Hollywood’s Take on the Postal Service

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It takes a lot of digging to find a positive Hollywood portrayal of postal employees. From Cheers’ Cliff Clavin to Seinfeld’s Newman, TV and the movies have not always portrayed postal employees in the most favorable light. Even Mr. Rogers’ postman sidekick, Mr. McFeeley, was seldom seen actually delivering any mail. “Going postal” was coined and seemed to be a recurring Hollywood theme in the 1990’s, when the movie mills cranked out “Jingle All The Way,” with Sinbad playing a crazed letter carrier, and “Postal Worker”, which portrayed the entire agency as a simmering pot of twisted individuals. And who can forget, “Zarkorr! The Invader,” the Godzilla rip-off, where a Newark postal worker was tasked with fighting this monster — almost as bad as facing a full set of circs (flyers) on a Tuesday after a Monday holiday. What’s at stake? If he fails, the world will be destroyed.

There are exceptions. The mail itself is often treated affectionately. The happy ending to Miracle on 34th Street (1947) hinges on the delivery of letters to Santa. In The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan work side by side but fall in love through the mail. The Postal Inspectors have also had a good run of positive films, starting in 1936 with Postal Inspector, featuring Bela Lugosi (yes, the same one who starred as Dracula), Appointment with Danger in 1951, and the more recent Showtime Inspectors movies with Lou Gossett and Jonathan Silverman.

picture of Cliff from Cheers

Unfortunately, postal employees on the big and small screen are most often portrayed as the Rodney Dangerfield types. No respect. Their heroic deeds of saving a life, or just doing their jobs without fanfare, are rarely aired. The majority of postal employees are dedicated, hard-working individuals. So how did this negative stereotype start? Why do you think postal employees get the short shrift on heroic roles? And what can be done to turn Hollywood around and point them in the right direction?

This topic is hosted by the OIG’s Risk Analysis Research Center (RARC).

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Permalink | Comments (12) | Jun 22, 2009

 

 

12 Responses to “Hollywood’s Take on the Postal Service”

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  1. 12
    jack frost Says:
    July 15th, 2009 at 12:08 am

    My boss at the office where I work pressures us on a daily basis so she can get her bonus. It is very important to her. If we go over on our time by one minute, we are written up and sometimes given a verbal warning not to let it happen again. The temperatures here in south texas are near a hundred degrees most of the days during the summer but she says that the weather does not affect us. Or when it’s pouring down cats and dogs, we can’t let that slow us down.We have to just keep running so she gets her bonus which is a few thousand dollars. And the postal service officials can’t understand why we are losing so much money.

  2. 11
    Shamar Hill Says:
    July 7th, 2009 at 3:22 pm

    CHANGE OUTER PERCEPTION FROM WITHIN.

    Postal Workers – ESPECIALLY MAIL CARRIERS – are the most pressured workers I’ve ever seen. They are timed, watched and regulated by (mostly) overzealous, micro managing, bonus-happy, discipline threatening supervisors. Their hard work goes completely ignored, marginalized and even disputed by their bosses on a daily basis. Still, they try to enjoy their work.

    With the current economic climate, failed Postal leadership, manipulation of Postal Unions and the enforcement of Pivoting (unpaid overtime) on thousands of workers across the country — HOW DO YOU CHANGE THAT?

    The Postal Service needs to appreciate the workers. Without them there is no Postal Service.

    Hollywood thrives on stereotypes. Stereotypes are always 50 percent truth. There is no way around that. I wish there was.

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