Product Details

• Actors: Frank B. Gilbreth, Lillian M. Gilbreth
• Producers: Dr. Lillian M. Gilbreth & Dr. Ralph M. Barnes James S. Perkins
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Quality Information Publishers, Inc.
• Run Time: 32 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• ASIN: B000IQGKIC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,070 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

This illuminating film series is about Frank Gilbreths groundbreaking time/motion studies. Gilbreth developed the study of how people, especially factory workers, performed tasks and tried to find ways to eliminate excess movement and streamline routine processes. Clips include many different factory shots of assembly lines, surgeons performing operations, distribution and storage of products, a city street in New Jersey with horse drawn and horse-less carriages, bricklaying, and many others. Improving employee productivity was never more important than in the early 20th century, and Gilbreths methods for scientific management of workers was a huge breakthrough. Gilbreth also invented therbligs (a play on his name) which classified hand motions. Gilbreth was also interested in streamlining the typewriter and typing itself, leading to major developments in typewriter history. His efforts with a famous female typist and several one-armed typists are shown. Gilbreth also worked on solving the problem of employment for crippled WWI soldiers. Frank Gilbreth Jr. wrote the famous book, Cheaper By the Dozen about how his father used his children to help him with his time/motion studies. Frank Gilbreths charm and passion is well captured here, as well as informative methods for business efficiency that are still rock solid today. Running time 32 minutes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic, June 25, 2008

By 

Bas Vodde (Singapore) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Time & Motion Study: Original Films of Frank Gilbreth: The History of Assembly Line Productivity and Manufacturing Productivity (1910's - 1920's) (DVD)

This DVD is 32 minutes of Frank Gilbreths original time and motion studies. All are original B/W no sound movies from around WW I. It's amazing how much different professions Gilbreth has studied to try to improve the skills. Not just manufacturing, but baseball, surgeons and even soldiers.

If you are interested in history and historical images of the early time and motion studies, then this video is absolutely for you. For most people, it will probably be an old movie with people repeating the same moves with a clock next it.

I liked it a lot. It makes time/motion studies and that part of history more concrete and clear.

Thus for most people, probably only 3 or 2 stars. If you like these things, 4 or even 5 stars. I averaged out to 3.