Portland Pipe Line Corporation Collection

SummaryCollection contains two sponsored films, "The Story of the Portland to Montreal Pipeline" and "Short Cut to Montreal," as well as the unedited production materials used to make these films. The Portland-Montreal Pipe Line opened in 1941 to carry crude oil from the waterfront in South Portland, Maine, to refineries in Montreal, Quebec. The Gorham to Montreal section was constructed by Williams Bros. Corp., Tulsa, OK. Photographed and edited by Paul le Bel. The works describe construction of the first and second oil pipelines between Portland and Montreal. Included are detailed scenes of surveying, construction and oil transport activities, and shots of American and Canadian politicians and oil industry executives. The collection also includes film of the tanker Imperial Alberta docking in South Portland Harbor.

Biographical/Historical NotesThe Portland Pipe Line, a 236-mile underground pipe between South Portland, Maine, and Montreal, Quebec, was laid in 1941 under an emergency schedule to aid the delivery of oil to Canada during World War II. A second pipeline was completed in 1950, and a third in 1965. The films in this collection were sponsored by the Portland Pipe Line Corporation and the Montreal Pipe Line Company, Ltd. Station WCSH-TV is an NBC affiliate operating from Portland.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and UseAuthorization to reuse and/or reproduce must be obtained from Northeast Historic Film. See http://oldfilm.org/content/stock-footage-licensing for more information.