Dinah Shore - 1959 Chevy spot

[Texasslim57]

Wow, who chose those locations! The family picnic next to a parking lot- yum! LOL! Back then LA was mostly still scrubland. And is that smog in the background? Love the postwar Cal style houses!  Great to see, thanks

[altfactor]

This was an extended spot from Dinah's TV show. The show itself probably was broadcast with limited commercials, in order so that two extended commercials could be shown at the beginning and end.

The only interruption of the show's entertainment content was probably the station break.

I believe Dinah Shore's NBC show switched to color in 1959; that would be why this spot was filmed in color.

This must be from a color tape from one of her 1959 shows since there is audience applause at the end.

[crysjumar1]

voice like honey.

[dunemoonbeam3]

i wish fallout had mmore culture like this

[THEUTUBEVIDZ]

chevy cars of today suck

[swampwiz]

The funny thing is that 100 years from now after we exhaust the oil supplies, folks will be thinking "WTF"?

[3windowcoupe]

My big brother had a black '59 convertible with the 348, triple Rochesters and a standard trans with a "floor conversion" . Fast and fun car. I miss those days.

[wtf66611]

I need a time machine. I miss the 1950's.

[terryriffic]

That was shot in Rancho Palo Verdes. Those neighborhoods are all tree lined now.

[jeffsor47]

@terryriffic Absolutely filmed in Palos Verdes 1959

[TheCadillac500]

"The fun is in the going..." unless you're on the highway in one of these, going more than 60MPH... because then the design of the rear catches too much air and starts to LIFT OFF THE GROUND. I do like the look of the back though, it's definitely different.

[Killerblossom84]

We need a time machine!

[palapescada]

You could go to your local Chevy dealer in 1959, pick out a brand new Bel-Air, load it with all the dealer goodies, and drive it off of the lot for under $3000. And that was for a pretty fancy car! The basic 2 door Chevy coupe with a 6-cylinder engine only cost about $2000.

[inkey2]

@palapescada LOL....everyone is saying "only" two or three thousand dollars for a new car back then. Keep in mind that the national average wage index for 1959 in the USA was $3,855 per year "gross" ....after taxes was even less. So that new car was going to be darn close to a "years pay".....gross

[TonyMaximMuscles]

What a wondeful snapshot of 1950's America: Dinah and her pals driving and singing in their beautiful Chevy through suburbia with all of those "mid-century" ranch homes.

[MerleOberon]

Dinah didn't order the optional padded dashboard....

[manuel92595]

custom horn 1:07 "see the usa"

[jianda111]

Wow i dnt have the 59' impala but 65' and it's thah best!! Especially on thah switches (:

[94Johnnyboy1]

I think i'll take my Bel Air to the service station and fill 'er up for 19 cents a gallon and go cruising on route 66.

[inkey2]

@94Johnnyboy1 OMG wouldn't that be great to be able to walk into the showroom and buy a new 59 Chevy...loaded with power everything and airconditioning......drive route 66...stay in all the hokey motels and stop at every wierd roadside attraction. I always thought that if you had alot of money it would have been a blast to stay like a month in each town/city on the way and work in a diner or motel....then move on to the next town etc

[soccermomd00d]

Those silly 50s people.. Didn't they know that a woman's place was in the kitchen and not behind the wheel of a car?! Jeez

[Lanceisabeach]

Cool car!

[nugsgrandma]

I agree with you both. What happened to the USA?

[caleb6868]

Brings tears to my eyes that cars now well...... basically SUCK.

[MESAVELLA]

this is pretty much the golden age of the greatest generation spoiling their boomer children to the ruin that we've become...

[Fedproman]

@MESAVELLA I know what you are saying, but that generation lived in the most prosperous country in the most prosperous time in the history of the world. I don't see how it could have ended any other way. They came through the depression and it made them a certain way, the boomers came through the prosperous years, and it made us a certain way. Hard to avoid I guess.

[JohnPrince80]

My favorite car of all time. Wish I could afford one!

[RugbyFootballer]

This Is A Catchy Tune. Man Times Looked A Lot Simpler Than I Wish I Was A Boomer Like My Folks. Easy Care Free Times...

[art101tv]

... a possible explanation for the meltdown of General Motors. In 2005, the Chevrolet division introduced an automobile named Cobalt. Cobalt occurs naturally as only one stable isotope, Cobalt-59. Cobalt-60 is a commercially important radioisotope, used in the production of gamma rays for industrial use.

Hey GM! In future, avoid names for your cars which reference radioactive isotopes. Consider names like "Accord" or maybe even "Civic." (with appreciation to the late, great Dinah Shore).

[dancebandleader]

Who are those guys with Dinah ?

[wordreet]

@dancebandleader Luck guys. ;¬)

[Chrisskateboarding]

com'on im only 13 and I know the old cars look better more durable (as in repairs) but they have really bad crash ratings. But even tho I'm 13 i know old is better than new. Who Doesn't

[maintech777]

The Unigted States of America has had ups and downs in the economy and if you check in 1959 we were just getting out of a ressesion .

[rkmugen]

Ah, the good old days, back when America wasn't stuck in such an economic quicksand as today.

[fordude60]

Dinah Shore was one gorgeous gal in her day! And driving a great looking car yet! This was one of 65,800 Impala convertibles built that year.

[WINGGULLSEAGULL]

'59 Chevy Impala's were exhilarating & it just didn't get any more eciting than the convertible.

[canso67]

Cat's eye tail lights made the '59 Impala unique. Damn great car commercial!

[FURY1958]

@canso67 I've got the music of this commercial as a mobile phone ring tone.

[ilovemayo123]

there were problems, they just were different ones.

[ponderkb]

they allowed women drivers back then?

[michaeljohndudley]

it is alive and well and in Point Loma, San Diego where this was filmed

[lasuvidaboy]

@michaeljohndudley It was actually filmed on the Palos Verde Peninsula south of L.A..

[michaeljohndudley]

@lasuvidaboy Gee...that must be why the pics from this vid are in San Diego City Hall! I guess they are pretty stupid down there in san diego! DUHH YAHEEE........ only the front of the dealership was LA

[lasuvidaboy]

@michaeljohndudley Why would they have images taken in the South Bay area of L.A. in the S.D. city hall? The images were clearly taken on the beautiful Palos Verde Peninsula south of L.A. It basically looks the same today except the trees are much larger and the landmark lighthouse seen in the commercial are still there. It looks similar to Point Loma but they are 100 miles apart.

[Nationsnotregimes]

This was the first model with thin metal, and the front boards were rusted through by 1965.

[rdmb57]

Dinah! You shouldn't be tailgating that newlywed couple!

[ThunderAppeal]

These Dinah Shore Chevy commercials makes me appreciate my '94 Caprice just that much more.

[WINGGULLSEAGULL]

After I totaled my '59 Impala in 1977 my mother asked me if I wanted to bring it to a body shop to get it fixed & I said NO. Because back then '59 Chevys were just old cars & that's it so I didn't think it was worth spending $2000 to fix. Hind sight is 20/20 when I think what this car is worth today I just shake my head. I bought another 59 Impala in 1979 for $1300 & it had 61,000 original miles. Back then you could buy those CHEAP. I miss the good old days & it will never be like that again.

[mikestheman3]

@WINGGULLSEAGULL We all kick ourselfs! I traded a 61 Impala Conv. for two 24" tires. The car was a puff, orange/red, white top, red & white interior. It need a motor & trans. This was back in 1968. I bought some real nice cars for $15 -$20 back then. I bought a nice 55 Chev 2dr wagon, nice car for $7.00. Who'd ever knew?

[WINGGULLSEAGULL]

The 1959 Chevrolet is my favorite car, it had the most radical styling. Who could forget it's cat like theme from the eye brows over the headlights to it's batwing fins over the cats eye taillights.I never had the convertible but I did have the 2 dr Hardtop it was my first car my mother bought me in 1977 when I was 17, the purchase price was $1600, it was red on red with 74,000 original miles. I just loved that car & my favorite feature was the dashboard. I got into a wreck & sold it for a $100.

[LHS91]

This is America. I wish it was like this again. =(

[kikddabottle]

when did this sort of advertising die?oh right.the mid to late 60's.aka the dawn of the modern era that we've been stuck in since then.some things are better but advertising has become nasty and unpleasant.

[FarFarSea]

THIS IS FAVORITES!

[rubbing2001]

This was when America was strong, simple life, you could tell a man from a woman, and didn't have to lock your doors like now in 2010.

[tunolta]

A perfect world....

[Chrisskateboarding]

So sad to think that car might be in the dumps

[zthang]

Man I wish tv was simple and pure like it was back then. Now computers here, special effects here, bs and drama x 1000. Cartoons and tv in general pale in comparison now even to the 80's.

I think those ads were great. Maybe it's time for all the companies to stop blowing millions and get back to the basics. Keep it simple and aim for peoples hearts instead of trying to wow us with all the special effect edited nonsense with a voice over that sounds retarded.

[jdolce101]

what happened to that America?

[mobilene]

@jdolce101 It existed primarily in our televisions.

[mikestheman3]

@mobilene Not really. Many friends I had had Leave It To Beaver lives including myself, life was good back then.

[73849309378]

@mobilene No it wasn't just in our televisions, it was absolutely real, from the 50's all the way through the 70's we enjoyed a great standard of living...until around 1981when Reaganomics started it's slow destruction of the economy, the loss of American manufacturing jobs along with living wages and the middle class. Even more nails were put in the coffin when Clinton signed NAFTA. Now we're near ruin and headed for 3rd world status unless we vote out some clowns and turn it around soon.

[78logistics]

@73849309378

Actually Reagan signed NAFTA with Canada ca 88

[xixzor2]

@jdolce101John Wayne died....

[artistmac]

@jdolce101 As a black man, I'm glad it's gone, or I'd be mopping floors for a living. As a car enthusiast, it sure would be nice to have big old American iron back again, like my dad's '68 Impala. "Chevy Volt". "Chevy Cruze". Makes me retch just thinking about them.

[madcapromanian]

@jdolce101 The death of JFK, The British Invasion of music and the Hippy era.

[sopaman1234]

@jdolce101 it was taken over by the japs...

[sopaman1234]

@jdolce101 it was destroyed by the liberals and the japs....

[mikestheman3]

@jdolce101 That America that I once loved & honored is gone, it doesn't exsist anymore. Soon we'll be the divided states of america or the NAU. I have lots of great memories growing up in the 50-60s, life was great, life was good. It's all gone now.

[tomperanteau]

@jdolce101 We went to sleep and allowed criminals to seep into our political system. That sucks!

[leerider52]

@jdolce101 that America died of an over dose of PC

I'm 59 as of May... I remember my grand parents having a blue 4 door 1959 Chevy luv that car!!!

[AuH2O]

@jdolce101 Liberalism happened. Hippies. And it all went downhill from there, culminating in the absolute nadir of American history - the election of Obama.

[schmeekeee]

@AuH2O

sorry. it isn't liberalism that "happened." it's reaganomics. look where all the wealth has gone in the last thirty years: to the rich. the middle class is shrunk to nothing. america is STILL waiting for any, "trickle down."

[mikestheman3]

This is when America was great! Now we're barely building anything and just keep importing Kia's & Toyota's, what a joke we became!

Great video, beautiful car, great music and Dinah was young.

[overtherainbow05]

I want that car!

[eltonwheelock]

All those nice houses are probably in the ghetto now.

[cafecreole2003]

LOL!!!

[michaeljohndudley]

they filmed part of that in San diego and it is the same today as then.

[Mongo76]

Is that wishful thinking on your part?

[centurion1479]

Just buy a new Chevrolet and all your troubles just disappear,LOL

[matrox]

The landscape was so much beautiful back then with those cars compared to todays boring bland looking colorless metallic painted cars.

[fiddlerpin]

check out the crash test done with a 59 chevy and a late model car on u-tube

[gringo4x4do]

We had a 59 for awhile when I was a kid. I remember looking out the back window and seeing nothing but fins ! Be nice to have that 59 convert Dinah is driving !

[TakeApart]

Now here is something that totally makes me want buy a car.

Car commercials these days should take some pointers!

[TheEldoradoKid]

phrysk: I whole heartedly agree! The first car I drove over 35 years ago was a1965 Impala wagon. We couldn't kill it! It was quite comfortable, had ice cold AC, and the 300 HP 327 was one of the best engines Chevy ever put out. We drove it like a truck on the dirt roads of New Mexico collecting rocks and firewood, and took it places and through ditches modern SUV drivers would freak about! After years, It finally wore US out. The running 327 went into a '70 Chevelle, and we sold the front clip.

[VealParmigiana]

Dinah Shore is to Chevrolet as TIGER is to Buick.

Dinah was a much nicer person though and my favorite female singer of the 1950s.

[torontotim7]

You are correct, that is the Point Vicente Lighthouse on Point Vicente Dr South, in Palos Verdes.

[lasuvidaboy]

Looks like that commercial was film on the Palos Verde Peninsula south of L.A..

[phrysk]

consect

I disagree, I have 3 1965 Impalas, One of which is a daily driver. "Detroit makes today in terms of ride, durability and comfort" Ride? my car has old shocks and springs and still rides smooth, better than an 08 Prius! Durability? My car has been used like a work truck for many years, and neglected' it still runs and better than a lot of 90's and early 2000's cars! Comfort? My car is very comfortable, soft seats, power steering and power brakes are great!

And its still here!

[Waldo99]

Agreed. I have a '67 Electra and it runs great.

[patoman881]

I'm sorry but they're in an Impala....'nuff said:-)

[consect]

these cars were made to break down within seven years, they were hard to maintain and cannot match what Detroit makes today in terms of ride, durability and comfort - let alone with is produced in Japan and Germany. Nostalgia is a lovely thing, but be realistic - these cars were shoddily made, much less face and far less economical than today's cars. Give me a Lexus or a BMW/Audi/Mercedes any day - or even a Lincoln.

[cadz4me]

They may have been shoddily made, but I just wonder how many of today's computerised plastic lunch boxes that are embarrassingly called cars, will still be around 50 yrears from now? Today you can barely identify a car until you pull up beside it to see the name badge it's wearing! On top of that, most of today's cars start to wear out after they hit 100,000 on the clock. They are just designed to be recycled into another piece of tomorrow's crap. My 10 year old Merc is already clapped out!!

[gringo4x4do]

cadz4me ? I agree, todays plastic cars are throw away vehicles that won't be here in 20 years, let alone 50 !

[auaiao9]

Some cars WILL be here when they're 20 years old and today's cars are made to give many many miles of trouble free driving.

[BillyRockfish]

Sorry . . . that's an idiotic statement. Fit and finish on some cars from the era could be hit or miss (compared to today's cars) but nothing outlasts a properly maintained Chevy small block V-8. Plus, those old engines don't need an engineering degree to do basic work on them. Nice video of Southern Cal ca. 1959. NBC Color Video survivor - Dinah's Chevy Show!

[Malibunightrider]

shoddily made? how can you say that? if you wreck these new cars nine times out of ten they are totaled. whereas you put an old car in that same accident you could probably drive the damn thing home like nothing happened. although i wil say that crumple zones on newer cars do make them safer.

[niuchemist]

I was going to say. That's the one downside. In the older cars, the construction is so solid that the driver and passenger take the brunt of the crash energy, not the car's frame.

[jcross21]

WRONG! A recent test was done on a new Impala VS a 56(?) The newer plastic version came out the winner. I was shocked.

[Malibunightrider]

it was a 59 i watched that clip but it really does show how far we have come in safety and jcross the first year for the impala was 1958 just so ya kno lol

[mikestheman3]

Don't let it fool you! The 59 during the collision had plums of rust dust flying out from under the hood, the car was probably a rust bucket with a paint job. The passengers side fender wasn't even bolted on.

[xander7ful]

@mikestheman3 I was thinking while I watched this that they were very attractive-looking cars but not much of a body to them. A little flimsy.

[ajhnson]

Wow, what a time to live in! Now look at the way things are! :(

[Greg9942]

This was from the era when a car was an automobile, and it had style. Now one company comes up with a design, and everybody else has to copy it.

[Robert4770]

When our country still had a BRIGHT FUTURE

[Motorfordtoyota]

@Robert4770 Before GM, Ford, and Chrysler moved overseas!!

[blindmansarrow]

@Robert4770 for middle-class white people, you mean? 1959 was NOT peaceful year... =/

[zukomatico]

my grand dad had one and my uncle says who the impala was a fabolous car to drive and confortable.and the new car are piece of shit

[razorbladelove101]

the jingles were really catching back then now they make no sense

[Juliaflo]

You never said it more accurately.

These old jingles were intellectual.

[werksdesign]

These cars are the best. I remember my grandfather's '59 Impala sedan, then his '62 Impala and the "64 Impala hardtop which is the one I have today. Can't beat the style of these old cars.

[Longbeachliner]

This was the most fabulous GM cars ever became.! Beautiful, flashy, overstyled dreamboats on wheels. I was just born too late!

[torrancecadesigner]

57 to 69 - beautiful GM cars

wife just got an 09 Tahoe - what GM does best now IMHO

[Interceptor38]

lol

[hebneh]

Very interesting to see this in COLOR. The Dinah Shore show was one of the few color shows at this time, and I bet that most of the copies of it which still survive are probably black & white kinescope 16mm film copies. So if you are able to view one of these, most likely it'll be b&w.

[GoParkinson]

The good news is that starting in 1959 these color shows were recorded live on videotape and those tapes were restored in the late '90s by Research Video which licenses clips. The bad news is there are no plans to release these shows to the public. But at least they have been saved and hopefully will be seen someday. Looks for "MWAH! Best of the Dinah Shore Show" on VHS which features full color performances with Dinah singing with Frank, Ella, Peggy Lee. Some clips are here on YouTube.

[XboobtubeX]

back in the days before terrorists and greedy banks. bring these days back again.

[Calliuz]

And not to forget: approx some 3,85 billion human beings less on our finite planet Earth. And thus on the other side: a lot more of living space for our nowadays increasingly endangered megafauna...

[brendabaloyan]

When American cars were No. 1 in the World! This used to be a hell of a good country!

[georgiegirlhiphops]

Yes the 1950's and 60's The best time to spend a dime.

Nothing the same anymore.

[doulasc]

1959 the year I was born.50 on July 27.

[bowist23]

Hey doulasc . I was born 1959 too. 50 on June 23-glad I can claimed a little of the 1950`s for myself. Happy Birthday.

[doulasc]

Thank you and Happy Big FIVE ZERO to you too.Let me ask you one question?

Why do you have age 53 in your profile.

[16232000]

thanks for a great post.

wish they still made big convertibles.i sure enjoyed them.

[Waldo99]

Agreed, my '67 Buick convertible rocks!

[F16Falcon47]

Yup... good 'ole Dinah Shore... the "original" cougar with Burt Reynolds before the term "cougar" was even coined

[cadrolls1]

Believe it or not, that "59" rode better than most new cars of today. True, it handled like a boat but, you tend to drive your car the way it is designed. On the highway, this was one SWEET riding cruiser.

[MeFrom07]

That is so true cadrolls1. There are newer cars I drive today that are rougher to ride in than the 1959 Chevrolet but don't even handle any better, nor as much comfortable to sit in.

[Lumotaku]

Country went to hell when they eased the immigration restrictions inthe early 70s.

[trimphbsa]

I was there and I'll say this, look at any news reels back in those days. Watch the people walking in any city. You won't see any body 'spinnin on their heads'! The only black guy I ever seen was the dude that brought the coal to the house. Our doors, as most then, were never locked at night. This video was filmed before the Immigration Act of 1965, along with other laws that discriminated against white folks. America the Titanic, hit the berg in 65. We have been sinking ever since!

[koledapt]

lasuvidaboy you right. The most other comments here are from Communists ! The reason for of America decay is that to many people thinking like communists, those comments proves it here.

[lasuvidaboy]

Oh pleeez-the 1950s were far better for most people than today. Most kids graduated from school (today it is only 50% in most big cities) and there were jobs for anyone who wanted to work! The manufacturing sector was in full swing and inflation was in check. A blue collar worker could afford a nice house in a safe neighborhood in L.A.. Try that today!

[ilovemayo123]

@lasuvidaboy there was also racism, womanizing, broken families that stayed together to 'save face', untreated depression, people dumping everything short of plutonium into the seas, I sure wouldn't want to act fake all the time around people in order to keep a flawless 'image' its like these people aren't human. They are just robots.... I admit, it is refreshing advertising though

[1986billyk]

@ilovemayo123 maybe true but the "cure" we have today is far worst than the disease !!!!

[PiecesOfRainbow7]

@lasuvidaboy good point but there was also the cold war and mccarthy-ism, no civil rights, and all the housewives were on valium to cope with their lack of any self worth.

[BIILYBOB999]

@lasuvidaboy i completely agree ik im commenting on a one year old comment i just had to say something on ur comment... I belong in the 40' to 50's they were the best for american culture, it was when we banded together instead of dividing into gangs, cliques, rich, poor, whatever... we banded together back then... The cars were worth the money, they didnt get destroyed from a 30 mile an hour crash, you dont get arressted or sued for everything you do, it was a great era for america...

[lasuvidaboy]

We had far fewer problems in those days. To begin with, we had over 100 million fewer people living in the states!

[jason60chev]

Negative on Black blood in Dinah Shore!!!! She was very close to a black nanny while growing up and that is where the rumor came from. THERE IS NO BLACK BLOOD IN DINAH SHORE.

[mobilene]

Don't be fooled -- 1950s TV showed a sanitized version of American life. There were as many problems then as today!

[MykeGT]

You are sooooooooooo right!

[publicatdamagnificen]

Mobilene: You are so right!...Truth be told back in the "santized 50's, we had child molestation, rape, drugs, murder,out-of-wedlock biths, not to mention rampant racial discrimination,etc....The only difference between the 50's and now is that crime is these crimes are more prevalent and intense.

50's televison was so santized that they didn't show toilets, nor a married couple in bed together!!

[djmadwax]

@mobilene by your reasoning then, 2010 american's are all deviant sexual drunk freaks, and we both know that's not true either.

[sopaman1234]

@djmadwax keep believing in your own BS...

[tbear4pa]

@mobilene

That's very true, it was only a Technicolor view through rose colored 3D glasses of life over 50 years ago.

[WINGGULLSEAGULL]

@tbear4pa I remember when '59 Chevys were everywhere just like in the video. America was one big car show the moment you stepped out of your house. All over in neighborhoods, parking lots as a kid I had this habit of looking at all the cars & opening the doors. I even did this on my way to school. My parents kept telling me to stop doing this. My dad drove a '57 Bel Air & his sister had a '60 Impala 2dr & I first saw it in 1962. It was the cars that made that era so exciting.

[MykeGT]

Notice the nod to the Vette.

[jason60chev]

You can see the Vette in the background at the opening of the cormercial. Also notice the other Impala with the newlyweds as well as the station wagon. Hey, it's a commercial for ALL they different models.

[AJBIII]

Things sure were "White Bread" on TV back in those days....Check out those new houses at the begining....too cool.

[noaanhc]

Dinah Shore was one beautiful woman in those good old days of the 1950s.She was a hot gal with a beautiful voice.

[fordude60]

@noaanhc She sure was!

[nallo69]

Made a little mistake, it ís Dinah at her best!

[nallo69]

Dinah at its best!

[doulasc]

Is one of those guys Pat Boone?

[Waldo99]

No.

[doulasc]

1959 the year I was born,My dad had a 1959

Chevy Biscayne utility coupe,no back seat.

[rn8393]

Love those old "Cat Eye" tail lights!!!

[iswc27]

Nothing like those old "Bat Wing" fins either!

[DaveT62]

JOYOUS!!

I just want to jump in the car with Dinah and "friends"....

I'm one of the people that would NOT have had a better world in the 50s, and yet, can't help pining for it after watching this!!!

[jimi08jam]

.Damn , I wish I had some money to buy a convertible 59.....but i'm soooo broke!

[jason60chev]

WHo are the three guys in the car with Dinah?

[stevecurwin]

i'm am 19 amd i love this old commericals they dont make them any more kinda sad

my parents have both pontiacs and Chevrolet in protective storage from 1958 to 1968

[mobilene]

The '68 Chevy hardtop coupe is my favorite car ever!

[KKD1247]

Great clip! It has Dinah AND its in COLOR!

[auaiao9]

My parents had a 1960 Impala with the same bat wings in the back as the '59. As a kid I thought the back end of the car would lift off the ground.

[capt184]

If you go over 90 it does get a little squirrly!

[mobilene]

Dinah sure made it look effortless, didn't she?

[rejluca]

Hi from kosovo i have one great chevy bel air 1959 in very good condition i drive it every day and ...

[colibri1]

Great commercial! When my parents met in the early 60s, my dad drove a brown '59 Impala sedan and my mom drove a white '60 Impala coupe.

[wholesomesweetness86]

This is one of my favorite Dinah-Chevy commercials.. thanks for bringing it back!