Calvin CommunicationsYour Name Here (ca. 1960)

The ultimate generic industrial film, built around every script and visual cliche.

This item is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Calvin Communications
Audio/Visual: Sd, C
Keywords: Motion pictures: Production; Motion pictures: Sponsored; Humor

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: scarr155 - - April 14, 2008
Subject: My father as a pioneer

While home sick today, I came across this movie while researching Calvin . My Dad worked for Calvin starting in 1959, I believe, well up into the 1970s. His name was Gene Carr and in this film he is the coon skin cap wearing pioneer on the right . He was a writer,director and producer for Calvin. He had a great sense of humor and was probably behind alot of these ideas.This was a treasure to find to say the least.I miss him greatly Stephen Carr

Reviewer: mr_loophead - - November 15, 2007
Subject: Love 'em

These pre 70s films are such a blast!

Reviewer: Joel Cairo - - August 3, 2007
Subject: Technology on the March!!

A vastly improved version of this film is now available at HungryFlix.

Some pictures and a small discussion of the film and the restoration are located here:

http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?t=122187

In any form, though, "Your Name Here" is a marvelous poke at the pompous nature of some of these corporate films.

Reviewer: Mr. - - June 30, 2007
Subject: Your Name Here

~~~~~

Reviewer: ERD - - May 24, 2006
Subject: A parody of the own industrial films

"Your name here" is where Calvin Communications
makes a parody of their own industrial film productions. It might seem very funny to those involved, but not as much to the general public. However,it still holds up after so many years.

Reviewer: nathan_mcginty - - May 23, 2006
Subject: workshop film

my theory is that the film was produced for a convention or get together of the Calvin Workshop people. there's another film on the archives here (can't remember the name, but it also stars the guy who is the announcer at the beginning of "Your Name Here") with the same kind of comic point of view - basically poking fun at industrial films.

I'm thinking that they made the films for fun to open up a convention or dinner or something - kind of the same way they do the white house press corps dinner.

great article on wikipedia about the calvin company...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_Company

"your name here" is the best. film. ever.

Reviewer: dog from Nightwatch - - July 18, 2005
Subject: Just funny

Cheesy, overblown, and just nutty, this is my favorite find in the Internet Archive. Everyone I have shown it to has enjoyed the heck out of it.

Well worth watching & downloading.

Reviewer: Rev. Felix the Black Cat - - May 28, 2005
Subject: Re-use of this great public domain nugget!

Since nobody else seems to have mentioned it yet, the media collage group Evolution Control Committee used this film & re-tooled it just slightly to make "The ECC Story." That was actually the first I saw of this film, before discovering the original in the Archive!
http://www.evolution-control.com/videos.html
The other ECC videos & music are pretty good, too!

Reviewer: Unidyne - - May 27, 2005
Subject: Even funnier now in retrospect

I have brought this film before friends and family, wanting their comments on it. They all say the same thing: "How did they make the film look so old?" Then I tell them that the film was made in 1960, back when films of this type were a staple of advertising. They do a double-take, and refuse to believe me. This film seems so oddly entertaining now. I'm certain if it was included in a collection of shorts for a "Midnight Show" audience, it would go over well.
Wooden acting, ambigious plot, overblown drama, self-referential parody; it is a genuinely funny film. Watch it, download iot and share it with friends. It's a great "party film".

Reviewer: depthfunction - - May 9, 2005
Subject: What has God wrought??

This film is freaking awesome. I had no idea that filmmakers in 1960 could be so "meta". The whole thing is almost like a Saturday Night Live skit (except that unlike and SNL skit, this is actually funny!). If you enjoy watching the films in this archive for cheap laughs like I do, then you'll love this one.

Reviewer: Spuzz - - March 4, 2005
Subject: "Yes I liked this film"

Although I don't really think it's the bee's knees as people make it out to be, there are some funny moments towards the end. But it's an atypical Calvin production, which company I'm not the biggest fan of.

Reviewer: Norm in S.F. - - March 2, 2005
Subject: Second Viewing

Looking at this film again I noted its provenance: The Calvin Group.

Calvin was a Kansas City company that marketed 8mm and 16mm ("Movie-Mite") projectors. Surely "The Calvin Group" is related.

And almost as surely, this brilliant satire is a direct shot at the Jam Handy Organization and its films--all made to this same tired formula at the time.

It would be fun to find out more about these relationships.

Reviewer: Norm in S.F. - - March 2, 2005
Subject: Second Viewing

Looking at this film again I noted its provenance: The Calvin Group.

Calvin was a Kansas City company that marketed 8mm and 16mm ("Movie-Mite") projectors. Surely "The Calvin Group" is related.

And almost as surely, this brilliant satire is a direct shot at the Jam Handy Organization and its films--all made to this same tired formula at the time.

It would be fun to find out more about these relationships.

Reviewer: Kala - - October 15, 2004
Subject: A rare & beautiful find

This is outstanding. "Ahead of its time" doesn't even begin to cover it. And it must have been even funnier to the 60s-era audiences who, unlike me, were steeped in the kind of promo films this film is spoofing...

Reviewer: brewster - - August 7, 2004
Subject: Another Corporate spoof: the retro encabulator

I hope you enjoy another example in this fine genre:
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/retro.wmv
here are the comments:
http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/34817

-brewster

Reviewer: MediaWhore - - May 13, 2004
Subject: Indian Savagery

This movie was way ahead of its time in regards to satire and parody. If you are a fan of Spinal Tap or Best of Show you will love this film. The best scene is the one with the 2 beatniks dressed as Lewis and Clark and the one guy calls his wagons by saying "Like wagons Ho!"

Reviewer: Darthdemona - - April 3, 2004
Subject: Hilarious!

This is pure genius. The stupid hats, the melodramatic married couple, the hapless scientists...I couldn't stop laughing.

Reviewer: Darthdemona - - April 3, 2004
Subject: Hilarious!

This is pure genius. The stupid hats, the melodramatic married couple, the hapless scientists...I couldn't stop laughing.

Reviewer: moderator - - March 18, 2004
Subject: Greatest Thing Ever!!!!

I'm amazed that someone had the foresight back then to realize do a spoof like that, as most spoofs on 50's corperate propoganda films are made today. Genreric Product and Generic Company Name: the History of Our Future: Today! [Insert Robert E. Lee if Derired.] Classic!

Reviewer: moderator - - March 18, 2004
Subject: Greatest Thing Ever!!!!

I'm amazed that someone had the foresight back then to realize do a spoof like that, as most spoofs on 50's corperate propoganda films are made today. Genreric Product and Generic Company Name: the History of Our Future: Today! [Insert Robert E. Lee if Derired.] Classic!

Reviewer: moderator - - March 18, 2004
Subject: Greatest Thing Ever!!!!

I'm amazed that someone had the foresight back then to realize do a spoof like that, as most spoofs on 50's corperate propoganda films are made today. Genreric Product and Generic Company Name: the History of Our Future: Today! [Insert Robert E. Lee if Derired.] Classic!

Reviewer: AliceTeeple - - February 15, 2004
Subject: BRILLIANCE

Those wacky Calvin Workshop people! This ten-minute parody of industrial films is perfectly-produced satire. The best character is the beatnik frontiersman.
"Like..Wagons HO!"
Also great: the "subliminal" messages superimposed over the presidents' portraits.
NOT TO BE MISSED!!!!!!!!!!

Reviewer: Rupert Goodwins - - October 23, 2003
Subject: Ain't that the truth...

Hilarious, and almost perfectly produced. If you haven't had the pleasure to work for a dotcom -- and I've seen business plans with less detail than that film -- then just insert your favourite evil multinational or local nest of villains when prompted. Should be required viewing for anyone involved in producing or decoding corporate promotional material, and perfect fodder for anyone with video editing software and a company party coming up.

One minor whinge: the music is mixed too high for too long on the intro, muddying the vocal. And one bonus fact: the Historic Saying concocted by the scientists was in fact the first message Samuel Morse sent over the telegraph. Beats a press release.

Reviewer: CPunk - - May 26, 2003
Subject: Excellent

Reviewer: EWKEANE - - May 15, 2003
Subject: Is it a spoof? or a look into the future...

I am involved with indexing, standards and forms. This may well be the future, as average forms of data become standardized. So that, in the future (like, tomorrow) a form of "Great American Novel" will be made. And like a form, all one has to do is to fill in the blank spaces with what ever noun, verb or adjective pleases the users of that novel. Best sellers will be a breeze to market. The formula novel, formula movie, formula lifestyle. Good stuff. Hey Dino, check out closed captioning. It will be a way of indexing visuals for making RAP MOVIES (i e, taking the best contextual elements of movies and mixing them up, for example, into new plot lines, ect)

Reviewer: Dino - - May 5, 2003
Subject: Movie Making

Having recently got into DV editing and moviemaking, I stumbled upon this site 30 minutes ago.

As my first delve into the archive, this had me grinning ear to ear, and set the creative juices flowing for how I could use some of the materials on this site cut into my own footage, to humourous effect (as I gather is fine to do so).

Thanks to the creators of this archive for making such a rich resource available, free-of-charge, to the public at large. Who knows, perhaps I'll see my own submissions immortalised here one day!

Great stuff!

Reviewer: Jake Freeze - - May 2, 2003
Subject: Fantastic

Fantastic film making! Can I actually use this to promote my product?

Reviewer: Moss Over Inlet - - March 13, 2003
Subject: Hilarious..

Originality is a bothersome detail that has been overcome by the triumph of modern filmmaking. Now you don't even have to waste time coming up with good lies and can get back to pushing boxes, or services, or whatever.
Best scene: Scientists revising their cry of discovery to "something that'll get quoted"!

Reviewer: TheVidman - - February 8, 2003
Subject: Your Name Here

Loved it! What a great tongue-in-cheek piece this is. Glad somebody in 1960 had the guts to make this.

Reviewer: Celimage - - December 22, 2002
Subject: A Comedy Classic!!!

Has this film been on Comedy Central yet?
Way ahead of its time!!
This reminds me of my passion for Mad Magazine during my childhood and the emergence of the counterculture
Dennis Jennings
Celestial-Image.com

Reviewer: Omicron Delta Pineapple - - December 13, 2002
Subject: This is a hoot

I work for a large telecommunications company that recently filed for bankruptcy--all the way thru the film I inserted "W*rldC*m" and "Network Connectivity" at the appropriate places.

Sounded like the pep talks the upper echelon gives to us peons just before they lay some more of us off...

I laughed thru my tears, I did....

Reviewer: Mr. Snout - - November 9, 2002
Subject: Laugh Riot!

Haw! This was a laugh riot! I wonder what the makers were thinking ... I imagine they were so bored with churning out the same old corporate glop that they had a little fun with it. It's nice to know that some people back then saw how ludicrous the cliches were even when living and working right in the middle of them.

Reviewer: SG111 - - October 30, 2002
Subject: This film needs more attention!

I almost skipped over this little gem of a film. I'm sure glad I didn't! Just as funny whether you ever had to sit through one of these types of films or not! This one is definately worth a look.

Reviewer: woodfield - - September 29, 2002
Subject: Little Gem

Whenever a company starts to get carried away with an overblown sense of its self worth in the world, this little gem should be played to the Board as a reminder that those they strive to fool, see through them every time.
Watch this one, and have a chuckle on me

Reviewer: arteitle - - September 17, 2002
Subject: A hilarious diversion from the ordinary

"The 'Your Name Here' Story" is a very funny parody of the standard overly-serious, overly-dramatic corporate promotional film. It shows that at least some cold-war era filmmakers realized how contrived these company stories were, and has a sense of humor about them. Watch out for the beatnik pioneer, the couple with mysterious marital difficulties, and the sensitivity to diverse political sensibilities.

Shotlist

The ultimate generic industrial, made as a spoof. A film built around script and visual clichZs: shots of highways, farms, unidentifiable manufacturing operations, and super-scientific laboratories.