Ray Eames

The Fabulous Fifties, CBS, combines style, humor, and imagination. It was rich in touches of quality showmanship and equally rich in the memories of a decade which it revived. In recognition, the Peabody Television Award for entertainment is presented to The Fabulous Fifties, with a special word of praise for producer Leland Hayward and the top talent which appeared in this memorable entertainment special*. *The two-hour special featured comic takes and commentary about the previous decade by, among others, Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews, Mike Nichols and Elaine May, Dick Van Dyke, Shelley Berman, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Jackie Gleason, Eric Severeid and Henry Fonda.

Interviews with the junior designers swept into the 24-7 world of "The Eamery" are the heart of this complex picture of a husband-and-wife creative team that define the era of Mid-Century Modernism. Narrated by James Franco, the film draws from a trove of archival material, primarily the stunning films and photographs produced in mind-boggling volume by Charles, Ray, and their staff during the hyper-creative forty years of the Eames Office.

A scientific film essay, narrated by Phil Morrison. A set of pictures of two picnickers in a park, with the area of each frame one-tenth the size of the one before. Starting from a view of the entire known universe, the camera gradually zooms in until we are viewing the subatomic particles on a man's hand.

The Greek mathematician Eratosthenes estimates the circumference of the earth.

Created as a demonstration of multi-disciplinary thinking, this film was produced in association with UCLA Mathematics professor, Ray Redheffer. With the exclusive use of storytelling through animation this lively and exuberant presentation of the “architecture of algebra,” the film explains the behavior of specific exponents and concludes with the general laws that all exponential expressions obey – all achieved without the use of narration. Council on International Non-Theatrical Events (C.I.N.E.) Gold Eagle Award, 1975. Columbus International Film Festival Bronze Chris Plaque Award-C, 1975. New York International Animation Festival Bronze Praexinoscope Award, 1975. Melbourne Film Festival Selected for Participation, 1976.

The life and work of the astronomer Nicolas Copernicus are shown by means of images of his writings and drawings and places he was associated with.

The movie "Clown Face" offers a very rare glimpse into the backstage private world of Circus Clowns. Here, you can look behind the curtain. You will see the clowns in their backstage habitat, Clown Alley, preparing for a circus performance

The short film uses a variety of familiar examples that have the feedback principle in common to present a broad view of the phenomena present in control mechanisms and social situations.

An early attempt to present communications theory, made to encourage the breaking down of barriers of thinking between disciplines and to discourage thinking of communications in a limited way. Music composed by Elmer Bernstein.

Atlas gives the viewer an overview of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. Beginning in 500 BC, a time clock at the bottom of the screen marks off the years – eight to a second – as the boundaries on the animated map change, showing both the growth including the conquests of Alexander the Great, as well as the decrease as the power of the Romans declined. The film concludes with the invasion of the Huns and the sack of Rome in 476 AD. Music by David Spears.

Short animated film commissioned by IBM - to illustrate Camille Jordan's concept of topology - the fact that a simple closed curve divides a plane into an inside and an outside.

An interesting look at the world of toy trains, shot from the perspective of the little world itself. Originally created for model train enthusiasts, this short film transcends it's intended audience to delight viewers of all ages and interests!

Symmetry is one of five shorts featured in the film "Mathematical Peep Shows." The collection was made by Charles and Ray Eames for the IBM Mathematica Exhibit which opened in 1961. The degree to which an object is symmetrical is illustrated by the number of different positions in which it can fit into a box of its shape.

From hardware to software, the basics of then-current computing technology is explained.

A live action pageant of mechanical toys, animals, puppets, cars, lead soldiers, and dolls—all set in motion. Toy buildings and photographic or painted images of city streets serve as backdrops. Festive elements from circuses, carnivals, and holiday parades are combined into an exuberant procession set to the music of John Philip Sousa. As the film ends, and the last puppet looks up at the sky, a red balloon drifts upward and the music fades out. 
Edinburgh International Film Festival award winner, 1954.

2ⁿ is a story about the exponential growth of numbers raised to powers. Part of the Mathematica Peep Shows, one of five films made to accompany the Mathematica: A World of Numbers and Beyond exhibition at the California Museum of Science and Industry and the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Featuring narration by Walter Cronkite.

Charles and Ray produced this film for IBM’s pavilion at the 1958 Brussels World’s Fair. The Information Machine was the first completely animated project produced by the Eames Office. Intended as an introduction to the electronic computer, the film depicts the computer as the culmination of the tools and systems we have created over the centuries to process information. It also explores how humans solved problems both before and after this technology was invented. The Information Machine is ultimately the story of our continual need to process and communicate larger and more complex amounts of data, and how we learn to manipulate abstractions with increasing sophistication and skill.

Using live-action footage, animation, and still photography of a scale model, this film presents the Eames unique multimedia concept for making the museum’s resources more accessible via a central information center and guide to the myriad collections and galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.


Various kinds of tops are shown spinning.