British Universities Film & Video Council

moving image and sound, knowledge and access

History of Advertising, The - Animation 1940 - 1950

Synopsis
While today even cigarette billboards generate controversy, in the 1940s it was common to see ads for tobacco on television and in the movies. This DVD contains some of the best cigarette advertising ever created for Lucky Strike. By the 1940s studios had finally mastered the art of hand drawn animation and this DVD contains some fine examples.
Language
English
Country
United States
Year of release
2005
Year of production
1940-1950
Subjects
Media studies
Keywords
advertising; animation films; smoking; United States of America

Distribution Formats

Type
DVD
Format
Region 0
Price
£14.99
Availability
Sale
Duration/Size
62 minutes
Year
2005

Sections

Title
Something for nothing
Synopsis
This classic Chevrolet advertisement from the Jam Handy production house uses Rube Goldberg to prove that we can’t get something for nothing. In other words, they tell us, to get power out of an engine, you have to put fuel in. However, modern engines are designed to conserve fuel and deliver full power on every stroke. Goldberg uses animation to explain how fuel is converted to power in the modern automobile engine. Producer: Jam Handy Organization; Sponsor: Chevrolet Motor Company; 1940, b&w.
Duration
9 mins

Title
Drawing Account
Synopsis
This clip is a behind the scenes look at a 1940s animation studio, showing the making of a Chevrolet advertising cartoon. Shows how an animated cartoon is made and what goes on behind the scenes in a modern studio. We are treated to the sight of an animator making a drawing of an automobile engine come to life. Demonstrates how much work went into a single cartoon. Producer: Jam Handy Organization; Sponsor: Chevrolet Division, GM Corp; 1941, b&w
Duration
9 mins

Title
Just Imagine
Synopsis
How complex telephones were in the 1940s. In this AT&T clip, animated character Tommy Telephone materialises out of a telephone company advertisement to produce a telephone by magic. He puts paper slips marked with names of raw materials into a hopper and grinds out 433 telephone parts. Producer: Jam Handy Organization
Sponsor: AT&T; 1947, b&w.
Duration
10 mins

Title
Adventures of Junior Raindrop, The
Synopsis
In the 1940s even the government was making classic animated advertisements. In this clip a delinquent raindrop explains the need for good watershed managementand shows how everyone can help. The animation is supplemented with live action scenes contrasting results of poor and good watershed management. Producer: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service; Sponsor: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service; 1948, colour.
Duration
7 mins

Title
Lucky Strike Marching
Synopsis
This Lucky Strike cigarette commercial demonstrates the effects of war on the national consciousness. It used stop-motion animation to show cigarettes marching like proud American soldiers. Beyond the historical significance of screening cigarette ads, the commercial itself is interesting in that it would have taken an enormous amount of time and effort to do the animation for this 1 minute advertisement. Producer: Jam Handy Organization; Sponsor: American Tobacco Company; 1948, b&w.
Duration
1 mins

Title
Lucky Strike Dancing
Synopsis
Another classic Lucky Strike ad, featuring stop-motion animation of square-dancing cigarettes. The square dancing cigarettes, the INSANE jingle and the whole production level are truly amazing. Producer: Jam Handy Organization; Sponsor: American Tobacco Company; 1948, b&w.
Duration
1 mins

Title
Going Places
Synopsis
This Harding College animated short defines the profit motive and dramatises the part it has played in the economic development of America. It stars Freddie Fudsie, a lazy soap maker, who just wants to go fishing. He invents bar soap, makes some money, and is about to retire in peace and quiet when the sexy female Profit Motive walks by and Freddie, who suddenly needs more money to win her affection, never sees a fishing hole again. Producer: Sutherland Productions, Inc.; Sponsor: Harding College; 1948, colour.
Duration
9 mins

Title
Meet Joe King
Synopsis
Another Harding College film, this theatrical cartoon was produced to create a deeper understanding of what made America the finest place in the world to live. Joe, who wears overalls and talks with a pseudo-Brooklyn accent, is king of the workers of the world because the machinery in his factory multiplies strength and efficiency. This is part of the American way of doing things, the narrator tells us. Producer: Sutherland Productions, Inc.; Sponsor: Harding College; 1949, colour.
Duration
10 mins

Title
Why play Leap Frog
Synopsis
This is a third Harding College Cold war-era cartoon aimed at convincing workers that increased productivity brings about greater purchasing power. This sharp-looking cartoon is animated by John Sutherland Productions. Joe works at the Dilly-Doll factory as a face painter and is upset because nearly every one of his raises is offset by an increase in the cost of goods. But the narrator explains that labour costs are to blame and Joe quickly learns to use the system to his own benefit. It is a Freedom Foundation award-winner shot in Technicolor. 1949, b&w.
Duration
10 mins

Distributor

Name

a2zcds.com

Email
support@A2ZCDS.com
Web
http://www.a2zcds.com External site opens in new window
Phone
+1 866 254-8579
Fax
+1 954 337-6215
Address
1618 Camerbur Drive
Orlando
Florida
32805
USA
Notes
Tel: or +1 321 251 5253
 

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