are found but again, it comes off mostly dry.

This episode of MGM's "Theatre of Life" documentary series goes behind-the-scenes at a Los Angeles Fire Department. The focus is on telling viewers how to prevent house fires. A fire occurs every 75 seconds. We learn how well-trained firemen are, and see them get dressed while answering calls. The opening fire is caused by someone smoking in bed. Fires are caused by human carelessness with smoking and matches. Other causes include misused electrical outlets. "Sometimes I think women do not understand electricity," is what a fireman thinks when he finds a woman's wet stockings hanging on an extension cord. Good footage.

***** Going to Blazes! (1948) Herbert Morgan : Gunther von Fritsch

Apparently there is a call to a fire station every other minute in the United States, causing over 10,000 deaths a year and $600 millions in damage. Over twenty thousand fires occur in Los Angeles alone and that's where this short documentary takes us, as we follow the fire crews attending everything from a cigarette-burned mattress to a 400-pupil wooden school now little more than kindling. We learn a little of the hectic nature of their jobs, their unpredictable eating habits and of their attempts to warn Joe or Jean public of the dangers of hoarding or overloading power sockets or leaving the wet laundry on a power extension. This latter element does rather presuppose that it's the housewife that's to blame, but I suppose that's how the filmmakers perceived LA life in 1948 and though it is a bit cringemaking to watch now, it still makes a valid point about carelessness causing conflagrations. It's a job that requires preparation, co-ordination and courage and if you can overlook the stereotyping, it's an interesting look at how emergency services coped in days when fire towers, maps and index cards were crucial tools.

This was justifiably nominated for an Oscar as a two reel short about fire fighting in Los Angeles. I found it to be both entertaining and most informative about techniques and locating fires in a huge metropolitan area. It also revealed how much work was needed to find the locations of the fire site to prevent a fire maelstrom. Even mundane things like hanging hoses up to dry for proper maintenance, statistics cited just how dependent society is on fire fighters and proper cleaning of residence to prevent fire issues. Now, it is a historical record of the techniques but many of the practices are the same. It is WELL WORTH the time to view this short despite the time frame being in 1947-48.

As a Fire Officer and Instructor, this could still be a useful tool in the Fire Service. It has value in basic Recruit Academies. It could also be used as a guide for developing modern PSAs for the public. I must find a copy of it!