''Industry on Parade'' was a short television program that aired in the United States from 1950–1960. It was produced by the

National Association of Manufacturers The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) is an advocacy group headquartered in Washington, D.C., with additional offices across the United States. It is the nation's largest manufacturing industrial trade association, representing 14,000 s ...

(NAM). The show depicts complicated industrial processes that transform raw materials into finished products available for consumption by Americans. Its episodes generally contain several sections, each of which looks at a different aspect of some larger topic within industry. The show was nationally syndicated, and local stations could show it free of charge—which they did, in a wide range of different time slots. Footage was also distributed widely among American schools and community organizations. Ratings information is scarce but existing local reports suggest that the show was quite popular.

History

The show was reportedly conceived by Johnny Johnstone, the director of television and radio at NAM. NAM collaborated with NBC in producing the show from 1950–1953. (NBC producer Arthur Lodge continued to work with the show until it ended in 1960.) The series received a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

for National Public Service in 1954. In 1958, the show changed formats, recycling and rearranging old footage to provide broader overviews of different industries.Jason S. Mittell, "Invisible Footage: ''Industry on Parade'' and television historiography", ''Film History'' vol. 9, 1997, accesse
via JStor
In total, ''Industry on Parade'' aired more than 500 episodes during its 10 years in existence. These reels were donated to the

National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...

in 1974, and held by the Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources until being transferred to the Archives Center in 1994.

Themes

The show promotes capitalist industrial production and typically ends with an

anticommunist Anti-communism is political and ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, when the United States and the ...

message. The success of ''Industry on Parade'' provoked the

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...

to demand its own "public service" time on television, which they obtained and used to broadcast ''Americans at Work'' (1958–1961).Anna McCarthy, ''The Citizen Machine: Governing by Television in 1950s America'', New York: The New Press, 2010, p. 208. . The show generally depicts and promotes

women in the workforce Since the industrial revolution, participation of women in the workforce outside the home has increased in industrialized nations, with particularly large growth seen in the 20th century. Largely seen as a boon for industrial society, women in ...

References

External links

{{Commons category, Industry on Parade
Industry on Parade Film Collection
at the Archives Center,

1950s American television series 1960s American television series 1950 American television series debuts 1960 American television series endings NBC original programming Manufacturing in the United States Documentary television series about industry Peabody Award-winning television programs