thumbnail of Urban frontier; Power play
Transcript
Hide -
This transcript was received from a third party and/or generated by a computer. Its accuracy has not been verified. If this transcript has significant errors that should be corrected, let us know, so we can add it to FIX IT+.
Memo to Tolle's f money caught the new television show last night for the first time period. All in all I felt the agency had done a good job. Chama but wondered about our contribution period for example colon. I could not understand the selection of merchandise we gave them to work with day. I would appreciate a Phailin on this comma but no rush regards on the call to Finlay corner in Houston. Yes Jerry he checked out of his hotel at 2 a.m. this morning. Will he be going back to New York. Yes he will. If you want me to try Mary later. Noel. Let's get off a wire to his home address. I'll put it on the tape right. This is the wire for Finley Carter Center his home address arrived Idlewild Friday comma 6:40 a.m. by a consolidated Flight 9 3 1. Period. Can you line me up with tomans crowd Friday at 10:30 interrogation. I would like to clear for home Friday night. I will phone Wednesday period.
Love to Jane. This is about a man and his job in a way he is an employee although a few of the five hundred twenty six people who work with him think of him that way to most of them. He is the boss. The tools of his trade are few. He works with a telephone a desk calendar and a Dictaphone. For the convenience of his secretary and intercom system connects him with the outer office in a single day. He may read and answer as many as 20 letters three or four telegrams and a dozen interoffice memos surrounded by wires and gadgets and systems that bring him a mountain of paper. His job is always the same. His job is people. The National Association of educational broadcasters resents power play an examination of the role of the businessman in the modern American city one of a
series of programs titled The Urban Frontier but used by the community education project in San Bernardino Valley College under a grant from the National Association of educational broadcasters. These programs were developed and transcribed in consultation with faculty members at the University of California at Riverside University of Redlands and the Valley College. And now power play. A look at some of the problems and opportunities of the business man. This is just one. It's six floors of department stores standing in the core of the city six floors of clothes and wallets and rolling pins. Garden tools fish hooks and the new fall hats. Joslin and company can furnish your home decorated even planets construction for you. They help pay for the newspaper you read the radio and television programs that come into your home. Five hundred and twenty six people work here here and in the three warehouses and service departments scattered all over the city. Some of them
you will have met across a counter or behind a desk. Some of them you may know. But most of them you don't. Together they make up an intricate machinery of machinery that is designed to make decisions. The selection of goods the prices you will pay. The sights the sounds the smells the simple black dress and the saleswoman in ladies ready to wear. These all represent decisions decisions made by people whom you seldom see. And only occasionally read about in your morning paper. Yet chances are you have never heard of the man who sits at the heart of Joslin and company is name appears occasionally on the society pages of your newspaper occasionally in the local political news from time to time youll see it listed among those who head up the various committees for the various service clubs and civic organizations around the city. The country club they'll tell you he's married the boss's daughter. And that he's been brought along by the family.
In the Chamber of Commerce. Eventually you'll hear that all Sam Jocelyn imported him from New York. And rotary. They'll tell you he's come up fast too fast and with too many New York ideas. One day he'll head up the community chest as he will the Red Cross. They say he's dependable. In the five years that he's been in the city. He's made a thousand friends. And yet. Few are the people who know him. I'll tell you all about him but it will cost you at least another martini with onion remember. Well guys my third husband and by far the best of the lot Kerry was a playboy. Tom was an intellectual. With a miserable face that was. And God. Guard is a producer who makes fabulous amounts of money for all of us. I always like to say that daddy brought him in but I took a moment to study this. This is good. People actually can learn at the end of the war he was in Europe something to do with the Marshall Plan. Then he was with some brokerage house in New York. He was borrowing some
money and the guy came with it. Well he just stayed. Oh it's been a good thing. We have lost everything. I'm sure it would have gone down the drain if it hadn't been for Gar. He's been simply a genius. Even Elton now I see 30 years says that and mother in law. We know that he works. He worked here. Claire he's never dull. Come with Della. Couldn't stand another dull one. Strange but. Never dull. You know sometimes he just flatly refuses to tell me what he's doing. But this morning he's off to New York leaving tomorrow. And if I hadn't. Is there any more coffee. Lots. I have some. It's their way you can reach it. I will give you the sugar. Thank you. Peter tells me your Paki is just trying to get some shirts together that you are going to be packing but not today honey tomorrow but not today. Mother and I going to be up the lakes will be coming down Friday. You
will be back by Friday. I'll be in New York. Jerry will have an address on me I'll be there just for a day. Jerry always knows much more about you than I do. It's her job honey she works hard at it. I think she works overly hard at it. If she wasn't such a plain little thing I think I would be wise to be jealous of her. I'm sure she's in love with you. Every secretary is in love with her ball. Jerry is married to kids her husband is blind. Somehow she seems the type. Who will you be seeing in New York. I'll be seeing fans tell family hello for me and tell me all about their Long Island place. I'll just be seeing him in the city. Is this business or just a reunion with your old Army buddy. Would it really make any difference. Not in the slightest. He's a man and I'm only curious about your meeting women. What if I were meeting a woman who I should hear about it in a week. I have the most fabulous set of connections all over the world. You couldn't date a French peasant at least not in public without my knowing about it. And as
you know in public is all I'm ever going to worry about your sweet. I'm practical with the result we have no romantic nonsense to bother us. Do you need never worry about. I never do. Now you will be back by Friday. I'll try. That's all I can say I'll try. It's a party guy. It's Friday night and it's here party and quite an important one too. How important. It's vital so vital that I might even suggest you're putting off your trip to New York. Sorry no can do. All I can say is that I want you here Friday night. I say precisely. All right I'll be here. Thank you Dolly. Now I'm going to bank on this and I'm also going to be very angry Theo delayed. I'll be here maybe late. All I ask is that you put in an appearance poised and go oh I will. I may be a little dead from no sleep but I trust I'll be cool and poised and go a
lot and sometimes I have the feeling that even though I know everything simply everything about in my day to say that he was. Totally predictable. And dependable Yes but predictable. Oh well. I might be bored if he were Garwood Reagan is not well known even to his intimates. He has friends good friends but they're not what you'd expect to find them. Is enemies are also in unexpected places. Shortly after breakfast another cup of coffee. This was in the offices of Elton the chairman of the board of Jocelyn and company. If you think we're going to hold still for this year crazy Helton I've held that union off for three years now I don't think I can do it much longer. You know what you're going to find that way I know we are and I've got something else on my mind let's stay on this for a while. All right we can talk we can talk all we want
to but I'm not going to sit still while you give away a quarter of a million dollars a quarter of a million that mind you you don't have that's not what the union's going to ask for. Well I'm not going to get it and I don't propose giving it to them. I don't propose giving them anything else and they'll bottom on the 7 percent and we ought to go nine. Now that doesn't run in a quarter of a million. Not right now but don't you see they're going to get us boxed in here. Maybe they have already. I wish you knew the unions as well as Sam Johnson did. I know them better a lot better. I know how to make them work. Is this your idea yes it is my idea. Listen you and Jocelyn you fought him didn't you for 14 years you fought him and got away whipped up but they organized the store didn't they have awarded you know Milo Berman did it solve Berman got to break. What do you think all this is cost. You've spent millions. No you'll never find it on a profit and loss statement. It isn't an actual expenditure. Except that sales run below what they should and you're always running on inexperienced help and you have to carry a bigger advertising budget and the markup here
and there isn't all you should get. Then there were the pickets. We haven't had any pickets lately have we guy you've done a good job we all think you have and all we're asking is that you go on doing that same job we're going to have to meet them at the 7 percent level. That was total out of about one hundred and thirty thousand. I don't believe in giving them a thing we don't have to Elton we're going to have to give them that. I don't think it's enough anywhere near enough. But I think if we move before this things comes to a head we may get away with all right now. Now I would see you giving them a few raises up to whatever the union is plugging for but do it Sam's way. Just a few and some like them. You use your raises to bust up the U.N. you know this is something you've never understood Helton. They've played ball with me across some pretty slim pickings for their people. I've been in a position to trade them organizational advantages for a time and for money. The time is run up now it's going to cost some money.
We might go for a little of it but not if it backs up the union. My rule go for it. So will our mother look just in case you forgot and your wife owns 12 percent her mother holds twenty six now Sam only had 38 percent in a showdown guy that's all you can muster Nagar as long as I represent the Farrel estate you're not going to do a thing and I know you're not going to do a thing. You don't own a nickel of Joslin and company so don't come in here and talk tough to me because I don't have to listen. I said there was 62 percent of that company. Don't you think you're going to push out an IRA Elton. I'm just trying to do a job for you for all of the owners and I think you know I've done a job and when you get tired of doing a job for us well maybe you can live off your wife's 12 percent. All right I'm sorry I apologize for that. Forget it and we understand each other. God i believe me I wish I could let you go ahead with this program of radius and I wish I could let you do it your way but right now I can't. Working with a union any union that way doesn't make sense to me.
It just doesn't make sense. It doesn't have to make sense it'll make money some other time I'll take your word on it but right now I can't. Why not. All right Guy we're in trouble I want every penny that you can squeeze out of Joslin and company across the next year where you're getting 23 percent of a net right now. I'm not going to ask you for any more than Sam Joslin gave it but I've made you more I'm happy and I'm not going to take any less. Neither is any of the rest of the group. Well possibly next year but not now. Why not now because of some error a sponsible a loud mouth yahoos that are trying to make a name for themselves. Like who like you like you're nothing you're one of them. Yeah that was at Dandy speech you made in front of the Chamber of Commerce. You got good newspaper coverage to write my fine big time operator that's what's going to cost you a raise as a Joslin company. Well I don't want to pry into the affairs of the NYE group but. What's your problem. So people are my problem. Smart Alec may I with union backing and you shooting a
face off in support of his slum renovation program. I made it sound like a whole chamber was behind me. All right for the most part they are well goody goody for them. That's what's going to cost you your program raises having to sell some good income property or something close to three hundred rentals. This hurts or it hurts you a boy. That's what I mean by being irresponsible you've never told me you held slum property. You and the mayor can call them slums if you want to. We call them low cost rentals. How much of your stuff of they condemn condemn then it looks like they're going to and I'm unloading it before they do your selling. Oh but why. This will blow over after that smart alec speech you gave at least not before we get hurt really bad on the road. Only buyers I can get are from out of town and were unloading before they wise up. Well a word will get to them eventually. It will take a while but if we've got some lulus and they learn slow this nominee
by the name a block that's his name. But Carter in Houston Texas. Believe me maybe he knows his stuff about cars or oil wells as something better. Are you going to get out from under. Now if we keep turning up and have hot shot Texans retired banana growers and widowed schoolteacher from California some boat builder in Louisiana they've they've turned up from someplace we might get out from under this this Carter though I I want to meet him some time. You know he's had an appraiser in here that I understand does all of his business from a bar Texas style he said. Oh right Elton you've got problems and you need money. I'll pull in my horns as far as this Chamber of Commerce Committee is concerned no more press releases. Maybe that'll take some of the pressure off. I'm still not going to give it to you. And still no dice on your raises. All right how about the Farrel estate. Can they take a little less on that across the next year. No guy. Any way you figure it it's no Elton if I were a little smarter I'd buy that Farrel stock with the family's blood I control it.
Yeah sure you would. What are you going to buy with the money is easy to get these days. Not for a downtown retail you won't get a nickel. I don't take my word for it you you go ahead and try God try your heart out. Sam Joslin dead he died trying. Maybe I could get the federal people to take a little less in the way of earnings. You've got angles guy but they're pretty naive if you think I'm on a spot there and a worse one. They've got two proxy fights. Some New York money Tolan OS is moving in on two companies they control the home crowd got them under a lot of pressure. God they're not even going to talk to you. OK OK Alton but don't you ever think of the people what people the people who work for us. Yeah I mean the people who work for you if you're pretty responsible for YOU think they should make more money. You think they should take home every cent that we can possibly afford to pay. It's good business. It's my kind of business. On the long haul it makes the big money. It's made a lot for you hasn't it will.
Now when it dies I'm going to be very happy for you. I know you will know you will. In the meantime you just go right ahead. You look out for them. You look out for the unions you just look out for everybody else and I'll be in my office this afternoon if things look any differently or better yet let me call you guy you know wonderful. I give you credit you're a salesman but this is one know that you're going to have to take. I'll be out of town for a couple of days. When you get back late Friday night fine but don't bother to call me. Snow and it's going to stay that way. I'm going to keep trying. Good boy. You do that. I'll give you a call anyway. Stay here. It is always a pleasure to be a member of the Red Feather team period. Regards Gar. Well I guess that's all of it Jerry. Yes Mr. Reagan across any of the time I've been out here we heard from Elton either
yesterday or today. No we haven't. Oh I know you told me but I was just hoping it would you call him please. In a minute I got a call for you to tell him I'll call him back. It's the mayor's office who put him on. Oh God I was looking for you at lunch today. I couldn't make it Frank trying to get off to New York and my girl's really been putting me through the paces so she told me a cigar I just wanted to be sure you were completely filled in on the slum renovation program all about it Frank. Well it's drawing down some real fire there some pretty bold opposition forming up on it. We knew this would happen Frank. I backed you in that election strictly on the basis of your doing a job and I'm going to continue to back you to the limit where and when I can. In some cases it can be directly. I certainly appreciated the chamber. Of Commerce talk Look Frank if need be on this loan program I'll come out in the open for you and all I'll ever want is good government and eventually that's going to be understood. But I'd rather not right now by this time next week I'll be able to you understand my situation. Well that's what I'd like to talk about some of the ownership of that property could present a problem.
Frank I'm already completely familiar with the details completely. That's right when you went into this you said that no matter who owned it if it doesn't meet minimum hell standard you are going to condemn it. I'm going to stick by that. It's just a question of how fast we move and what we condemn for. I hope you move fast and I hope you move on the big violators first. If somebody gets hurt that's tough that's all no matter who they are no matter what else they might own no matter who they are. I've never ask a favor of you and I never will. You may move tomorrow tonight if you want to know what'll be tomorrow fine frank. Thanks Gar Gary. Yes Mr. Magan First do not place the caller will deny that right now then. Would you call Milo Berman at the union's central office and Jerry this one should not go through our switchboard. I want to place to his non-listed number as the sunset number for my movie. Come on come on Milo deliver know if you ever did. It's raining. I got it to work.
Hello this is Milo Berman Hello my little guy Reagan. Well I've been I've been reading about you in the papers that's what I'm calling you about our city hall friend could stand a little stiffening I think his program is catching a lot of trouble. Sure it will you know that. What's the matter with him is he worried. I just took a call from him. I don't think he's worried so much as cautious. He can get caught just later. This is got to roll and roll now. That's the way I look at it. You're going to stick by that. I'm going to stick. In fact Milo I'd like to see more of it in faster. It's a good program. And I want everybody to hear about it. I don't have time to figure that one out. But I think I could I may regret it but I'll promise you something won't you don't owe me anything and I don't owe you anything. Why not leave it that way. This city hall program is something we all believe in. You've got your reasons. I've got mine. OK. But I still want to level with you some time over the weekend if everything goes
well but not on the phone Daryn. Not on the ball. Look I want to talk to some people that. Preach the word. I thought you would. Well I'll see you later. I'll get moving. Frank will get at least 10 maybe 20 calls. Goodbye Jerry unless you have something else would you call me a cab for the airport. Right. I see hat and briefcase. That's right on the north side of the building for the Municipal Airport. Gerri it's 10 minutes of 8:00. Let's get out of a salt mine. I'm just about wound up you know when this thing comes off. You have had a big hand in it. It's been fun. It really has hasn't it will get this made up to your husband some how could I tell him before it hits the papers. You can tell him tonight is over the hump really I need to be in New York only for the formalities. We're in business as of right now.
And we have an old and respected local name to front the effort but I'd like to be there you will be believe me. Can I tell Charlie everything that works. The Corporation our new jobs everything. What can I tell him about Mr. Carter. You mean old buck Carter of Houston who is also the retired Honduras banana grower and the boat builder in Baton Rouge. Don't tell me he's also the widowed schoolteacher in Los Angeles. That's been his mother in law. Seriously what is his job. Well Finn is one of the associates and told an associates he doesn't have a title but well he's a professional conspirator Public Relations Council attorney you name it he worked the real estate purchasing section and he set up a corporation. You know he told me today that he had a total of 200 fronts firms and individuals in the deal. You know somehow how it still kind of hard for me to believe that anybody could buy an entire ring around the center of this town without anyone catching on. Even if most of it is in slums you probably are beginning to but they won't really know what's happened until Saturday morning. And in a year or
possibly 18 months all five of our new shopping centers will be in. Jerry ever been to Detroit. Oh oh years ago. Well he's one of these developments there. It's called Northland. This new corporation will be operating five of them here. Well let's see if we've forgotten anything. Well here's a checklist. When the Farrel estate proxies arrive tomorrow. Put them in the new safety deposit box at the bank check and record proxies for Mrs. Reagan and Mrs. jobs right. The federal proxies will be brought in by a man from the toman office in Boston. They brought it this morning. His name is Martin. Those proxies Gerri are vital. They give us control of the war we actually want is the Joslin name. It's established respected and it's local You understand all this. No I don't really know they in the press release an architect's sketches to the papers deliver Friday night after 10:00 PM. You know they don't have the wire service story about their time right then.
The Marston memo on Thursday a.m. cancel regular Monday 8:00 a.m. with Mr. Nigh cancel everything on Tuesday. And oh yes weeks vacation for me two weeks from today. You got it. Well that cap should be there. Mr. Reagan I told Mrs. Reagan that I'd keep a secret then. Yeah well I don't think I'd better. It might be very embarrassing for her and for a number of people. What do you mean Jerry what is it. Well this party Friday night it's for you for me. What's the occasion. Well part of this I learned at the bank and then my sister works for Mr. Nice the turning women a waiter in a whatever it is I'm very much afraid you should've told me before I don't see how I could have made any difference. Well Jerry fit it together for me fast before I get really scared. Well they've all gotten together. Mrs. Reagan Mrs. Jocelyn and Mr. Nye they've agreed to give you 10 shares of non-voting stock in Jocelyn and company home but 10 shares Sherry doesn't mean anything. They don't know it but I've got control of their company now and that's what I thought. But well they
were going to give you a title role they were a title and 10 non-voting shares. I'll bet I know who set it up. It would have meant a thing not a thing. You know that's the way I figured it. But they were going to make you on paper at least President of Joslin and company were you have been listening to power play and examination of the role of the businessman in the modern American city. Here to comment on the problems and opportunities of the business man is one of the consultants for power play Mr. John Boylan director of the humanities program at Valley College. Mr. Boylan. We have just witnessed some of the complications the tensions and opportunities some of the problems that are the businessman's job Ghar represents a fairly recent development. He is not the owner of a business but a manager a man trained for his job. This shift from owner to management directed industry reflects the
complexity of modern business. But what are his problems and how do they come from mechanization division of labor. Standardization and interchangeable parts. These are largely responsible for our economic freedom but we and GAAR pay a price. Along with the machines and machines to run machines have come increased demands upon business and running a business is not as simple as it used to be. Not long ago the corner grocer could write his order on a piece of wrapping paper. Now he has to carry food from almost everywhere in San Bernardino home of the National orange show. We have frozen orange juice from Florida and cheeses from Oregon and Italy. This makes eating more enjoyable. It also provides more headaches for the grocer. You know a business accounting problems are enormous complicated forms. Social Security withholding taxes bookkeeping has become so complicated that a small business may not justify the tax experts and accountants that are required. The mid 20th century is expressed in
terms of mobility multiplicity and rapid change. Science and Technology develop new materials in our business leaders shape new products and services and give new forms to patterns of living. These are all technical problems mechanization accounting new products new design change over warehousing and distribution. As great as they are these are not the most difficult decisions that must be made by the business man. The long range policy decisions are perhaps the most challenging. The broad and invasive ones which relate to the business man's career as a human being weighed scales that allow workers to buy what they help to produce welfare funds security programs. The annual wage health and recreational programs industrial support for education. These are not simple economic matters. They reflect an increasing awareness of human values as a basic part of the job of management. Human beings do not submit to mechanized uniformity. Machines believe in nothing and men want to work for a boss who believes.
Thank you Mr. Boylan. Less than one in a series of programs titled The Urban Frontier produced by the Community Education Project at San Bernardino Valley College grad from the National Association of educational broadcasters. These programs were developed in consultation with faculty members of the University of California at Riverside University of Redlands Valley College as well as a core of professional business and civic leaders of the San Bernardino Riverside Metroplex produced written and directed by John Harter power play was recorded in the studios of the Valley College radio facility. ABC are FM. This is the Radio Network.
Series
Urban frontier
Episode
Power play
Producing Organization
San Bernardino Valley College
KVCR (Radio station : San Bernardino, Calif.)
Contributing Organization
University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/500-319s5g01
If you have more information about this item than what is given here, or if you have concerns about this record, we want to know! Contact us, indicating the AAPB ID (cpb-aacip/500-319s5g01).
Description
Episode Description
The businessman doing business in the metroplex.
Series Description
Each program in this series considers one of the major life activities people carry on in an urban setting. The format is narrative with dramatized interludes.
Broadcast Date
1956-01-01
Topics
Social Issues
Media type
Sound
Duration
00:29:36
Embed Code
Copy and paste this HTML to include AAPB content on your blog or webpage.
Credits
Director: Harter, John
Narrator: Lynn, Paul
Producing Organization: San Bernardino Valley College
Producing Organization: KVCR (Radio station : San Bernardino, Calif.)
Writer: Harter, John
AAPB Contributor Holdings
University of Maryland
Identifier: 56-20-8 (National Association of Educational Broadcasters)
Format: 1/4 inch audio tape
Duration: 00:29:28
If you have a copy of this asset and would like us to add it to our catalog, please contact us.
Citations
Chicago: “Urban frontier; Power play,” 1956-01-01, University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed December 7, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-319s5g01.
MLA: “Urban frontier; Power play.” 1956-01-01. University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. December 7, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-319s5g01>.
APA: Urban frontier; Power play. Boston, MA: University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-319s5g01