Here’s a fascinating and funny look at the highways of tomorrow as imagined by the Walt Disney studios in 1958.
Here’s a thought-provoking quote: “The most important symbol in the progress of our nation is the highway.” Hmm. Indeed. These are the words of animator, entrepreneur, and futurist Walt Disney, in the opening of this intriguing film, Magic Highway USA, which first aired in 1958 on Disney’s wildly popular Sunday evening TV show, The Magical World of Disney.
For us, it’s always fun to review predictions about the future of the automobile from the prognosticators of the past. Sometimes they get their forecasts right on the money; sometimes the technology advances even farther then they imagined; and sometimes it appears that humankind has made no progress at all. See how many examples of each you can find in this Disney production. Bonus: the narrator of the show is the golden-voiced Marvin Miller, a sought-after voice-over actor of the time. We can listen to him all day. Video below.
The World of Disney was a sunday evening ritual growing up at our house. I think I remember seeing this episode a few times.
What a wonderful glimpse into a weirdly hopeful time, when technology would solve all of our problems, giving us more leisure and more options in which to spend it. The hope didn’t last — Soylent Green came out 15 years later. But it was great while it lasted.
And, yes, my rearview mirror is now a TV screen.