GM : 1950’s Dream Cars – Vol 1

1950 Fisher Brothers – “Quality Knows No Compromise” (13 min)
The body builders behind General Motors products, this promotional film
shows the Fisher Assembly plant. (b&w)

1950 GM Motorama (29 min)
The second GM Motorama (the GM shows were on hold during WWII, and started again in 1949)
from the famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. This is a live TV broadcast from CBS-TV.
The host walks around the Motorama, talking to various General Motors top brass, and we see
the various GM Motorama cars as well as other GM products on display. (b&w)

1953 GM Motorama Set Up (15 min)
This is a SILENT film (described as a ‘pictorial review’) showing the setup and preparation
for the 1953 GM Motorama. This film was not intended for the public, and is rather crude,
showing various footage of the prep work of the Dream Cars for the show. (b&w)

1953 GM Motorama (10 min)
Newsreel style coverage of the 1953 Motorama, featuring
Dream Cars from all the GM divisions. (b&w)

1954 GM Motorama (3 min)
A short newsreel showing the various GM Dream Cars at their Motorama
Show, including a quick glimpse at the Firebird 1 turbine car. (b&w)

1954 Firebird I – Promotional Film (3 min)
A great color promotional film showing the Firebird I
at GM’s Desert Proving Grounds. (color)

1955 General Motors Promotional Film – “The Look Of Things” (3 min)
A fantastic film showing the futuristic styling of the GM Dream Cars. By 1955,
General Motors (and the rest of the auto industry) were caught up in the Jet
Age, as their styling reflected jet air intakes, jet exhausts, and rockets. A
beautiful color promotional film. (color)

1955 General Motors Promotional Film – “A Change For The Better” (9 min)
Another brilliant color film showcasing the new 1955 General Motors models. The elegance
and campiness of the mid-1950’s is witnessed here, as men and women dance and pose
around the new 1955 GM lineup, with a backdrop of star filled night time sky. (color)

1956 Firebird II – Promotional Film (1 min 30 sec)
A classic vintage newsreel showing the new Firebird II turbine
car. Shows some footage of the car being assembled. (b&w)

1956 General Motors Promotional Film – “Key To The Future” (9 min)
A fantastic 1956 color film, with a stereotypical 1956-era family of four, traveling out on the open
road, when the passenger wonders what would happen if the radio knob on their car would
suddenly transport them 20 years into the future. Well, it does, and the family ends up in the turbine
powered Firebird II. An ambitious GM film, using scale modeling and matte backgrounds, to show
what life is like in the future, which seems to resemble the animated series “The Jetsons”. (color)

1956 General Motors Promotional Film – Firebird II  (11 min)
Another great color film showing the design and styling of the Firebird
II. This film shows quite a bit of the GM Styling Center, and the
engineering and assembly of the Firebird II. (color)

1958 General Motors Promotional Film – “An Experiment For Tomorrow” (13 min)
Similar to the previous film, this one focuses on the Firebird III, the last of the turbine
powered 1950’s GM cars. Again, we see a lot of footage of the design and assembly of the
Firebird III, along with the GM Styling Center. Lots of great footage of the inner workings
and mechanical aspects of the Firebird III, presented to the cameras in full color! (color)

Firebird III Test Drive – My Classic Car (12 min)
Join the host of “My Classic Car” as he gets a ride in the Firebird III
turbine car! This footage also includes some footage from other 1950’s
GM Dream Cars as they exist today at the GM Heritage Center. (color)