Henry Jamison "Jam" Handy (March 6, 1886 – November 13, 1983) was an American Olympic
breaststroke
Breaststroke is a human swimming, swimming style in which the swimmer is on their chest and the torso does not rotate. It is the most popular recreational style due to the swimmer's head being out of the water a large portion of the time, and ...
swimmer,
water polo
Water polo is a competitive sport, competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the water polo ball, ball into the oppo ...
player, and founder of the Jam Handy Organization (JHO), a producer of commercially sponsored motion pictures, slidefilms (later known as
filmstrip
The filmstrip is a form of still image instructional Media (communication), media, once widely used by educators in primary and secondary schools (K–12) and for corporate presentations (e.g., sales training and new product introductions). ...
s), trade shows, industrial theater and multimedia training aids. Credited as the first person to imagine
distance learning
Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...
, Handy made his first film in 1910 and presided over a company that produced an estimated 7,000 motion pictures and perhaps as many as 100,000 slidefilms before it was dissolved in 1983.
Athletic activities
As a swimmer, Handy introduced a number of new swimming strokes to Americans, such as the
Australian crawl
Australian Crawl (often called Aussie Crawl or The Crawl by fans) were an Australian rock band founded by James Reyne (lead vocals/piano/harmonica), Brad Robinson (rhythm guitar), Paul Williams ( bass), Simon Binks (lead guitar) and David ...
. He would often wake up early and devise new strokes to give him an edge over other swimmers. Swimming led to him getting a bronze in the
1904 Olympics
The 1904 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the III Olympiad and also known as St. Louis 1904) were an international multi-sport event held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from 1 July to 23 November 1904. Many events were conducted ...
at
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...
. Twenty years later he was part of the Illinois Athletic Club water polo team at the
1924 Olympics in Paris, France, again winning a bronze medal. With his participation, he established a new record for the longest period of time between first and last Olympic competitions. Handy swam almost every day until the last few months of his life.
Handy appeared swimming in a commercial from 1978 asking for the public to support American athletes training for the 1980 Olympic games before the
boycott
A boycott is an act of nonviolent resistance, nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organisation, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for Morality, moral, society, social, politics, political, or Environmenta ...
. At the time of his filming, he was the oldest living United States Olympic medalist.
In 1965, Handy was inducted into the
International Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame and Museum (ISHOF) is a history museum and hall of fame, located at One Hall of Fame Drive, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, operated by private interests and serving as the central point for the stu ...
. In 1977, he was inducted into the
USA Water Polo Hall of Fame
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguou ...
.
Education and early career
Handy attended North Division High School (now
Lincoln Park High School) in Chicago, and then the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
during the 1902–03 academic year. During that time he was working as a campus correspondent for the ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' when on May 8 he wrote an article about a lecture in the Elocution 2 class given by
Prof. Thomas C. Trueblood as a "course in lovemaking." Handy went on to describe how Trueblood had dropped to a bended knee in order to demonstrate how to make an effective marriage proposal.
John T. McCutcheon, a ''
Chicago Record Herald
The ''Chicago Record-Herald'' was a newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois from 1901 until 1914. It was the successor to the '' Chicago Morning Herald,'' the '' Chicago Times Herald'' and the ''Chicago Record''.
H. H. Kohlsaat, owner of the ...
'' cartoonist, followed the next day with a cartoon about a "Professor Foxy Truesport" showing his class how to best make love.
Neither Trueblood nor university President
James B. Angell were amused. Ten days after the initial article was published, Handy was suspended for a year for "publishing false and injurious statements affecting the character of the work of one of the Professors." Handy was told he could re-apply one year later. Instead, Handy decided to apply to a different school, but he was unable to gain acceptance to other schools because of what had happened at the University of Michigan. Handy was accepted to the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
but was told to leave after two weeks of classes.
''Tribune'' editor
Medill McCormick
Joseph Medill McCormick (May 16, 1877 – February 25, 1925) was part of the McCormick family of businessmen and politicians in Chicago. After working as a publisher for some time and becoming part owner of the ''Chicago Tribune,'' which his mate ...
tried to intervene on Handy's behalf, but Angell refused to change the suspension. At that point, McCormick offered Handy a job. Handy worked in a number of departments at the ''Tribune''. It was during his time working on the advertising staff that Handy observed that informing and building up salespeople's enthusiasm for the products they were selling helped to move more merchandise. He also began researching exactly what made people buy a particular product.
Handy left the ''Tribune'' to do further work on corporate communications. He worked with
John H. Patterson of
National Cash Register
NCR Voyix Corporation, previously known as NCR Corporation and National Cash Register, is a global software, consulting and technology company providing several professional services and electronic products. It manufactured self-service kios ...
, who had used slides to help train workers. With help from another associate, Handy began making and distributing films that showed consumers how to operate everyday products. After World War I broke out, Handy began making films to show how to operate military equipment. During this time the Jam Handy Organization was formed.
Marriage
Handy was married to Helen Hoag Rogers and had five children. One of his daughter Chaille's children is the printmaker
Garner Tullis. Another of his daughter Chaille's children is the inventor Barclay J. Tullis.
Filmmaking
After World War I, Handy was the Chicago-Detroit industrial representative for
Bray Productions
Bray Productions was a pioneering American animation studio that produced several popular cartoons during the years of World War I and the early interwar era, becoming a springboard for several key animators of the 20th century, including the ...
, creating films for the auto industry, Bray's largest private client.
General Motors
General Motors Company (GM) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturing company headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, United States. The company is most known for owning and manufacturing f ...
selected Handy's organization to produce short training films as well as other training and promotional materials. One such film was 1940's ''Hired!'' – a training film for sales managers at
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...
dealerships; which is also featured in the ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000
''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on WUCW, KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. It then ...
'' episodes ''
Bride of the Monster
''Bride of the Monster'' is a 1955 American independent science fiction horror film, co-written, produced and directed by Edward D. Wood Jr., and starring Bela Lugosi and Tor Johnson with a supporting cast featuring Tony McCoy and Loretta Kin ...
'' and ''
Manos: The Hands of Fate''. Many films produced by the Jam Handy Organization were collected by
Prelinger Archives
The Prelinger Archives is a collection of films relating to U.S. cultural history, the evolution of the American landscape, everyday life, and social history. Originally based in New York City from 1982 through 2002, it is now based in San Franci ...
and may be seen and downloaded at the
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
.
''
Master Hands'', the legendary 1936 documentary
sponsored film
Sponsored film, or ephemeral film, as defined by film archivist Rick Prelinger, is a film made by a particular sponsor (commercial), sponsor for a specific purpose other than as a work of art: the films were designed to serve a specific pragmatic p ...
(or as was called a "capitalist realist drama"), was selected by the
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation (library and archival science), preservation, each selected for its cultural, historical, and aestheti ...
for preservation in 1999.
Between 1936 and 1938, the Jam Handy Organization made a series of six animated fantasy sales films for Chevrolet featuring a gnome named Nicky Nome, which showed new Chevrolet automobiles saving the day from villains, often in retellings of classic tales such as
Cinderella
"Cinderella", or "The Little Glass Slipper", is a Folklore, folk tale with thousands of variants that are told throughout the world.Dundes, Alan. Cinderella, a Casebook. Madison, Wis: University of Wisconsin Press, 1988. The protagonist is a you ...
, the subject of two of those films, ''
A Coach for Cinderella
''A Coach for Cinderella'' is a 1936 Technicolor animated cartoon sponsored film based on the Cinderella fairy tale. Directed by Max Fleischer for Jaminson Handy, the film is an advertisement for Chevrolet automobiles.
Summary
The story begin ...
'' and ''
A Ride for Cinderella''. The other films were ''Nicky Rides Again'', ''
Peg-Leg Pedro'', ''
The Princess and the Pauper'', and ''
One Bad Knight
''One Bad Knight'' is a 1938 theatrical advertisement for Chevrolet, produced by the Jam Handy Organization, featuring the gnome, Nicky Nome.
Plot
To the tune of "The Love Bug Will Bite You," a "love bug" sprays a pair of frogs, a pair of bird ...
''.
The Jam Handy Organization produced the first animated version of the new Christmas story ''
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on C ...
''
(1948), sponsored by retailer Montgomery Ward and directed by
Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer (born Majer Fleischer ; July 19, 1883 – September 11, 1972) was an American animator and studio owner. Born in Kraków, in Austrian Poland, Fleischer immigrated to the United States where he became a pioneer in the development ...
.
Handy also produced films for other companies and for schools. He's estimated to have produced over 7,000 films for the armed services during
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 ...
. Handy was noted for taking only a one-percent profit on the films, while he could have taken as much as seven percent. He was noted for never having a desk at work, instead using any available workspace. Handy's suits did not have pockets, as he thought they were a waste of time.
Degrees
Despite Handy's troubles with the University of Michigan, his son-in-law Max Mallon, granddaughter Susan Webb, and great-granddaughter Kathryn Tullis received degrees from the school. Handy would receive an honorary doctorate from
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University (EMU, EMich, Eastern Michigan or simply Eastern) is a public university, public research university in Ypsilanti, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1849 as the Michigan State Normal School, it was the fourth normal ...
.
Death
Handy died in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
on November 13, 1983, at the age of 97. He swam on a regular basis until just a few days before his death.
The Jam Handy advertising and marketing firm was displaced by
Campbell Ewald
Campbell Ewald is an advertising and marketing communications agency headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, with offices in Los Angeles and New York. Campbell Ewald is part of advertising company Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG).
History
In 191 ...
as General Motors' principal advertising agency. The loss of those funds was responsible, during the year of his death, for the demise of Handy's agency, which had been located on East Grand Blvd in Detroit.
Archival sources
Handy's personal papers and the surviving Jam Handy Organization records are housed at the Burton Historical Collection at the
Detroit Public Library
The Detroit Public Library is the second largest library system in the U.S. state of Michigan by volumes held (after the University of Michigan Library) and the List of largest libraries in the United States, 12th-largest public library system i ...
. His family and ancestry are featured in a historical collection held at the
William L. Clements Library
The William L. Clements Library is a rare book and manuscript repository located on the University of Michigan's central campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Specializing in Americana and particularly North American history prior to the twentieth cen ...
at the
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...
. The Clements Library also published a book titled ''Annals and Memorials of the Handys and Their Kindred'' by Isaac W.K. Handy, edited by Mildred Handy Ritchie and Sarah Rozelle Handy Mallon (Ann Arbor, 1992). An hour-long interview with Jamison Handy
[ conducted by WWJ-TV's Bob Leslie, at ]Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
. Retrieved February 17, 2019. (published December 26, 1961) is available at Internet Archive.
See also
*
List of Olympic medalists in swimming (men)
This is the complete list of men's Olympic medalists in swimming.
Men's events
50 metre freestyle
100 metre freestyle
200 metre freestyle
400 metre freestyle
800 metre freestyle
1500 metre freestyle
100 metre backstroke
200 m ...
*
List of Olympic medalists in water polo (men)
Men's water polo has been part of the Summer Olympics program since 1900. Hungary men's national water polo team has won sixteen Olympic medals, becoming the most successful country in men's tournament.
There are fifty-nine male athletes who hav ...
*
List of members of the International Swimming Hall of Fame
The International Swimming Hall of Fame is a history museum and hall of fame, serving as the central point for the study of the history of swimming in the United States and around the world.
List of the members of the International Swimming Hall ...
*
Industrial film
An industrial video is a video that targets industry as its primary audience. An industrial video is a type of sponsored film (such as an educational film) which prioritizes pragmatism over artistic value. While the primary purpose of an educationa ...
*
Collage film
Collage film is a style of film created by juxtaposing Found footage (appropriation), found footage from disparate sources (archival footage, excerpts from other films, newsreels, home movies, etc.). The term has also been applied to the physical ...
References
External links
*
University of Michigan's March 1995 Michigan Today – A Jam Handy Production*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080124003235/http://www.detroit.lib.mi.us/burton/burton_index.htm Burton Historical Collection, Detroit Public LibraryJam Handy Collection (ARS.0027), Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound*
*
Production log of motion pictures produced by Jam Handy Organization 1936-1968 at
Internet Archive
The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Handy, Jam
1886 births
1983 deaths
Swimmers from Philadelphia
Water polo players from Chicago
Film producers from Pennsylvania
American male breaststroke swimmers
American male water polo players
American documentary film producers
Film distributors (people)
Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in swimming
Olympic medalists in water polo
Olympic water polo players for the United States
Swimmers at the 1904 Summer Olympics
University of Michigan alumni
Water polo players at the 1924 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Film producers from Illinois
Film producers from Michigan
Bray Productions people
Swimmers from Chicago
20th-century American sportsmen