Stories from the UN Archive: Hollywood greats campaign against malaria and polio

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Publicity photo of Frank Sinatra recording at Capitol Studios.
  • UN News

Frank Sinatra and Edward G. Robinson were two of the 20th century’s biggest stars of the stage and screen, and when it came to the World Health Organization’s campaign to tackle two of the biggest killers of the post-war era, they answered the call.

Frank Sinatra and Edward G. Robinson were two of the 20th century’s biggest stars of the stage and screen, and when it came to the World Health Organization’s campaign to tackle two of the biggest killers of the post-war era, they answered the call.

Following the International Day of Epidemic Preparedness, marked annually on 27 December, we took a look at how two renowned actors helped the UN health agency in 1959.

A singing legend, Mr. Sinatra lent his golden voice to WHO for a UN Radio story, telling the tale of two victims of polio in Indonesia, and Hollywood great Mr. Robinson went in search of the “murderess” malaria in northern Lebanon and beyond.

© UNICEF/Washington Sigu
A health worker in Kenya holds vials of malaria vaccine to be administered at a vaccination campaign.

Listen to UN Radio shows featuring Mr. Sinatra here and by Mr. Robinson here, part of our #ThrowbackThursday series showcasing epic moments across the UN’s past, cultivated from the UN Audiovisual Library’s 49,400 hours of video and 18,000 hours of audio recordings.

Catch up on our series here, and watch UN Video’s Stories from the UN Archive playlist here. Join us next Thursday for another dive into history.

UNICEF/Bagla
A worker sprays insecticide on the surfaces of a shelter to control the spread of mosquitoes and mitigate the risk of malaria.

© UN News (2023) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: UN News

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