Thursday, May 04, 2006

see the u.s.a.

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Those readers of a "certain age" will be able to recite the next few lines of this slogan, and probably be able to sing the tune also.

This car appeared parked in a nearby barnyard and I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw it. This vintage car (my guess is a 1952) bought back tons of memories. Back in the 1950's vacations meant long road trips to the Florida panhandle to visit relatives. That was three days in a Chevy sedan like this (later a station wagon), 4 kids and two adults...no air conditioning or back-of-the-seat DVD players. Just the games invented for long car trips. The roads were two-lane all the way, no such thing as an interstate back then. One year I decided to count the tar lines all the way from Chicago to Westville. I gave up that challenge somewhere in northern Indiana after developing a migraine that lastest four days!

Everyone went on vacation by car back then. The first person I ever knew that traveled in an airplane was my uncle, who flew out to California to serve in the Navy.

For the younger set - one of the most successful ad campaigns of the 20th century went something like this .....

See the U.S.A.
in your Chevrolet
America is asking you to call.

50 points to the first "farmer's-wifer" who can remember who sang it.

8 comments:

Heidi said...

Without Google or other Internet help, I will guess Dinah Shore. I know that she sang the jingle for Purex, because my grandparents worked their and my grandfather had a 45 of Dinah Shore singing the Purex jingle.

For metrics, I am 39, with parents who ar 64 and 79. My dad is a mere 3 years younger than his in-laws. One reason why I am good at trivial bits.

srp said...

Dinah Shore would be my guess as well.
We had a black 1957 Chevy... a shame we don't have it now as it became one of the classics. I remember those trips that seemed to take forever to drive from Roanoke, Virginia to the church camp grounds in the middle of the state. And the trip from Roanoke to Gary, Indiana when we moved was unending. Of course I was crying the whole way so that made it longer.

I remember taking the train once from Gary, Indiana back to Virginia but my first plane ride was not until I was in high school. Pittsburg to Roanoke to see grandparents one summer.

Ah, the old cars. No seatbelts. No airconditioning. No FM radio. No airbags. No plastic.

Suzanne said...

Ladies - you are correct! Dinah Shore sang the Chevy jingle. 50 points goes to Heidi, who weighed in first.

For those of you who didn't know Dinah, she was a lovely southern woman and entertainer. One of her many T.V.'s shows - "Dinah's Place" was original for the time. She had famous people stop by to talk and cook. It was truly like being invited to her kitchen.

Anonymous said...

Dinah Shore sung that jingle. Thanks for the memories, but now I have that song stuck in my head! :)

Anonymous said...

Oh, and thanx for the ear worm!

R.Powers said...

Baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and cheverolet!

Took those same vacations in a cozy nest in the back of a plymouth stationwagon sans seat belts or a/c and loved every minute of it!

srp said...

Yes, and for those who don't remember, way back before Loni Anderson; Dinah Shore was Burt Reynolds' love interest. THAT always seemed a strange pairing.

Beverly said...

My parents got a new car, a 1950 Chevrolet sedan. New cars were hard to come by after the war. They had driven a 1936 Chevy until that time.

I remember many bumpy rides in the 36 Chevy, and we felt like we riding in luxury in the new car.