Hi Pat As you know, most of the 50s capitalist propaganda films were works for hire, made to support similar agendas by commercial firms, or cranked out by government sponsored programs (e.g., United States Information Agency). Since these were commercial or "educational" films intended for highly targeted non-commercial audiences, it's unlikely you'd find too many references in trade lit.
Here are some examples (1950-1970) Films produced for Harding College (now Harding University) in Searcy, Arkansas under the imprimatur "National Educational Program" by a commercial firm in Searcy, Arkansas: Fotovox (see http://tinyurl.com/28xhrxv) There's actually a doctoral dissertation on this subject: Persuasive techniques used by the Harding College national education program by Harlem William Ives War we are in: Communism vs. capitalism (Pt. 2, 1962, 24 min.) Dr. George S. Benson, president of Harding College (Arkansas), gives a lecture on Communism. Benson spent time in China during the rise of Communism so he had a unique perspective on the subject. Attempts to "educate" TV viewers about the international communist menace. A Look at Capitalism (1955, 13 min.) The Responsibilities of American Citizenship (1955) America's Distribution of Wealth (1955) Make Mine Freedom (1948) Why Kill the Goose: The Profit System (1955) Story of Enterprise (1955) The Secret of American Production (1955) There's also the following Produced by Coronet Instructional Films, which was an educational film distributor that went out of business in the early 1990s: Capitalism(1948) A group of teenagers on a high-school radio program discuss just what capitalism is, seizing onto the example of the butcher who supplies the weenies for their picnic. With Mickey Hugh (Ray Bennett); Franklyn Ferguson (John Howell). Educational Collaborator: James Harvey Dodd, Ph.D., Head, Department of Economics and Business Administration, Mary Washington College, University of Virginia. An article that may speak, at least, peripherally to corporate sponsored propaganda films Corporate Sponsored Image Films James R. Bennett Journal of Business Ethics Vol. 2, No. 1 (Feb., 1983), pp. 35-41 hope this is useful... gary handman > A colleague of mine who is working for the National Museum of American > History is looking for research tools to aid her quest for films that > dealt > with capitalism in the 1950s. She knows about the Prelinger Archives and > Bonnie Rowan's good book on film research in DC, and National Archives. > But > she is wondering how to learn more about the films themselves and the > terms > under which they were made. So she asked me if there were any trade > publications that people might have used to circulate information about > such > work at the time--sort of a RealScreen or Variety or Advertising Week type > publication. I wondered if anyone might have an idea, and would be > delighted > to take answers on the listserv or at [email protected]. Thank you! > > -- > Pat Aufderheide, University Professor and Director > Center for Social Media, School of Communication > American University > 3201 New Mexico Av. NW, #330 > Washington, DC 20016-8080 > www.centerforsocialmedia.org > [email protected] > 202-643-5356 > > "Intellectuals have an obligation to be as smart as we can possibly be, > but > we have an even greater obligation to be good with the smarts we > possess."--Michael Eric Dyson > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of > issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic > control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in > libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve > as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of > communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video > producers and distributors. > Gary Handman Director Media Resources Center Moffitt Library UC Berkeley 510-643-8566 [email protected] http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC "I have always preferred the reflection of life to life itself." --Francois Truffaut VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
