XD86505 “IT’S EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS” 1954 U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FILM HISTORY OF U.S. ECONOMY

This cartoon by John Sutherland was made for the Chamber of Commerce of the United States to illustrate how successful businesses and free enterprise are essential to the American way of life and are inhibited by overburdensome taxes. Free enterprise, the narrator argues, can be traced to the Bill of Rights, and the Founding Fathers regarded “political and economic freedom” as “interlocking inseparably.” The film suggests that the favorable economic climate of colonial America have been replaced by a modern government that imposes too many taxes and regulations.This film was made in cooperation with E.I. Du Pont De Nemours and Co. Incorporated of Wilmington, Delaware. The Associate Producer was George Gordon. The story development was done by William Scott and George Gordon. It was written and produced by John Sutherland.

The cartoon begins with cartoon figures cheering while a boat sets off across the ocean to North America (0:50). Cartoon of Colonial America (1:14). Rights set in stone (1:25). Colonial flag raised (1:47). Pilgrims coming to the Thirteen Colonies (1:59). Young man on top of a stone that reads, “Freedom to work in the job of your own choice” (2:09). Help wanted signs (2:13). Man working at a hat shop (2:25). Man advocates for a raise (2:39). Sign reading, “Right to own property (3:34). Man takes his stored cash out his clock (3:34). Man buys a building with coins (3:49). Cart with tools and equipment (3:55). Man goes to neighbors to find investors for his business (4:04). Native American man comes along to sell feathers (4:27). Man advertises his shop (4:37). Women come into the store to buy hats (4:45). Customer pays (4:59). Piles of gold coins (5:03). Man dreams of a carriage (5:08). Man pays employees wages (5:16). Tax bill (5:19). Man pays return on investment (5:28). Fancy hats sold for cheap prices (5:49). Man designs a new hat (6:11). Stone with the words, “Privacy in the home” and “Right to own private property” (6:26). Stone with the words, “Freedom of Worship” (6:32). Stone with the words, “Right to work in a job of own choice” and “Right to bargain with employer” and “right to go into business” (6:37). Many cartoon Americans (6:50). Cartoon money waves (6:57). Sign reading, “business system” (7:07). Money flowing into insurance, banks, bonds, and stocks and also to businesses (7:22). Sign reading, “lot for sale” (7:33). Production line with workers creates goods (7:41). Goods are distributed (7:49). Main street filled with consumers (7:55). Permafreeze fridge company competes with Quick Chill fridge company (8:06). Permafreeze manufacturing company (8:28). Man anxiously walks in his office (8:37). Workers from different departments panic at the sound of the alarm bell (8:53). Office men run into the research laboratory and are followed by a female assistant (9:13). Cartoon factory machines (9:29). Ads for Permafreeze’s new fridge (10:02). Parade with Permafreeze refrigerators (10:11). Salesman sells Permafreeze fridge to a lady (10:47). Sales and profits rise (11:00). Pay window (11:08). Man puts money in a bag (11:36). Dividends are sent back to investors (11:49). Worker using inefficient tools to make a Perma Cold fridge (12:24). Woman performs manual labor in the house (12:47). Family eats together at the dinner table (13:01). Factory worker (13:13). Worker comes home and his wife is able to use a modern machine to do house work (13:35). Children talk on the phone and watch tv (13:43). Family eats at the dinner table (13:55). Wave of war that destroys the fundamentals of a successful economy (14:26). Trains carrying money (15:45). US treasury (15:56). How taxes are spent (16:04). The government crazily collects taxes (17:39). American citizens defending their constitutional rights (18:59).

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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

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