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Palmer (W.A.) & CompanyPick of the Pod (ca. 1939)

A peek inside the pea processing operations that culminate in Del Monte brand canned peas. With glimpses of 1930s kitchens and images of Depression-era California agriculture.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Palmer (W.A.) & Company
Sponsor: California Packing Corporation
Audio/Visual: Sd, C
Keywords: Agriculture: Food industry: Peas; California: Agriculture; California: History and culture

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: nightfishsnake - - August 15, 2006
Subject: a nostalgic look at pea canning
it's rather funny to watch a documentary that was
filmed in the early 20th century and just hear
how dated the dialogue is.the only thing in the
film that looks current is the boy's haircut(i'm
sorry,but the boys today ARE wearing that style!)
with the timeless tradition of sibling rivalry
blended in.the question that's on my mind is:did
the canned peas of that era really have a fresh
garden taste?i know today's canned peas don't;
they taste bland,starchy and overcooked.BLAH!!!
but you have to admit,the selective method that
was used in those days was of heavy scrutiny,
despite the now obsolete machinery used in the
film.it's amazing how different the modern day
technology compares to what was utilized at that
time!overall,the documentary had a certain kind
of charm to it,it was made at a time when our
country still had its' innocence and everything
was simple yet pure.truly nostalgic!

Reviewer: lwilton - - August 4, 2006
Subject: Absurdism in everyday reviews
While everything is absurd in an era of total absurdism, the dinner scene depicted in this infomercial (which is essentially what it was, lacking only the hard sell) was typical of an American dinner table and conversation from practically the founding of the country to the mid 1960s.

It is impossible to believe now, but families used to sit down at least once a day and actually TALK to each other, sometimes for up to an hour. Parents were even able (and permitted) to help in their children's education. An encyclopedia in the living room or den was as common in the last century as an iPod in the pocket is now.

It is perhaps worth considering that these films were made to appeal to the people of the era when the film was made. To do that they had to depict people and situations that the normal people of the time could relate to. Much as commercials and movies depict the mayhem and war zone that is modern America today so that we can believe that we are seeing realistic situations and will go out and buy the sponsor's products.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - February 19, 2004
Subject: Find out how your pea peas got there.
A hopelessly overwritten ("The peas are just busting their buttons with freshness!" exploration into Peadom which actually is quite interesting, especially to a jaded reviewer like me who has seen everything lol. The story begins with Mr and Mrs Bad Actor and their 2 bad acting kids. They wanna know where peas come from. I suppose the kids HAVE to know the facts someday right? So after dinner the father sits down with the kids and tells all about their peas (this is all so surreal). We then get a very good overview of how they get the peas off the vines into the cans. So essentially two movies here. Your industrial with the absurd. Reccomended!

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