1940 Chevrolet Technicolor Ad

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The Trip (1939)
Sponsor: Chevrolet Division, General Motors Corporation
Producer: Handy (Jam) Organization
Screen ad, in Technicolor, for the 1940 Chevrolet models. Original soundtrack.

In this 1939 short, a suburban California family gets all dressed up to drive their new 1940 Chevrolet to see grandma and grandpa, who still live on the family farm. Dad's in a suit and tie, and Mom has on a dressy dress and chic hat. Are they dressed up to go see the grandparents or are they dressed up to ride in their new Chevrolet? They pack their expensive looking luggage in the trunk, "Watch out! That's grandma's present!". This family has money to spend. When we think of the 1930's and families on the road, we're more likely to think of the Joads' old Model T in "The Grapes of Wrath" than of this affluent nuclear family. Is this image pure fantasy, or was America truly coming out of the Depression in 1939? The announcer mentions the car's "utmost economy," but that's not the real message of the ad. The Chevrolet symbolizes comfort (the kids asleep in the back seat), glamour, conspicuous consumption and personal mobility. The farm is another affluent place from what we see of it. Grandma and Grandpa sure don't resemble WPA photographs of dustbowl farmers, although who knows? This family could be "Okies" who migrated to California and made good returning home for a visit. Americans wanted to put the poverty and deprivation of the 30's behind them and this ad with its conspicuous display of wealth reflects that longing.

Editing by ROMANO-ARCHIVES.

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