Driving Passion: America's Love Affair with the Car

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), Sept, 1995 by Robert S. Rothenberg

Turner Home Entertainment / four cassettes /$14.98 apiece

It might seem odd that a documentary about the history of automobiles would include the words "passion" and "love affair" in its title--but not in the U.S.! Far from a mere instrument of transportation, the car has been an American icon for almost a century, often being treated with more affection than the owner's family.

This four-part tribute to man and machine merges almost four hours of film clips, many of them vintage shots from the archives, with interviews and commentary on how the nation's history has affected this ongoing relationship. Beginning with "The Birth of the Automobile" and proceeding through "America Takes to the Road in Style" and "The Golden Age of Deroit" to "The Fast Track of the Future," this series is engrossing, informative, and amusing.

Part Two ("America Takes to the Roa: Style") offers the widest scope ranging from General Motors usurpation of the market in the 1920s its chairman, Alfred Sloanne and designer Harley Earl introduced bright colors and sleek bodywork while Henry Ford stubbornly continued to turn out Model T's in basic black, to the post-World War II return of new cars after a five-year hiatus of Detroit serving as the Arsenal of Democracy, mass producing tanks, trucks, and planes. En route, viewers are treated to views of the classic Duesenberg (immortalized by the phrase, "It's a doozy!") and Cord, arguably the most beautiful driving machines ever; ringing endorsements from bank robbers John Dillinger and Clyde Barrow concerning how well their cars performed during getaways: the 1930s motor culture that produced drive-in restaurants and movie theaters, tourist courts, and motels; and the World War II Jeep in all its versatile ugliness.

For auto-lovers, car buffs, and even pedestrians, this video series will prove an utter delight.