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With the holiday season ended and a new year beginning, it's time to take a sober look at our finances. But first, join us for a fun program of 16mm shorts about money: as physical object, as object of avarice, and as it circulates through town. Additionally, we'll take in some classic lessons in money management, responsible credit use, and consumer smarts in general.
| Money Money Money
(1972) by Steven Minor 9 min. Color 16mm | |
We start with a bit of numismatic porn. A stunning montage of extreme close ups of coins both exotic and familar anchors this mondo money triptych. To round out the randomness, children demonstrate the barter system and pennies are manufactured in classic scenes from the US mint.
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| Learning to Use Money
(~1971) by William de Jarnette 10 min. Color 16mm | |
Birthday card cash: an asset to carefully budget or an invitation for a spree? A young Janis Joplin fan has an appropriately Dionysian attitude toward spending. Consumers of tender years are given gentle cues to avoid some of the more emotional pitfalls of shopping faced by people of all ages.
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| The Great Piggy Bank Raid
(~1971) by William de Jarnette 10 min. Color 16mm | |
Fuzzy animal puppets: so cute, so chirpy, so larcenous. When the cash for new band uniforms needs to be raised fast, our woodland friends roll up their tiny sleeves and get down to honest work, mostly. The itty bitty musical finale swings, and the puppet show within the puppet show will blow your mind!
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| A Day in the Life of a Dollar Bill
(1972) by Art Evans 11 min. Color 16mm | |
A day-tripping greenback circulates through the wallets and cash registers of a typical small town, while a supporting cast of humans makes darn sure we get a simplistic civics and economics lesson. Directed like a live-action Gumby cartoon, with obvious delight taken in close-ups and insert shots.
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| Even Steven
(1960) by Art Clokey 7 min. Color 16mm | |
Gumby and Pokey have budgeted a cool $100 for their road trip. But that won't get them far, not with the blockheads out to fleece them at every turn. A lesson in expecting the unexpected when it comes to one's personal finances, but perhaps just as importantly, a lesson in payback.
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| Credit: How to Get It
(1978) by Ruth Arens 14 min. Color 16mm | |
Jeff has his eye on a new van, but he earns minimum wage and can't get credit based on his Eric Stoltz looks alone. This charismatic everyteen takes us through his ups and downs en route to destination Good Credit. We get a smattering of still-relevant life tips and, yes, he gets the van.
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| Brand Names and Labeling Games
(1973) by Jack Sameth 9 min. Color 16mm | |
The absurdity of USDA labeling gets a thorough skewering by our flustered consumer advocate, Marshall Efron. Anarchic, off the cuff, and eye-opening, these syndicated spots endure as bright shining moments in the history of consumer education.
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| A Credit Cart Bouquet
(1973) by Buck Pennington 10 min. Color 16mm | |
Everyone loves Jonathan, the avuncular flower vendor who pushes his cart around the mall (and missed his calling as a Hollywood song-and-dance man by a few decades). He knows every passerby and his credit history, and each encounter is a goofy lesson in responsible money management.
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