IOP Ep 405
IOP Ep 405 is a short film.
Power in the Yard
| IOP Ep 405 | |
|---|---|
| Produced by | National Association of Manufacturers |
Running time | 00:13:40 |
| Language | English |
Book Excerpt
The thirteen-minute televised segments that made up the Industry on Parade series, which appeared between scheduled programs in the 1950s (as discussed in chapter 7), frequently included subjects that focused on the new garden-care products that emerged to satisfy the growing demand for labor-saving devices in the garden and also served the boom in these residential landscape-related industries. In addition to features on drywall/gypsum board, new uses for plywood, prefabricated houses, plastics for home use, and electronic garage door openers, the series included segments on lawn sprinklers, lawn furniture, and lawn mowers. For example, “Lawnmowing Made Easy!,” sponsored by Remote Control Lawnmower of Portland, Oregon, demonstrated the convenience and modernity of a robotic mower controlled by a radio receiver. The moderator for the segment called the robot “the householder’s dream” and noted that owners of the device could look forward to mowing their lawns from distances as much as a quarter of a mile away from their houses. In another segment titled “More Power to the Householder!” and sponsored by the Jacobsen Manufacturing Company of Racine, Wisconsin, snow shovels and power lawn mowers for small yards were featured along with a gasolinepowered rotary snow plow. As the moderator stated, these devices were designed “for people used to labor saving machines at home—not just for parks, cemeteries and estates anymore.” Whether or not these machines actually saved labor, they projected an image of auence for those who owned them, as well as at least the appearance of work made less strenuous. By 1958, as the demand for new power tools for yard and garden maintenance continued to grow, the industry had become highly competitive. That year, Industry on Parade produced a feature that devoted its entire thirteen minutes to the theme of “Power in the Yard.” Jointly sponsored by Rowco Manufacturing, Porter Cable Company, Hiller Engineering, Toro, Choremaster, and the Asplundh Tree Expert Company, the segment asked viewers to consider how power tools were changing their pattern of living and then answered that question for them by displaying the sponsors’ newest products. A snow blower made the work of snow removal into a “pleasant diversion.” “Ingenious sprinklers” freed homeowners from the tedium and time-consuming work of standing with a hose and moving about to water the garden. Each featured product demonstrated a move toward increased comfort and ease for homeowners by eliminating the tedious work of outdoor chores. As viewers watched a homeowner at work in his yard, the segment’s moderator exclaimed, “Not a bead of perspiration as he achieves in half an hour more than he used to do in half a day.” Even wives and children, viewers were told, could operate the new power tools and lawn mowers. And since new homes were built with electrical outlets outdoors, power tools could easily be plugged in anywhere they were needed. In essence, the segment advertised the increased amounts of leisure time for homeowners made possible by improvements in industrial and manufacturing productivity. The segment closed with the moderator’s observation that the featured products made for a new home life that was richer, easier, and happier. The concluding scene of a family enjoying a backyard barbecue cemented the notion that outdoor leisure was desirable and that it could be purchased by savvy consumers who understood and could aord the latest, most up-to-date products produced by the home-gardening industries. Consuming these products thus appeared to make the buyer into a patriotic citizen who supported the domestic economy, just as the purchases simultaneously conferred upon the owner the appearance of a leisured lifestyle and pockets deep enough to aord these new machines.
More Details
Industry on Parade was a short television program that aired in the U.S. from 1950-1960. It was produced by the National Association of Manufacturers. The series demonstrated complicated industrial processes that transformed raw materials into finished products.