Harris Bank - Internal Promotional Film (Workprint) (Part 3, 1982)

Here's the third and final part of something pretty neat and rare - a workprint of an internal promotional film from Harris Bank of Chicago, titled Honesty and Fair Dealing: An Introduction to the Harris Bank and the People Who Make It Work, produced for the company's 100th anniversary in 1982. (although maybe it's just the slightly washed-out and dirty work print, this almost seems like it could be from about 1977 - right down to the funky music. I do know that bank culture always seems to be a bit behind the times, so maybe that accounts for it) Includes:

A look at the significance of the lion that has served as Harris Bank's main logo and mascot (Dreyfus wasn't the only one in that regard), the creation of Hubert the Lion after the launch of its retail operations in 1957, and a sample advertisement featuring Hubert (the voice of Frank Nelson) about making the right financial decisions with all different choices (CD's, money market, NOW's).

Next is a look at the establishment of Harris Bankcorp as a holding company in 1972, consisting of Harris Bank, Harris Bank International Corporation, Harris Corp Leasing, Inc., Harris Corp Financing, Inc., Harris Trust Company of Arizona, and an interest in International Pacific Corporation, with plans to acquire other banks in Illinois thanks to recent changes in legislation.

This is followed by a typical midday where Harris employees are hard at work while most Chicagoans are enjoying a lunch break; Harris' presence at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (ah, the days before CNBC and Rick Santelli); and their involvement in many communities, with shots of a church as bells are pealing, local playground areas, and El Hogar del Nino (an inner-city school which is still around, as per this page). Next we see an early ATM (automatic telling machine, with a customer putting in a Harriscard), a check sorter-reader, an early computer system (when it consisted of huge banks - sorry about that - of reel-to-reel terminals) that "would have amazed Norman Harris" (what would the old man have thought of today's laptops and other devices?), scenes of foreign branches, and international currency exchange.

Next are shots of Chicago at night, where Harris people are still hard at work while Chicagoans are relaxing or on the town; a look inside a workshop meeting, as the narrator explains how Harris people invest in the bank while, in turn, the bank invests in their future; and a shot of a "Sound of Business" radio roundtable.

The film ends with the narrator noting how the bank's vision today is in line with that of founder Norman Wait Harris, as we see candles being lit for a cake reading "The Harris Organization - 1882-1982" with the lion mascot on the left, followed by various shots that were seen in the course of the film.

Narrated by Steve King. (http://www.steveking.net/)

Ending credits:

A Presentation of Harris Bankcorp
Produced by Pilot Productions Inc., Chicago - Evanston

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