This 1950s industrial film presented by Dresser Industries promotes the manufacture and sale of drilling mud by the Magnet Cove Barium Corporation, a Dresser subsidiary. Drilling mud, or drilling fluid, is used in oil and gas drilling to cool and lubricate the drill bit, bring rock cuttings to the surface, and prevent the escape of flammable gases that could cause a blowout. Dresser Industries was a multinational company that primarily provided equipment and services for oil and gas exploration, drilling, production, and refining. It merged with Halliburton in 1998. The company separated three years later, after which it was acquired by General Electric. Robert Yarnall Richie, who produced and directed this film, was a freelance industrial photographer and filmmaker who worked with various large corporations in Texas and around the globe.