Here’s how we made Chevrolets in 1960, according to this awesome color film by Jam Handy.
You’ll instantly hear a familiar voice in this beautifully produced Jam Handy Chevrolet film from 1960. The smooth baritone belongs to renowned character actor and voiceover announcer Marvin Miller (1912-1985), whose voice was everywhere in the film, radio, and television of the 1950s. His numerous film noir roles won him critical acclaim, but America at large might know him best as the voice of Robby the Robot in the 1956 science-fiction classic, Forbidden Planet.
Like a number of Jam Handy Chevrolet films, American Maker isn’t a straight, deep dive into car making at General Motors. It’s more of a 10,000-ft. view on the history of manufacturing in America. At just past the 10-minute mark, there’s a dramatic reenactment of Eli Whitney’s innovations in mass production that we really enjoyed. And at around 14 minutes in, there’s an exploration of electric power, a resource we took essentially for granted until recently. Not until around 15 minutes into the film do we actually get to the cars. Among other things, American Maker is a wonderful snapshot of the ideas and attitudes of mid-century America. Enjoy the movie.
Please take a moment to click and subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we host a few hundred historic videos and other cool stuff. There’s no cost or obligation, and it helps to keep us open for business—thank you!
These films are always interesting. They give lots of insight into what goes on in the manufacturing industry. Another interesting film is ‘Master Hands,’ that was made in ’36. I’ve watched it several times. It is very sad that so many operations that used to be done here are now done off-shore.
Master Hands is a very good one. I would like to run it soon. These films are very long for internet viewing habits but I like to think people have more time these days.