Do you recognize the following three products: the Artic Hat, the Air Hawk, and the Easy Feet? What if these were replaced with Veggetti, Shake Weight, or ShamWow? Can you picture them? Hear the sales pitch? Can you remember the excitement emanating off the exuberant host demonstrating the product as they swear it will make your life easier? You’ve seen them on boardwalks, you’ve seen them at fairs, and you’ve most certainly seen them on TV — the salespeople with an energy that won’t quit. Back in 2000, filmmaker Stanley Jacobs created a documentary, Pitch People, on these people, offering an opportunity to spread the fairly rich history connecting the United Kingdom and United States. The film couldn’t find distribution then, but, now, the film’s undergone restoration and is set to release on VOD and digital for the whole world to access and proclaim it “As Seen On TV,” too.
1927 Vermont County Fair Pitchwoman in the documentary, PITCH PEOPLE, a SJPL Films release. Photo courtesy of SJPL Films.
Enthusiastic from start to finish, Jacobs’s Pitch People begins with various cinematic examples of salespeople, typically medicine men-types, in order to show audiences what they expect to see, before pivoting toward the real people that sold the products. In between interviews with these individuals and footage of their stories, Jacobs weaves in historical context that not only explains how a form of sales popular in the United Kingdom shifted to the United States in the 1970s/1980s, but how interconnected many of the well-known purveyors of products are. The further into the documentary one goes, the less one sees of the stereotypes provided in entertainment as the reality of what the pitch people do comes to light. Is it a show? Yes. Are they selling you something? That’s no secret. But the presumption that what they do is easy goes right out the window before even 20 minutes of the 87 minute-long documentary has passed.
Lester Morris on Early 1950s TV Pitch featured in the documentary, PITCH PEOPLE, a SJPL Films release. Photo courtesy of SJPL Films.
The arena of sales is very niche, especially when it comes to documentary filmmaking. Sure, audiences are likely going to be familiar with some aspect of the topic given the prevalence and proliferation of As-Seen-On-TV products, but it’s not exactly a topic that audiences yearn for. Given the chance, Pitch People will absolutely surprise you as the film is edited and paced in such a way that the stories from interviewees such as Arnold Morris (known in the business as “Mr. Knife”), Lester Morris, Nancy Nelson, Jan Muller, and, yes, Ed McMahon, entrance us. Their job always was to get people to stick around, to use their space to captivate, and to make sales. Here, much of that is repurposed but with the intent for audiences to remain seated, whether sharing something specific to the “pitch” lifestyle, an aspect of mutual history among products and the people who sold them, or the techniques used throughout “pitch” history. Sometimes this means that an interviewee’s story plays over a montage of video and photographical materials, other times the story is the entrance to or exit from an extended sequence where we get to watch a pitch person at work. These sequences, though often (necessarily) lengthy, highlight not just the skills of the people as they work, but just how captivating they could be in front of an audience. Showing these sequences does help illustrate how this profession could have the longevity it possesses as well as why it made sense to transition into television, even if that might be part of the death knell for the industry as a whole.
Sandy Mason showcasing “Static Duster” in the documentary, PITCH PEOPLE, a SJPL Films release. Photo courtesy of SJPL Films.
A major thing to note is that this is a restoration, so set expectations appropriately. This isn’t to suggest that the footage we see and hear is poor in quality; Jacobs restores the film exceptionally well so that the material is easy to absorb without distraction from dirt, grime, or decay. What this note refers to is that Pitch People is deeply rooted in the era in which it was originally intended to be released. This means you’re going to hear language, slang specifically, that wouldn’t pass the P.C. test (even though historically accurate) and that the film doesn’t address the landscape of infomercials and As-Seen-On-TV products now, making one feel as though the full story isn’t being presented. This isn’t a fault on Jacobs specifically, the film was put into a vault, so to speak, when it couldn’t get its initial distribution, making what we’re watching something left in a time capsule from 25 years ago. In the realm of sales, this may as well be several lifetimes as rises and falls are fairly standard and rapid.
L-R: Nancy Nelson and John Parkin showcasing “Royal Diamond Cookware” in the documentary, PITCH PEOPLE, a SJPL Films release. Photo courtesy of SJPL Films.
When anything is done that appears easy, anyone thinks they can do it. You see someone write a review, illustrate a book, cook, or make music, if the creator is any good at what they do, there’s an element of ease to it that breeds false confidence in those who observe it. To that end, anyone can be salesperson, but not everyone can be good at it or even great. The people featured throughout Pitch People understood that selling is a complex dance between the seller, the object being sold, and the buyer. A dance which requires delicate handling and the perseverance to bring the same energy at the end of the day on your last day of your career as you do at the start of the day at the beginning of your career. What Jacobs presents not only uplifts these individuals, but highlights the impressiveness of the skillset required to do the job and succeed. In essence, Jacobs shifts the spotlight from the products onto the people, reminding us as to why we never strayed when the demonstrations began. Sure, the products may be interesting, but it’s the pitch people who made them magical and a necessity. And that you won’t find on TV.
Available on VOD and digital May 17th, 2024.
For more information, head to the official SJPL Films, Ltd. Pitch People website.
Final Score: 3.5 out of 5.
No Vince from ShamWow?
Nope. This was originally intended for release in 1999. Not sure where that aligns with his arrival on the Pitch scene.