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See Yourself in a Pontiac (1956)

1956 · Short film · 13 min

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Synopsis

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…

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Details

Running time
13 minutes
Collection
Ephemeral Films

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