The Golden Age of the Automobile – the 1950s in America

1. The Golden Age of the Automobile – the 1950s in America • “…at the root of America’s disproportionate reverence for automobility there is something profoundly sexual. Few people give ultimate devotion to sex; their really ultimate devotion goes to religions like this one.” – theologian Martin Marty, 1958

12. Dizzy Gillespie, “Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac”

13. American Automobile Consumption During the 1950s • Purchases were connected to well-being, satisfaction, pleasure, and comfort • Therefore, a large variety of models were offered • Re-tooling took place faster and faster • Advertising costs increased sharply • Quality declined

14. In the end, accessories were more important during the late 1950s than the actual marque itself! – Lewis Crusoe at Ford

16. Hot Rod Films of the 1950s • Hot Rod (1950) • Hot Rod Rumble (1957) • Drag Strip Girl (1957) • Hot Rod Gang (1958) • The Ghost of Drag Strip Hollow (1959) • Hot Rod Girl (1956)

22. What were the Cars of the 1950s Like?

32. Major Historical Developments During the 1950s • The Cold War – Korea, 1950; Hungary 1956 • The Eisenhower Era, 1953-1961 • Affluence and the Move to the Suburbs • The Rise of Youth Culture – Music, Film, TV • The Organization Man and the Lonely Crowd • Valium and Alcohol • Happy Days? • Sputnik and the Space Race

34. 1955 Chevrolet

35. 1955 Ford

36. 1956 Packard

37. 1957 Chevrolet

38. 1957 Ford Skyliner

39. 1958 Plymouth Fury

40. 1958 Buick

41. 1958 Edsel

42. 1959 Cadillac

43. 1950 Jaguar XK-120

44. 1953 Corvette

46. The Rise of the Critics • John Keats – The Insolent Chariots • Vance Packard – The Hidden Persuaders • S.I Hayakawa • Lewis Mumford