Framepool has compiled some archival footage of a video series entitled “Unusual Occupations” that presents “ordinary, everyday people who chose ‘the path less taken’ in pursuit of extraordinary odd jobs, crazy careers and hysterical hobbies.” The video series was originally produced by, “Jerry Fairbanks Studios and released by Paramount Pictures from 1937 through 1949,” according to Framepool.
Rubber Face – Unusual Occupations 1937 from Framepool on Vimeo.
Some are, indeed, rather odd. Cue the above video with Alan O’Brien, the ‘rubber faced’ man of Pasadena. Other videos in the series, function more as artifacts of the era’s pop cultural conditions. The video featuring female air-force pilots and model casting has a voicing that seems campy and stereotypically offensive, in current dialogue.
Women Airforce Service Pilots 1943 from Framepool on Vimeo.
All-in-all, the series is enjoyable and a bit surreal in its vivid account of people lives and careers in a different economic realty than today.
A Tattoo Artist 1937 – Rare Color Footage from Framepool on Vimeo.
Model Casting 1937 from Framepool on Vimeo.
Stockings for Hollywood Stars 1937 – Rare Color Footage from Framepool on Vimeo.
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The Ironicle 