LOOK AT LIFE: BOOMING GOOD WISHES

This is an amazing little doc. on the booming greetings cards industry in the 1960s.

It is from the seminal documentary shorts range called Look At Life which was screened in Rank Cinemas back then, before the main feature.

BEGINS

A 21 gun cannon salute for the Queen's birthday.

Just one way of sending someone good wishes.

Another is the greetings card introduced to the UK from the USA.

We see cards being selected in shops.

Here is the woman who has written tens of thousands of verses to go inside these cards.  Is she Scottish?

The flamboyant artist who paints those awful watercolours on so many cards.

Fret not, there are some more stylish eofforts.  We see a young modette graphic designer / illustrator just out of art school desigining a card which looks incredible smart and retro now but was probably cutting edge design back then.  She looks quite hip.

Scary times: we visit a factory where we see those huge padded cards being made.  The female workers wear face masks so they do not breath in whatever hazardous substance they stuff those godawful cards with.

We see loads and loads of different card designs.

Christmas.

Birthdays.

We also see the advent of special days introduced to shift more cards by the huge American greetings cards companies.  Secretary day anyone?  Happy birthday to your pet.

Lots more ace mod, sixties footage of folk sending and receiving greetings cards.

The film ends with a more traditional greeting: female Oxbridge students being serenaded at their bedroom windows by some odd, garlanded blokes on step ladders.

"Look at life again soon"

ENDS

Super 8.  Sound.  Colour.  220ft.

UK postage is £2.50.

Worth grabbing for the fantastic Cholmondley Warner style narration alone.

A red hue on this print, hence the lower price for a Look At Life; this colouring is often to be expected in such an old film.  All adds to the period charm.

Grab this gem while you can.

Please see my other items for further westerns ('Buffalo Bill' etc), educationals, wildlife reels, leisure, sport, amateur home movies, travelogues, train films, spools, Jacques Cousteau, cult drama (The Sweeney etc), shark, surf, marinelife reels, empty cases with reels etc.

Thanks for looking.