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Henry Ford’s Moving Picture Show

Phillip W. Stewart
PMS Press (2011)
ISBN 9780981744469
Reviewed by Kam Aures for Rebecca’s Reads (09/11)

“Henry Ford’s Moving Picture Show: An Investigator’s Guide to the Films Produced by the Ford Motor Company” is truly an intriguing book.  Before reading this book, I did not even know that the Ford Motor Company was involved in producing films, but apparently they had produced quite a few of them.  The subjects covered weren’t just about vehicles either, they covered a wide range of topics such as “Lumbering in the North Woods,” “Dairy Industry,” “Mardi Gras,” and “Ring Making.”

It all began in 1914 when Henry Ford had his Advertising Department set up a Motion Picture Department.  The first film they made was entitled “How Henry Ford Makes One Thousand Cars a Day.”  Ford used film to make worker safety and training movies as well as educate about the automobile manufacturing process.  Then, the “Ford Animated Weekly,” a news piece focusing on daily events, was produced and shown in movie houses throughout the country.  Two years after beginning to make film, Ford decided to focus more on historic and educational pieces and subsequently the “Ford Educational Weekly” and then the “Ford Educational Library” were developed.

Stewart’s well-organized book catalogues the Ford Motor Company’s films from the years 1914-1920 with the film number, the length, whether it is captioned, and a description of what the film is about.  I can barely begin to imagine the time it took to compile such a comprehensive guide which will be of great service to anyone who is looking for specific footage.  Stewart has performed the groundwork which will save tremendous amounts of time and, I believe, will allow these films to be far more utilized in the future.  

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