Business screen magazine (1938)

• What Was in the minds of executives of Macfadden Publications, Inc. when they decided to produce a fihii as the highlight of their exhibit in the Communications Building at the New York World's Fair? Would they dramatize their publishing organization which has over sixteen million magazines come off the presses each month? Would they dramatize the original features of True Story or True Detcrfive Mysteries or the healthbuilding articles of Physical Culture? It happened that the little daughter of Fulton Oursler, editorin-chief of Liberty, came home from school one day and announced that her teacher had taught that there was no truth in magazine advertising, that advertising made products cost more, and that there were no end of frauds perpetrated by the advertising copy writers. Mr. Oursler sat up and gasped. His daughter went on to say that her teacher had read aloud from the guinea pig books, which com pared human beings to guinea pigs, allowing themselves to be experimented on through the wiles and words of the co|)y writers. The result of the little girl's surprising disclosure was a splendid series of articles in Liberty, "The American Way oj Lije" by George Sokolsky, which covered the advertising methods of practically every manufacturer from automobiles to tomato juice, definitely proving that there was no truth to what the teacher said, and giving the "lie" to the guinea pig books. This then, would also be the subject matter of a film which Macfadden Publications would produce as the highlight of their exhibit at the New York World's Fair. And a rather unselfish move it was, too — as it did not sell their product from the presses, it sold the idea of advertising and American business methods to Mr. John Public and family. To manage their exhibit, the publishing house engaged Herbert Crooker. Crooker rolled up his sleeves to tackle the intricacies of the script. ,\nil there were intri cacies. It had to champion advertising, put the guinea pig books in their place, tell an entertaining story, have love interest, and plenty of humor. It had to prove in an entertaining manner that advertising educated people to the better things in life, stimulated business, creating mass production which lowered prices and gave men jobs. It also had to prove — strange as it may seem — that in the final analysis advertising costs the manufacturer nothing, and the consumer nothing. First, Joseph Burton, President of Burton's Buttons, came to life via the typewriter. He came to life as a stubborn, old-fa.shioned party whose business was in a bad way, but who refused to listen to his youngsters' modern ideas. There was his wife, a drab woman who knew little about his business affairs; there were the twins and a little daughter. Sue; and there was Mary, a modern young woman trying her wings in the business world, and admired by Jimmy Harkins, a young advertising agency man. Lo\e interest? Well, Mary loves Jimmy. But Mary contributes to the Burton household funds, so she has to keep on working. Jimmy wants her to quit her job and marry him. What to do — what to do! Well, it's up to Jimmy to wake up the old man, sell him a bill of goods to advertise and stimulate his failing business. Humor? That's where Jimmy's sales talks come in. His eloquence is practically a waste of breath. Burton's stubbornness, his ridiculous replies, his absolute " confusion", are what is known as "surefire" in picture parlance. To illustrate business methods, Jimmy tells Burton how a .soup manufacturer began his business in his own kitchen, but wanting to expand and establish a national product, invested in machinery, then borrowed enough to advertise his soup. Burton's reaction is a rising appetite — "You've made me hungrier than I've been in years. Let's go out and get some cream of tomato soup". Entertainment is the watch word in Jimmy's advertising sales arguments. To illustrate his points, he describes how great industries were born, and how they grew to gigantic pri)])ortions. Included are the orange indu.stry, the canned soup manufacturers, and the automobile industry. The cosmetic industrv is iuli-oduced in a novel manner by having Mrs. Burton inspired to do something about her drab appearance. Visiting a beauty salon for treatment and a new hairdress she emerges with such an amazing transformation that it makes one gasp — and to give the sequence humor. Burton is all smiles when his wife comes to his office, not recognizing her for a moment. The health editorials by Bernarr Maefadden are cleverly put over by Grandpa Burton, an agile and humorous old party, who "can lick his weight in wildcats". Now we've got somewhat of an idea about the picture, let's go into production. Crooker finished the script, titled it /•// Tell the World. Casting began. Jed Prouty, star of fourteen Jones Family pictures was signed for the father. Frank Albertson, juvenile star of many pictures, and of the Broadway stage play. Brother Rat became Jimmy. The Maueh Twins, (Billy and Bobby), stars of The Prince and the Pauper and the Penrod pictures, became the Twins. Betty Ro.ss Clarke, of the Hardy Family pictures, became the mother, and Marilyn Knowlden, who played the little Princess in Marie A7itoinette became Sue. Max Factor, Jr. appears in person as the beautician. Patricia Murray, of Jasper Deeter's Hedgerow Theatre, and also N.B.C.'s "Television Girl", became Mary. Miss Murray is also the "Liberty Girl" of the New York World's Fair, and will make personal appearances during the showing of the picture. ^^'ithin a few days after Director Lynn Shores began "shooting" the picture was cut and edited, then cut some more. It was time to add the industrial sequences which illustrate Jimmy's sales talks to Burton. These sequences caused concern because it was feared that their injection might break up the running story in spite of the fact that each one only runs around sixty seconds. But rather than detract, the industrial subject matter added to the picture, giving it what is known as "production value". The picture will be the highlight of the publisher's exhibit at the New York World's Fair, and will be shown in the ]Maefadden Theatre in the Communications Building. The theatre seats around three hundred people, has a mezzanine, and is air-conditioned. Architecture is in keeping with the "World of Tomorrow" theme, set bv the Fair. Admission is free. I'LL TELL HE WORLD