Sponsored Films

A Case of Spring Fever (1940)
Sponsor: Chevrolet Motor Co. Production Co.: Jam Handy Organization. Transfer Note: Scanned from a 35mm nitrate print held by the Library of Congress. Running Time: 8 minutes.

Advertising short for Chevrolet combining live action and animation. The film relates the story of Gilbert Willoughby, who, exasperated by his stubborn boxspring mattress, imprudently wishes for the disappearance of springs. Coily, the animated spring sprite, grants his wish, and Gilbert is bedeviled by once-familar appliances that no longer function. Apolo­gizing to Coily, Gilbert acknowledges the contribution of springs to daily life, especially in the Chevrolet.

Note: From the Direct Mass Selling series, this film combines two features common in industrial films: the anthropomorphized product and the discovery of the product’s central role in everyday life.