What is the origin of this enigmatic photograph?
September 2, 2013 6:48 PM Subscribe
There is an interesting photograph on the wall of my chemistry tutor's classroom. The photo was on the wall when he rented the room, so he does not know its provenance, and my searches have yet to turn up a source. Can you help me figure out where it comes from?
The photo is black and white. Its subject is a middle aged white man in a suit, holding a figurine of a golfer, in front of a signboard which reads "Better Your Chances". It looks like a production still from a television show in the 1950s.
The photo is black and white. Its subject is a middle aged white man in a suit, holding a figurine of a golfer, in front of a signboard which reads "Better Your Chances". It looks like a production still from a television show in the 1950s.
Best answer: A google image search after removing the frame and wall turns up the book Mr. Salesman by Diane Keaton (machine translated into English) and available as physical media
(Also, I think I may have to find a copy. It looks really interesting. Thanks!)
posted by eotvos at 7:26 PM on September 2, 2013
(Also, I think I may have to find a copy. It looks really interesting. Thanks!)
posted by eotvos at 7:26 PM on September 2, 2013
Best answer: Also, it looks like the Jam Handy Organization is credited with a film strip called "Better your chances" made for Oldsmobile. Seems a pretty likely source for the original. Haven't found a copy yet.
posted by eotvos at 7:34 PM on September 2, 2013
posted by eotvos at 7:34 PM on September 2, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks, eotvos!
posted by ocherdraco at 7:48 PM on September 2, 2013
BOOK REVIEWAnd this is Jamison "Jam" Handy. Fascinating.
Mr. Salesman
Diane Keaton
Reviewed by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh | Entertainment Weekly, Mar 18, 1994
Judging from actress Diane Keaton's selection of photographs of salesmen and their wares, America in the 1950s was a terrifying place to be. The book reminds us of the importance of context: These photographs were used as advertisements, but even Madonna has nothing on the image of a blindfolded and handcuffed man sitting in a car, his arms and feet bound with rope, for completely unapparent reasons. An interesting collection to glance through, Mr. Salesman is a little too ghoulish and dull to merit more than a quick look.
B
posted by ocherdraco at 7:48 PM on September 2, 2013
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posted by intermod at 7:15 PM on September 2, 2013