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Handy (Jam) OrganizationHired! (1940)

Quirky Chevrolet sales film.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Handy (Jam) Organization
Sponsor: Chevrolet Division, General Motors Corporation
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: Sales: Training

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: ERD. - - June 17, 2010
Subject: Hired does the job
"Hired" was an effective 1940 instructional film for car management dealers. It gave good points and had a good script. The acting and direction was excellent. Unfortunately, conditions would soon change with the start of World War II the following year.

Reviewer: monoceros4 - - August 26, 2009
Subject: Weird but Informative
"Hired!" has a lot of bizarre moments that provide excellent working material for comedy, as MST3K proved. But, if you look past the oddball touches, you'll see that "Hired!" actually does its job pretty well. If it saved even one rookie from getting chewed out by a lazy boss, who saved himself effort by adopting the "sink or swim" management method instead of bothering to train his new employees, "Hired!" was worth it.

Even the scene that most provoked the SOL crew's ire, in which Jimmy's boss criticizes how he concluded a new sale, makes a good point. Yes, it seems unfair that Jimmy should get an earful after a *successful* sale ("But he bought the flippin' CAR!") his boss makes an astute point about how you don't want the prospect to be forced to turn all his attention to the road before you've had a chance to make your pitch. The boss's point is that there's always room for improvement and he puts it across pretty well, I thought.

Reviewer: filmcritic500 - - September 25, 2005
Subject: Professional sales management
This film is an interesting effort by Chevrolet to educate its dealers about professional sales management, at a time (1940) when marketing management as an academic field was still in its infancy, and when many of Chevrolet's dealers were probably good ol' boys who sold cars based on gut instinct rather than a professional approach. The sales manager looks somewhat uncomfortable wearing a tie and appears to have worked himself up from a lower economic background (farming?). The "down home" conversation with his dad, casual and unaffected, probably reminded a lot of viewers of their dads and relaxed them so they also would "hear" the message along with the main character. The film is also historically interesting for showing a time when car salesmen called on their prospects by going door to door.

The film assumes only men sell cars, of course basically true back then. But much of its advice about mentoring sales people remains valid today.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - July 23, 2003
Subject: Hanky on your head
Yesm I saw the 2nd half on MST3K too, but I actually hadn't seen the whole thing. It's a strange short, one on how to inspire Car lot managers to get more sales out of salesman. Film features a bright new salesman (although his age looks like he's pushing 40). he's got all the qualifications, but he's not selling.. Why? The car lot manager frets about this until he has one of the more amazing conversations ever put to film with his dad. They're swatting mosquitos, drinking iced tea and putting handkerchiefs on their head and talking about what made the car lot manager successful when he was starting out as a saleperson. From there, it gets REALLY weird with the editing, conversations are jump cut out, interesting fade outs, and stuff like that. The film ends startingly with the car sales manager talking right to us and ends with a rather uncomfortable zoom in on his face as he says the final line of the film. A total classic. Highly reccomended!

Reviewer: Christine Hennig - - December 30, 2002
Subject: Hired!
Part 1: Jimmy, a new salesman on the local Chevrolet lot, is having problems––despite all the training he's gotten (he even read "What's What"!), he just can't seem to get the hang of the car business. At first, this looks like a training film for new salesmen. But then the plot takes a turn when Jimmy's boss talks to his dad (his own dad, not Jimmy's) about how his new salesmen are all lazy bums who aren't willing to work, and his dad replies, "Maybe they're working harder than you think," and we realize this is actually a film for sales managers. Just at that point, though, we see the words "To Be Continued..." Fortunately, we were not spared Part 2 the next week.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ****. Weirdness: ****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****. Also available on Mystery Science Theater 3000, Episode #423: Bride of the Monster.
Part 2: Part 2 finds Jimmy's boss getting some homespun wisdom from his old man about dealing with his salesmen. He suddenly realizes he's supposed to actually manage them (d'oh!!). He immediately runs back to the dealership and starts helping the salesmen in various ways, and amazingly enough, it works! Even Jimmy sells a car! This is even better than Part 1. The boss' dad is really weird––while he dispenses his homespun wisdom to his son, he swats at invisible insects and eventually puts a handkerchief on his bald head, to keep them off, I guess. And you get the distinct impression that the 40-something boss still lives with his parents.
Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: *****. Weirdness: *****. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: *****. Also available on Mystery Science Theater 3000, Episode #424: Manos, the Hands of Fate.

Shotlist

Ken Smith sez: "Jimmy" is a new Chevrolet salesman and a hard worker, but he's struggling. His boss, "Mr. Warren," pegs Jimmy's lack of success on a lack of initiative, but elderly "Dad" sets him straight. "Men need leadership," Dad explains. "Leadership pays!" Mr. Warren rethinks his own approach and soon every man on his sales team is raking in the dough. Why Mr. Warren, a man in his forties, still lives with his parents is not explained, nor is it understandable why Dad was allowed to drape a stupid-looking rag over his head at the climax of his serious oration. Very strange.

CHEVROLET AUTOMOBILES SALES TRAINING CITIES TOWNS STREETS DEALERS MEN OFFICES WHITE COLLAR WORKERS INTERI0RS ROOMS DOORS HOUSES EXTERIORS WOMEN SALESMEN TELEPHONES
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