Sponsored Films

The Middleton Family at the New York World’s Fair (1939)
Sponsor: Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co. Production Co.: Audio Productions Inc. Director/Writer: Robert S. Snody. Camera: William Steiner. Music: Edwin E. Ludig. Editor: Sol E. Feuerman. Cast: Marjorie Lord, James Lydon, Ruth Lee, Harry Shannon. Transfer Note: Scanned from a 35mm nitrate print held by the Library of Congress. Running Time: 54 minutes.

Drama illustrating the contribution of free enterprise, technology, and Westinghouse products to the American way of life. The Middleton Family at the New York World’s Fair pits a bohemian artist boyfriend against an all-American electrical engineer who believes in improving society by working through corporations. In experiencing together Westinghouse’s technological marvels at the fair, the family win back their daughter from her left-leaning boyfriend. Among the memorable moments are the dishwashing contest between Mrs. Modern and Mrs. Drudge; Electro, the smoking robot; and the Westinghouse time capsule.

Note: The film was based on a story by G.R. Hunter and Reed Drummond. Thomas Pryor reported that the film’s budget was $70,000 to $100,000. Released in 35mm Technicolor and 16mm Kodachrome prints. Also known as The Middleton Family at the World’s Fair.

Resources
“The Middleton Family in the Movies,” Business Screen 1, no. 8 (1939): 17; Thomas M. Pryor, “Tomorrow’s Propaganda,” New York Times, June 18, 1939, 116; “Leading Sales Films of 1938–39 and the Results Attained,” Sales Management 45 (Oct. 10, 1939): 52; Roland Marchand, Creating the Corporate Soul: The Rise of Public Relations and Corporate Imagery in American Big Business (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1998), 295–98; William L. Bird, Jr., “Better Living”: Advertising, Media, and the New Vocabulary of Business Leadership, 1935–1955 (Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1999), 138–43; Andrew Wood, “The Middleton Family at the New York World’s Fair.”