https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/e5d6047c-51ea-43c8-9dd5-ec12468554ab Want to support this channel and help us preserve old films? Visit https://www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Browse our products on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2YILTSD Produced by the Forest Service in 1952, this short film tells the story of Smokey the Bear, the iconic U.S. Forest Service’s iconic representative for wildfire prevention. Despite the common belief that Smokey was named after a burned orphan bear cub, the opposite it actually true. During WWII, the Forest Service began a public information campaign, to try to prevent wildfires. The 1942 campaign featured Disney characters from the film Bambi, but the characters were only allowed to be used for one year. A new symbol was needed, and a bear character chosen featuring the name Smokey. This was adopted from “Smokey” Joe Martin, a famous NYFD firefighter who suffered severe burns in a heroic 1922 rescue. In 1950, a 3-month-old black bear cub with burned paws and hind legs was discovered in New Mexico in the wake of the Capitan fire. The cub initially was named Hotfoot Teddy by rescuers, but he was later renamed Smokey after the iconic bear of the advertising campaign. The Wartime Advertising Council (later the Ad Council) coined the famous Smokey slogan: "Remember ... only YOU can prevent forest fires." This film begins with a brief PSA featuring an animated Smokey, before showcasing Eddy Arnold performing a song written by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins, "Smokey the Bear". Some of the lyrics include: "Smokey the Bear, Smokey the Bear, Prowlin’ and a-growlin’ and a-sniffin’ the air. He can find a fire before it starts to flame, That’s why they call him Smokey." Arnold's audience includes Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. At 5:13, another PSA includes a special plea for smokers, asking them to snuff cigarettes and matches, and at 5:58, another PSA reminds viewers that only 10% of forest fires are naturally caused, with the rest being caused by humans. At 6:50, another PSA shows proper methods of burning trash and brush. Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. We collect, scan and preserve 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies -- including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have films you'd like to have scanned or donate to Periscope Film, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us via the link below. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvaThdhoHTA Mirrored from Periscope Film (https://www.youtube.com/@PeriscopeFilm) Thu, 11 Jun 2026 06:25:20 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://peertube.dngr.us https://peertube.dngr.us/lazy-static/avatars/41a6fee9-7f57-42d0-a5fc-5db4f1af2e31.png https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/e5d6047c-51ea-43c8-9dd5-ec12468554ab All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://peertube.dngr.us/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.