“ THE MAGIC OF FLUORESCENCE ” 1940s GENERAL ELECTRIC FLUORESCENT LIGHTBULB PROMO FILM 49244

Released in 1945 by General Electric to promote the adoption of fluorescent lamps, "The Magic of Fluorescence" presents a short historical background of man's conquest over darkness, from the first time prehistoric man brought the flaming fagot into his cave, through the development of the taper, the candle, the kerosene lamp, gas, the incandescent bulb and finally the development of the fluorescent tube. The film shows how fluorescent lights (first introduced in 1938) are manufactured. The film combines live action and animation to show how fluorescent lights are manufactured, tested and packed, and shows how the lamp works in showing the role of electrons in the lighting device. The film was directed by Raphael G. Wolff with Frank Hemingway as narrator, and distributed by General Electric.

“The Magic of Fluorescence” title banner and credits (00:07). Fluorescent materials (00:15). Italian cobbler-alchemist Vicenzo Cascariolo, who discovered glowing ferrite in Bologna, Italy (00:37). A fluorescent linear light bulb (00:54). A fire (01:03). A caveman using a torch (01:14). An oil lamp (01:30). Candles (01:41). A chimney lamp (01:52). A gas lamp (02:13). A chandelier (02:19). An incandescent electric light devised by Thomas Edison in 1879 (02:30). A carbon lamp (02:47). A tungsten lamp (02:51). A gas filled lamp (02:54). Nela Park, headquarters of GE Lighting (03:08). A GE laboratory (03:16). Tests performed in the GE Lighting laboratory (03:22). Illustrations showing a fluorescent linear light bulb (04:02). An incandescent electric light and a fluorescent linear light bulb (04:11). A shining sun over a desert landscape (04:22). The spectrum of light from ‘ultraviolet’ to ‘infrared’ (04:38). An illustration explaining how electrons are employed in fluorescent lamps (05:16). Views of the electrode which alternates as a cathode and an anode (05:36). Mercury and the fluorescent phosphor material in the bulb (05:50). The heating of the electrode wire through electrical current is explained (06:01). An Illustration of how the heat boils out electrons (06:15) and the process when the electrons make contact with the argon and mercury in the light bulb (06:49). The mercury vaporizes (07:23). The mercury atoms are hit by electrons and converted to radiation (07:32). This radiation strikes the phosphor and is transformed into visible light (08:05). Synthetic phosphorus is developed in a laboratory (08:15). Various synthetic phosphorus (08:24). Colored fluorescent lights (08:42). A woman holds a fluorescent linear light bulb (08:54). Illustrated globes (09:05). Jars of dolomite, arsenic, chromium, magnesium, etc. (09:16). A woman holds a fluorescent linear light bulb (09:29). An illustration of a fluorescent linear light bulb and the inner mechanics (09:42). “Precision control” text overlay (10:15). The process of manufacturing and quality ensuring fluorescent linear light bulbs is displayed (10:28). The size and color is imprinted with ink (10:31). A phosphor coating is applied inside the tube (10:47). The coating is heat dried and inspected using a reflectometer (11:08). The exhaust tube, glass flare, and lead wires are assembled (11:31). The tubes go through a sealing machine (11:42). Air is exhausted from the tubes (12:14). An illustration of the heat facilities in the air exhaustion machine (12:29). The tube used to exhaust the air is sealed (13:08). The electrons are hermetically isolated (13:20). The base is sealed to the tube’s end with special cement (13:26). The lead wires are cut and soldered to the pins (13:42). The assembled light bulbs are inspected and tested (13:58). The bulbs are stabilized (14:07). The bulbs are operated under extreme conditions (14:17). The bulbs are packed for shipment to an outside concern for final inspections (14:39). Views of tests performed on the bulbs (15:37). An electric plant (16:01). Illustrations of food items (16:16). Views of tests performed on the bulbs (16:34). A graph explaining the cost against the efficiency of light (16:48). Private and public spaces using fluorescent lamps (17:14). Nature (17:33). Light bulbs (17:42). Credits (17:54).

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