This promo film for Junior Achievement (now known as JA), gives an overview of the organization, showing how it works in fostering student business leaders, and explaining to them the tenets of capitalism and salesmanship. JA (Junior Achievement) Worldwide is a global non-profit youth organization founded in 1919 by Horace A. Moses, Theodore Vail, and Winthrop M. Crane. JA works with local businesses, schools, and organizations to deliver experiential learning programs in the areas of work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship to students from ages 5 to 25

Set in early 1950s Detroit, this film was produced by Robert F. Davis (:07) and opens with a pamphlet reading “Annual Report to Subsidiaries Perma Products” with the Junior Achievement seal (:23). This group was founded as a way to educate the youth on practical business training and experience so as to better handle the real world of having to make money (:36). A boy stops at a sign directing him to his school’s Plastic Shop (:56). In September, this particular group formed as they had learned about Junior Achievement through their high school in Detroit (1:14). They were to be guided by three advisors from the Burroughs Adding Machine Company (2:04). One of the advisors called Mr. Hirsh would assist in business management (2:11), another in production set up (2:17) and a third in sales (2:27). Mr. Hirsh gathers the youth and addresses them about making their own business (2:44). The group settles on working with plastic (3:19) to make a perpetual calendar that would not require refill (3:34). A chalkboard appears noting that the group must raise $100 (3:39) in order to get started. They began by issuing stocks to be sold at 50 cents apiece (3:48). First, they sold to themselves, then they moved to people they knew such as a police officer (3:59), a mechanic (4:08), and a mother (4:20). One of the boy’s explains to his younger brother that if he buys in he will become a shareholder (4:44). These sales led to a decent treasury as the money and stocks are counted up (5:05). A president is appointed who will learn to understand leases and capital deposits (5:20). Also appointed are the treasurer (5:26) and secretary (5:30). The name of the company chosen is Perma Products (5:37). After settling on wages (5:46) production is ready to begin. The youth work with machinery to make the calendars (6:07) and the first sloppy few examples are given (6:42), though with practice they become more effective. Switching gears to the sales aspect, a chalk board depicts the wages, materials and overhead as a way to decide what the product should be sold for (7:09). The group settles on $2, though the sales advisor believes it will be too high (7:53). Hitting neighborhoods, the group begins a door to door soliciting campaign (8:03). They end with only one sale (9:11) and the sales manager goes over how much was produced and sold the week prior and how much they produced and wanted to sell the following week (9:17). One youth comes up with the idea to solicit businesses as a way to make more than one sale at a time (9:41). This falls short and the next idea raised is to arrange a mailing list to send out handbills to (11:23) by a boy called Chuck. Chuck heads to another Junior Achievement youth group which runs Beaver Printing Company (11:33). A letter arrives from J. L. Hudson Company telling Perma Products they will invest in a dozen calendars if the price is lowered to $1.50 (11:49). The group agrees they must still sell in order to stay in business (12:19) and the idea is raised to cut production costs in order to maintain a profit (12:29). The production manager sets to work to speed up the drill press operation (12:46). In the Hudson building (13:03) the group is informed they must sell all by Friday evening and they will have them as a repeat customer (13:19). The calendars move slow to begin with and Chuck decides to meet with the advisors at their company’s headquarters (13:37) to present another idea for an advertisement poster (14:15) to entice business. The idea works well yet by the end of the day one calendar remains and the group pitches in to purchase it themselves (15:00). As the films draws to conclusion the youth ponder whether or not other company’s go through the same ups and downs as they start out (15:26).

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD and 2k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com