On May 14, 1958 the Disneyland TV program on ABC ran an episode called "Magic Highway, U.S.A." It examined the past, present and imaginary future of automobile transportation on the American highways. My only question is, "What the heck happened?!" S... <BR><BR>To read the rest of this blog entry from The Jalopy Journal, click here.
Taxes extracted from motorists are being siphoned off for anything but roads and transportation for one, and have been for decades. They certainly didn't reckon with traffic volumes either. As you say, an interesting piece of mid-century moderne - thanks for posting.
In Car TV's...got it..., Gps...got it..., Flying abulances... got it..., Tunnel melters...? Mountain climbing highway lifts...? Earth first... We'll stripmine the other planets later! Take a plane for crying out loud. Hahaha... I love this film... "Better way of life for the Future"...!
What happened? Political correctness. Instead of forging ahead we have stopped for the short bus. Loved it!
First off...I didnt see anyone so much as have to walk, these people werent fat enough by todays standards...and we still have to walk from the parking garage to the office. I love that disney showed highways circumnavigating the globe...but where the highway rolled through the orient, the people there were still using oxen and buggies! WTF!
Ah, the dreams of yesterday. Some have turned in to the nightmares of today, but there is that glimmer of progress here and there. Then there's us. Stuck in the past and refusing to asymilate! Ok, not really. We do have advanced fabricating tools and techniques. That was refreshing. Thanks a bunch.
And in some cases still are. I love how they thought that a world connected by hiways would bring world peace.
Oh Yeah!! Diggin on the Mid-Century designs and graphics. Some cool concepts a few things we are actually doing since this gem was dreamed up. Enjoyed this a el-bunch-o. Si!! When you drink Arriba! You will shout-ARRIBA!! ~Sololobo~
That's my daddy talkin'. Really. Marvin Miller, my dad, was an actor and announcer for about 50 years.
You gotta be kidding me!! I was just thinking that everytime I hear one of those old clips, the voice is always the same!! That is freaking cool!!-MIKE
I didnt see any S.U.V's or lifted diesel trucks in the future... That would be kinda scary if we did have all that convenience though... more than enough of America is Obese already..
Disney's "Imagineers" at it again! What happened? The technology and the funds required to move it forward all went to meet two agendas called Safety and Environmental Protection (emissions) both due to government interference and there we have most of the story of our lifetimes.
It amazes me when people think they are being 'forward thinking' but they really arent... I really enjoyed that... took me back to my school days where all our old films had that vibe....
Wish we still had a bit of that optimism - everything was possible it seemed. 50Fraud, you father's voice was always so reassuring and credible, no wonder he had such a great career.
What a great film, thanks! I was chuckling to myself the whole way through it. Disney sure was optimistic!
Carousel of progress at disneyland in the 60s and 70s always ended with Its a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day, its a great big beautiful tomorrow, and tomorrows just a dream away Man had a dream and that's the start, he followed that dream with mind and heart, and when it becomes a reality its a dream come true for you and me.... Etc.
That fantasy is nice... the reality is that it still takes 2.5 years to fill a damn pot hole around here.
Great clip, I don't remember that one. This was always my favorite cartoon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bBpDNRP5qQ&feature=related
Back then we had visionaries and men of purpose. Today we have bureaucrats bent on dragging everybody down to the lowest common denominator. In the governments drive to make everyone the same, they are sadly getting their way. Disney had a vision of bright people doing great things. We could use some more like him.
I was a child then and was worried I would not get to drive a V8 engine by the time I got my drivers licence.
I've always felt like highways are what sucked the joy out of driving. Back when most people still rode the train or walked it was fun and liberating to drive, now it's just work. -Dave
Two things come to mind: 1. The Interstate Highway System was authorized on June 29, 1956. 2. LSD was a legal drug in 1958. In 1955 my parents, both teachers, drove us cross-country from Long Island, NY to Los Angeles CA and up the west coast into Canada. Pennsylvania and Ohio had turnpikes and California had freeways, Route 66 for the space between. Took a sligtly different route in 1956, only going as far as Salt Lake City (to visit the national parks we missed on the first trip). Third road trip in 1957 was to the territory of Alaska. Ran out of road at Fairbanks so we had to take a bush flight to get north of the artic circle. Did all three trips in a 1953 Olds pulling a 15-foot Crescent trailer. Car had power steering and brakes, trailer had ice box, propane stove and a sink (garden hose hookups for pressure and drain. Here's the reality of highway travel the year before that program aired:
[FONT=ＭＳ Ｐゴシック]Everything in the video is not a whole lot different than what you see on the discovery channel day in and day out. I look and this broadcast and see the optimistic side of humanity and realize that all we do is dream and try to think of the "Next big thing" without having to actually put forth any effort in helping make the "Future" become reality. As a member of the armed forces I like to think of myself as a student of human behavior. As in I have to be able to read individuals reactions and body language in order to make an informed decision on how they will react to certain situations. When I see a film like this I see a bright and prosperous future, but in reality the outcome is negativity and doubt. Maybe what we can learn from this and start building our faith in American industry and start pushing our country in the future. I have the advantage of being able to view the American culture from afar, i.e. I `am stationed in Japan. I have been living in the Japanese culture for some time now and from what I can see most Americans would rather sit back and complain about what is wrong, or “Why don’t they all speak english?” instead of proposing a new and workable solution to fixing the problems that face us everyday. Luckily for those of us that fall under the label of Hot-Rodder, StreetRodder, GoldChainer, or RatRodder, etc… we all believe in the common bond that made great in the first place. We all love the freedom to do whatever makes us happy and unique, whether it is “Hopping up our V8” or just being able to afford the gas to go cruise Main Street. I may be off point here but I believe that America is the most influential culture in the world. We have a lot to live up to and as of late, we have been doing a piss poor job. Viva [/FONT]
It's interesting to look back on, but maybe we aren't too far off in some respects. Here's a truck my firm operates in Germany, an experimental hybrid with lots of hitech streamlining and fly by wire.
I can see where my father (age 74) got some of his ideas. I think at that time period automation was viewed as a cure-all. A car that drives itself! Push button transmissions! Steer with a joystick instead of a wheel! Its pretty interesting that the idea of a solar powered car was promoted so long ago. Wonder if anyone can provide some numbers regarding: how much power can be absorbed from sunlight by a car, how far and how fast could that power propel a vehicle. I don't think solar would provide nearly enough power to do the job. Might be a great kid's car. No need for a curfew with a car that has to be home by dark thirty. In 1958 it seems no one thought about the huge energy needs for all the "dream stuff".
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