Swing is in the Air

[silverstartrucker]

I used to have an old Ford Pop and a long nosed Wolsley...memories of the past.

[Abricialio]

Imagine if the 1950's were 2011. Look how beautiful and luxury the world was in the 1950's.

[pkatsiv]

CAN ANYONE SEND ME THE LYRICS OF THE SONG??

CAN'Y FIND THEM NOWHEREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!

PLIZ!!!!!!

[35GEmonitorT]

I've watched it more times than I can count, still not enough! Love it!

All the "right ingredients" cars, trains and the MUSIC! Ambrose really turned out a hot one with "Swing is in the AIr" in '35! With 18-25 % unemployed during that time, there still was the better part of 70% employed who did own cars. :-)

Amazing how the Great Depression turned out such amazing tunes and styles! With music, trains, movies and cars like that, who needs health care?!

[walkerskyzzz]

swing romantik^^

[walshamite]

Just watched this full screen - so enjoyable, the song too - many thanks, JDP !!

[TimeOutGirls]

Great video. Driving back then was like driving in a third world country.

[Hopeatoceansgate]

drivers had balls back then.

[73380401]

Great video.I can remember when cars had those little semaphore direction indicator lights and when wiper blades started from the top and hung down instead of on the hood going up. I'd love a car like those on the vid.

[MaggyMagie]

haha nice! :-)

the good old music ;)

[gerardojguardia]

beautiful cars ever seen!

[neatoauctions]

This remarkable footage thankfully provides a significant insight into a world that lamentably no longer exists. What is the source of the film -- a commercial demo? Time travel may be the ultimate vacation, and until we have it, videos such as this serve as the only substitute.

[eidius1989]

what was the average speed that these cars went with on normal roads and in highways? was there even highways?

[JDProductions2]

@eidius1989 The Interstate Highway system was started in the 1950's. There were however, Federal Highways ( mostly 2 lane) like the Lincoln Highway in PA and Route 66. In metropolitan areas there were parkways, most of them still in use. Speeds on these roads would have been 30-40mph but most cars could go 60 or better, if the roads were good.

[wannawatchu66]

@eidius1989 The speedometers of most cars in the 30s went up to 70, but the speed limit on most highways in those days was 45. Yes, there were highways, but they were mostly 2-lane like JD said. US 40 thru Northern Cal was 2 lanes each direction on some stretches. Highways in those days were made of only concrete, whereas today, they're made of mostly asphalt (or asphalt paving over the old concrete), with concrete having been relegated pretty much to freeways only.

[cha5]

I would kill to have a restored working car of that vintage.

[GIwillo]

@cha5

please don't do it!they are affordable ;)

i want one too!even a pickup or a panel truck would be so awesome to have :)

[joe1888g]

What a different America this was.Tell me things are better now. I'am 63 years

old and this country has gone to sh** inthe last 45 years.

[boazrg]

@joe1888g This is the truth! We have turned a proud nation into a shithole in barely two generations, thanks to social engineers, and Ted Kennedy's Immigration Reform Act of 1965", and the "Reagan Amnesty" of 1987!

[walshamite]

@boazrg Many of us in the UK too seem to think a lot like you on such matters, BUT, caution, we may be glossing over some old problems they had back then (no health care unless you were well off, and not a lot of education either) and we could be imagining a bygone golden age, of course. No age ever seems golden at the time, not till you're older, as you know. The past is a place we can comfortably live in - why? - cos it's predictable, so it ain't half so scary as the future.

[MrJm323]

@walshamite "...no health care unless you were well off, ...." Labour propaganda.

[nickiz1]

i was eating potato soup the other day thinking ??? i wounder what the jews ?and all the others that STARVED and ate potaotos too survive would think if they knew i was eating potato soup in the future 2010?? somthing along the lines....

[zypp33]

I like the overtake on the blind rise ! My great grand parents had just such a head on in the 30's with horrific injuries...their Humber was completely smashed , and the story became a family caution!! Brilliant film and always a suprise as to the number of cars on the road.

[WGMVideos]

larbacmc, when Stalin saw "Grapes of Wrath" he said it was blatant propaganda. He said it can't be real, even the poor people have cars!

[MrSoprano0125]

I am a 21 year old man and was generally ignorant in my teens on the taste of music. I listen to this kind of music and I have to admit I have grown fond on the way it sounds and I really appreciate on how it has passed from generation to generation. As you grow older, you start to appreciate it a liitle more. Its a pity today's youth arn't as appreciative as I am.....

[ebuliavac]

In Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath," the Joads bought a Hudson Super Six from the 1920s and converted it into a truck; cheap old cars and cheap gas. Still, many of my family members did not have cars at that time. They walked or used public transportation in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

[boazrg]

@ebuliavac I was in public school in the 1950's. Most of the kids who I knew, their families did not own cars. People who owned cars at all had old, beat up cars. Remember they did not make any civilian cars from 1942 to 1945 because of WWII. But by the late fifties, even working class people could afford an old car, and by the sixties, most people had them. (My first car was a 1949 Buick Roadmaster. Holy smokes - I felt like a king driving around in that car!) Gas? A quarter a gallon!

[SatchmoSings]

@boazrg Working-class people never had a new car in those days.

Before WWII, if you had a car AND a telephone you were looked upon as "doin' good!"

Even in the 1960s, we had a car that took "super" grade gas and it was 38 cents a gallon and it stayed there for a LONG time!

[flammasherman]

Brilliant compilations of fascinating film, and a brilliant record too !.Thanks very much.

[mmaxum2002]

Lots of Chevrolets, not all that many Fords

[logoxyz]

Made me smile!

[castrullas]

Cuántos coches ya en esa época !!

[dearmalika]

Very interesting this old films!

Thanks for sharing!

[MauriceFlower]

I said "oh, no!! at 2:15.

[joe1888g]

At 2:40 the last guy to make the left turn

sticks his arm out the window with a left

turn signal. Long before they had blinkers.

[TheUrbaneRapscallion]

Dandy!

[inkey2]

watching this makes me want to smoke lucky strikes, wear spats and slick back my hair.

[miccione1718]

Love your videos, pieces of Americana

[JDProductions2]

Thanks! Glad you like them.

[castoresnegros]

You totally right larbacmc very little difference fron today I guee we are just spoiled with material things.

[larbacmc]

I am surprized that so many people had cars in the depression. Did most people who were homeless sleep in their cars? Their was something like a 30% unemployment rate in the depression, probley no one knows since those who lived it are dead or in a nursing home.

[JDProductions2]

My mom was a kid during the depression and lived on a farm. Since they got most of their food from the farm, she rarely saw any of the sights from the photos you see from the big cities at that time.

[boazrg]

@JDProductions2 Same here. My mom grew up on a farm, and they could always trade produce, crops, chickens, meat, eggs, etc, for hardwares, doctor's visits, cloth (The women sewed all the clothes for everybody), so they escaped the squalor of the urban areas. What a lazy, spoiled, entitled candy-ass country we have become since the 1930's! The baby boomers owe the young people an apology for the utter mess we have left them.

[inkey2]

to larbacmc: good point. My late father lived through the great depression. He once told me he did not own his own car till right after WW2. He used to borrow his aunts car to go on a date pryor to ww2.

[SatchmoSings]

@larbacmc Unemployment at its worst was 25% (with underemployment also at the same rate) during 1932-33 so unemployment through most of The Depression was more realistically at around 18% if not a bit lower.

I guess you could go online and look up figures for automobile sales in the 1930s and how they changed from the 1920s.

[localdriver]

I liked it.

[stokepogue]

Love your stuff JD

[gregwddriver]

I was born too late.

[squirlboy006]

we all where!

[wheelslarbac]

@gregwddriver I WAS BORN TOO LATE.

Gregwddriver : Very Sad You Were Born Too Late.

What A Shame

You Did Miss The Great Depression

I Would Not Be Crying About Missing The Great

Depression.

I Know 2010 Sucks But The 1930s Was A Lot

Worse Then Today.

Maybe You Could Cry About The 1900s or 1920s

But I Would Not Cry About Missing The 1930s.

[eidius1989]

@wheelslarbac lets all go back to 1930s in France or London? that would awesome to wouldn't?

[jerreeee]

@gregwddriver Or too early (timetraveling) :)

[TWELS20]

I have only visited Chicago once, but at 0:53 - 0:54, that has to be Michigan Avenue near the Wrigley Building.

[JDProductions2]

You would be correct

[roybo1930]

When Cars Were Cars!! I`ve Restord & or Had A Part In Restoring Quite A Few 1920s & Early 30s Cars, Including 6 Of My Own. & Couldent Agree More With sidescrollin. I Love These Beauties.

[Ryoku75]

When cars truly had class, style, and were built well. Now most cars have big doors and little windows which equals trouble parking. Styling back then ment aerodynamics, chrome, and badges. Now styling means angular headlights and fat tailights. As far as I can tell more cars then were about quality and pratcality, now you don't hear much about fitting 4 kids or being able to take apart a car easily, now its 34 mpg or no money down. I've been behind a Packard, it looked great but smelled bad.

[StewedTomato]

Just to let you know,  I enjoy your video's over and over!! Yours is my favorite channel! thanks so much!

[JDProductions2]

Thank You!

[sidescrollin]

awesome. More people need to restore 30s era cars instead of only restoring muscle and just hot rodding these old girls. The more hot rods are made, the more the engine are thrown out, and the harder these are to keep around.  I dont dislike hotrods, but please everyone, restore more classics!!

[JDProductions2]

Car museums seem to be about the only place to find them these days...

[sidescrollin]

I know! If you go to a car show there might be 1 if any at all.If I ever get the money I want to restore some cars from this era. They are just really awesome and need to be kept around instead of being chopped up and have chevy 350s dropped in them.

[Ryoku75]

Most of them probably weren't in the best of shape before being hot rods, its easier to chop then to remove every rust spec, I'm on your page though as I perfer stock classics too, the VW Beetle is taking the place of some hot rods though so don't be worried.

[Memusclebear]

You bet....I was born too late too....This is just up my alley...I'm doing the shag right now....LOL

[guitaress1]

Any idea who the singer is?

[JDProductions2]

It's from a compilation album entitled "Swing is in the Air" by Ambrose & his Orchestra. Evelyn Dall is credited with the vocals on this one.

[bearcub410]

wonderful born too late.

[JDProductions2]

Sometimes, I agree...

[luckybastard1930]

thx for posting this. i like the 30's cars, and the music too :)

[JDProductions2]

Thanks for watching!

[MajorSecord]

it's a swinging tune, therefore swing is in the air.....as in sound waves....a very appropriate arrangement of Spring is in the Air that conveys the feel of the time period. Good quality film--great posting, JD!

[JDProductions2]

Thanks much!

[jamierourketen]

why is it "swing" is in the air?,the song is called "spring" is in the air

[JDProductions2]

Sorry, it's from a compilation album on the Avid label dated 2000 entitled "Swing is in the Air"

[wizardspocket]

stoopider.

[rdadal]

What I find amazing is that there is a scene of the Michigan Avenue Bridge in Chicago. That white building in the background is the Wrigley Building. What is amazing? The traffic heading south is a lot heavier than what there is today.

[JDProductions2]

I guess the interstates are good for something... LOL

[Vladey14]

omg so many driving violations.....lol but this was a very lovely video... Cars where beautiful back then.

[hebneh]

There were scenes here showing both good and bad driving habits of the time. Like, don't try to pass on a hill, and don't turn left at the same time the car in front is doing so. On the other hand, we also see cars stopping safely at railroad crossings, and waiting carefully till the train has completely passed.

The song is pretty darn good, too.

[JDProductions2]

Most of these clips were parts of movie theater ad for mostly, Chevrolets. Thanks for watching.

[RatPfink66]

Didn't GM also do some public service films on safe driving? That would explain why you have demos of passing, breaking off, and railroad crossings, where cars used to be crushed in large numbers :(

Featured cars are 1935 Chevys, first the Standard 4-door with flat top body, then the Master De Luxe with the rounded top.

[JDProductions2]

Much of this was about Chevy's braking system... I'm sure it had a snappy name, too.

[JDProductions2]

Yes, these were clips from several; some do's and some don'ts of driving.

[markbotv3]

is it me or do these cars in the thirtys have stiffer suspensions then the cars of the fifties? i drove a 59 brookwood and it floated down the road like a sealiner it even took 13 seconds for the car to stop rocking after getting out of it

[JDProductions2]

Cars in the 50's were much heavier and the handling was more like an ocean liner. The 50 yr old springs probably accounted for the rocking. In the 30's cars, I would think most had leaf springs, like today's trucks... they most likely rode like one, too.

[fedtrooper]

will Rogers said that in the Depression Americans drove their cars to the Poorhouse. And here a video showing it.

[KnockelII]

The classic, majestic looking American automobiles remind us that America is the land of posperity, freedom, unlimited possibilities.

[DriverCamaro]

MAFIA time!!!!

[Argounat]

A question: You say that this a compilation of 6 or 7 different films; are they all Chevrolet commercials? Chevys seem to play a leading role through most of the film. You even se the driver demonstrate the brakes. Where did You find all these wonderful films? Is it possible to download them? I like both the cars and popular music of the 1930:s so I had a ball both watching and listning. Thanks!

Rolf

[JDProductions2]

They were Chevy infomercials used in theaters. Check out prelingerarchives (dot) org

[Argounat]

Prelngerarchives were all new to me; lot of thanks for introducing me! It wrecked my sleep; but who cares!

Rolf

[davecoolman007]

i want to live in this time!!!

why was this fucking hitler in this time??

[JDProductions2]

You'd probably have to ask his mother

[slavista96]

this is my favourite sing.I like swing.

[JDProductions2]

Thank you for watching!

[YogaNate79]

I was born in 1979 and to this very day I feel that I am living in the wrong time and era. Life way back then was at a slower pace, everyone was happy, they got to drive cool cars and listen to some fun and funky music. Life was good. I can still vividly remember grandpa and grandma putting an old record on the player. Granny would be knitting and gramps in the corner caning a wicker chair while jiving to some old swing. In a way, this video reminds me of them.

[JDProductions2]

I grew up in the fifties and sixties which was a pretty good time, in retrospect (except for maybe the Cold War and fallout shelter stuff LOL). But, I've always enjoyed the lifestyle of the thirties and forties. Yeah, it's not easy being an anachronism. Glad you liked it!

[1947Desoto]

I too share the same problem. Sometimes I feel out of place. However I can't live without youtube and video games lol. Ever since the I was young I always preffered formal over casual and Jazz music over Rap, and especially old cars over new. I'm a big supporter of the styles of the 30's to the

60's. I'm a fedora wearer as well and I have been since 2004.

[comateensnyc]

Great video !! Just love it - goes on my faves.

[JDProductions2]

Great! Thanks for watching!

[snowmountain2007]

Cool video!!! I liked the shots from inside of the cars. Felt like I was riding along!!!

[JDProductions2]

This was a compilation from 6 or 7 different films that seemed to run together well.

[40Tudoor]

Looks like extreme traffic congestion is nothing new and yet unsolved. Great seeing the vintage tin, all those "fenders" and covered spare tires, along with the period music.

[JDProductions2]

Glad you liked it!

[eccles45]

I reckon it's a period safety film from Chevrolet. Ford did much the same thing - got you 5 mins free advertising in the cinema. The original soundtrack has been replaced by Bert Ambrose's orchestra, vocalist Evelyn Dall, recorded in London, March 24th 1937.

Great stuff!

[JDProductions2]

Thanks!

[WaterCottage]

Love all that vintage tin.

[JDProductions2]

:-)

[hep2jive]

ah gottta love chicago!