This 1969 color sponsored film for Champion brand spark plugs produced by Portafilms uses actors portraying a “boss” engineer and a “nerdy” secretary (in fairly stereotypical, sexist roles) as they review the film itself. In this meta exercise, they discuss the process of testing spark plugs, and enumerate the advantages of the Champion brand over its competition (TRT: 28:45).
Animated opening titles: “Champion Presents a Plug for Performance” (0:10). A man wearing a suit and glasses uses an 8mm film projector. Animation shows spark plugs dancing erratically in stop-motion. A red heart envelops a spark plug. The man looks nonplussed (0:26). Animation illustrates two blue wires coming together, with an asterisk-shaped spark. An “explosion” (0:48). Montage: A racetrack, trucks, recreational motorboats, cars in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The man switches off the projector in frustration (0:57). A blonde woman in glasses types at an electric typewriter, pencils in a correction. Acting as a secretary, she approaches the man, who represents engineering. She takes dictation (1:08). Animated spark show design evolution (2:34). The man takes a “male gaze” at the secretary. She removes her glasses. A jump cut shows her with a more glamorous hairdo. Befuddled, the man returns to the projector (3:14). Riverside International Raceway in fast-motion, from a car’s POV. Red Chevy Checker taxicabs test fuel economy. A pit stop. Testing a battery with a multimeter. A pit crew at work. A banner, “An Untuned Car is Trouble.” A fuel container, an automatic throttle control, and a photoelectric cell are installed (3:25). Fuel is measured, poured. The photocell passes a light on the starting line. A reel of magnetic tape triggers the throttle. A driver steers the cab (4:05). A fifth wheel measures distance on an odometer (4:43). The cabs approach a “76” gas station. Plugs are changed. The secretary drifts to sleep. The engineer rolls his eyes (5:30). Champion plugs superimposed over a fuel tank, indicating better mileage. The words “turbo action” start the secretary dancing (6:00). 2-D animation of a spark plug shows an elongated ceramic insulator tip (7:34). Engineering research in testing laboratories (8:17). A dramatically lit test lab, with engines behind panes of glass and engineers taking notes. Cargo is loaded onto a private jet. Consumer-grade automobiles accelerate from a starting line at Sebring International Raceway in Florida, supervised by the United States Auto Club (9:02). A lineup of diverse European and U.S. automobiles (9:56). A remote “start” button is pressed, activating solenoids on an accelerator (10:15). Two Volkswagen Beetles race (10:40). A helicopter lands at Germany’s Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg motordrome. Test cars measure rates of acceleration by passing a large truck (11:04). The secretary dozes (12:47). Toyotas and Datsuns at Sebring. USAC supervises (13:19). 1969 Chevrolets race through balloon barriers (14:02). Stop motion spark plugs (14:41). The subjective POV of the engineer shows the secretary smiling, shoulders bared. His reverie is interrupted by her glasses (15:00). Animation: A powder sealing material fills a spark plug in a cutaway illustration. Concentric circles represent the spark of a cold start. A cartoon smoke puff of carbon corrosion nibbles at the electrode (15:27). An arrow indicates Champion’s “booster gap” design. The resistor is circled (16:40). Champion employees drive 1969 Action Age Scramblers (small, amphibious, ATVs). Testing lawn mowers and boats (17:46). A chainsaw. A Honda motorcycle has plugs installed before a ride at Michigan International Raceway (18:16). Closeup on gold plated plugs. Installation in a Ski-doo snowmobile. Photos from a cold start test (19:35). Athletes Roger Maris, Bailey Howell, Bill Esposito, Paul Hornung at a commercial shoot with GM pickup trucks at Road America (20:53). Buick Skylarks race (22:06). A room of men review a chalkboard drawing depicting the stunt (23:42). Another testosterone moment sees the secretary in a sweater and skirt, intercut with dancing spark plugs. The Champion logo crashes in (25:00). A promotional reel of short-form commercials reviewing earlier scenes. Slogan: “Champions can make a difference” (25:26). Pro golfers Julius Boros and Tom Weiskopf race Chevys (26:39). The pickup race, condensed (27:37).
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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, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
