This Mechanical Age

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title: "This Mechanical Age" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1954-films", "1954-short-documentary-films", "american-short-documentary-films", "live-action-short-film-academy-award-winners", "american-black-and-white-films", "warner-bros.-short-films", "documentary-films-about-aviation", "history-of-aviation", "films-directed-by-robert-youngson", "1950s-english-language-films", "1954-american-films", "english-language-short-documentary-films"] description: "1954 film" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Mechanical_Age" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1954 film ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox film"]

Field	Value
image	This_Mechanical_Age_film_Opening_titles_(1954).jpg
director	Robert Youngson
producer	Robert Youngson
writer	Robert Youngson
starring	{{Plain list
editing	Albert Helms
distributor	Warner Bros.
released
runtime	10 minutes
country	United States
language	English
::

| name = | image = This_Mechanical_Age_film_Opening_titles_(1954).jpg | caption = | director = Robert Youngson | producer = Robert Youngson | writer = Robert Youngson | starring = {{Plain list|

• Dwight Weist
• Ward WIlson | narrator = | cinematography = | editing = Albert Helms | distributor = Warner Bros. | released = | runtime = 10 minutes | country = United States | language = English

This Mechanical Age is a 1954 American short documentary film about the early days of aviation, directed, written and produced by Robert Youngson.

Synopsis

The film uses newsreel footage to tell the story of man's attempts to fly, from early failed attempts to mimic the flying mechanisms of birds, through more conventional approaches including the Wright Brothers, to helicopters and gliders.

Cast

• Dwight Weist as narrator
• Ward WIlson as narrator

Reception

Kine Weekly wrote: "Winner of this year's Academy Award in its class, this is a fascinating exhumation of newsreel items showing the early hopeful modern pioneers of flying, with their fantastic machines and invariable futility. Amusingly depicted, it is commentated with snappy sarcasm – though the same gibes were directed at the Wright Brothers themselves. Free from horror, this is a sure-fire item for any Showman."

Accolades

In 1955, the film won an Oscar for Best Short Subject (One-Reel) at the 27th Academy Awards.

References

References

1. "This Mechanical Age".
2. (12 May 1955). "This Mechanical Age".
3. "The 27th Academy Awards (1955) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org.

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