There ’s
Some
Business
like
Show
Business

By Christine Hall and
Darrell Podlubny,
Circulation/Audio-Visual,
Stanley A. Milner Library

A song-and-dance routine may not be exactly what's called for,but there's no denying businesses can profit creatively from a little showmanship.With the right performance flair and the right marketing, you're well on your way to selling yourself or your product.

When it comes to a wry sense of humour that provides insight into issues like customer service,planning and possible value of yet more meetings,former Monty Python star John Cleese has few peers.His business training videos,available from the downtown AV division on a special loans basis,include such popular titles asMore Bloody Meetings ,Welcome Customer and It ’s Alright,It ’s Only a Customer .Aficionados of the Fawlty Towers series will recognize the bumbling Basil Fawlty,the quirky staff and guests who inhabit the small,English bed &breakfast inn as wonderful comic figures.Look a little further and you will see the cast has loaded each script with acutely funny observations about the do ’s and don ’ts of running a small business.

Another slightly askew approach is to consider what Hollywood has to offer.The film industry has been more than content to play up the villainous side of entrepreneurs and large corporations.You don't have to think very hard or long to remember the nasty and often desperate characters portrayed in Wall Street or Glengarry Glenn Ross .And then,in some dramatic films,there's the link Hollywood makes between the arrogance of powerful agents and the evils of environmental degradation,dispossessed people,greed and corporate manipulation.The same holds true in the science fiction genre where the bad guys are virtually interchangeable with cartoon figures in movies like Alien ,Robocop and Johnny Mnemonic .

Yet,every so often,a film comes along with a more light-hearted, even charming spin on the idea of starting,or working within,an established business.Take a little creative liberty with the idea of learning from somewhat unusual sources and consider the following international movies:

Tampopo (Japan 1986)director Juzo Itami Goro is a lone gunfighter (actually he ’s a truck driver,but it ’s style that counts).Tampopo (means Dandelion)is a widow with a failing noodle restaurant.Together they embark on a quest for the perfect noodle,trying out,and spying on,competitors for insights into preparation and presentation.They even consult the hobos who scavenge the garden bins of the finer establishments.Tampopo finds that it take research,hard work and a few failures to achieve her business goals.Rogert Ebert calls this film "utterly original " and gives it four stars,his highest rating!

The Full Monty (Great Britain 1997)director Peter Cattaneo With the steel mills of Sheffield closing down, a group of unemployed men find the courage to retrain for a new profession, overcoming their doubts and inexperience through hard work and determination. The men eventually achieve success and outdo their competitors through their willingness to go all the way to please their customers. Leonard Maltin calls the film a "bull’s-eye com-edy." It also has a great disco soundtrack!

Lloyds of London (USA 1936)director Henry King Adorable,tousle-headed messenger boy,Freddie Bartholomew grows up to be dashing insurance guy Tyrone Power.Swashes are buckled,fans flutter,George Sanders sneers,historical accuracy leaps out the window.Lord Nelson,the Prince of Wales and Benjamin Franklin appear;Napoleon remains off stage.The greatest movie ever made about an insurance company,in glorious black and white. Finally,the following films offer an entertaining look at matters of ethical behavior in business,although each treats the issues in quite different ways.

The Efficiency Expert (Australia 1954)reveals the transformation of an inflexible efficiency consultant who must contend with a motley group of company workers.Anthony Hopkins plays the expert who learns to rethink his ways.

Tucker:The Man and his Dream (USA 1988)is a portrait of an industrial idealist who has a vision of the car of the future.Jeff Bridges plays Preston Tucker.

Please note that all films discussed in this article can be borrowed from the Edmonton Public Library.If you would like help finding the perfect video,ask a staff member.

Subject Headings of Interest: Business enterprises Business ethics Business planning Creative ability in business Entrepreneurship Home based businesses Internet New business enterprises Selling Small business Success in business Teams in the workplace