Oddball Films and curator Kat Shuchter present Product Pandering - The Wild World of Vintage Promotional Films with the most jaw-dropping, visionary and camptastic promotional films of the archive. From clothes to cars, technology to tunes, these stunning time capsules of antique innovations will make you marvel, laugh and covet the beautiful goods of yesteryear. Rolex brings us a dazzling Technicolor chronology of man's progress to tell time, using stunning microphotography and stop-motion animation in The Story of Time (1951). Turn your kitchen into a swingin' go-go party with Westinghouse's refrigerator covers in Oddball favorite Match Your Mood (1968). Road trip across the country with three stylish gals, who got all their twin sets, gowns, and bathing suits at Penney's, in the Monsanto (!) sponsored The Scenemakers (c. 1960). Step right along with Sunsteps (late 1940s), a vintage shoe-enthusiast's Kodachrome dream from the BF Goodrich company. And while we're in Kodachrome dream land, RCA brings us an inside look into their electron tube factory and the process of pressing vinyl in an eye-popping excerpt from our exquisite print of The Challenge of Tomorrow (1964). Learn to heal what ails you (and your begoggled baby) with a hand-held wonder lamp in Sun-Healing: The Ultraviolet Way (1930s). Princess Cruises wants you to know how a cruise can make All The Difference in the World (1970's) and the grandiose narrator is willing to pound it into your head with the help of a staff and clientele in the shortest of short-shorts. Motown is in the business of selling stars, and they want you to keep on truckin' with former Temptations singer Eddie Kendricks (1973). Jam-Handy gives us a loving tribute to the transmission on a 1951 Chevy, with the stunning The Velvet Glove. Plus, more surprises for the early birds! Everything will be screened on 16mm and in most cases from uncirculated and therefore pristine prints.
In 1949, the watch manufacturer Rolex released this Technicolor wonder of animation, stop-motion, and miniature sets, achieving far more than a simple plug of their product. From the dawn of man to the modern machine, we glide through striking images with expert ease. Exquisite like their wares, Rolex’s dazzling tribute to man’s pursuit of time is sure to impress.
Match Your Mood (Color, 1968)
Wild, amazing promotional film by Westinghouse touts the latest fad: decorative pop art/psychedelic refrigerator covers. Transforms any kitchen into a swinging go-go party! Jaw-dropping visuals and a groovy soundtrack will make you wish you lived in the 60s!
An unintentionally hilarious long-form commercial presented by Monsanto and J.C. Pennies. See America in style with Jan, Jill and Amy, three gals crossing the country, but always making sure to dress their best. The ladies take a ride on the Delta Queen river boat in their sporty twinsets. They tour a plantation in long evening gowns. One meets a gambler with an eye patch and plays blackjack. They change into short cocktail dresses and go to a nightclub in the French Quarter to listen to ragtime and jazz. They take a drive through Pikes Peak National Forest in a convertible and wear cowboy hats. They go to a beach in California, model their bathing suits, then build a bonfire in cable knit sweaters. They drive the convertible to San Francisco and stay at the Mark Hopkins Hotel. They ride a cable car in stylish daytime suits and dresses and go to the Japanese Tea garden, and drive down Lombard St. They fly home in style on an American Airlines jet, undoubtedly to buy more stylish clothes from Penney's.
Sunsteps (Color, late 1940’s)
Rare Kodachrome promotional film made by the BF Goodrich shoe company, touting their new line of women’s casual shoes. Lots of models on location sport the bright, gaily colored new design. Vintage fashionistas and shoe fetishists won’t want to miss this- looks like it was filmed yesterday!
The Challenge of Tomorrow (Color, 1964, excerpt)
This RCA promotional film contains some of the most jaw-droppingly beautiful Kodachrome color and stunning visuals in the Oddball Film Archive. Covers the RCA corporation’s multi-faceted electronic manufacturing and entertainment fields; from electron tube manufacturing, very rare footage vinyl record manufacturing and recording, TV cameras, computers, space technology and more. The retro future never looked better!
Curator’s Biography