Update: I have added this clip to the blog even though it doesn’t fit. I cannot get it on any smaller…. Thanks to Bo Sullivan, who works with Rejuvenation Lighting, for the tip on this 1949 film created to help postwar homeowner owners create the efficient kitchen of their dreams. It’s interesting to understand the context for films like this. After World War II, housewives did need educating on how to design a modern kitchen. But I think the bigger purpose of this propaganda — and it IS propaganda — was to incite homeowners to part with their hard-earned war-time savings.
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After the grueling lessons of the Great Depression, folks were still very very conservative about tapping into their bank accounts — or just as likely, raiding the stash of cash under their mattresses or buried next to the barn. They DID have money. During the war, there were a lot of jobs — but little to spend your money on, because of rationing and all the materials going toward the construction of wartime armaments. After the war, there was tremendous new capacity available for consumer goods. But, Americans didn’t want to spend on discretionary consumer goods. They did buy houses But, they were Savers. And, the Government was Scared. They did not want the economic wheels grind to a halt and cause another depression. Hence films like this. It wasn’t until 1953 that Americans really started to cut loose their dollars. Another story for another day…
Video source: The excellent archives.org.
Nancy C. says
OMG. I just desperately l want this kitchen.
JAson says
That roast that the lady made has me licking my chops!!!
Shane Walp says
I went to the archive link from Bob there and had sound. That’s a great video, esp. being in color! The woman’s over-dictation (area pronounced ay-rea) made me want to pull my teeth out!
The fridge there is very similar to my 1948 Hotpoint.. That was a full size tho’, and mine is an apartment size. We use it to keep the kids’ juice and yogurt snacks in but it was kool seeing a fridge like mine in its original element! Wow.
Guy H. says
Wow, great video (sorry for the redundant link above) I really like this kitchen! I love the drawer for the potatoes and the garbage hatch. What a really perfect design!
I wish I had some of those rotating shelves and a pull out lap table!
This reminded me of the Disneyland attraction Monsanto’s House of the Future. It was a model home in Disneyland from 1957-1967:
http://davelandweb.com/hof/
It featured an interesting space saving kitchen.
There is a great video of it on Youtube (in 2 parts)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DoCCO3GKqWY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVMAeSNZZz0&feature=related
Barbara says
No sound here either!
G.G. says
I see I wasn’t the first with the archive.org idea!
That was a really good film.
I went into it ready to have a good MST3K style laugh at an old filmstrip, but they had nothing but good ideas in that thing, I am surprised more of them never caught on.
G.G. says
I couldn’t get the sound to play either ( with firefox), but I could get the copy of the video at archive.org to (just search for step saving kitchen 1949 and it comes right up)
That’s quite a kitchen- they have every little detail figured out. The bins in the back splash seem like a really nice idea and I also like how you can empty the trash from the outside door on the back of the cabinets. The double hinged doors that fold out of the way are also a neat and easy to do trick.
Guy H. says
I got no sound from this clip. However the same video is here:
http://www.archive.org/details/StepSavi1949
And the sound worked for that one, FYI.
BungalowBILL says
I tweeted this vid a while ago, This link from archive.org works well http://www.archive.org/details/StepSavi1949 Archive is a great resource for old catalogs and videos and books. All online and free.
Lei says
My mother said after wwII all the ads were about keeping your floors clean and your husbands shirt collars white…she a libber from way back so she says she always thought it’s their dirty neck why do we have to clean them. she’s a young 81 now.