Bell Labs produced a series of science films starting in 1955. Over the next ten years they would make nine films:
Our Mr. Sun (about solar energy)
Hemo the Magnificent (about blood)
The Strange Case of the Cosmic Rays (about radiation)
Meteora: The Unchained Goddess (about weather)
Gateways to the Mind (about the five senses)
The Alphabet Conspiracy (about the history of language)
Thread of Life (about DNA)
About Time
The Restless Sea
These animated films were shown on television in the 1950's at 10pm - they were actually meant for adults, but they were later distributed to school districts for use in Science Education.
All but the last film were hosted by Dr. Research, played by Dr. Frank Baxter a smart looking bald fellow with geek-chic horn-rim glasses. He was actually a retired University of Southern California Literature Professor, but his screen presence and ability to convey ideas in understandable chunks made him the perfect host for the series.
The first three films were directed by Frank Capra, the creator of It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street. They are remarkable now in that they are pretty heavy handed with the pro-capitalist patriotic Christian propaganda, mixed with science - making them outdated and quaint - and the best in the series.
The last film, The Restless Sea was co-produced with the Walt Disney Corporation. They dropped Dr. Research in favor of Old Walt himself. Damn them to hell.
When scientific discoveries progressed beyond what the films conveyed, they were still shown at recess on rainy days - they were THAT entertaining.