Field Guide to Sponsored Films - National Film Preservation ...

The Doctor in Industry
not registered; Richard Rutter, “New Attitudes Made to Order,” NYT, Dec. 31, 1955, 19; “Industry’s Shortest
‘Attitude’ Film Packs Champion’s Punch,” Bus Scrn 18, no. 8 (1957): 38. HOLDINGS: Not reported.
Unusual training film produced for airline customer service personnel. The entire action of
this potent short takes place in a telephone booth, where the caller displays increasing frustration
as he deals with the telephone reservations clerk. Dial S for Service was praised for its
laconic minimalism.
118. THE DOCTOR IN INDUSTRY: THE STORY OF KENNETH W. RANDALL, M.D.
(1946, sound, 55 min, b&w, 35mm)
SPONSOR: General Motors Corp. PRODUCTION CO.: Jam Handy Organization. DIRECTOR: Haford Kerbawy. WRITER:
Gordon H. Miller. CAST: William Post Jr., Nell O’Day, Frank Thomas, Thomas Hume. RESOURCES: Copyright
25Apr46 MU496; “Doctor in Industry: General Motors Dramatizes Story of Industrial Medicine,” Bus Scrn 7,
no. 7 (1946): 25; “Better Living,” 153–55, 268. HOLDINGS: LC/Prelinger, NLM.
General Motors drama produced to demonstrate the corporate interest in occupational health
and safety. The Doctor in Industry traces the career of an industrial medicine specialist, from
his early service as a physician helping injured factory workers and soldiers to his work as
medical director for the automaker. In following his development, the film shows GM’s
provisions for employee medical care and its proactive role in advancing workplace safety.
NOTE: Also distributed in 16mm. Viewable online at Internet Archive, www.archive.org/details/Doctorin1946.
119. DOWN THE GASOLINE TRAIL (1935, sound, 8 min, b&w, 35mm)
SPONSOR: Chevrolet Motor Co. PRODUCTION CO.: Jam Handy Organization. RESOURCES: Copyright 21Mar36 and
23Mar36 MU6294; Steven Heller, “Ephemeral Films: The Prelinger Collection,” Print 42 (Mar.–Apr. 1988): 126.
HOLDINGS: LC/Prelinger, MacDonald.
Theatrical cartoon showing the odyssey of a gasoline drop from its entry into a Chevrolet’s
fuel tank to its explosive end in the engine cylinder. Down the Gasoline Trail uses humor
to leaven the technical explanation of how a fuel system works. NOTE: Released as part of
Chevrolet’s Direct Mass Selling series. The cartoon was broadcast from NBC’s New York City
experimental television station in October 1939. Viewable online at Internet Archive,
www.archive.org/details/DowntheG1935.
120. THE DYNAMIC AMERICAN CITY (1956, sound, 14 min, color, 16mm)
SPONSOR: Chamber of Commerce of the United States. PRODUCER: Frederic J. Baskaw. RESOURCES: Copyright
not registered. HOLDINGS: LC/Prelinger.
Film promoting urban renewal as a means of stimulating business activity in American cities.
The Dynamic American City illustrates the stages of the redevelopment process, from the demolition
of decaying neighborhoods to their revival. In contrasting the old with the new, the
film argues for the aggressive replacement of aging structures. NOTE: Produced in Kodachrome.
Viewable online at Internet Archive, www.archive.org/details/DynamicA1956.
121. EASTIN FILM PRESENTS (1940, sound, 16 min, b&w, 16mm)
SPONSOR: Eastin 16mm Pictures. PRODUCTION CO.: Unknown. RESOURCES: Copyright not registered; EFC
(1940–41), 146. HOLDINGS: Not reported.
Advertising film showing the workings of the well-known film distribution company headquartered
in Davenport, Iowa. Eastin Film Presents illustrates the back office operations that
made nontheatrical motion picture distribution possible, from film inspection and storage
to bookkeeping and customer service.
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