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- A caper comedy about three suburban housewives who, in order to beat inflation and subsidize their alimony checks, plot to steal $1 million from a large plastic ball which is displayed in a local shopping center.
- Zach Braff and Isabelle Biais star in this thought provoking drama about two lives that randomly collide with tragic consequences forcing them to confront loss; love and life and decide if the high cost of living is worth the price.
- This newly married couple would rather a burglar steal the diamonds than the eggs and shoes.
- Mr. and Mrs. Consumer find that they have no food in the house. It is salary day, so they depart for the market which is a monopoly and presided over by a syndicate representing the goods they controlled. Their motto is "Our prices, all we can get." This syndicate is composed of kings, thus divided: Milk, butter and eggs, coal, bread, sugar, meat, clothing and tobacco. At this market there is a great gathering which finally thins out to the few who have enough money to satisfy the grasping kings. The various types of consumers buy or try to buy their necessities at exorbitant prices. The kings are greedy and cruel. Finally unable to bear these impositions, the people become impatient and resolve to do something to repair their wrongs. The kings have a reunion and make a mound of their bags of gold, which they worship. It is transformed into the God of Greed, around which they group and command the people to cease their complaints. A meeting of the discontented people is in progress when the painting of Justice comes to life and joining them, asks them to tell their complaints, and she, thoroughly aroused, issues an indictment for trial against the wicked Trust Kings. Uncle Sam executes the warrant much to the joy of the consumers. He repairs to the market where the Kings are having a Jubilee, arraigns them, calls upon the people to carry out the orders of Justice points to a sign which has changed to "Justice Triumphs at Last." The mob seizes the kings and hustles them off to the bar of Justice. The kings, handcuffed, are now arraigned before Justice Uncle Sam enters as the people's lawyer, and in a short time (with the overwhelming evidence of their rapacity), has the jury pronounce them guilty and sentenced to hard labor for life. The people destroy the God of Greed and now that prosperity returns a few weeks later give a jollification feast at Mr. Consumer's house. In the meantime, the guards lead the kings, in convict garb, to their labors which they do very lightly. They overcome their guards and escape. While the feast is at its height the kings repair to Consumer's house and like a lot of vultures attack Justice, drag her from the house and make her a prisoner. The noise disturbs the merry-makers; they go out to ascertain the cause, are horrified to find Justice gone. In the meantime the statue of the God of Greed has been reconstructed. The kings drag Justice before it and completely suffocate and obliterate her under bags of gold. The kings return to their thrones. The angry people rush on to see the old order of things re-established and can only show their sorrow and misery. Justice is seen behind the bars, handcuffed, awaiting deliverance. Mr. and Mrs. Consumer are at their table again hungry, all food gone. Uncle Sam appears they appeal to him, he leads them forth and pointing up, shows them the promise of the future. Old glory is seen waving and then Uncle Sam indicates that they may remedy matters by choosing from one of the presidential candidates of the different parties whose pictures are thrown upon the screen.
- Old Joel Smith is charged with murder in the first degree. At the trial he pleads in opposition to his own lawyers. He explains that he is now too old to be of any assistance to his widowed daughter and grandchildren, who are dependent on him for support. He says he prefers death to a life of poverty and wretchedness. In telling the judge and jury his pathetic story (which is shown on the screen) old Joel betrays a love for his grandchildren and his fellow laborers that is poignant with pathos. He tells how he had been sent by the men to tell the boss that they were dissatisfied. Athough Joel was a favorite with the boss, his representations while listened to with respect were productive of nothing. His employer simply said, that if he raised salaries to meet the present "high cost of living" he would be compelled to close up shop. Whan they receive the answer from the boss, the men vote to strike, much against Joel's advice, and although he liked his boss, Joel is with the majority and walks out with his fellows. A long period of lean days ensue. Joel's grandchildren and widowed daughter are starving. He is too proud to beg. He goes to the headquarters of the strikers and finds them all drinking and carousing. This is too much for Joel. He announces his intention of going back to work. One of the ironworkers calls him a coward. All of the old man's pent-up anger comes to the surface, and before he knows it, he has killed the insulter. The jury weeps at the old man's pathetic story; they cannot find heart to convict him.
- Benji has the perfect life, but it comes with a price - eternal pagan servitude.
- Mutt and Jeff don't have enough money for both to eat, so Mutt consumes the turkey and then plays a tattoo on Jeff's head with a pair of drumsticks. Jeff plans a horrible revenge and when Mutt has been thrown into jail Jeff eats a large meal in front of Mutt's barred window.
- Shorty and the Chinese cook raise potatoes on Arrowhead Ranch in anticipation of a rising market. A freak potato is fixed up by the boys to look like a Chinese god and placed where the Chinese cook will find it. Enraged he throws it into a bag of potatoes. Shorty is selling to Pete Boley, the commission merchant. Shorty goes to Los Angeles to confer with Miss Ellen Drake, of the Secret Service, who is assisting the Mayor in reducing the high cost of living. The people are rioting over the high prices, and the Mayor is trying to find out where potatoes are being held. While chatting with a grocer, Shorty obtains a clew when he notices the Chinese god potato among those the grocer bought from Jenkins, the Potato King. Meanwhile Boley phones Shorty that he has secreted a large consignment of potatoes. Shorty secretly removes the potatoes and puts them on the municipal market. The Potato King learns of the potatoes being sold at cost, and in order to keep the corner buys them in. Later learning of Shorty's trick Jenkins plans to lure him to the warehouse and make way with him. Shorty plans a supposed call from the Mayor, and Pete Boley tries to capture him. A fight follows, and Shorty is almost overpowered when the police arrive. Jenkins and his men are taken into custody, and the corner in potatoes broken.
- Mr. Lord, President of the International Food Products Company, objects to the attachment which has sprung up between his daughter Mildred, and his private secretary, Tracy, and tells the young people that matrimony, on Tracy's slender salary, is out of the question. Mildred's pleas that she would be quite happy in the role of a poor man's wife, are promptly rejected. Mildred, however, unknown to her father, starts on a career of economy by which she hopes to be able to learn to live within Tracy's means. She receives a terrible shock at the outset when she learns the cost of food stuffs and then and there decides that the cost of living is too high. She evolves a plan to remedy this evil and laying it before the General Federation of Women's Clubs, is hailed as the modern Joan D'Arc. The plan is a simple one. A list of food products is made with each item numbered. This list is sent to every member of the United States with instructions to refrain from buying any article whose number appears in the daily papers. Mildred, finding the price of butter and eggs very high, sends the proper numbers to the Associated Press. These numbers appear the next day in all the newspapers, and the women all over the country refuse to purchase either. At the office of the International Food Products Company there is consternation. All orders for butter and eggs have been canceled and after a day or two of stagnation, Lord is compelled to lower the price. This action is at once followed by enormous sales all over the country. Mildred lays in a store of butter and eggs at reduced prices and her first economical venture is a huge success for she has saved exactly three dollars and forty-six cents. The next attack is upon bacon. The result is the same. There is no demand for bacon and Lord is furious. The mysterious numbers in the papers only add fuel to the flame until one day Mildred explains her great scheme for economizing, shows him a list of her savings and again asks his consent to her marriage. At last Lord sees daylight. Comparing his three days' shrinkage of sales of over one hundred thousand dollars to Mildred's savings he decides that it will be cheaper to raise Tracy's salary than to have her continue her economy. This he does and presents the pair with a number of shares of stock in the company with the parting injunction to stop economizing.
- A few thoughts on the current situation in Haiti, Jeremie, and the work of Thrive Ansanm by their director and co-founder Josh Gray.
- At college, Jack runs low on cash--as college boys do--and wires his father for funds. The father, tired of financing his son, refuses the request and warns him that he must cut out the high life. He also writes to his daughter, who lives near the college, and tells her to get Jack interested in some girl so that he will buckle down and start to save. When Sister tries to carry out her part of the contract, Jack balks and disappears when she tries to introduce him. That night, out for a wild time, the boys try to rip the roof off the town. Jack smothers one of the fellows in a blanket and leads him around the village. When the unlucky one is finally released, he lets out a yell loud enough to wake the whole town. The new beat cop sees a fine chance to distinguish himself and starts after the merrymakers. Jack seeks refuge in the first house he sees and is mistaken for the new butler. As luck would have it, this is the home of his sister's girl friend. He "buttles" very amateurishly to be sure, but he gets along. As the cop has assumed a policy of "watchful waiting" outside the door, Jack is forced to remain under cover. Everything goes fine until Jack finds himself waiting on his own sister, who is calling on her friend. Explanations and apologies are in order, and Jack removes his apron and joins the crowd. Jack has inadvertently pleased his father by falling deeply in love with his sister's fair friend, and the prospects point to Jack giving up the high life.
- Katy and Olive need help with their budget.
- 2009–TV Episode
- 2020–Podcast Episode
- Episode: (2018)2017– 8mPodcast Episode
- The Bank of Canada is calling it a "perfect storm." As gas and grocery prices jump, inflation has hit a 31-year high. For many Canadians, that means making tough decisions as life becomes more expensive. Our question this week: Are rising prices forcing you to make hard choices? How can we beat the high cost of living? Plus, Ask Me Anything with the Kids in the Hall stars Bruce McCulloch and Kevin McDonald.
- 2022– 6mPodcast Episode
- 2022– 15mPodcast Episode
- 2004– 26mPodcast Episode
- 1996– 35mPodcast Episode
- 2016– 1h 6mPodcast Episode
- 2022– 22mPodcast Episode
- 2018–Podcast EpisodeJohn and Darin watch Jane Curtin's near-forgotten movie debut, 1980's How to Beat the High Cost of Living, with costars Jessica Lange and Susan St. James. Can three friends who've never committed a crime before pull off a successful heist for thousands of dollars? (Wait... Didn't we do this movie last week?) How many cops does it take to cover all of Eugene, Oregon? And what's the proper rhyme scheme for a Heist Haiku, anyway? All this, plus the guys unpack all the latest SNL News for Season 46.
- 2023– 45mPodcast Episode
- 2022– 9mPodcast Episode
- 2021–Podcast Episode
- 2008– 35mPodcast Episode
- 2008– 33mPodcast Episode
- 2008– 34mPodcast Episode
- 2008– 35mPodcast Episode
- 2008– 36mPodcast Episode
- 2008– 28mPodcast Episode
- 2008– 31mPodcast Episode
- 2008– 27mPodcast Episode
- 2014– 1h 15mPodcast Episode