The Relaxed Wife

Relaxed Wife, The
by On Film, Inc.

Publication date 1957

Topics Psychology, Pharmaceutical industry, Medicine: Psychiatry

brought to you by Charles Pfizer & Co.

This unusual industrial film enthusiastically promotes "Atarax," a tranquilizer, claiming that "ataraxic medicines" can help everyone achieve the relaxed state they desire.

The film was created by a team of individuals, including Coni Johnston, Mel London, Joseph Cole, Bert Spielvogel, Tracy Ward (a pseudonym for Virginia Bell), Rune Hagman, Delores Phox, Jeanne Sharp, Dick Brophy, M. Opelle, and Herb Hagens. Contrary to the notion of the 1950s as a stress-free era, the film suggests that the postwar period was marked by anxiety, and it explores various responses to this stress, including erasure, behavior modification, and medication. The title, "The Relaxed Wife," may be misleading, as it focuses on the husband's stress rather than the wife's.

The film reflects the societal pressures of good behavior, conformity, and family responsibilities. It paints a picture of a postwar environment grappling with ordinary life traumas, with pharmaceutical companies ready to medicate anxious citizens. The film advocates for relaxation, tying it to the promotion of Pfizer's tranquilizer "Atarax," introduced in 1956.

The credits suggest a collaborative production process by On Film, Inc., known for creating films for national magazines, industrial and interior design, and pharmaceutical industry commercials.