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Handy (Jam) OrganizationAuto-Lite on Parade (1940)

Tour of an auto parts and accessories factory climaxing with a stop-motion product parade.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Handy (Jam) Organization
Sponsor: Electric Auto-Lite Company
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: Animation: Stop-motion; Manufacturing

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - October 17, 2003
Subject: Sparkplugs Away!
This bombastically-narrated 30s film is all about the Electric Auto-Lite Company, which makes things like sparkplugs, batteries, headlights, gages, and bumpers for automobiles, as well as leather goods, pots and pans, and, well, let's just say they make everything under the sun. Most of the film is an ultimate factory tour of every department in every plant. If you like factory footage, then this is your film. The narrator goes on and on about the "men" of Auto-Lite despite the fact that most of the workers seen are women. The real highlight of the film, though, comes at the end, when we get to see a stop-motion animation parade of Auto-Lite products, similar to the one in Aluminum on the March. I'm a real sucker for this sort of thing, and this one doesn't disappoint. It's ends with a marching Auto-Lite guy made of sparkplug boxes, which is, of course, essential. This is definitely an industrial film for collectors, not so much because it's unusual as that it's so characteristic of the genre.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: ***. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - January 8, 2003
Subject: The title says it all
A exhaustingly comprehensive overview of the Auto-Lite Corperation, and just about every product that they create is analyzed here. It's great actually, as opposed to the usual Jem Handy production line scenes of men putting cars together, we're treated to to manufacture of auto parts, like spark plugs, wire, lights and other auto parts. The narration and film has a newsreel type quality, and the narrator never lets up on the exciting high pitched narration. At the end, of course, is the parade, and oh what a parade it is :)

Shotlist

STOP-MOTION SEQUENCE OF AUTO-LITE PRODUCTS. TOUR OF FACTORY.


INDUSTRY STOP-MOTION OBJECTS PRODUCTS SPARK PLUGS ELECTRICAL MACHINERY EQUIPMENT WORKERS FACTORIES AUTOMOBILES ACCESSORIES BATTERIES WIRES LABOR ODDITIES FANTASY HUMOR ANIMATION Stop-motion animation Parts (moving) Marches Product parades Electric Auto-Lite Corporation (sponsor) Objects (moving) Orientalism Wires Spark plugs Batteries Lamps Bulbs Automobiles (parts and accessories) Robots Graphic design Title cards ("The End")