Meet King Joe | 1949 | Cold War Era American Propaganda Cartoon 

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This 1949 Technicolor cartoon is a Cold War-era propaganda film aimed at American workers with the objective of convincing them of their good fortune. It shows us the life of a common working man in America, and how he is able to achieve financial success for himself thanks to investment, competition, research, and technology.
Joe, an average American working man who, wears overalls and talks with a pseudo-Brooklyn accent, is "king of the workers of the world" not because he is worthy, but because the machinery in his factory "multiplies strength and efficiency." We also learn that Joe is "king" not because he can exert power over anything, but because "he can buy more with his wages than any other worker on the globe."
We gets a nicely illustrated introduction to then-standard basic economic theories of production and investment that "make the United States the industrial master of the world”. As proof that the American capitalist system is the most wonderful on earth, the narrator informs us that Americans own 72% of the cars in the world, 92% of the bathtubs, and "practically all the refrigerators in existence." The narrator sums up the attitude industrial America was pushing: "Labor and management must continue to increase the production of better goods at lower prices so that more people will be able to buy the things that make life easier and happier for all of us."
The cartoon is a John Sutherland production. It is one of the "fun and facts about America" series, made "to create a deeper understanding of what has made America the finest place in the world to live."
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND / CONTEXT
The Cold War (1947-1991) was in many respects a struggle for the hearts and minds of people everywhere. That competition was carried out through massive American and Soviet propaganda campaigns to isolate the respective opponent internationally, win the approval of world opinion, and consolidate the own sphere of influence. Every opportunity from art exhibits to international sports events, and every medium from radio to television, was used to fight the propaganda war.
During the Cold War, films functioned as a means to influence and control public opinion internally. The United States and the Soviet Union invested heavily in propaganda designed to influence the hearts and minds of people around the world, especially using motion pictures. Cold War films produced by both sides attempted to address different facets of the superpower conflict and sought to influence both domestic and foreign opinion. The gap between American and Soviet film gave the Americans a distinct advantage over the Soviet Union; America was readily prepared to utilize their cinematic achievements as a way to effectively impact the public opinion in a way the Soviet Union could not. Cinema, Americans hoped, would help close the gap caused by Soviet development of nuclear weapons and advancements in space technology. The use of film as an effective form of widespread propaganda transformed cinema into another Cold War battlefront.
American films incorporated a wide scale of Cold War themes and issues into all genres of film, which gave American motion pictures a particular lead over Soviet film. Despite the audiences' lack of zeal for Anti-Communist/Cold War related cinema, the films produced evidently did serve as successful propaganda in both America and the USSR. The films released during this time received a response from the Soviet Union, which subsequently released its own array of films to combat the depiction of the Communist threat.
Television and advertising played key roles in constructing the image of an ideal American way of life. American propaganda functioned to shore up support and national pride by projecting an image of prosperity, freedom and strength. In many ways, however, these images were fantasy. They contrasted and conflicted with many American's real life.
Meet King Joe | 1949 | Cold War Era American Propaganda Cartoon
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