Black Marketing
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| Black Marketing | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | William Castle |
| Produced by | Office of War Information |
| Distributed by | War Activities Committee of the Motion Picture Industry |
| Release date(s) | 19 August 1943 |
| Running time | 10 min |
| Country |  U.S.A. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Black Marketing was a dramatic propaganda short produced by the Office of War Information in 1943 and directed by William Castle. It is an educational film warning American civilians against buying unrationed foodstuffs and materials.
The film opens in a courtroom with the prosecutor laying the government's case against a syndicate of racketeers with names like Joseph B, Sam E, etc. Once the prosecutor starts to go into the time line of the case, the film dissolves into short segments showing the racketeers at work, how they organized themselves, bought up steers at inflated prices and forced butchers to distribute the illicit beef. They are caught, however, when one housewife is told that she can't buy a steak with her ration cards, but a woman after her does without them.
The butcher is taken by the OPA (Office of Price Administration) and interrogated. He is asked what his son in Africa would think if he knew his father were cavorting with saboteurs, and spills the beans about his accomplices. When the lawyer comes back, he looks to the audience and tells them that they too must not buy goods above the rationed price, and report it if they see it. A closing note tells the audience that everyone in the film is a law-abiding citizen who volunteered to act in the movie to educate the public about black marketing.
