Black Marketing

Duration: 0:11:00

Year Published: 1943

Creator: U.S. Office of War Information Bureau of Motion Pictures

Format: 16mm

Color: B&W

Sound: sound

Description: Great 1940s gangster film. Great shots of mobsters in the country and doing black market business with butchers. Great courtroom scenes with prosecutor delivering speech to jury.; 19:22:39:18 VS Harry W. Jones, attorney, addressing jury in courtroom hearing a case on a black market operation.; 19:23:21:06 VS shot of impassioned prosecutor speaking to jury: “We aim to put these black market operators behind bars, whenever and wherever we find them. But we shall never be able to stamp out this vicious fraternity complete, unless and until every American retailer and housewife appreciates that the roots of the black markets are in citizen forces.” CU mobster defendants.; 19:24:43:20 Five mobster types sitting at a table cluttered with glasses and bottles of alcohol smoking cigarettes. One stands up to lead meeting; “My proposition is that each of us put up $75,000 a piece to buy livestock and to take over a half dozen of the small slaughter houses around here that we can get for peanuts.”; 19:24:52:02 VS mobster pulls up rural dirt road to cattle ranch and pulls over o speak to the Rancher. Great shot of mobster type city slicker in hat, suit and overcoat talking to farmer on ranch.; 19:25:27:13 VS CU mobster in hat, suit and overcoat with back of farmer’s head and shoulder on right side of frame and countryside in background; “I’ll tell you what I’ll do. I’ll pay you cash 17 for that feed lot right now” lights up cigarette. MS farmer replies concerned.; Mobster: “Well the boss just wants us to build up the business a little.”; 19:25:48:18 Livestock auction. Auctioneers seated in booth with “Commission Charges Per Head” rates painted on it.; 19:25:59:02 CU scale slowly measuring more and more weight.; 19:26:14:17 Slaughtered cattle on meat hooks in packing plant.; 19:27:59:17 MS 1940s to 1950s mobster in pinstriped suit and hat pointing his finger: “All you have to do is give us a check every week for the ceiling price, and I’ll stop around every Saturday afternoon around five and pick up the rest in cash.”; 19:28:11:27 CU butcher wraps a wad of cash around a soup bone, then wraps the soup bone in typical white butcher paper. Butcher places bone in bag. Mobster enters butcher shop; “Good Morning”; “You got a nice soup bone for me?”; “I have a nice soup bone for you today.”; 19:28:39:11 VS woman at butcher shop with her daughter chewing bubble gum, tries to order a steak from the butcher; “…My son is home from camp tonight, and I want a nice big, thick, two pound porter house steak…”; “I am sorry Mrs. Kelly, I haven’t any steak. How about some nice sausage?”; “No, I think I’ll run across the street and see if I can get one there. Tom told me to be sure and have a real good thick steak for him tonight.”; 19:29:45:08 CU woman on payphone with rotary dial: “Hello. Is this the O.P.A?”; 19:30:17:16 VS interrogation scene. Good sound-bites; “We make no promises. But we do ask you as a patriotic American, to tell us just how much money above the ceiling price you paid John C every Saturday?”; CU pudgy interrogator “We know a little bit about you. We want to know just what that son of yours in Africa would say about his Dad dealing with a bunch of war time chiseling saboteurs.”; CU man in suit “I guess I haven’t been straight up until now. I’ll give you any statement you want.”; 19:30:55:13 Nice shot of 1940s to 1950s American Airlines plane with “the Flagship” painted on it, taxiing.; 19:31:16:06 Passengers exiting the “Flagship” American Airlines plane including a male and female soldier. FBI detain mobster businessman and his brief case as he exits plane.; 19:31:29:22 VS prosecuting attorney delivering closing remarks; “That ladies and gentleman of the jury concludes the government’s case against these defendants, we leave the verdict with you” attorney now turns and speaks to camera; “…black marketing doesn’t stop just with meat: shoes, potatoes, poultry, butter, tires and gasoline are all on the list. Everyone of you has a personal duty not to finance wartime racketeering. Don’t grab for more than your share of anything. If you are offered rationed foods without ration stamps, refuse to take it. Don’t be a sucker for black market prices…” now in MS attorney giving closing remarks with judge in background in front of American flag“…Your government must have your help to win the battle against black marketing…”

Complete Record: Dewey number: 641 Audience level: jh-sh-c-adult Format/cost: 16-sd-loan Distributors / rental: Not shown in source

Online Copy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cU3C24jLnU

Metadata Source:Educational Film Guide 1946