Classic Cars of the 1930s & 1940s, Volume 2

During the height of the Great Depression, when automobile sales were at an all-time low, General Motors enlisted the Jam Handy Organization to make short films promoting their Chevrolet division. The Detroit-based film company's resulting strategy was ingenious: create "newsreels" - seemingly no different from the real ones made by Universal and Pathe - that were secretly commercials for Chevrolet products. Footage of the newest Chevy models would be interspersed with what were called "general interest stories." Far from hard-hitting news, these included two cats fighting in a boxing ring (!) and seemingly endless scenes of women in padded swimsuits frollicking on the beach. In an effort to obscure their true nature as glorified commercials, Jam Handy seemed to change the name of the films from week to week, from Chevrolet Leader News to just The Leader News to the nondescript Spot News. Movie theater owners seldom complained, as the shorts were distributed by Paramount to show free of charge between their feature films. As America entered World War II, the series, now called General Motors News Parade, emphasized the patriotic nature of the automobile industry while shying away from mentioning the true horrors of war. Whatever they were called, these films were a success, and many credit them with saving the Chevrolet brand. Jam Handy eventually moved next door to General Motors to be closer to their favorite client. This collection brings together over an hour of these kitschy short subjects, which are well worth watching for those gorgeous dream cars of the 1930s and 40s (as well as the women in the padded swimsuits, of course.) Also included are a few rare examples of similar films produced by the Ford Motor Company.