Guest
Join this channel to get access to perks: Want to learn more about Periscope Film and get access to exclusive swag? Join us on Patreon. Visit Visit our website “Follow Thru With The Old One Two” is a color advertising film from the late 1940s that aims to promote the revolutionary Simmons Beautyrest Mattress. In 1925, the mattress was first developed and sold featuring wire coils individually enclosed in fabric enclosures — Simmons' Pocketed Coil® technology. It was the first mass-produced mattress with this technology providing individual support and motion separation, so couples could sleep undisturbed. This scripted film follows a group of retail furniture salesmen as they discuss their signature “one-two” sales method for selling the Beautyrest Mattress with a junior, inexperienced showroom salesman. The approach uses psychology and especially focuses on working on the mind of the wife, emphasizing the comfort provided by the $ (roughly $850 in today's dollars) mattress. Opening credits - female dancers wearing peach colored costumes, bobbed hair dance in a line (0:11). Two boxers punch at each other in boxing shorts (0:35). Crowd of men in khakis and fedoras look on as golfer swings on the golfing green (0:41). Football player prepares to throw football in one-two pass (0:44). Man slips wedding band onto finger of woman’s manicured hand (0:50). Text foreword (0:56). Clock face of large clock on sidewalk display (1:18). Woman walks up to door of Marshall and Goodman department store, employee flips sign in door to closed (1;26). Woman stands, instead, in front of window display of two twin beds with green velvet finishing, plasterboard ad for Simmons Beautyrest Mattress (1:38). Two showroom salesmen in suits talk after a long day, one sits on one of the display beds (1:52). Backlit buildings, neon LED sign for bar called “Tony’s” (2:20). Four showroom salesmen in suits sit at table inside bar and do a toast, red gingham tablecloth dotted with beers (perhaps Schlitz brand beer) (2:28). “One, two” method in sales: reenactment of one of the salesman in mattress showroom selling to a couple; walks them over to Simmons Beautyrest (3:36). Salesman points to poster board with illustration of interior boxspring technology in mattress (4:12). “Torch Machine” at work - scientist in white coat oversees industrial size 200-lb roller at the United States Testing Co. lab as it rolls over mattress to check quality (6:12). Back to salesmen talking over beers at bar (7:34). Montage of various customers who have bought mattresses from the salesmen - woman in fur shawl with lap dog (7:50). Elderly woman in all black skirt suit (7:52). Newly married young couple (8:00). Middle-aged woman (8:06). Back to salesmen talking over beers at bar - discuss how to implement one-two method on different customers (8:12). One of the salesman returns home, used dishes and glasses dot living room (8:57). Close-up woman’s extended leg, pulling up panty hose (9:13). Women in 1940s-style dresses stand in bedroom, blue floral wallpaper, plain bed with Simmons Beautyrest Mattress (9:22). Two young women at Simmons factory sew the interior cushioning of mattress (9:56). Steam billows from locomotive of all black train along track (10:04). Perhaps US cargo Liberty Ship at dock (10:06). 40s-era delivery track with SIMMONS written on side panel pulls into warehouse (10:07). Close-up manicured hand gives salesman wad of cash (10:09). Return to women in bedroom (10:13). Close-up woman in bedroom demonstrating all of positive qualities of mattress (10:46). Interior springs of mattress (10:56). Back to salesmen talking over beers at bar (11:57). Salesman sells mattress to elderly Swedish woman, tries to convince her mattress is a bargain (12:37). Front page of Kansas City Star newspaper (14:06). Covers of magazines: Collier’s Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, Life, McCall’s, Good Housekeeping (14:35). Salesman opens Life Magazine to ad for Simmons mattress (14:52). African American / Black maid irons laundry as white woman sits and prepares food (17:32). Black woman awakes to sleepwalking husband (17:53). Young woman stands behind counter next to 1940s NCR National Cash Register at bar (20:14). The Simmons Bedding Company was founded in 1870, and is one of the oldest companies of its kind in the USA. Equipment developed by Simmons in 1925 automated the process of coiling wire and inserting it into fabric sleeves, called encasements. This allowed mass production of pocketed coils, and made the Beautyrest possible. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit
