It Happened in the Kitchen (Modern Kitchen Bureau, 1941)

The Modern Kitchen Bureau was founded in 1936 to promote the idea of a "modern electric kitchen." Representatives from a number of major American corporations that manufactured appliances and electronics comprised the Bureau’s executive committee and regional leadership including General Electric, Westinghouse, and Frigidaire.

In 1941, the Bureau produced the consumer-facing film "It Happened in the Kitchen" to focus on the importance of having a "modern kitchen" and how modernization benefitted the average American family. An investment in one’s home to improve their quality of life is “the way Americans do things” according to the film’s script.

“It Happened in the Kitchen“ was produced in Cleveland, Ohio by Cinecraft Productions. Although there are no credits on the film, the film's male lead is Kirk Willis, a director and actor at the Cleveland Play House. Hollywood-trained Ray Culley, the co-founder of Cinecraft in 1939, directed the film.

This film was preserved by the Hagley Library with funding from the National Film Preservation Foundation.

This digitized 16mm film is from the Cinecraft Productions collection at the Hagley Museum and Library. For more information about the collection, please check out www.hagley.org/cinecraft

Access to this item is provided for educational and research purposes only. If you would like more information, please contact askhagley@hagley.org