Hired! (1940)

★★★★★ · Hired does the job · ERD. · 2010-06-17

"Hired" was an effective 1940 instructional film for car management dealers. It gave good points and had a good script. The acting and direction was excellent. Unfortunately, conditions would soon change with the start of World War II the following year.

★★★★★ · Hired! · Christine Hennig · 2002-12-30

Part 1: Jimmy, a new salesman on the local Chevrolet lot, is having problemsdespite all the training he's gotten (he even read "What's What"!), he just can't seem to get the hang of the car business. At first, this looks like a training film for new salesmen. But then the plot takes a turn when Jimmy's boss talks to his dad (his own dad, not Jimmy's) about how his new salesmen are all lazy bums who aren't willing to work, and his dad replies, "Maybe they're working harder than you think," and we realize this is actually a film for sales managers. Just at that point, though, we see the words…

★★★★★ · Jam Handy, Detroit · JSBejma · 2012-04-04

Those lovely 30's homes with toney canvas awnings and fancy brick and stone work are obviously on the northwest side of Detroit just south of 7 Mile as evidenced by those addresses in the 18000's - all of em on the west side of the street (odd numbers). Probably in the 7 Mile - Livernois area. That was quite a neighborhood many years ago. Anyone notice the car they "drove" out to the neighborhood in had no windshield glass? What was that all about? And they sure looked silly as hell sitting in that motionless car wearing fedoras with scenery rushing by on a screen in the background. Sales is…

★★★★ · Professional sales management · filmcritic500 · 2005-09-25

This film is an interesting effort by Chevrolet to educate its dealers about professional sales management, at a time (1940) when marketing management as an academic field was still in its infancy, and when many of Chevrolet's dealers were probably good ol' boys who sold cars based on gut instinct rather than a professional approach. The sales manager looks somewhat uncomfortable wearing a tie and appears to have worked himself up from a lower economic background (farming?). The "down home" conversation with his dad, casual and unaffected, probably reminded a lot of viewers of their dads and…

★★★★ · Hanky on your head · Spuzz · 2003-07-23

Yesm I saw the 2nd half on MST3K too, but I actually hadn't seen the whole thing. It's a strange short, one on how to inspire Car lot managers to get more sales out of salesman. Film features a bright new salesman (although his age looks like he's pushing 40). he's got all the qualifications, but he's not selling.. Why? The car lot manager frets about this until he has one of the more amazing conversations ever put to film with his dad. They're swatting mosquitos, drinking iced tea and putting handkerchiefs on their head and talking about what made the car lot manager successful when he was…

★★★★ · Weird but Informative · monoceros4 · 2009-08-26

"Hired!" has a lot of bizarre moments that provide excellent working material for comedy, as MST3K proved. But, if you look past the oddball touches, you'll see that "Hired!" actually does its job pretty well. If it saved even one rookie from getting chewed out by a lazy boss, who saved himself effort by adopting the "sink or swim" management method instead of bothering to train his new employees, "Hired!" was worth it. Even the scene that most provoked the SOL crew's ire, in which Jimmy's boss criticizes how he concluded a new sale, makes a good point. Yes, it seems unfair that Jimmy should…