ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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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.





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.
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The eagerness of this inspiring automobile while captivate you completely.
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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.
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On curves and turns you'll feel the forthright control and upright stability that come from Wide-Track Wheels.
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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!
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As you go, a fascinating quietness will stimulate your conversation and relax your ride.
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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!
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When you arrive, bask for a moment in the respectful spotlight that's always focused on this striking, tasteful car.
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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?)





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!
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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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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.

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


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I think I'll get out the magazine sometime and read that article entitled "Hard Facts: Should you buy an Edsel?"
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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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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!
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________ 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)

[scotpens]

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

[Bud Brewster]

[Gord Green]

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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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

[Bud Brewster]

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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)

[Bud Brewster]

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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.

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.

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





"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?

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

[alltare]

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.

[Bud Brewster]

[alltare]

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 . 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.

[Bud Brewster]

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

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!

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

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.

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!

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!

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]

[Bud Brewster]

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

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!

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)

[Eadie]

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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Art Should Comfort the Disturbed and Disturb the Comfortable.