Boosting Is a Business [unedited footage, silent, 1957]

This mashup blends contrasting themes, moving from serene agricultural scenes and vibrant product displays to stark depictions of crime and law enforcement. It opens with promotional footage from a Borden dairy film, showing cotton plants, vineyards, and Coca-Cola billboards, alongside factory interiors showcasing consumer goods like Borden dairy products. Shifting tone, it introduces cautionary images from *Boosting Is a Business*, depicting drug paraphernalia, educational signs on drug dangers, and a police library. The sequence then transitions briefly to scenes from a Dodge Ridge ski resort promotion, where families enjoy skiing and scenic mountain landscapes, offering a momentary return to lighthearted imagery. The narrative darkens again, however, with detailed scenes of shoplifting and theft in department stores, illustrating crimes like price tag switching, concealed merchandise, and pickpocketing with repeated sequences. This juxtaposition between idyllic consumer life and crime creates a tension that culminates in shots of Alameda County’s Santa Rita Rehabilitation Center and rainy Berkeley street scenes. Ending with visuals of police stations and recaps of theft incidents, the mashup offers a multifaceted perspective on mid-century America, weaving together themes of leisure, consumerism, crime, and community vigilance.

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