1949 GM Motorama (26 min)
This is the very first GM Motorama, known as Transporation Unlimited,
held at the beautiful Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Nearly 600,000
people came through the doors to see the first major post-WWII display
by General Motors, which included seven special Cadillacs. (b&w)
1949 GM Promo Film – Styling The Motor Car (17 min)
This wonderful film shows how General Motors creates a new model car,
and along the way we see the Styling Studio for each GM Division. (color)
1953 GM Promo Film – Engineering And Styling (17 min)
Promotional film designed for GM salesman, showcasing the engineering and
styling of General Motors vehicles, along with innovative new features. Hosted
by Charles Chayne (VP of GM Styling) and Harley Earl (VP of Styling). (color)
1955 GM Promo Film – GM’s 50 Millionth Car (9 min)
Intended for GM manufacturing plants, this is a talk from GM President Harlow H. Curtice to the
various plant managers and workers, congratulating them on GM’s 50 millionth car produced, a 1955
Chevrolet hardtop. This film was used as the middle portion for a slightly longer film produced for each
GM division. For the entire presentation, a division president (or top brass) added their own intro,
customized to their specific division, then they would introduce this Harlow Curtice piece, then they
would add their own closing remarks at the end. This film is just of the GM President’s speech. (color)
1955 GM Promo Film – GM’s 50 Millionth Car Celebration (10 min)
The GM celebration of their 50 millionth car produced, which consisted of a massive
town parade and ceremony. Very clear and colorful footage, with the usual 1950’s
style song and dance numbers extolling the virtues of General Motors. (color)
1955 GM Promo Film – “Change For The Better” (20 min)
Another fantastic GM promotional film, this one shows how far America had progressed since
the early days of the automobile, then in an over-the-top Technicolor presentation, the various
new GM models are shown, with the typical elegance and style of the mid-1950’s. Pretty girls,
some animated special effects around the cars, and of course the classic ballroom music
that always accompanied the grace and beauty of 1950’s America. (color)
1956 GM Promo Film – Technical Center Dedication (3 min)
The new General Motors Tech Center outside of Detroit Michigan was indeed
a sight to behold. Over 330 acres and 25 buildings, the opening ceremony
festivities included a crowd of over 5000 distinguished guests. (b&w)
1956 GM Promo Film – Firebird II (1 min 36 sec)
A short film, but very informative, showing the new
Firebird II experimental car. (b&w)
1957 GM Promo Film – Rochester Fuel Injection (3 min 30 sec)
A nice GM promotional film, newsreel style, showing the new Rochester
Fuel Injection setup, both on and off various cars. (b&w)
1957 GM Motorama (3 min)
Coverage of the 1957 GM Motorama from the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. (b&w)
1959 GM Promo Film – “Up From Clay” (31 min)
A tremendous promotional film, showing the design and styling aspects of the new 1959
cars. Includes a lot of footage of the assembly line, Styling Studio, etc. (color)