Underplayed Gems

Where's Joe?

Where's Joe? poster
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

A 1927 documentary made by the steel industry. It argues that foreign competition is costing American steelworkers their jobs. The film was used to convince workers and executives to accept no-strike deals.

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What happens

Where’s Joe? (1927), a 25-minute, color documentary film was a joint venture between the United Steel Workers union led by I. W. Abel and the management of the ten largest steel companies in the U.S. The movie tackles the problem of productivity and foreign competition in the American steel industry. The "Joe" in the movie title refers to the workers who have lost their jobs in U.S. steel mills due to increased competition from foreign steel mills. "Joe has been replaced by Jose, Hans, or Toshika, all productive steel workers, but not in the U.S.," the narrator in the film says. The film targeted the half-million people who work in the steel industry, from steel company presidents and steel union leaders to millhands. The film was also shown for investors and analysts at steel company shareholder and civic group meetings. It played on TV in 16 cities and ran as a “short” between features at commercial theatres. The movie is credited with helping put in place the first "no-strike" negotiation in the history of the U.S. steel industry. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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