In The Face In The Mirror [I Wonder],

James Dunn (1901-1967) stars as Ed

Brooks. Dunn is best known for

playing Johnny Nolan in the 1945

motion picture A Tree Grows in

Brooklyn, for which he won an

Academy Award for Best Supporting

Actor. Dunn also starred in a

number of Shirley Temple movies.

1940 Henry Jamison "Jam" Handy’s movie production company, The Jam

Handy Organization, specialized in short advertising, training, and

educational films for American businesses and industries. From the

late 1930s to 1970, the Jam Handy Organization was synonymously

tied to American economic exceptionalism, especially in the post

World War Two era. The memorable commercial "See the U.S.A. in

Your New Chevrolet” from 1952 is one prime example.

W. Zoglauer,

mindofhistory.com

The Face In The Mirror [“I Wonder”], 1940.

The Jam Handy Organization sure did produce a little dandy with their sales training

film, The Face In The Mirror [“I Wonder”]. For twenty-six memorable minutes, viewers

have the pleasurable experience of watching the affable Ed Brooks (played by James

Dunn), a salesman by trade, going shopping on his first day off in weeks. Watching

someone shopping sounds a little mundane, but this is America in its halcyon days,

Detroit to be exact, and it’s 1940. Some viewers might be surprised how much pipe-

smoking contentment plays a pivotal role in Ed’s shopping adventures for the day. The

pipe is no mere affectation. It was at the time a stylish and quintessential grounding

element of mid-20th century American masculinity. Bing Crosby, Clark Gable, Edward

G. Robinson, Gregory Peck, and Orson Welles epitomized this pipe-smoking trait well.

It’s also no ordinary day. For Mr. and Mrs. Brooks, it is their anniversary. Mrs. Brooks,

played by Ruth Mattison, would like a new sitting room chair to mark the occasion. But

that is not all she wants. Mrs. Brooks is quick to remind Ed he needs a new hat and a

haircut. From offscreen she chides Ed, who is standing in front of a bathroom mirror

shaving, “You want to look nice, don’t you? That’s the one thing you always told me. A

good appearance helps you to sell. Now that hat of yours, it’s simply awful. Ed? Ed, are

you listening to me?”

Ed, clearly more attentive to his shaving than his wife’s admonishments heard from

outside the bathroom, answers her honestly, though somewhat accidentally, with “No,”

before quickly correcting himself with a sheepish, “Oh yeah, yes, Dear! How could you

think such a thing?” Thus proving that some elements of an American matrimonial

conversation are timeless, regardless of decade or century. W. Zoglauer

Here, a doting Mrs. Brooks enters the bathroom (and onscreen for the first time) wearing

Ed’s worn out and crumbled hat and asks, “Would I sell you anything the way I look?”

“Honey, you’re right. You are absolutely right,” declares a chuckling Ed with a still half-

lathered face just before kissing his wife. Feeling a bit euphoric after this kiss, Ed’s list of

needed purchases expands as he declares, “Today, I’ll shoot the works: hat, shirt, ties.”

“And you can change your brand of shaving soap, too,” retorts Mrs. Brooks, not very

pleased with the soapy taste fresh off Ed’s lips. It’s all lighthearted banter for an on-screen

married couple enjoying their anniversary in 1940.

Historian James Truslow Adams in his book, The March of Democracy: The Record of 1933-

1941, illustrated with several examples why 1940 was a peculiar year for the United States.

President Roosevelt’s State of the Union on January 3, 1940, focused intensely on foreign

relations instead of domestic economic concerns, despite a 14% unemployment rate. The

Supreme Court turned over naturally, and not by any of President Roosevelt’s court packing

schemes. A formally appointed diplomatic representative was sent to the papacy for the first

time since 1867. The trade treaty with Japan expired without renewal, causing the worst strain

in relations with that nation in 86 years. Most democracies in Europe were wiped off the map

by year’s end. The United States favored isolation but passed a practical peacetime

conscription act requiring males age 21 to 36 to register for the draft. A Gallup poll from

March 25, had District Attorney Thomas E. Dewey, Senator Robert A. Taft, and Senator

Arthur H. Vandenberg as the frontrunners to win the Republican presidential nomination. All

had national reputations. The nomination went instead to newcomer Wendell Willkie. FDR,

running for an unprecedented 3rd term, defeated Willkie handily with 54% of the vote and an

electoral college margin of 449 to 82. Speaking of crushing routs, the Chicago Bears

annihilated the Washington Redskins 73-0 in the 1940 NFL Championship Game.

Happily sauntering on his way to make his first purchases, Ed stops

momentarily to adjust his tie and hat in front of a glass door before heading

into a cigar store.

“Yes, sir.” Says the cigar store salesman attentively. Ed asks for a pack of

Regies cigarettes, which the salesman retrieves promptly. “Ever smoke a pipe

in the evenings?” The salesman inquires.

Ed responds, “Oh, a little bit around Christmas time with the bright red

neckties. I smoke it a day or so but my mouth always seems to get sore.”

“Mine did, too. But here’s a pipe that’s different. I’ll show you why.” The

salesman hands off the pipe to Ed. “Isn’t that a beauty? Look at the walls of

that pipe. They are thick for cool, sweet smoking pleasure. And this new bit

makes it a real comfort to hold in your mouth. Besides, there’s a double trap in

the stamina bowl to catch all the moisture. If you’ve ever taken a good pull of

the pipe and had a lot of that goo backfire into your mouth, you’ll know what I

mean.”

“That’s one thing I don’t like about a pipe.” Ed replies.

“Well the trap prevents that and you get a cool, dry, mellow smoke from the

first pipeful. Feel the weight of that pipe. Light as a feather.” The salesman is

jovial and informative; he has earned Ed’s attention and trust.

“How much?” Ed asks.

“$1.00,” says the salesman. You have to love those 1940 prices!

“I think I’ll try this one.” Ed is very pleased with his buying decision. But the

salesman is not done yet.

“Go ahead, fill ‘er up,” says the salesman, opening a container full of tobacco.

“I’ve smoked a pipe for years and that is the best sweet mellow tobacco.

There’s nothing like it for a real smoke.” Here the salesman lights a match so

Ed can try the product in real time. “Would you like to try a can of that?”

Good timing is everything.

“Hmm. Pretty good. How much?” Ed asks, puffing away.

“15¢,” says the salesman. While Ed pays, the salesman tries to get in one last

sales pitch. “Now most pipe smokers carry a brace of pipes, so one can be

drying out while they are smoking the other.”

Ed responds warmly, “This one will do me for a while.”

“Thanks a lot. I’m sure you are going to enjoy that pipe.” In the span of less

than two minutes, the salesman has twice upsold a customer from his original

purchase and thanked him for his patronage.

A very content Ed starts to walk away before seeing himself in a mirror. He

waves goodbye to the salesman in his reflection. Ed is probably the happiest

man in Detroit at this moment.

Ed’s next destination is the hat store. Here his initial shopping experience is not nearly so pleasant. The salesman

who greeted Ed kept blathering to a co-worker about another store’s shoddy salesman, and, as a result, was

inattentive to his own customer’s needs. This left Ed seemingly having a one-way conversation with himself, a

definite selling faux pas. When Ed tried on a hat that didn’t fit, he said, “It’s too tight.” Not hearing exactly what

Ed said because he was still yammering, the sidetracked salesman replied, “What did you say, sir? A little light?

Well, now here is something in a darker shade.” Ed is clearly annoyed and when the preoccupied salesman, still

talking to a co-worker, laughs at his own punchline, Ed has enough and walks out on the sale. Good thing George

Walker, the store manager, is there to set things right.

“I am very sorry. I couldn’t help hearing what took place.” Mr. Walker is empathetic, has a soothing voice like

Vincent Price, and reassures Ed with “I’m sure we have just the kind of hat you want. I would like to show you

our newest stock.” Ed is interested. After exercising some discernment in measuring up just the right hat for Ed,

Walker hands him the perfect match. “That hat looks swell on you. Just the right swing to it.” Ed’s impressed.

Walker explains the secret. “That’s because of the new type band on the inside. It’s flexible and adjusts itself to

the shape of your head more readily than the stiffer hat bands.” Long story short, Ed buys the hat and wears it out

the store. One can only imagine the stern talking-to Mr. Walker will give his wayward employee once Ed is gone.

Feeling like a true gentleman with the visual appurtenances of a new hat and pipe, Ed gleefully continues on his errands to the

hardware store. For Ed, perhaps any old hammer will do. But no, the hardware employee has other ideas for where he’d like this

fresh customer interaction to go. After grabbing a hammer off the wall, Ed asks, “How much is this one?”

“Uh, 79¢.” Replies the hardware employee. “Seems alright,” Ed responds.

“Yes, that’s a good hammer. It has a strong hickory handle, and the head is drop forged carbon steel. But feel this hammer,” says

the hardware employee, grabbing another from the wall. “You know, it’s a funny thing about a hammer, such a darn common

tool that people never stop to think about the importance of balance. Here drive a nail with it.” Nothing like a quality test to

convince a customer. Ed obliges and takes a couple whacks. The hardware employee continues, “If you play golf, you know how

important the balance of a club is. And look at all the fuss a baseball player makes about the balance of his bat.”

A couple more whacks and Ed asks, “How much is this one?”

“That’s $1.95,” replies the employee. Ed has reservations about the price, but the salesman is quick to lay out the technical

merits: “this whole hammer is made from a single piece of solid carbon manganese steel. There’s no chance for the handle to get

loose, or the head to fly off. The head is carefully tempered for greatest hardness. And feel that grip. It’s made up of leather rings

that are pressed tightly to the handle.” This hardware store employee has clearly invested time in getting to know his products.

“Isn’t it just a little bit heavy?” Ed offers,

searching for one last possible objection.

“Weighs 24 ounces. That’s the regular weight

for a hammer. And a woman can use it easily.

It’s just a comfortable handful when you work

with it.” The employee’s closing pitch that is

inclusive to Ed’s wife’s needs seals the deal.

“Okay, wrap it up.” Ed seems genuinely

pleased that his purchase will make his wife

happy. After receiving the wrapped hammer,

Ed takes a step, catches himself in a mirror,

winks, and cheerily waves off the hardware

store employee standing in the reflection.

After leaving the hardware store, Ed ran into his old friend, Jack, who wants to stop down the street at the shoe store. This

sales experience soured very quickly. Ed and Jack enter the store and sit down. Jack tells the salesman what he is looking

for in a shoe. The salesman takes Jack’s foot measurement and asks, “Do you know you are wearing the wrong size shoe for

your foot?” The salesman’s tone is unmistakably more accusative than inquisitive.

“I’ve been wearing them off and on for nearly a year and they haven’t hurt yet,” states Jack.

“Well, you are lucky you haven’t got bunions,” says the salesman imprudently. “Here is the size shoe you should wear.” He

tells Jack, showing him the foot ruler. Ed and Jack are clearly peeved at this point. The salesman retrieves a set of shoes in

the size he thinks Jack should wear. Jack is not pleased; he says the shoes feel two sizes too big. Now instead of getting

another pair of shoes to satisfy the customer, the salesman doubles down and huffily insists the shoes are the right size.

“Well, I have been selling shoes for ten years and I have fitted …”

Jack cuts the salesman short. “And I have been wearing them for thirty-five years, and I know when the shoes fit.” Jack sits

down, takes off the new shoes, puts his old ones on and declares: “And another thing: If the shoe doesn’t feel right to me, it

doesn’t fit right. Ruler or no ruler.” Jack has had enough of this shoe salesman and his self-inflated ego. “Come on, Ed.

Let’s get out of here!” As they start to storm out, Ed doubles back with a floor mirror to show the salesman his own

curmudgeonly-faced reflection. The salesman has broken one of the cardinal rules of sales: satisfy the customer first.

Ed and Jack depart ways outside the shoe store.

Ed walks on, whistling, looking down and

fidgeting with his hammer. He turns a corner

somewhat abruptly and bumps into an old man

wearing an ad sign, also known as a ‘sandwich’.

Fortuitously, the sign reminds Ed that he needs to

buy his wife an anniversary gift. Ed gives the old

timer a tender pat on his face to thank him.

Ed exits the scene and the old guy says: “That

guy’s nuts!” --- A little comic relief after the

intensity of the shoe store scene.

The picture immediately below is perhaps the most

famous ‘sandwich’ of the Great Depression. ‘Stalked by

Stork’ means this gentlemen has a baby on the way.

Ed’s next stop is the furniture store. The salesman here does everything correctly: he introduces himself to the

customer in a timely fashion, makes a little polite small talk, induces Ed to share his name, asks Ed the type of

chair he prefers, where it will be placed in the home, and the color scheme of the room. The salesman shows Ed a

few chairs that might fit the description. The salesman knows how to be properly attentive, patient and persistent.

After a few attempts, the salesman hits upon the chair he believes will do the trick. “I want you to try this chair,”

says furniture salesman Robert Adams. “You know to me, and I have the idea that you feel about the same way, a

chair is a lot more than pieces of wood, soft padding, and nice-looking upholstery, it is more like an old friend.”

“You know I agree with you there,” answers Ed, as he nestles in comfortably, while removing a pipe and tobacco

pouch from his suit pockets. “Some chairs when you sit in them feel friendly. And others, no matter how

expensive, well, just don’t feel comfortable.”

“Now that chair you are sitting in is one that I like. It’s restful and lazy feeling. Don’t you think so?” Salesman

Adams is pouring on the superlatives now. He sees where this is going. His customer, Ed, has got his pipe filled.

And just as soon as it’s lit, Adams knows Ed will be in a perfect, blissful state of mind for him to close the deal.

Adams paints a verbal picture. “There’s a chair you can get attached to, so comfortable you’ll have to fight the

family to get a seat in it. When you think of all the time you sit in a chair, it is no wonder you want to feel relaxed

and at ease.”

“And the price of this one is?” Ed inquires, putting his unlit pipe to his mouth.

“$32.50,” says Adams, quickly adding, “But you can’t put a price on the comfort and enjoyment you’ll get out of

this chair.”

“It’s a little more than I wanted to pay,” declares Ed, as he strikes a match and lights his pipe.

That’s it! Ed’s pipe is lit and he’s now primed for the pitch. Adams wastes no time getting into his windup, telling

Ed: “Still, it will be money well spent. Look at the way this chair is made.” Adams is hands on now, turning the

back of the chair to Ed in demonstration. “No cardboard like you find in cheaper chairs. This is regular

upholstery webbing with cotton padding. And just look at this material. See how well-tailored this chair is. And

it’s built for comfort.”

Adams’ windup is good and here comes the delivery: “Just imagine yourself pulling this

chair up to the fire, sinking down into the deep cushions, getting the old pipe going good,

just letting yourself go, completely relaxing.” Adams’ voice is having a hypnotic effect on

Ed now. A cut scene reveals Ed is imagining Adams’ every word in deeper contemplation. In

Ed’s mind the chair is already at home in full anatomical utilization. Salesman Adams

presses on, “Ah, that is solid comfort.”

At this point, the camera pans back from Ed’s reverie of his stretched-out body, puffing

away, slouching in the chair beside his own fireplace to back in the showroom, looking quite

content and nearly immobilized in the chair. “There is a lot in what you say,” Ed replies

between puffs.

The pipe pitch was a perfect strike for Adams. The rest is easy work. “Yes sir,” says Adams,

smiling in a way that only a successful salesman knows how. “And that chair is designed to

fit your body. It’s no accident you feel so comfortable when you sit in it; it’s built for

comfort.”

“Feels easy alright,” reports a smiling Ed, staring at himself in his comfy chair in front of

the showroom mirror.

The deal well in hand, Salesman Adams offers one last amenity, “I can have your chair

delivered this afternoon, so your wife can enjoy it tonight.”

“Okay, send it out!” Ed is exuberant. He has fulfilled his faithful duty as a husband who has

found the perfect anniversary gift. What’s more, Ed’s reflection in the showroom mirror with

his pipe and new cozy chair express more about his happiness than mere words can tell.

In the final scene, Ed is at his place of work, even though it’s his day off. As Ed puffs

contentedly on his pipe, John Caldwell, Ed’s boss, appears onscreen. “Hello, Ed. Well, it looks

like you bought out the town.”

A gleeful Ed replies, “Not quite. My wife sent me on a shopping spree. You know how it is.”

“Say, when did you start smoking a pipe?” asks Mr. Caldwell.

An enthusiastic Ed volunteers: “Today. I went into buy some cigarettes and the salesman was so

darn enthusiastic about pipe smoking, first thing I knew, I bought a pipe.”

“That happens a lot,” says Mr. Caldwell. A little more small talk later and Ed has shared with his

boss an animated synopsis of his purchasing experiences for the day. Mr. Caldwell realizes how

educational Ed’s day off has truly been. In a nutshell, Mr. Caldwell is about to give Ed a very

thorough perspective on how to be successful in sales in 1940:

“If we sell our prospects as we like to be sold, why there is nothing to it. You know, Ed, I’ve

been selling things since I was a newsboy. I’ve studied all the books, and articles, too. I’ve

looked at a lot of pictures; I’ve heard a lot of speeches, and I got good things out of them all.

But I find it all boils down to a few common sense things we all know, but most of us forget.

The little things we can all do. Things we like when we are buying. When you were buying all

these things, you were impressed one way or another, good or bad, by the attitude of the

salesman who waited on you. Your face reflected just how you felt about each of the salesmen

you met. You reflected the treatment you got. Now we can put all that to our advantage. You

know enthusiasm is a great thing in selling, and that it pays to build it up. We don’t have to

shout, but we can throw ourselves into every sale with sparkle and conviction. When we know

our stuff about our products, we can talk about it with all the confidence and sincerity in the

world.”

“I wonder.”

Mr. Caldwell continues, “One of the most important things I’ve found is to be

attentive to the person we’re selling. When we do that, we make the prospect

feel that his interest is close to our heart. Everybody likes that. People we meet

in the store are new friends. And they appreciate it when we go out of our way

to let them know we’re friendly toward them, like we do in our own homes.

You know what it means to get the prospect on your side. There’s nothing that

makes anyone feel better than real helpfulness. We know it pays to give the

prospect credit for having some knowledge. Let him open up. Tell us where

we’re wrong. Then, with the tips we get from him, clinch the sale.

It’s so easy for us to be these things: enthusiastic, attentive, friendly, helpful

and sincere. You know that, too, because you do it yourself whether you realize

it or not. That’s why you’re successful. When we do those things in our

business, the prospect reflects the salesman’s attitude---just as you did. By

being smart and on our toes, selling is simple. It’s a lot of fun and it’s surprising

how sales pile up that way. You know, here is something I have always used. I

check up on myself. One of the biggest helps I’ve found in selling, whether

business is good, or any time things don’t go along just right, I try to put myself

in the other fellow’s place. I simply ask myself one question: would you buy

anything from the salesman you see in the mirror?”

After a long pause, Ed responds to Mr. Caldwell’s question with, “I wonder.”

https://archive.org/details/1981_Fac

e_in_the_Mirror_I_Wonder_The_M008

78_00_00_55_00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=

rZoTHgzEa6A

The Face In The Mirror [“I Wonder”], 1940.

Two working links for this video are

listed below. Enjoy!

www.mindofhistory.com