Thanks to Stan Hieronymus and Andrew Mason for tipping me to this little gem. It’s a pro-beer promotional film from 1952, created by the United States Brewers Foundation, the same trade group that created the Beer Belongs series. Using the tagline “sparkling, golden, pure, refreshing, a beverage as old as history,” it’s a great little gem of trying to promote the positive aspects of beer in the wake of Prohibition’s end. Enjoy.
Thanks for the great job with your blog. I will be posting this link this evening for our Movie Monday section.
Explore beer,
Craig B.
Hmmm… one thing that sticks out to me is the 21-year-old drinking limit. Isn’t that much newer than 1952? Otherwise, pretty damn cool.
What stuck out to me most:
1) Worker income numbers – $3500/person average annual wages – pretty good for 1952 (the higher pay for male execs & “grunt workers” offset the female office help’s min wages).
2) The “whitewash” of the realities of the bar biz.:
a) “Skimming” (either via till-dipping or non-ringing of drinks) – still probably common, but IRS & state Govs are more diligent about finding it at hot spots – dinktown “mom & pops” probably don’t have to worry unless they piss off someone who’s gonna rat them out.
b) They neglected to mention cleaning the draft beer taps & lines, though they emphasized “clean”.
c) They said nothing about 86-ing the assholic drunk . Then, there probably weren’t laws prohibiting serving an obviously intoxicated person, & the local cops would drive home any local who had political clout/wasn’t obnoxious.
Rick – in 1952, NY, LA, & DC (& maybe more states) allowed alcohol to be sold to 18-yr-olds (beer/wine only in DC; the other 2 sold anything). In the early 70’s, many states (but not CA) reduced at least the beer & wine restrictions to age 18.
Then came Reagan & the Fed Highway Administration – as of 1/1/85, all states had to raise the legal drinking age to 21 for all alcohol or risk losing Fed funds for roads (anyone 18 before 1/1/85 was “grandfathered” in). LA was the last state to capitulate – most others caved immediately.
I wish the US had continental Europe’s attitude about alcohol, sans excessively overt “demonizing” by religious zealots, MADD & their ilk, & “touchy-feely” morons like the Marin Institute. A kid who first tasted alcohol under parental supervision (like me – got small shots of beer as a “treat” from age 3-4) & got parental “basic training” knows limits & basic behavior rules, especially if they’ve seen/a parent’s told them about the out-of control drunk, passed out & had friends do stuff to them, or had too many serious hangovers.
Whatever – that was an interesting “lookback”.