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This Emmy award-winning program tells the unforgettable story of ordinary people caught up in a mind-numbing disaster. Told through vivid first-hand accounts and stunning archival footage, Angels Too Soon is also the story of a fire that remains officially unsolved, despite the detailed confession of a 10-year old student in the school.
Above all, it is a story of faith, hope and courage, the day that 92 children became Angels Too Soon.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Recollections of the Our Lady of the Angels School Fire,
By
This review is from: Angels Too Soon: The 1958 Fire at Our Lady of the Angels School (DVD)
This black and white documentary, shown innumerable times on Public Television, at least in Chicago, is now available. It begins with an idyllic 1950's neighborhood, with children playing, family life, etc.
The day of the fire, December 1, 1958, began like any other day. Pictures are shown of smoke coming from the building. Somber church music is played throughout. A man who jumped from his smoke-filled classroom as a boy says that it feels like 45 minutes ago, not 45 years ago. Victor Jacobellis was one of the victims. His parents recounted how they had promised to buy him a bike for Christmas if he pulled through. He had been untouched by the fire and heat. But it was not to be. He eventually succumbed to injuries as a result of hitting his head on the pavement from his three-story jump. Pictures are shown of the shocked neighbors watching the fire, scenes from the hospital, and sights from the morgue. One nun had a delayed traumatic reaction to the fire, and had to be removed from the classroom. Firefighter Kamien cried as he recounted removing the body of a nun. A couple who survived the fire also recount their experiences. They met in the hospital, where each one was convalescing from burns. Public grief changed to anger. "Who was responsible for the safety of our children?" Nuns were accused of leading children in prayer instead of getting them to jump out of windows right away. [The criticism is misplaced. The nuns, and most people, had no concept of the exponential growth of indoor fires. So they had figured, incorrectly, that they and the children had enough time to wait out the fire before the firemen came and rescued them all.] The inquest didn't excuse anybody. "Nobody should have died in that fire." It should have simply been a trash fire. Later, a troubled boy was suspected of arson, but a judge cleared him. For quite a while, coats had the odor of smoke from the fire. Otherwise, attempts were made to forget the fire, except for the annual Masses. Those who went through the fire recognized each other through subtle eye contact. There was a brand-new OLA building completed in 1960. For a long time, it was the only "memorial" to the fire. By the 1970's, most of the people associated with the fire had moved away. Safety measures to prevent a repeat of the disaster was partly implemented or, true to human nature, eventually forgotten.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Preventable Tragedy,
By
This review is from: Angels Too Soon: The 1958 Fire at Our Lady of the Angels School (DVD)
I recently purchased the DVD "Angels Too Soon" and found it to be an in-depth and objective review of a tragedy that never should have happened in the first place. It is heartbreaking to watch but at the end, I felt a great sense of gratitude to the victims. It was also comforting to know that there sacrifice was directly responsible for a radical overhaul of school fire codes nationwide. I was a student in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia school system beginning in 1961 - less than three years after the Our Lady of the Angels school fire. Being the child of a Philadelphia Fire Fighter, I also had a healthy fear of fire. I can still remember the "fire tower stairs" in the oldest (from 1928) of the three buildings that made up our 2-story grade school - cement and steel. Sealed off from each floor by heavy closed doors. Even without sprinkler systems, the chance of a fire causing a loss of life in that setting was remote. A like fire tower would have prevented the OLA tragedy. I sincerely believe that I and hundreds of thousands...millions of American school children who followed, owe the OLA victims a huge debt of gratitude. Their sad and untimely deaths and suffering made our school years safe. Thank you and Rest in Peace!
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