Since today is Labor Day, I figured this would be a good time to share a short film about management….

Wait, that doesn’t sound right.

Well, no matter.  The boss in Hired! may not be eligible to join a union but, as we can see in this 1941 film, he’s still willing to work hard.  Or, at least, he’s willing to work hard after his father drunkenly calls him out for not being a very good boss.  On the surface, this short film might look like it’s about Jimmy and his struggle to convince people to buy a new car.  But, actually, it’s about a boss who needed to be reminded of the importance of working with his employees and helping them out.  Of course, it could also be possible that Jimmy is struggling because he’s incredibly awkward for a salesman.  And the boss could be struggling because he’s a middle-aged man who apparently still lives at home with his parents and takes orders from his cantankerous father.  One gets the feeling that there’s enough underlying resentment in this film to fuel a season’s worth of Arthur Miller plays.

Hired! was made for Chevrolet and it was meant to teach managers how to inspire their salesmen.  Of course, given that the film was made in 1941, it’s probable the Jimmy enlisted in the armed services after Pearl Harbor and eventually came back home as such a big war hero that he really didn’t need a job selling cars anymore.  Instead, Jimmy ran for Congress and eventually chaired the House Oversight Committee.  That’s what I hope happened.

Enjoy Hired!