Sponsored Films

Ellis in Freedomland (1952)
Sponsor: Westinghouse Electric Co. Production Co.: Roland Reed Productions. Cast: Lucille Ball, Percy Kilbride, James Mason, Edward Arnold, Maureen O’Sullivan, Jerry Colonna, Iron Eyes Cody, Willie Best, Robert Rockwell, Marie Wilson, Jack Mulhall, Alan Hale Jr., Andy Devine. Transfer Note: Scanned from a 16mm print held by the Library of Congress. Running Time: 82 minutes.

Longest of four dealer promotion films in a two-hour series produced to promote Westinghouse home appliances. Ellis in Freedomland breaks into two parts. In the first, a store manager has a dream in which talking appliances, speaking with the well-known voices of major film and television stars, offer tips on increasing sales. The second introduces “Freedom Fair,” Westinghouse’s spring sales event, and celebrates through a song-and-dance number how the company’s appliances free women from the drudgery of housework.

Note: The cornerstone of “Freedom Fair,” the film series reached 25,000 dealers in 75 cities in a single week. Released in Technicolor and in 16mm.

Resources
“Westinghouse Promotes Better Retail Selling,” Business Screen 13, no. 2 (1952): 37; “Dealer Training à la Hollywood,” Modern Industry 23 (June 15, 1952): 127.