ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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Right you are, Eadie!

I wonder if "extra value" was standard equipment or an expensive option. And could you get "extra value" in colors that matched the interior?

If your "extra value" developed mechanical problems, would taking your car to just any old garage violate the warranty, or did you have to take it to the dealer to get it fixed?
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Well, guys, it's been four years since we revisited the glorious day of the 1960s, when cars were big and luxurious and made in America.

And their magazine ads were literally works of art!

Take for example the one for the 1966 Pontiac Bonneville. Here's what the ad tells us.

If Pontiac doesn't have what you want, maybe it isn't a car.




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

[Morbius]

Speaking of old cars, this is a picture of me in my younger days with my 1971 Grand Prix.

At one point I took out the engine and had a machine shop blueprint all the parts, and then I reassembled it. It was a 400 with the 750 CFM carburetor and pointless ignition of my own design.

This was a very fast car and a lot of fun. Not very good on mileage. I gave it to my daughter when she was in high school and she had fun with it, but it was hard to park because it was so big. So we ended up getting her a little Dodge or Chrysler lemon. I no longer had any use for the Pontiac. But that engine could top out the speedometer.

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[Bud Brewster]

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Good Gawd a'mighty, Tom!

When you told about that car when we talked on the phone a few days ago, I did NOT picture you as Savannah's version of The Bandit, blowing past Smokey as you roared up and down the Georgia coast!

Please download this copy of Smokey and the Bandit and watch it with me in All Sci-Fi's Chatzy Room (< — LINK) in the near future. I promise to have plenty of Coors Beer on hand for the occasion!
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Smokey and the Bandit (1977) Link is NOW active!

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

[Morbius]

If I ran them with a trunk of moonshine, they couldn't keep up. It would best a Transam 455. Damn I did like those Firebirds. The Grand Prix came with an 8 tract player on the center console. I still have that. Wonder if it's a valuable collectable?

One more from the good ole days.

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[Bud Brewster]

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The artwork below is like a vision of heaven . . . with a beautiful car at your disposal.





The ad copy below the artwork is so warm and friendly it makes you think the author is going to finish by asking for your daughter's hand in marriage.

After all, the caption below the picture sounds like something a young man would whisper to his beloved just to make her fall into his arms!

Any car that is this responsive, obedient, and satisfying to drive has no right to be this good looking.

With a few revisions, you've got the ultimate declaration of love.

Any woman as responsive, obedient, and satisfying as you are, darling, has no right to be this good looking.

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

[Bud Brewster]

Take a close Look at what the advertising guys did to glamorize this early version of SUVs.

First of all, check out the elegant names they gave two of the station wagon models the ad mentions.

Executive Safari

Tempest Safari

Note the skillful combination of the word. The first word invokes images of sophistication and elegance.

The second word conjures up the idea of trekking through the jungle and shooting rhinoceros!

And what destinations does the ad list for this rugged-but-attractive automobile? Why, a night at the opera, of course! Right after a day of sail boating on Lake Winnebago.

And please note the imitation wood paneling on the vehicle's sides. This sophisticated automobile is clearly the evolutionary descendant of the classic "Woody", the rugged little vehicle often used by surfers to transport surf boards and beach bunnies to Malibu beach.

The ad men who crafted this promotional magazine piece did a masterful job of convincing the public that the advertisement's leading statement is true.

"It looks like a lot more people will be driving station wagons this year."
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

Look closely at the beautiful work of art shown above.

Do you see the two people in the car? (No? Me either.)

That's because they're sitting on the small floating dock out in the lake.

And since there's no boat or canoe tied to the dock, the young couple obviously swam out to it. Wow . . . what a romantic mental image.

The couple is sitting close together in the warm evening air, lit by the silvery moonlight which glistens off their wet bodies.

Get the picture, guys?

What I'm saying is that this breathtaking painting of a 1967 Pontiac Bonneville is much more than just a beautiful painting of a car. It's telling us a tale which involves romance, success, wealth, and personal relationships.

Gentlemen, I admire the Madison Avenue agency which designed this advertisement. They weren't just trying to sell cars. They were attempting to inspire the men who saw this ad to have big dreams . . . and to do whatever it took to make those dreams come true!

To me, the message is clear.

"If America can put a man on the Moon . . . we can put ourselves on that floating dock!"
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

The jaw-dropping beauty of this emerald green Firebid is shown near the crowd at a high school football game. Oddly enough, there aren't any bleachers, and the car it parked on the grass near the field.

Ah well, it makes a nice background for the car.

Unlike many of the other Pontiac magazine ads, the ad copy makes no attempt to connect the car with the lavish lifestyle that Pontiac ownership allegedly leads to. Instead, the text focuses entirely on the features of the car.

I wonder why . . . until I realized that this famous "muscle car" was designed for young drivers, rather than the "opera and polo set" that the other Pontiac models are pitched to.

The blurb across the top of the ad underscores the idea that young men love sports — and sports cars.

Learn the great American sport of Wide-Tracking in a great American sports car.

And just to make the point crystal clear, we see a teenage boy kneeling on the driver's seat and grinning at us, while his affectionate blond girlfriend hugs his neck.

So, even though the sales pitch is all about the car, the artwork presents a tableau which suggests what life would be like for a young Firebird owner.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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If you're wonder what the Pontiac Bonneville looked like just before the 1960s models hit the market, here's one from 1959. Rather than make the fins even bigger, they gave it two small one one each side.







And here's the Space Age "instrument cluster" that the lucky Pontiac owners got to gaze at. No wonder we loved science fiction so much!



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

[Bud Brewster]

This stunning piece of artwork is paired with a very clever ad. Read the blurb above and you'll see what I mean.

Considering the fact that this Pontiac Grand Prix came out in 1967 — almost sixty years ago — I'm flabbergasted by how futuristic the damn think looks!

And the way it was painted makes if appear be flying over the city!

Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman are the artists who created the beautiful paintingss for the Pontiac ads. They signed their work as AF and VK in either the lower right or left corners of their paintings.

I was tickled pink when I watched the video below, because Art Fitzpatrick says exactly what I've been claiming about the Pontiac ads — they don't just sell the cars, they sell the idea that people could live the elegant, fun-filled lives that were depicted in the paintings!

HA! I TOLD ja, dinn't I!

_____________ Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman


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

[Bud Brewster]

Ah yes, the persuasive power of . . . consistency.

First, take a good look at the gorgeous Fitzpatrick and Kaufman artwork above. But don't just look at the beautiful automobile — take careful note of the attractive home in the background. Notice the yellow speedboat in the water beneath brick archway. Consider the abundance of well-placed landscaping. Study the happy young couple in their expensive evening clothes.

Undoubtedly these two are about to go out for . . . well, an expensive evening!

So, what powerful message does this image convey? Obviously it's all about success, wealth, happiness, and an expensive lifestyle.

With that in mind, what sort of selling points would the ad copy focus on? Would they include the discs brakes, the powerful engine, and the smooth ride?

Of course not. So, let's take look a few key phrases in the ad.

" . . . it offers interior selections that extend as far as genuine leather trim or exquisite pleated upholstery."

"And the generous swaths of simulated burl grained Carpathian elm that abound on doors and dash make you feel like the chairman of the board."

" . . . that means you indulge in luxury car comforts, without sacrificing the stimulation derived from a truly great road machine."

In other words, this car is designed to go along with the owner's success, wealth, happiness, and expensive lifestyle.

And there ain't a damn thing wrong that.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

Marvelous artwork that evokes a hopeful era from the past. Did Syd Mead, one of my favorite futuristic artist render any of these drawings? His work was always astonishing looking.

I am a huge fan of the Disney TV-films that were produced that showed us what our future could be one day. The Magic Highway remains stunning to look at to this day for me.

Bruce, the car ad that is a hoot with the old time character actors is for the 1969 Pontiac and its still on Youtube. So much fun to see Mike Mazurki, Lon Chaney, Jr., Elisha Cook, Jr., Leo Gorcey (with his Slip hat from his Bowery Boys movies), and Robert Strauss as chain gang prisoners with none other than Broderick Crawford as their guard. It'll make you laugh.

[Bud Brewster]

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You're right, Mike! This is a hoot!

________ 1969 Pontiac - Chain Gang Commercial


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Several of the posts on this thread mention the fact that all the magazine artwork for Pontiac during the 1960s was done by Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman, working together on each painting, and signing them with AF VK in one of the lower corners.

The amazing video I posted in a comment above (and again below) will knock your socks off!

_____________ Art Fitzpatrick and Van Kaufman


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

[mach7]

Not to side track the beautiful American car artwork.

I came across this MG ad.

It doesn't hide it's tactics at all.