Celebrating the building spirit of the American citizen, past and present in an incredibly patriotic way, AMERICAN MAKER is a Chevolet promotional film unlike any other. Made by the famed Jam Handy organization and released in October of 1960, this movie is an extravaganza that shows everything from an American kitchen (3:00) and garages to the space program, this movie shows how Americans make everything from dolls to colored telephones to clothes and musical instruments like pianos and trumpets. There are no idle hands as “Americans build, from youth throughout life, by using their ingenuity not only in technological advancement but in everyday efforts by everyone.”

“As makers of today, and shapers for tomorrow we Americans seem to share an inborn understanding of how to go about making the things we want – whether we’re reaching for the moon, hobbying in the home, doing our part on a convenience to be enjoyed or preparing a tasty titbit, we’re all of us makers.”

Some of the imagery includes transistorized miniature TVs (8:30), slimline phones (8:00), telephone assembly lines (5:10), skyscraper construction (1:40), an instrument factory (6:40), a glass factory (7:15), an early panel TV (8:44).

An historical sequence at 9:15 shows the spinning wheel, the loom, Eli Whitney’s concept of mass production and interchangeability of parts applied to musket style rifles (11:20),

Tools are shown at 15:00, including modern machine tools, and a Chevy automotive assembly line at 16:20. A dealership is seen at 21:40.

At 22:13 a television dealership or showroom is seen, and images of idealized American life at 23:00.

The film was such a success that it actually showed as a short before Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” in the Detroit area.