1960 Oil & Petroleum Propaganda & the Effects of Drilling

Progress Parade is a petroleum "newsreel" that really is just a promotional video for the oil industry. The film is unintentionally uproarious, however, as the advancements in crude oil refining, oil use, and oil production are often frightening! A University of Louisiana study investigating the effects of nearby oil-drilling on the oyster population takes a ridiculous approach: tanks of oysters are shown in the lab, being doused with oil, and tested. Hilariously, the research concludes that oil and drilling explosions have no effect on the oysters, proving that the petroleum industry is a “good neighbor” to the oyster fisherman! Many other scenes of oil application are examined, always with the result that petroleum and petroleum products are a boon to mankind. A great piece of the history of petroleum, Progress Parade is a beautiful example of oil and energy propaganda in the United States.