Family Portrait
Family Portrait is a short film from 1947 released on 16mm. It is held in the Prelinger Archives collection.
Activities and operations of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.
LS Manhattan skyline seen from Brooklyn with Staten Island Ferry sailing by Shot of Statue of Liberty seen from water LS downtown San Francisco with San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in background Pan down large hotel building VS buildings, cityscapes and townscapes around the country Michigan Avenue skyscrapers, Chicago Pan down Metropolitan Life building tower on 23rd Street in New York City to show clock VS and pan up large Metropolitan Life office building in New York Masks narrow to show how much area the insurance company once used in another building VS ornate entrance of building Frederick H. Ecker, Chairman of the Board of Met Life, sits at his desk and addresses the camera, introducing the film and the insurance business (good intro for history of Met Life company). The place is yours Leroy A. Lincoln, President of Met Life, sits at his desk and reads an introduction into camera. Pull out over relief map of the United States, where three main offices of Met Life are shown Various images of crowds and people seen from inside cutaway shape of United States VS workplaces and workers (not all logged; most stock footage from Jan Handy library and other films) U.S. House Chamber with people applauding Courtroom Bricklayers Teachers Plumbers Doctor and nurse Barber Tracking shots past long corridors of black steel file cabinets (good) Woman pulls out file folder from cabinet CU file folder with sticker, name and number CU hands opening file folder and leafing through pages Older couple with sunglasses sitting on beach with grandchild (in retirement) Young family, mother and two children, smiling as they open up insurance check at front door Man and wife pleased to receive check from company Over-the-shoulder shot of file clerk pulling folder from cabinet Insurance agent talking to married couple Still image: aerial of a city neighborhood, with white line drawn around it LS apartment houses along Central Park in New York City VS farm scenes Nice shot of relief map globe (centered on United States) Various outline maps of cities and districts animating on screen (St. Louis map is shown) VS office scenes with clerical workers and agents sitting in meetings (good 1940s offices) VS Lots of men sitting at desks in large office (good 1940s Caucasian men at work and in training meetings) Description of ordinary, industrial and group insurance policies (explained in training meetings) LS women in white uniform dresses and a few men walking out of factory Men walking out of factory en masse (from FROM DAWN TO SUNSET) Nurse, mother and sick boy lying in bed (nurse shakes thermometer) CU booklets on Diabetes, Fatigue, Measles, Rheumatic Fever, Overweight and Underweight, etc. appearing on pile in frame CU advertisements and health booklets MS actuaries sitting in office CU actuary (male clerical worker) figuring something Women operating calculating machines Woman operating old card-type tabulator (good) CU man s hand running finger down column of figures in large tabular computer-printed book (good) Various graphs showing how actuarial calculations contribute to setting premiums VS men and women in large group offices CU hands inserting premium check in envelope and sealing it Relief map of United States again with little drawings of different industries appearing in different parts of the country Drive by suburban houses (looks like Oakland, California?) Pan over highrise buildings in small city LS farm LS harvesting scenes LS barn VS industrial scenes MS Boxcars going by from left to right on a diagonal CU pans on gas range CU hand flicking switch MS woman and man listening to radio Telephone operators Telephone lineman Dynamos in old-fashioned electrical generating plant Ladle pouring steel in open-hearth mill VS of houses and buildings in Parkmerced, Parklabrea, Parkchester, and oher Met Life developments (most captioned at lower left of frame) VS World War II combat scenes Two shots of Japanese surrender ceremony on U.S.S. Missouri; signing the instrument of surrender Tracking shot over huge steel pipe-fabricating room (?) nice shot, content unclear Pie chart showing proportions of a dollar and how Met Life spends it Stop-motion CU showing insurance policy documents filling frame in a circle CU mortuary register showing early death claims paid by Met Life Horse and buggy with two passengers on country road Mail clerks sorting incoming mail in huge tabletop tray CU line of women mail clerks opening mail MS mail sorting clerks (women) sorting mail into cases VS claims processing and mail processing workers (good clerical workers) Large office full of male and female workers (good) Two shots of flooded houses Hurricane shot of city street, probably in Florida (brief, but good) Hands going through filing cabinets Over-the-shoulder shot of woman reading letter More women clerks handling incoming mail (good) Woman typist in 1910s Women and sports engaging in dancing and sports in company gymnasium Physical examination of Met Life employee Employee cafeteria Met Life chorus (women) singing Adeste Fideles Men s choir singing Dancing women superimposed over male audience (Players Club of Met Life employees) Woman being trained to operate calculating machine/tabulator VS office workers CU automatic envelope handling machine MS woman blowing out candles on birthday cake College graduation parade Two shots, couple being married CUs idealized 1940s family Elderly man working with roses (or flower) Outro from President of company
Tower at night: Windsor chimes heard in background| Family Portrait | |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Handy (Jam) Organization |
Production company | Handy (Jam) Organization |
| Distributed by | Handy (Jam) Organization |
Release date | 1947 |
Running time | 32:19 |
| Language | English |
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