MGM jumped on the Roosevelt bandwagon with this attempt to explain (which it actually does, albeit very simplistically) how inflation is about to make everyones' lives better. Steel pipe is used as the example commodity, interconnecting a 2-piece suit, elective surgery and a new car in the economic circle. While Pete Smith makes his usual hypo-nasal narration, this short is well conceived. Think about it: how do you entertainingly explain Keynesian economics to an audience who just paid their quarters to see Marie Dressler lock horns with Wally Beery? It works--- sadly, the Depression itself deepened shortly after this was all explained so succinctly, making any explanation sadly ironic. When you watch this (where else but TCM?), keep in mind that L.B. Mayer was the least progressive of all major studio heads, having enthusiastically rubbed elbows with Hoover. The final 30-seconds of the short could've been cranked out by Warner's pro-FDR PR department, and left me with the feeling that MGM resigned itself to just getting on board with the times.
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