This 1960s color film includes 1930s black and white footage on the design, fabrication, construction, and opening of the Golden Gate bridge. It was presented by Bethlehem Steel. The film begins with a bird’s eye view of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. A statue of Joseph Straus, chief engineer, is panned up. The bridge is shown from afar (0:11-1:20). A vintage illustration shows the topography and side-view of the bridge’s construction (1:21-3:57). Black and white footage prior to the bridge’s construction began in 1933 shows the Bethlehem Steel Companies’ factories, including the massive steel trusses in fabrication, parts being transported by train and boat, and cranes lifting sections for transport (3:58-4:47). Workers pour and plane the concrete on a yet-unfinished tower (4:48-6:21). A vintage color illustration shows the measurements and basic layout of a tower (6:22-6:59). Photos of workmen craning and measuring parts are shown. A crane moves a large piece of steel to the tower off a boat (7:00-8:22). Crane workers move large pieces of steel into the base of the bridge (8:23-9:35). A photograph of the first diagonal brace is shown, and the traveler – the crane system used to build the sections – is raised (9:36-10:32). Workers weld rivets on scaffolding, movable platforms, and elevators, shown being raised up and down the bridge (10:33-11:54). Ariel footage is shown of the towers during construction, and the final part of the north tower is craned into place (11:55-13:43). Photos show the progression of construction for the San Francisco tower (13:44-15:30). Workmen use automatically-turning spinning carriages to “stitch” the north and south shores together with 80,000 miles of wire (13:44-16:28). The finished cable bundles are shown, and those bundles are wrapped with galvanized wire (16:29-17:05). A vintage illustration shows the basic anatomy of the road span (17:06-18:50). Massive worker safety nets (credited with saving lives) are raised into place, with workers moving around them (19:02-20:00
