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
71
Embed
The Golden Age of the Automobile – the 1950s in America “…at the root of America’s disproportionate reverence for automobility there is something profoundly.
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
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
Dizzy Gillespie, “Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac”
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
In the end, accessories were more important during the late 1950s than the actual marque itself! – Lewis Crusoe at Ford
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)
What were the Cars of the 1950s Like?
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