“The City That Sold America” next in Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Films at Wallace State Community College
HANCEVILLE, Ala. — The second in a series of free films presented by The Evelyn Burrow Museum at Wallace State Community College will impart the history of how the city of Chicago, Ill., impacted the advertising industry and ultimately the lives of Americans.
“The City That Sold America” is the next film to be featured in South Arts’ 2019-2020 Southern Circuit Tour of Independent for which the museum is a screening partner. The screening will be on Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 6 p.m. in the Burrow Center Recital Hall.
The 67-minute documentary tells the story of a melting pot of adventurous immigrants, creative mavericks, and freedom-seeking African Americans who shaped consumerism as we now know it. “The City That Sold America” reveals, with intriguing insights and wistful nostalgia, the confluence of Chicago’s creative talent, business savvy, grit, and determination that changed the country and our relationship with popular culture. For the first time, the film explores how Chicago introduced groundbreaking, behavior-changing ideas like fast food chains, orange juice, soap operas, African-American beauty products, late night talk shows, toothpaste, and Kleenex.
“The City That Sold America” uncovers the origins of beloved icons like Tony the Tiger, the Jolly Green Giant, Charlie Tuna, the Budweiser’s Clydesdales, and the Pillsbury Dough Boy—all of whom have made lasting impressions upon generations of Americans. As print and broadcast media evolved, Chicago’s centralized location and Midwestern approach helped expand the reach of advertisers, giving rise to the enduring practices of product placement, spokespeople, market research, and conscious branding.
Filmmaker Mary Warlick, an award-winning documentarian, will be on hand to introduce the film and answer questions after the viewing. Warlick is President of A&C Film Distribution LLC., an independent film company specializing in documentaries, content for television, and web broadcast.
Warlick was Executive Producer of “Art & Copy,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and was awarded an Emmy in 2012. She co-produced “The Real Mad Men and Women of Madison Avenue,” a television special that premiered on WNET-PBS in June 2013 and was awarded an Emmy for cultural programming. The documentary was also awarded the Clarion Award, presented to women in communications. She also produced “When Desire Meets Opportunity,” a 17-minute documentary about the diversity initiatives in advertising.
Before launching her film career, Warlick was Chief Executive Officer of The One Club, and produced the prestigious One Show awards for advertising held every year at Lincoln Center in New York. She curated exhibitions on advertising for the New York Public Library and other venues across the country. Warlick edited “Advertising’s” Ten Best of the Decade, 1980-1990. In 2012, she was named one of “Advertising Age‘s” Most Influential Women in Advertising.
Films to follow in the series include:
- “Well Groomed,” a film about the world of competitive creative dog grooming, on Thursday, Nov. 14.
- “Community First, A Home for the Homeless,” a film about the Community First Village created for the homeless in Austin, Texas, on Tuesday, Feb. 4.
- “Mossville: When Great Trees Fell,” a documentary about the devastating impact pollution has had in the town of Mossville, La., on Tuesday, March 10.
- “Who Will Write Our History,” a film about secret archives created in the Warsaw Ghetto by a secret band of journalists, scholars, and community leaders who decided to fight back, on Tuesday, April 21.
All of the films will be screened at 6 p.m. in the Recital Hall of the Burrow Center for the Fine and Performing Arts. Admission is free to all of the screenings.
The Southern Circuit is made possible through a grant by South Arts and in partnership with National Endowment for the Arts. Visit www.southarts.org to see the full listing of films and screening partners.