“ A CEILING ON YOUR HOME! ” 1946 RENT & PRICE CONTROLS FOR WWII VETERANS PROPAGANDA FILM 18384

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This 1946 black-and-white film by Pathescope Productions discusses the importance of rent and price control for returning veterans after World War II. It argues that WWII era price controls should be continued now that the war has ended. The sponsor was the U.S. Office of Price Administration. The film begins by showing animals and their family shelters— a bird feeding its fledglings in a nest, bear cubs in a cave, a lion in a zoo cage, baby monkeys, puppies in a kennel. The film then shows footage of enlisted military men from World War II waving to women as a ship pulls out of harbor (1:07). Men in suits come out of a church (1:22); a returning soldier hugs his mother (1:29). Narration explains that men returning from the war faced problems on returning home; veterans are shown searching for jobs, trying to enroll in school, and searching for housing. A “For Rent” sign (1:49). A couple walks out of a six-room brick house and stands in the driveway, talking to a real estate agent (2:25). One returning veteran, Joe, a former private, is shown writing at a kitchen table surrounded by multiple family members; his wife flips through a magazine with baby photos (3:00). The name “Burke” etched onto a mailbox below the name “Thompson” to indicate families sharing a home (3:08). A couple walks down the street; the edges of “Hoffman” and “Sporting Goods” signs are visible (3:15). The couple stops by a jewelers window to look at wedding rings. They stop by a licensed real estate broker with a “Sorry No Rentals” sign in the window. Narration explains that materials that would have gone towards housing instead went to the war effort; military barracks are shown (4:09). A “Queens Price Control Board” sign (4:40) and “Social Security Board” sign; the Office of Price Administration stepped in to control rents and housing prices after the war. A landlord named Johnson directly addresses the camera, saying that he understands the need for rent control. Johnson’s tenants are interviewed about rent control, including Catherine Kelly, a housewife, and James Clark, a radio engineer. A renter signs a lease and then hands over a ten dollar bill (7:17). A boy plays with a World War II model plane; narration says, “the shooting war is over, but we’re still at war against inflationary prices and rents.” A diagram shows proportion of income dedicated to food, rent, and clothes; rent is the second highest item (8:05); narration says lifting rent controls would result in similar issues as after World War I, when rents jumped 50 percent after Armistice Day; a cartoon of people lining up outside a soup kitchen. A soldier is shown relaxing in a bunk, then peering over a crib with his wife at their child (9:24). Workers are shown entering factories; a view of the U.S. Capitol dome (9:54). A “Utopia Parkway” sign outside a housing development. High-rise apartment buildings and single-family homes are shown. The Alabama Dry Dock & Shipbuilding Company (10:32). The film ends by encouraging viewers to report rent violations, illegal evictions, or other housing violations to the Office of Public Affairs (OPA) as men in uniform march under an American flag.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com