" SEE YOURSELF IN A PONTIAC " 1956 PONTIAC STRATO-STREAK & STAR CHIEF PROMOTIONAL FILM 67764
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
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This black and white promotional film, produced for Pontiac dealers by the Jam Handy Corporation, opens with a title card featuring the stylized profile emblem of Ottawa Chief Pontiac (Obwondiyag) (00:09). It introduces the 1956 Pontiac Strato-Streak V8 sedan (00:23) with a series of still shots, transitioning to show the car in motion (00:40) and the view through the windshield, with the driver’s face reflected in the rear-view mirror (00:47). There is a wide panning shot of a bi-level parking lot filled with cars (01:03). A Catalina Sedan is shown pulling into a parking space; the man driving gets out and opens the passenger door to let out a female rider while two children step out of the rear door (01:24).
A series of demonstrations show the Strato-Streak’s improved horsepower and performance. Two men driving a Star Chief convertible coupe with a camera mounted on the hood pull to a stop on a test track (01:56). One of the men gets out of the car and adjusts the camera to point toward markings on the pavement, then returns to the passenger seat and takes out a notepad and pencil as the driver accelerates away (02:30). Musical tones play in concert with the pavement markings as the pass under the camera’s eye, providing “eye and ear proof of Pontiac’s singing power for lightning getaways” (02:41). A second iteration of this “two-way test” combines pavement markings and musical tones to illustrate the Pontiac’s acceleration as it passes a slower-moving truck, shown from behind (02:56).
Shots of a Catalina sedan on the open road follow (03:14). An overhead view of the hood dissolves to show the V-8 engine, seen from above and in profile as the Strato-Streak’s innovative features are enumerated: pressure-suction crank case ventilation, reverse-flow gusher-valve cooling, and quad-gallery full pressure lubrication. (03:40) There is a cutaway view of the ball-pivot valve train (04:06); a pan shot of the reinforced engine block (04:15), and a spinning view of (04:20) of the carburetion system, followed by a close-up of the piston cutaway (04:32).
A Star Chief Convertible cruises on a banked track (04:46). Close-ups of the Hydra-Matic transmission indicators (04:54) are followed by a diagram comparing the old synchromesh transmission with clutch pedal and manual gear-shift with the smoother drive of the Hydra-Matic, and the even more effortless drive of the new Strato-Flight Hydra-Matic transmission
(05:38). The newly added Park gear position is explained (06:44).
A woman with short, dark hair drives a Catalina model (07:11), followed by a shot of rough, patched pavement (07:19). A Catalina coupe is shown driving on a dirt road (07:44); starting at 07:56, the shot is masked above and below the wheels to shows the suspension absorbing the bumps in the road, leaving the passenger cabin almost motionless. A spiral grooved aperture frames the Pontiac emblem on the rear of the car, emphasizing the drive “as straight and smooth as a rifle barrel” as the car pulls away (08:21).
Luxury features of the 1956 models are demonstrated, starting with the Pontiac head power steering emblem (09:14). Close-ups from the driver’s side show the steering wheel (09:36), then the driver’s feet on the pedals to show the ease of power braking (09:44).
A woman’s hand operates the fingertip controls of the power seat adjustments and power windows (09:53). The radio antenna automatically extends (10:15) and the Deluxe Electromatic signal-seeking radio is shown (10:18).
Interior trim options are shown with a view of the rear seat of a Catalina sedan (10:49). Genuine leather in distinctive color combinations, coated fabrics and gleaming metallic cloth are illustrated (11:06), and a Star Chief Convertible Coupe’s “glamorous, yet durable Morrokide” interior is shown (11:33). Additional close-ups detail the instrument panel and interior hardware (11:41).
A woman drives a Star Chief Convertible Coupe with the top down (11:52). A Catalina coupe drives on the open highway (12:15). The family shown at 01:24 returns to their parked Catalina sedan (12:25). Narrator extols the qualities of Pontiac cars and emphasizes that the discerning customer can “see for yourself” all the things they want in the 1956 Pontiac models.
This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit www.PeriscopeFi...
We need to bring these cars back. American 1950s cars are the best cars
I'm sold. I'm headed to my local Pontiac dealer today!
Good luck with that. (they stopped making Pontiacs)
I can absolutely see myself in a Pontiac!
I owned 3 Pontiacs in my life, enjoyed each of them. Would love to have a 56 Pontiac convertible!
It was the '56 that started Pontiac on the road to becoming GM's "Performance" division. In a handful of years we get the Grand Prix and GTO.
Just Terrific!!!
MY GRANDPARENTS HAD A PINK/WHITE `56 sTAR cHIEF cUSTOM cATALINA 4DR. HARDTOP IDENTICAL TO THE ONE IN THE OPENING SCENE. IT EVEN HAD THE FENDER SKIRTS!
This video show a 1956 Pontiac Star Chief DeLuxe Convertible without the fender skirts, Strato-Streak V-8 engine, rear radio power antenna, as well as pushbutton radio, optional seat belts, and whitewall tires. Some 1955 and 1956 Pontiacs do equipped with optional fender skirts as the original accessory, including the 4 door Catalina hardtop for 1956.
I read a Car & Driver test of a Bonneville from around this time, that had been restored, maybe 20 years ago. They had the original window sticker and with power windows, locks, seat and AC it added up to about $5,800, which must have been a king's ransom back then.
PC No - You were probably reading about the 1957 Bonneville ,which was a low production super car in its first year - only 630 were built - (one to each dealer) - and,yes it was quite expensive,at the price that you mentioned - they are highly sought after as collectibles today....
I just told my Wife - we've GOT to run out and get the new 1956 Pontiac!! 😁
I have one love it
The 1956 Pontiac really was a great car - My father had one,many years ago - loved that car - I may look for one myself....
Our local GM dealership, Sandman Brothers have a like new 2 door hardtop in their showroom.
I learned to drive in the old man's '56 Pontiac Star Chief station wagon. That thing was size of today's tiny house. The steering wheel was about six feet across. Once I did get my license, this was the only car I had for a year. Nothing like showing up for a date in a 20 foot long station wagon. I hated that car. Even worse, he traded it on for a poop brown '64 Chevy Biscayne 4 door. Bottom of the line stick shift with black walls and dog dish hubcaps. The only options were the heater, AM non-push button radio and spotlites...on both sides. The old man loved spotlites. Girls thought I was some kind of undercover cop.
Nothing like showing up for a date in a 19-foot-long '69 Vista Cruiser! ;o)
Funny you should say the '56 is that big. I park mine next to modern Subarus that are bigger.
Oh please. These cars are small.
@@SugarBearMosher an overall length of 206 inches, over 17 feet, was small? I can tell you've never driven one.
@@sarjim4381 ive daily driven these for the last 7 years. The star chief has some length but overall is still not much larger when put side by side with modern cars.
I love my gto's
3:53 This sounds like an early version of the positive-crankcase-ventilation that was mandated as a pollution control in CA in the early 1960s and is standard on nearly all cars today.
These have a road draft tube that vents the fumes near the bottom of the oil pan. Not a PCV system, which in some form, started in the early 1960's.
Didn't have to roll up and lock up because we were a better people back then...
Back when American cars were low and wide and the people were long and lean...
Keen and swell is what it is, by golly.
Major Dick “Gee Wally, I bet even Eddie Haskell would look nifty in one of these!”
GREAT VIDEO I ONCE HAD A 56 PONTIAC
5:00 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydramatic
"controlled coupling" was an oddity that GM added to its cantankerous 4 speed Hydramatic for its last 9 years of production; it used a fluid coupling as a synchronizer and sprag-clutches to complete some shifts. Seems that early versions didn't work that well; maybe the input and output didn't synchronize fast enough for some conditions and owners complained about early failures. By 1964, GM had given up on the Hydramatic and patterned its 3 speed Turbo-Hydramatic after the transmissions Ford and Borg-Warner had been building for years, but Rolls Royce continued to build Hydramatics under license until 1967 and to sell them until 1970.
Wow! Dateline 1956... A 56 Pontiac pulls into a parking lot... Dad gets out, opens car door for mom, she gets out and then the son opens the door, he and his sister get out then wait for mom and dad to walk them across the parking lot safely.
Dateline 2020... A 20 year old shit box Pontiac Grand Prix full of rust and dents blaring rap music screeches to a halt in the Walmart parking lot. As the rear door is flying open, Junior is bailing... Running from the car with his sister like they stole it, only to be narrowly missed by 5 cars driving through the parking lot.Only after the sound of horns blaring does mom open her passenger door and emerge from a cloud of "Blunt Smoke" to scream at her kids and the drivers who almost killed them. Dad, meanwhile never leaves the car and yells to Baby Momma... " Bitch! I told you to keep an eye on those damn kids! :-)
A keen observation of a regular Saturday morning in rural....and not so rural America.
what are you talking about, that's the job of the 2002-2009 Nissan Altima, don't drag Pontiac into your urban scare comment. (also, just don't be a jerk and guess what none of that materializes)
Isn't that the model Pontiac that Lucy and Ricky and Fred and Ethel drove out to California in.
@jason9022 I checked with Google. It said theirs was a 1955. This one and the 1955 look about the same.
@@johnkern7075 I had a '55 in the late '70s. Can confirm! There was some minor sheetmetal "tweeking" between '55 and '56 (mainly on the front end/grille and side trim.) Same basic body for '55-'57 (shared "A" body with Chevrolet).
@@jamesslick4790 Shared only the roof, doors and glass with Chevy.
@@jimmyfleetwood1118 Plus just about EVERY part of the body structure too. The exterior sheet metal was real major difference. There was chassis and drive train difference (more than most would suspect,given what GM would do by the late 70s.)
@@jamesslick4790 Similar, but not interchangeable.
This promotional film would have been effective in 1952, but by 1956 it is passe. In 1956 people were more sophisticated.
Bunkie Knudsen knew this when he helped update the Pontiac design for 1957.
Pontiac - as smooth as a bullet down a rifle barrel ! 😂
"Straight and True".
And as fast!
They sure don't make freedom like this no more
Such a shame.. considering the American history of automobile , they should now be reliable and durbil and good looking
Hmmmm....what went wrong alomg the way......ah yes....mediocracy ..and lack of style.
Not a single mention about safety features. Ah, 'twas a time of the rugged motorist, who sneered at the prospect of being ejected in a roll-over, or wearing a steering column in his chest, or leaving a body-shaped cavity in the dash after a head-on.
Survival of the fittest
Those Old Lead Sleds were Deathtraps!!
Lead sleds are poorly crafted, hand modified, custom cars from the '50s. And they were death traps.
Yes,it's true that safety equipment had not yet been made available on the cars of that time;but,that was true of all cars made in that era.Safety equipment did not really begin to appear on cars until the 1967 model year,when it was mandated by the Federal government....
yeah i'll take one
She's a beauty that's for sure but I'll take my 67 LeMans convertible any day 🏁
Lol...and ill keep my 70 GTO convertible also...but i would love to drive the '56 for a weekend.....
@@richrojo2010 one thing's for sure. They don't make them like they used to..
The '67 LeMans is a very desirable car,for sure - but,I would gladly bet that the '56 Pontiac was a much higher quality car....
I wonder what the modern day equivalent (either American, European or otherwise) would be.?
Did they use asbestos in this model?
@Norlin Kalamazoo ...BUT-could it be that the "Commie Bastards" posed as Conservatives to kill more Americans with dangerous products??
Asbestos was used in the brake linings of cars in that time period,and for many years afterward.There was no information available yet about the hazards of asbestos....
12:35 Poor kid
Wow, in 56 you didnt have to lock up your car!!!!?
It cracks me up we hardly ever locked our cars. Now if someone is going to walk thirty feet to pay for gas the car is locked and all the windows are closed. Even in summer when it's 95 degrees out side the windows aren't cracked an inch.
Yes i know ,it is a shame how times change
Canadian Pontiacs, were little more than Chevrolets and not U.S Pontiacs.
The necessity for "passing power" is one of the most prominent and consistent lies employed by the auto industry since it's inception in America 125 years ago, to defeat the idea of installing speed governors on vehicles.
I prefer Chevys...
Well, Whoever made this film is good with that, GM still gets the money!
To each their own - I personally prefer the Pontiac....
E
THANX to BATH HOUSE barry for eliminating real American icon😡😡😡😡
this stupid time shooting overlay!!!
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@@PeriscopeFilm yes, I can understand that very well! And it is very nice that you are receiving these film treasures, simply wonderful! I have classic cars myself and also one of these wonderful 1956 Pontiacs! And I'm just reminiscing and it bothered me a lot to have that in the picture. I really enjoy traveling in the good old Pontiac and I think it's wonderful for my soul, a journey to a more beautiful time.Wie hier z.B.: -> th-cam.com/video/TYYE0IzOLq4/w-d-xo.html
Wow, those are some seriously ugly cars! Big chrome fish heads with wheels! The extreme over-use of chrome and steel . . . there's enough there to build three or four of today's cars. As for performance, my Leaf has way more usable power and the motor is the size of a breadbox! But I understand how some people feel nostalgic about old cars- some were really beautiful. I love the old Thunderbirds for instance!
The plastic bumpers on modern cars are far more practical; they can take a 2.5 MPH hit with no damage (the requirement up until the 1970s was 1.25, then it went to 5 until the early 1980s) and they don't rust out. But they usually look kind of cheap compared to the big chrome on those old cars. I saw a review of the 1973 Pontiac Grand Am, one of the first cars with all-plastic bumpers and the reviewer said it looked as if it were made by Hasbro.
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, That's AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that a car in 2020 has better performance from a smaller motor than a car from 64 YEARS AGO!!! Next you'll BLOW OUR MINDS with the concept that a tiny iPhone from even 2007 has MORE COMPUTING POWER than a 1982 Commodore 64!!! Gee, Stellar observation that technology ADVANCES in 64 friggin' years! I'm DAMNED sure any 1956 automobile was WORLDS better than any automobile from 1892.
Interesting mind set. A '56 Pontiac weights less then many modern cars (only 400 Lbs more than a Prius and about the same as the Leaf, per GOOGLE, by the way). Not quite enough to build 3 or 4 new cars, eh? When there was better gas, they regularly got 24 MPG, and a life span as long as anybody want's it to last. Mine has 513K miles.
@@jamesslick4790 an iPhone 12 has more computing power than all of NASA during the entire Apollo program.
@@CrowdControl123 I know. I'm not surprised. that's how technology is. Apollo was 50 years ago. Everyone loves to point out how "primitive" computers were then. But stop and think it was only 66 years from the Wright brothers first flight until the man went to the MOON. We need to stop thinking "how lame" old technology is, but rather appreciate how fast technology advances.