carters-11 "Hemo the Magnificent" is a wonderful educational film by Frank Capra and underwritten by the Bell corporation. Though it debuted on TV in March, 1957, my elementary school used it throughout the 1970s. Hemo combined animation with live action to tell the amazing story of the Heart and Blood Circulation in a delightfully entertaining way. The information and look of the film is dated, but it is still informative. The film stars Dr. Frank Baxter, Ph.D., and Richard Carlson. It also includes an appearance by Sterling Holloway best known as the voice of Winnie the Pooh. Hemo is also an interesting avenue of Frank Capra's body of work. Best known for "It's a Wonderful Life", Capra also did documentaries during the World War II era--i.e. "Why We Fight" series. Although Capra had done documentaries before, this is a departure from his past work in that this was about science, made for TV and targeted for children. When I completed my Ph.D. my brother sent me a copy on DVD. Now my children watch and enjoy it much the way I did 35+ years ago.

leo_ora Ah, yes Mr. Greer showed us this film among other interesting projects. Oh to be a kid watching Nemo in 1969 with all the turmoil in American society raging around us. We were oblivious.The only thing I remember, when I started Kindergarten in 1966, all dads had crew cuts, white short sleeve shirts, narrow ties and no facial hair. Moms wore dresses and fake pearls and looked like characters in Perry Mason episodes.By 1969 there were all these young guys with long hair and beards... I think I saw Jesus like 10 times. Hippie chicks were really nice, though. Most of the Perry Mason mom types scarred us in the grocery stores trying to buy candy."Good little boys don't act that way!!" Always yelling at us like school teachers. Hippie chicks would come up and talk to us like we were people. I still have a thing for flower print skirts and skimpy tops to this day.Okay its obvious I grew up in California... It was a great film and I remember the great Richard Carlson from "It Came From Outer Space" and Dr. Baxter was super cool too.Mr. Greer gave us a test on the heart ventricles and all that afterward. Dang Mr. Greer...

Ron Oliver A Frank Capra WONDERS OF LIFE film.Keeping the blood pumping through our veins is the responsibility of hardworking HEMO THE Magnificent.In the mid-1950's, AT&T and Bell Science teamed with famed Hollywood director Frank Capra to produce a series of CBS television science films to educate the public about the Universe around them. A far cry from the dreary black & white fodder so often foisted off on young scholars, the Capra films would both instruct and entertain with lively scripts and eye-catching visuals shown in Technicolor. The four films - OUR MR. SUN (1956), THE STRANGE CASE OF THE COSMIC RAYS (1957), HEMO THE MAGNIFICENT (1957), THE UNCHAINED GODDESS (1958) - quickly became schoolhouse favorites, where they were endlessly shown in 16mm format.The star of the series was Dr. Frank C. Baxter (1896-1982), an affable English professor at the University of Southern California. This avuncular pedagogue proved to be the perfect film instructor, genially imparting to his audience the sometimes complex facts in a manner which never made them seem dull or boring. Dr. Baxter, who won a Peabody Award for his achievements, continued making high quality instructional films after the Capra quartet were concluded.HEMO THE Magnificent, which was produced, written & directed by Capra, relates the story of the human heart and blood circulation system, using animation and gentle humor. Film star Richard Carlson appears as the Fiction Writer, energetically helping Dr. Baxter tell Hemo's tale.Movie mavens will recognize Sterling Holloway as part of the TV production crew, and the voices of Marvin Miller, Mel Blanc, June Foray & Pinto Colvig as various cartoon characters, all uncredited.The devotional Scripture which begins the film is completely in tune with the tenor & tone of the production.

littlemurph I watched this video in my Anatomy class and I was completely blown away!I thought the animation was funny and I learned so much more than I would have if I just read from the textbook! Being aimed toward kids, it broke everything down (obviously so kids could understand)but even so, it is tremendously helpful when you are trying to learn about the systems of the body, the circulatory system in particular!