2015.011.032
Color 16mm film containing an installment of the Detroit Tomorrow Committee's series "Detroit: Today and Tomorrow," focusing on the Detroit Board of Education, and the Standard Accident Insurance Company.
The Detroit Board of Education portion of the film begins with a montage showing Webster School, Daniel Webster Elementary School, and several other Detroit schools. Black and white footage of children in elementary and high school classrooms follows.
The film then turns toward the special classes offered in Detroit schools. A girls' swim class, a boys' industrial arts class, classes about retailing skills, typing classes, and music are shown. The film also features students painting in the galleries of the Detroit Institute of Arts as part of a program between the school and the museum. Mumford High School elaborate off-street driver's training area is also highlighted.
The film also covers the television station WTVS, part of the Detroit Education TV Foundation. THe station is described as a teaching tool, and footage is included showing the production of shows about art, science, and anatomy.
The second half of the film spotlights the Standard Accident Insurance Company. This segment begins with narration describing Detroit's development over a montage of shots showing the city's skyline; traffic on the Detroit River; downtown; General Motors' Cadillac Building; a Chrysler Fire Power sign; the Ford Motor Company's Edsel Division building; the Detroit Institute of Arts; the Detroit Public Library; the Masonic Temple; a General Electric sign; the Burroughs sign and watertower; the Detroit Sales Branch of Parke, Davis and Company; and finally the exterior of the Standard Accident Insurance Company building at 640 Temple Street.
The film focus on Standard Accident takes on the pretense of a special guided tour provided to Jim Williams, a company agent from Dallas, Texas who is visiting along with his teenage son Eddie to explore his interest in the insurance business.
The pair first visit the underwriting department, where they see modern electronic office equipment in use. They then go to the claims department where several men consult a model of a traffic accident during a meeting. Eddie then explores the company's library and finds a training manual prepared by the engineering department.
The film then turns toward the issue of employee relations as Jim and Eddie experience the fun side of working at Standard Accident. They visit the employee lounge, and see the trophies from employee sports teams. Footage is included of a company baseball game on Belle Isle, as well as from a company outing to Boblo Island. The latter features the carousel, Scrambler, Ferris wheel, and the picnic area. The employee choir--the Standard Singers--are also shown. Jim and Eddie even visit the women's lounge. The narrator explains that employee anniversaries are celebrated with bouquets of red roses. The pair also eat in the company cafeteria.
Eddie also learns about employee education program in classrooms and through correspondence classes. The narrator explains that special developmental conferences are held to ensure the employees are provided educational opportunities. Their tour of the company's home office ends with a meeting with president L.K. Kirk.
Негізгі бет Detroit: Today and Tomorrow - Standard Accident Insurance Co. and the Detroit Board of Ed. (1957)
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