This is a wonderful documentary about the history of infomercials, it is fun to watch. It's great to see some familiar faces of 1990s infomercials, telling their stories of how they got started in the business, and the art of the pitch. Being a product demonstrator is no easy job--we learn what is involved in working, for example, a State Fair: the preparation, the long hours, the lengthy scripts that must be committed to memory. It is also fascinating to hear these guys and gals talk about how to sell things, in a way they are the ultimate salesmen, they are actors whose "applause" is people handing over money.
I didn't realize that the infomercial existed back in the 1950s, at some point they became too expensive to air, but with the advent of Cable TV, and some deregulation, they came back sometime in the 1980s, and by the 1990s they were all over the place. The documentary also traces the origins of pitchmen to the old traveling snake oil salesmen, and even earlier--for how long have human beings been selling things to each other? Ron Popeil did not agree to participate in the film, but we learn through his relatives Lester Morris and Arnold Morris about the background of their products empire.
If you get a kick out of infomercials, you'll love this film. But even if you hate them, I think you will find the film entertaining, informative, well organized and well edited.
I'm surprised that this documentary isn't better known--it really is good.
