Tucker
Film Title: Tucker: The Man and His Dream Director: Francis Ford Coppola Year: 1988 Issue Number: 1 Date Published: March, 2006 Author: J. Allen Hall, State University of New York Institute of Technology, fah1@sunyit.edu Principal Players: Preston Tucker, founder of the Tucker Motor Company--Jeff Bridges; Abe, Tucker’s financial officer-Martin Landau Genre: Business history, biography Exact Segment: Track 13, fast forward to scene of Tucker entering courthouse; stop in Track 14 when Tucker leaves Abe and enters one of his cars Exact Segment Length: 22:11 Exact Segment Start: 3:00 into Track 13 Exact Segment End: 11:16 into Track 14 Synopsis: Preston Tucker, entrepreneur and founder of Tucker Motor Company, is tried for securities fraud. The
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The prosecution presents witnesses who paid for dealerships and auditors who claim Tucker used much of the $26 million he raised for personal expenses. Tucker counters that he made only honest business mistakes and that he did, in fact, produce the 50 cars required by the government for use of the war surplus factory he was given. He makes a closing statement to the jury in which he warns that the entrepreneurial spirit is being crushed by bureaucracy and established interests. The jury delivers a verdict of not guilty, and Tucker invites everyone for a ride in his cars. As the people admire the cars, Abe tells him the company is dead and the cars will never be produced. Tucker replies that it makes no difference whether 50 cars or 50 million cars were produced; what matters is the dream. Ethical Concepts and Issues Illustrated: On the surface, the scene may appear to be a simple story of a good entrepreneur opposed by the evil establishment. But a closer look reveals a conflict between dreams and realistic expectations. Did the fact that Tucker had some good design ideas excuse his selling dealerships for a car he lacked the financing to produce? At what point does dreaming become fraud? The continuing controversy over Tucker provides some historical perspective on present corporate scandals and CEO’s whose defense is that they dreamed too big and made honest mistakes. Additional Comments: Tucker was working on plans to produce a sports car in Brazil when he died of an illness six years after his acquittal. Forty-seven of the fifty-one Tucker automobiles produced still exist, each worth about a quarter of a million dollars. The Tucker Automobile Club is an active organization for fans of the man and his cars. Questions for Discussion: 1. Was Tucker ethical to sell dealerships for a car that he lacked the resources to produce? 2. Was Tucker ethical to sell very
The prosecution presents witnesses who paid for dealerships and auditors who claim Tucker used much of the $26 million he raised for personal expenses. Tucker counters that he made only honest business mistakes and that he did, in fact, produce the 50 cars required by the government for use of the war surplus factory he was given. He makes a closing statement to the jury in which he warns that the entrepreneurial spirit is being crushed by bureaucracy and established interests. The jury delivers a verdict of not guilty, and Tucker invites everyone for a ride in his cars. As the people admire the cars, Abe tells him the company is dead and the cars will never be produced. Tucker replies that it makes no difference whether 50 cars or 50 million cars were produced; what matters is the dream. Ethical Concepts and Issues Illustrated: On the surface, the scene may appear to be a simple story of a good entrepreneur opposed by the evil establishment. But a closer look reveals a conflict between dreams and realistic expectations. Did the fact that Tucker had some good design ideas excuse his selling dealerships for a car he lacked the financing to produce? At what point does dreaming become fraud? The continuing controversy over Tucker provides some historical perspective on present corporate scandals and CEO’s whose defense is that they dreamed too big and made honest mistakes. Additional Comments: Tucker was working on plans to produce a sports car in Brazil when he died of an illness six years after his acquittal. Forty-seven of the fifty-one Tucker automobiles produced still exist, each worth about a quarter of a million dollars. The Tucker Automobile Club is an active organization for fans of the man and his cars. Questions for Discussion: 1. Was Tucker ethical to sell dealerships for a car that he lacked the resources to produce? 2. Was Tucker ethical to sell very