This 1960 color sales training film promotes the refrigeration capabilities of Philco’s Air Wrap refrigerator design (essentially an airtight storage compartment for raw, unwrapped meat and vegetables). Time-lapse footage and diagram visualizations champion the Philco system in contrast to unnamed competition, providing appliance sales representatives with useful talking points on technology and food economy (TRT: 21:55).

Opening titles. “Philco Air Wrap Compartment, Produced by Philco Sales Training Department, Photography by Philco Motion Picture Studios, Featuring the Philco Refrigeration and Advanced Engineering Depts.” (0:06). Credits: Philco Engineers as themselves; Robert Stewart as the Professor; Pat Parker as the assistant; writing and direction by Hugh P. Harper (0:37). A target takes a hit from an air pistol. A host with an air pistol hands the gun to a woman assistant, then inflates a liferaft (0:44). Montage of air’s various applications: A sailboat, a pneumatic drill, a train, a helicopter. A sheet of insulation (1:13) Vacuum sealed bottles. An air conditioner window unit (1:44). A woman opens a refrigerator. A factory worker of Philco labs assembles a refrigerator (2:00). A red door opens and our host emerges: “Advanced Design, Absolutely No Admittance.” A sign: “Keep it Secret” (2:46). A presentation on refrigerator coils is given by a man at a podium (3:11). Refrigerator coils are measured. Parts are weighed on a scale (3:50). At the United States Testing Company, various components are tested in a laboratory. A man takes notes. A voice over ranks Philco Air Wrap most highly (4:10). Time lapse photography of a flower in bloom. An intervalometer is used to open a refrigerator door, take a photo, and close the door. Time lapse footage of spoiling bologna slices (5:05). The same test is done with a Philco Air Wrap refrigerator (6:22). A side-by-side, split-screen comparison (7:00). The lab assistant eats a bologna sandwich from the fridge (7:16). Meats and vegetables are displayed. Competitor’s advertisements (7:27). The food is loaded into the Air Wrap compartment (7:50). The competitor’s fridge is also loaded. A calendar counts 15 days (8:24). Loads of food represent the surviving usable food over time with price values applied. Food waste is removed from the competitor’s piles (8:56). A fully stocked Philco fridge (10:17). Men at a blackboard make a scientific argument for Philco’s products (10:44). A block of food suspended in ice is unveiled (11:07). A competitor’s fridge shows high humidity (11:50). At the blackboard: “Maximum Humidity, Near Freezing, No Air Movement” (12:50). The new Philco on display. A diagram illustrates inner air flow using arrows. Bottled goods and perishables (13:04). A model shows the Philco alternative (14:00). A closeup on the sealed Air Wrap compartment (15:20). A thermometer inside the compartment (15:53). Raw meat and vegetable products appear in dissolves (16:30). A spokesman reads a statement from the U.S. Testing Co. (17:10). A Philco Refrigerator. The assistant opens the lower freezer door. An illustration of a frosted coil with a devil’s face (17:41). An illustrated diagram of an air flow system. An “initiator” is illustrated, representing a “frost accumulator” system (18:25). Title overlay: “No Defrosting” (19:15). Chemists pour an insulation compound into a fridge (19:31). A kettle whistles. Crossfade to a steam engine. An iceman hauls a block of ice with tongs (20:04). Philco title overlay. Narration: “No one can ever exceed Philco’s Air Wrap” (21:02). “The End” (21:36).

Current USDA guidelines emphasize the need to separate raw meats from all other foods in order to prevent cross-contamination and reduce the risk of food poisoning.

Philco was founded in 1892 as Helios Electric Company. They began manufacturing refrigerators in 1939. Shortly after this film, in 1961, Philco was purchased by Ford, and was known as Philco-Ford from 1966. The company was, in turn, sold to GTE in 1974, then purchased by Philips in 1981. Phillips retains North American rights, while the Philco International brand is owned by Electrolux.