Thursday, February 4, 2021

Profit - A World Premier

 One of the more interesting things to come out of the hoard that was my Fathers and his wife's condo was Profit, a funny old film commissioned by Dad to train his sales representatives when he worked for Swift Inc.  Filmed circa 1973, it features a fictional game show that tortures its' contestants.  What makes this little 20 minute training film remarkable is that it stars Steve Martin and Howard Hessman, both of whom went on to have illustrious careers.  It also stars Jim Cranna and Julie Payne who had careers in television and theater. Finally, my siblings and I make a brief appearance at the very end as the family who was locked in a subterranean detention center (I am the one with the long curly hair who gets on the guys' leg).  This is not your typical 3 minute video so grab some popcorn and sit back.  I guarantee this will make you laugh. 



7 comments:

  1. Well, isn't that a real piece of cinematic and comedic history!

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  2. You did a good job of holding on. Is this when your career took off?

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    1. I can't remember who suggested that I cling to Jim Cranna's leg. I think the director wanted my little sister Julie to do it but she was too shy. At that age I was very small, the smallest in my class. So I was always chosen for those small jobs like riding the chariot in chariot races at field day or squeezing through tiny windows when someone had locked their keys inside. I suppose if I had been born in Dickens Day I could have been one of those children who got shoved into the small chimneys to clean them.

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  3. It seems that I can't see the video from my phone. Will try on the laptop.

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    1. I agree - it does not work from my phone either.

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