''Manpower'' was a short propaganda film produced by the US
Office of War Information
The United States Office of War Information (OWI) was a United States government agency created during World War II. The OWI operated from June 1942 until September 1945. Through radio broadcasts, newspapers, posters, photographs, films and other ...
in 1942.
Made early shortly after America's entry into
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, the film addressed the problems associated with the labor market adjusting for war time, such as people with the wrong skills rushing to a town looking for war work, and labor shortages in essential industries. The film discusses how the Roosevelt administration dealt with the problem by the establishment of the
Federal Employment Commission, which brought together representatives from labor, management, and the military to organize war production effectively, the test case being in the city of
Baltimore
Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
.
Plot summary
In spite of this action, there were labor shortages, and people had to be taken from other occupations and put into war work. Different examples are given and briefly dramatized:
* a man who has seniority working in a white collar profession is promised his position back when he returns to work after the war
* small businessmen are persuaded to sell their shops and go into war production
* Negroes are taken from menial jobs like custodians, and put to work welding
* women are taken from domestic life and put in to work that is adjusted for "feminine muscles" (the film points out that taking a job doesn't affect their husbands' draft status)
* women with small children will have access to day care
Finally, a few more possibilities are noted, but left undramatized, such as retired people coming back to work, the handicapped are recruited and America's "youth" going into agricultural labor. It is noted that these youth programs are voluntary, but it's possible that the government could make youth participation mandatory.
Cast
*
Paul V. McNutt
Paul Vories McNutt (July 19, 1891 – March 24, 1955) was an American diplomat and politician who served as the 34th governor of Indiana, high commissioner to the Philippines, administrator of the Federal Security Agency, chairman of the ...
as Self
See also
*
List of Allied propaganda films of World War II
During World War II and immediately after it, in addition to the many private films created to help the war effort, many Allied countries had governmental or semi-governmental agencies commission propaganda and training films for home and foreig ...
*
United States home front during World War II
The United States home front during World War II supported the war effort in many ways, including a wide range of volunteer efforts and submitting to government-managed rationing and price controls. There was a general feeling of agreement that ...
References
External links
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1942 films
American World War II propaganda shorts
American black-and-white films
American short documentary films
1942 short documentary films
1940s English-language films
1940s American films
English-language short documentary films
English-language war films
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