Midweek Matinee: The American Road, Part I, 1953

This film could rightly have been subtitled “An Ode to the Development of the Automobile and its Positive Impact on American Life.” Yes, another one of those: But hear us out.

Funded by Ford Motor Company, you already know who gets credit for nearly everything, almost single-handedly – yet this production yields a surprisingly satisfying result by weaving together engaging storytelling, historical footage (from the vast archives of The Henry Ford Museum) and convincing reenactments.

Narration by the imposing Raymond Massey and uplifting orchestration by noted Hollywood composer Alex North – perhaps intentionally reminiscent of Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man – creates a sympathetic and appropriate setting. Despite being only one channel, this soundtrack helps make up for a few of the notably irritating ones we’ve previously served up.

This is Part I of three segments, but it stands just fine on its own. Run time is 18 minutes.

All photos are frame grabs from video below.

Henry creates the Quadracycle alone and tests it by dark of night…

…while others are having far more fun-in-the-sun with their friends in a sail wagon.

October 25, 1902: Barney Oldfield sets a board track speed record of 60 MPH at the helm of Ford’s 999 racer.

Meanwhile, back at the plant, vehicle assembly by individual teams required 12 hours, 30 minutes per unit. While moving specialized teams from car to car reduced time – and keeping people stationary by dragging the car past individual stations further increased efficiency…

…only a fully integrated system of assembly and sub-assembly lines allowed Model T build times to plummet to a mere 40 seconds. Due in no small part to this accomplishment, retail prices dropped accordingly and sales increased dramatically.

But what of the associated Positive Impact on American Life? We’ll continue the series if you’re interested in seeing how all this plays out in Part II. And Part III brings us right up to 1973 — a mighty impressive trick for a film released two decades earlier.

Public domain archival footage courtesy of the Internet Moving Images Archive, in association with Prelinger Archives.

See original article at" https://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2016/10/05/midweek-matinee-the-american-road-part-i-1953/