The Baking Industry (film #186 on Prelinger Archive). [Category: Industrial]

This vocational guidance film focuses on commercial baking. Mostly it shows how bread is made in factories, and this is pretty interesting. There’s also some footage of work in small retail bakeries and some of the narrator’s comments here are kind of questionable. Like when listing the various electrical appliances used in bakeries, he adds, “and in some cases, ovens,” implying that some bakeries must still use open fires. And despite the fact that the film even mentions that women have been the major bakers for thousands of years, he asserts that women are only good for “light work,” such as putting the frosting on cakes or being eye candy at the front counter. These mildly campy moments, as well as the excellent factory tour footage, and footage of all the goodies, make this one of the better of the vocational guidance films, which are usually pretty dull.

Ratings: Camp/Humor Value: ***. Weirdness: **. Historical Interest: ****. Overall Rating: ****.