JC10034 ” WHAT COLOR ARE YOU? ” 1967 RACE, ETHNICITY & SKIN TONE SOCIAL GUIDANCE EDUCATIONAL FILM

Disclaimer for viewers: this is an outdated educational film. It includes some politically incorrect and potentially offensive wordage for viewers. It depicts different races and speculates where they come from labeling them into three groups. These are identified as brown, white and yellow referring to those whom have brown pigment in their skin, those of Asian descent and those of a Caucasian skin tone respectively. The film was presented by Encyclopedia Britannica Corporation (:17).

The opening setting is at the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, Illinois. The first few animals shown in montage are a Red and Green McCaw parrot (:20), two toucan birds (:23), an elephant (:24), a giraffe (:36), zebra (:39), a hippo (:43), tiger (:45), and a polar bear (:50). Students are seen crowding around an animal pen (:58) prior to the title screen (1:10). Within the pen, two polar bears stand up (1:17). A flamingo (1:51) appears just before children visit a parrot (1:58). The film then switches to black and white footage to symbolize how much harder it would be to identify the animals if they were not in color (2:07). The various shades and species of birds is compared to the various shades of humans (2:39). The film pans around to show the variety of people and heritages at the zoo (2:43). Here is where the film notes at the time, scientists were dividing people into three different groups and the colors are pointed to (2:51). Three boys take to a small train ride which moves them around the park (3:41). Rides at a carnival are filmed (3:51) including a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster (4:02). The film then shows an amination of a sperm heading to an egg (5:30) and how skin tone is derived from genes. The same three boys from earlier play in a fun house mirror (6:42). The African Oryx (6:53) is compared to the zebra (6:57). These two animals, though similar cannot mate and this is also true of Dromedary and the Bactrian camel (7:09). A walrus and seal swim through waters together (7:28) as another example of animals which are similar though cannot mate. Humans, however, regardless of their appearance or heritage can mate and produce offspring (7:39). A father and son peer into the pen of the white wolf’s pen (8:08). Two young boys search for this son at the wolf’s pen (8:30) and as they approach, they question why this wolf is white while most are grey. The narrator explains that this trait, in addition to the trait that makes a silver fox (9:08) versus a red fox (9:13), is simply a mutation that occurred over time at random. Dolphins jump in and out of the water for tourists’ delight (9:24). The dolphin was thought to have once lived on land and by certain gene mutations, traded its limbs for flippers (9:54). The early history of man is depicted through diagram showing the first known humans came from Africa (10:52) and likely had more pigment in their skin tones in order to adapt to life in a jungle environment (11:06). From here, human population spread to Asia and Europe and more mutations occurred over time (11:17). In European areas, a lighter skin tone was adapted in order to allow the sun’s rays to penetrate through the skin (11:38). Early humans from the Asiatic race likely crossed Beringia (12:30) and later broke into Native Americans, Eskimos and Latino (12:37). As the mutations have remained regardless of where humans live and travel today, it is noted this is more than likely due to humans learning to adapt the environment to themselves (13:31). The film concludes as the young boys head up to a train station and board one of the trains (14:01). The film was set in the Brookfield Zoo and Riverview Park, Illinois (14:50