A recipient of the Peabody Award, “Industry on Parade” aired in the USA 1950–1960. It was produced by the National Association of Manufacturers. The show depicts complicated industrial processes that transform raw materials into finished products. This particular installment highlights businesses big and small including one specializing in the auction of produce, another manufacturing gears for machines, another harnessing the skills of housewives for technical efforts, and one that builds miniature trains.

Steam whistle sounds, title page (0:07). Teaser montage of scenes to come: men scramble to put in bids at live auction, close-up housewife’s hands spreading mayo on bread, kid-size mechanized train rides along track at amusement park (0:12). “They Do Our Shopping:” neon lights illuminate street traffic, cars along the “Great White Way/ Broadway” and Times Square; Kleenex Tissues sign (0:42). Barge transports train car along North River (southernmost point of Hudson River) to produce auction house (0:52). Men offload wooden crates of fruits into covered warehouse; aerial view of crates and crates of stacked produce (1:06). Buyers in felt fedoras, suits, trench coats representing chain grocery stores walk up and down aisles, inspect produce (1:26). Auction hall for perhaps “Brown and Second Fruit Auction:” buyers squeezed into cramped room try and outbid each other, waving white papers to get auctioneers attention (1:51). Buyers stand in row at phone booths, use rotary dial phones to call offices and share updates (3:11). Workers in flannel shirts, newsies caps load purchased crates of produce into bed of truck at loading station (3:29). Exterior at Great Erie Freight Pier 21 at foot of Duane Street (3:42). Fluorescent lights illuminate interior of supermarket: mothers push children down aisle in grocery cart, fresh fruits and vegetables piled high in displays, checkered linoleum floor (3:58). PSA Message interlude: Consumer demand ensures American industry continues to develop, invest in latest machinery; scenes of glass bottles of soda funneled through assembly line (4:04). “Gearing Up a Nation!” Exterior Western Gear Works factory in Los Angeles (4:44). Scenes from various work stations at Western Gear Works factory, close-up of water pressure and rotating gear forming spiral gear, factory employees look over machinery make sure everything running smoothly (4:52). Female Western Gear Corp. worker takes metal gear and tests for quality, close-up display panel of machine testing for magnetism (6:12). Western Gear Corp. worker in white lab coat works on smallest gear offered, uses microscope (6:32). 1950s-model Greyhound Bus pulls into station (6:56). Southern Pacific “Golden State” passenger train pulls into station (7:00). United Air Lines Douglas DC-4 maneuvers tarmac (7:03). “Hidden Talent:” scenes of “typical” 1950s housewives doing home duties – one woman knits in armchair at home, other housewife wears frilly apron and prepares cold cuts sandwich in kitchen, another woman irons, cans goods, gives herself a manicure (7:09). Exterior United Control Corp. office, Seattle (8:11). Interior United Control Corp. factory: men and women in cramped workspace; housewives’ transferable skills from home to factory – close-up knitting housewife now working on de-icing equipment for military jet bomber, ironing on decals to manufactured parts (8:20). PSA Message interlude: social responsibility of corporations to provide healthcare for workers, factory employees visit corporation infirmary (9:50). “Squeeze Aboard!” interior Miniature Train Company of Rensselaer, Indiana factory – employee rides along track on miniature train (10:29). Various scenes of manufacturing train components throughout sub-assembly; close-up miniature air brakes attached to wheels, motor lowered into scaled-model of commercial locomotive (10:41). Steel fed through machine to form miniature train tracks (12:19). POV riding Rensselaer Miniature Train along tracks laid at fair grounds (12:43).

Miniature Train Co. (MTC) operated from 1932 to 1956 and was founded by Paul Allen “P.A.” Sturtevant. In 1928, Sturtevant built a large model steam railroad for his son. Soon, a Sears store owner asked to lease the train for the holiday season. Soon, more Sears owners requested trains and a business was born.

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