大象传媒

This programme is part of 大象传媒 Four鈥檚 All American - a collection of 大象传媒 programmes from the archives about US culture. Available online to watch in full.

Packed with personal anecdotes and great storytelling, this programme creates a compelling blend of archive and oral history. The Empire State Building took one year and 45 days to build and was completed not only on time, but also under budget. The anticipated cost had been 43 million dollars, but the actual cost was just a little over half that. Could this happen today? Certainly not, according to the contributors whose testimony brings this story about New York's number one tourist attraction vividly to life.聽

The programme also covers the tragic events of July 1945 when a United States B25 bomber smashed into the 79th floor of the building. That story is told largely through the testimony of a survivor, the pilot's widow, and a reporter who was sent to the scene.

Programmes are selected, in part, for their historical context and reflect the broadcast standards and attitudes of their time, which may not accord to some current 大象传媒 editorial guidelines. We aim to select programmes which can be shown in their entirety but in some cases edits are required.