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Outrageous Magazine Ads for1960s Cars
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Bud Brewster
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Joined: 14 Dec 2013
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Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2019 1:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I discovered that the initials AF and VK in the lower right corner of the paintings in the ads below (and several others I've posted) stand for Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman. They created 285 paintings for Pontiac in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.

Art Fitzpatrick eventually adapted to digital illustration techniques. He consulted with Pixar Animation Studios on the development of their feature movie, Cars.

How cool is that, eh? And in view of the fact that he did paintings like this, it doesn't surprise me a bit. Cool






Here's another example of the paintings by Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman. What an amazing work of art! The colors are rich and beautiful, the composition is perfect, and the car is a masterpiece all by itself.





Before I was halfway through the text of the ad above, I realized that the author had used a clever approach to make Pontiac ownership appealing. The second sentence sets the tone for the entire ad.
________________________________

The eagerness of this inspiring automobile while captivate you completely.
________________________________

If you change the word automobile to "young lady" you'll see what the author is doing. "The eagerness of this inspiring young lady while captivate you completely."

The ad wants the owner to think of the car in almost the same way he thinks of the attractive companion he's with! The same kind of emotional phrases populate the next sentence as well.
________________________________

On curves and turns you'll feel the forthright control and upright stability that come from Wide-Track Wheels.
________________________________

This ad, like many of the Pontiac ads, is aimed squarely at the male buyer. He's being invited to conquer the road in a car he can trust, because it gives him "forthright control and upright stability".

But the ad doesn't suggest that he should just ride around by himself. The next part of the text describes how the car will improve his relationships!
________________________________

As you go, a fascinating quietness will stimulate your conversation and relax your ride.
________________________________

What a fine job that sentence does of painting a pleasant word picture. He's enjoying the ride, he's relaxed, he's chatting with his lovely date . . . and even the quietness is "fascinating"!

Ah yes, life is good!

And when he and the lady arrive at their fashionable destination, the car practically steals the show. The next sentence is almost poetry!
________________________________

When you arrive, bask for a moment in the respectful spotlight that's always focused on this striking, tasteful car.
________________________________

The painting by Fitzpatrick and Kaufman which accompanies these grandiose claims in the ad above makes you believe they aren't exaggerated. Notice how some of the party guests on the patio (and the uniformed valet at the foot of the stairs) are admiring this magnificent machine.

Showing the lovely blond fixing her hair after the ride in the convertible is a nice touch, too. (Hey, is she using the rear view mirror to give the eye to that handsome guy on the steps?) Wink






This is certainly the proper audience for a car that oozes class and style as it rolls up beneath antique lamps and star-filled sky.

The artwork below by Fitzpatrick and Kaufman illustrates the same idea: the Pontiac grabs the attention of people on the street and makes them envy the handsome man being chauffeured around by his stunning blond wife.






The point is very clear: be successful, be affluent, be the man that "has it all".

In other words, be a Pontiac owner and have the world by it's tail! Cool

_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2019 3:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Just as a side note, back around 1959 my friend Jimmy Harmon came over and gave me two copies of Speed Age magazine he'd acquired, and he knew I like them.

I still have both copies, and I have framed 11x14 color prints on the wall in my living room. I've never been able to find out the name of the artist (or artists) that painted them.

But they're certainly beautiful. Very Happy

So, my love for great paintings of well-designed automobiles goes way back.



_____

_____


I think I'll get out the magazine sometime and read that article entitled "Hard Facts: Should you buy an Edsel?" Laughing
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2019 4:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

I finally found a video version of these outrageous magazine ads! This will get you folks exciting about the new Ford models that came out in 1960 . . . almost 60 years ago!

Notice how opulently dressed the people are: the ladies in satin evening gowns and opera gloves. the men all dressed like James Bond! Very Happy
________________________________


________ 1960 A Wonderful New World of Fords


__________

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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scotpens
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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2019 4:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Notice how the artist exaggerated the car's proportions in those 1960 Pontiac ads.




Bud Brewster wrote:
I think I'll get out the magazine sometime and read that article entitled "Hard Facts: Should you buy an Edsel?" Laughing

Sure, if you wanted a car that was basically nothing more than a Mercury with oddball styling. BTW, classic 1958-1959 Edsels in good condition are going for $30,000-plus these days.

And "Why Detroit Will Go Rear-Engine" -- that prediction didn't exactly pan out, did it? The 1960-1969 Corvair was the only American mass-produced, rear-engined car ever made.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2019 9:26 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

scotpens wrote:
Notice how the artist exaggerated the car's proportions in those 1960 Pontiac ads.

The front end was indeed exaggerated somewhat, making it look wider than it really should be, but there's also an exaggeration of the perspective.

The artist painted the car the way it would look if it had been photographed with one end (the front in that case) much closer to the viewer, thus making the front appear larger. Actually, most of the paintings by Fiztpatrick and Kaufman used that same method to give the cars a dramatic appearance.






The artists did cheat a little, however, because if the viewer was really that close to the front, we'd see less of the street between us and the car. The photo you posted for comparison shows that really well, scotpens. Very Happy

In the painting below, the same thing was done to the rear of the car, but without the "cheating". We see the grass between us and the rear of the car because we're looking down at the trunk at a steeper angle than our view of the hood in the previous picture.






The exaggerated perspective is even more dramatic in the painting of the Cadillac, because it's viewed as if we were squatting down low and very close to the right rear bumper.





However, in this next picture the artists did indeed distort the proportions the way you mentioned! That car is as long as a limousine! Shocked



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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Sun Mar 03, 2019 5:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think the paintings were to reflect how you FEEL when you think about those cars. It was a case of selling the "sizzle", not the steak.

The paintings portray the "mood" of the cars more than the actual technical correct image of them.

In other words . . . .ART!

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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 04, 2019 11:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

You're exactly right, Gord.

I view the ads as a combination of both the pride we felt in our technology and the pride we felt in our culture.

The paintings exaggerate the cars in the same way (and for the same reason) as the outrageous text that goes with them. Naturally, the ads were designed to encourage people to buy the cars — but they were also deigned to instill a certain pride in the owners.

Actually the early 1960s was a period of great pride for all Americans, with the space program hitting the ground running after President Kennedy's 1961 announcement about the Moon missions.






The Kennedy era has been compared to Camelot, because Kennedy united the nation in a manner similar to what King Arthur did.

About half of the ads I've found have been for cars that predated the assassination of President Kennedy, and so far I've only posted ads from 1963 or earlier, with one exception, an ad from a '64 model that was probably created in 1963.

I didn't plan it that way, it's just a coincidence. But I can't help wondering if the wildly optimistic mood that enveloped the nation during the Kennedy era might have influenced Pontiac's decision to create those imaginative ads.

They featured the incredible paintings by Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman (instead of just using photographs), and they included the flowery prose which described owning the cars like it was a life changing experience!

So, I guess my enthusiasm for these automobile advertisements is due in part to my wistful longing for a period in history that had so much optimism and hope for the future.

Maybe that kind of culture will never happen again . . . but then again, maybe it can.

_________________
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 3:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

One look at these great pieces of artwork by Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman makes it clear that the theme of these ads is "luxury and an opulent lifestyle", one that includes expensive cars, beautiful sales boats, and million dollar yachts.






I love the way the text makes it sound like the buyer is going to have a really tough time making important decisions!

"Just choosing your degree of interior plushness stands to be a full-time job this year!"

Obviously that statement is slanted towards the ladies. Clever. Then the ad balances the scales.

"Not to mention things like body style and V8 vs overhead cam 6 motive power."

Notice the way they sexied up the V6 engine option with the phrase "cam 6 motive power". Obviously this car runs on high octane testosterone. Very Happy

The ad concludes with a ballsy statement that made me chuckle.

"As we said, a staggering job. Unless you've already decided to buy one of each. The tiger scores again!"

Wow . . . the last two sentences imply that the customer is loaded, aggressive, and into sports. Or he dates a lot. Cool

The picture below has a bigger boat . . . so the text has to make bigger boasts. Wink






"We won't belabor Bonneville's luxury. You open the door and sink up to your knees in it. Wide track suspension and a tiger under the hood are standard equipment."

I love the imaginary. Knee-deep luxury and a jungle beast on the other side of the gas pedal. Brother, do I want Bonneville, or what? Shocked

The closing statement is a beautiful piece of salesmanship.

"Think of [the Bonneville] as a luxury car for people whose refuse to take their luxury standing still. People like you, for instance."

The sentence sounds great . . . but it defies interpretation. Laughing

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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alltare
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 6:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Re: Bud's 1962 Buick Wildfire ad (the first post in this topic).

"Exclusive Buick no-cost extra: finned aluminum front breaks for surer stopping". Well, I suppose any car would surely stop if its front breaks.

I find it amusing that a spelling error in a national ad could make it past a presumably high-cost ad agency and a bunch of high-paid Buick VIPs.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 11:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

alltare wrote:
I find it amusing that a spelling error in a national ad could make it past a presumably high-cost ad agency and a bunch of high-paid Buick VIPs.

Steve, I almost had a heart attack when I read your comment and suddenly thought that the misspelling was my fault when I transcribed the text! Shocked

I went back to the ad and made sure it did indeed say "breaks" as you stated, and it was NOT one of my infamous and embarrassing typos! However, obviously I didn't catch the error when I retyped the text to make it easier to read. Rolling Eyes

Thanks for pointing out this amusing aspect of that amazing ad!
Very Happy
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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alltare
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 2:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No, I wasn't picking on you, Bud.

If I wanted to point out all of YOUR spelling errors, I would have to quit my day job Laughing. Besides, you accidentally spelled it the right way this time.

I figured that any ad which claimed to have features that were, as you pointed out, "Rip-snorting", "torrid" "explosive" and "thrusting", but couldn't find a way to include the word "throbbing", deserved to be mocked.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 5:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Steve, I was delighted by your post. Of course you weren't "picking at me". Laughing

I only meant that in view of my tendency to make typos, I was afraid at first that I had misspelled "brakes" when I re-typed the ad, which would mean that the fault was mine, not the ad's copywriters.

Just for the record, I was a freelance ad copywriter for a year before I became a school teacher in 1994. In other words, I was paid to write BS like those ads present! Shocked

Steve, I was grateful that you discovered something new about that outrageous ad to comment on — a typo! Very Happy

I hate to say it, but the other members don't seem to understand why I'm so amused by those vintage ads. I guess it's just because as a former "ad man" myself, I admire the work of talented BS artists!

But you definitely get why those ads are so much fun. Wink

In my defense, as the board's site admin I can actually fix minor typos in other people's posts — and you'd be amazed at how many I fix each day! Heck, I even have to fix typos in articles which I (and other members) paste into our posts!

Absolutely nobody is immune to the dreaded scourge of typos!

I freely admit that I make more than anybody else . . . but after all, I write more than anybody else! 9,558 posts as of today — five times as many as the 2nd most active member on All Sci-Fi.

Unfortunately my brain works faster than my fingers, so the poor things just get confused and fail to type exactly what I'm thinking! Rolling Eyes

Ironically enough, the 2nd most active member is Orzel-w, and he literally NEVER makes typos. In fact, I even paid him to proofread the first twelve chapters of one of my three novels (the one I haven't published yet), Sail the Sea of Stars when I posted it here on All Sci-Fi, and Orzel-w did an amazing job!

That guy knows grammar the way Einstein knew everything else! Laughing

Anyway, please visit All Sci-Fi often and share your thoughts with us. We enjoy your contributions.

Steve, one thing puzzled me in your post. You said this.


alltare wrote:
Besides, you accidentally spelled it the right way this time.

WHAT did I "accidentally spell the right way this time"? Confused
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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alltare
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 9:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bud Brewster wrote:
WHAT did I "accidentally spell the right way this time"? Confused

I should have phrased it something like "your spelling was correct for a change".

In your original post, when commenting on the ad's outrageous claims, you said, "Furthermore, I'm pretty sure I don't have 'finned aluminum front BRAKES for surer stopping'. So, it's just by the grace of God that I haven't collided with a telephone pole and gone right through the windshield!".

You spelled "brakes" correctly (apparently correcting the ad's spelling without realizing it) when you referred to the ad.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Mar 22, 2019 10:41 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Ah-ha! Thanks, Steve! This is amusing. Very Happy

When I wrote the sentence about my own car's brakes, I spelled it right without even realizing that earlier, when I'd transcribed the text of the ad, I'd been so careful to get every word just right I ended up actually preserving their typo! Shocked

I'd be interested in any comments you might have on the other ads and the 1960s culture they reflect. My own feelings are that they represent a kind of "ideal", an optimism about the future and a pride in America's accomplishments.

I'm not suggested that the culture in the era was perfect, of of course. For example, racial and gender equality were certainly not among the strong points of that era, but it did have it's good points, and I enjoy studying the illustrations and the audacious wording of the ads to understand the culture behind them.

It's easy to dismiss them as propaganda for a wealthy group of capitalists, but I'd rather focus on what admirable human traits they exemplify and what positive aspects of the 1960s culture they illustrate.

Any thoughts on the subject? Remember, comments on specific artwork you like is also part of the discussion.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Eadie
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 27, 2019 10:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It wasn't only print adverts. The hype continued on TV. From Greenbriar Picture Shows http://greenbriarpictureshows.blogspot.com/ article on The Ed Sullivan Show (CBS 1948 - 1971):


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