My family had a 1953 Chevrolet which was very similar in appearance to the 1954 featured here. It had Chevy's famous and economical 6-cylinder engine coupled with the 2-speed Powerglide transmission. The car here is a Bel Aire which was Chevy's luxury model in those days. Nice trim, radio, the premium upholstery, etc. The car pictured here was equipped with power seats which was a rare option in those days, especially in Chevys.
That dashboard looks familiar - my mother kept her 1954 Chevrolet station wagon for over 50 years. No safety equipment, no air conditioning, and especially - no freeways yet. So a long trip like this one involved complicated routes on big and small roads. That explains the family coming to the dead end at night when everybody's fussy.
Gale Storm was famous at this time. Lee Bonnell was her real life husband. She had 4 children altogether. I owned a 1954 Chevrolet Model 210 2-door. Wish I had it now.
I had a `54 Chevy as of about 12 years ago, the `55`s thru `57`s were supposed to be the hot ones from Chevrolet of that era, but everywhere i went with mine, someone invariably said to me, "I had one of those", or, "a `54 was the first new car I had" So I felt special.
My aunt had a new, powder blue 54 bel-air Convertible. I remember sitting behind the wheel and admiring the beautiful dark blue metallic steering wheel.
We vacationed in the 60’s & 70’s. We too had three in the back seat. Never an accident, a mishap or a flat tire. There once was a detour for an interstate section under construction.
I bought a derelict '54 Chevy on eBay and towed it from a field in Texas back to Mem- phis, Tn. in 2009. Got it driving again in 2010( a little). 2011 goal- take it on a trip like in this video. Just wish the gas prices were the same! Thanks for this video.
Gas is the same price in 2024 as it was in 1954. 29 cents/gallon in 1954 when accounting for 70 years of accumulated inflation is $3.34 which is just what I paid here in central Indiana.
this video compiles how tedious this time was but at the same time relaxing and peaceful to the point of feeling as if you were sitting on your sofa after a long shower and drinking hot chocolate with your slippers on an autumn night. sooo good.
My dad had a 54 belair -yellow with the green top. Brings back good memories --the drive in etc. The seats were bouncy and this video is a great example of how the 50's were the best time to raise a family, not romanticizing the past, just wishing all those basic family values didn't disintegrate. What happened to America?
@@Bartonovich52 They were helical-cut, but the angle was rather shallow. I thought I read somewhere years ago that the helix angle was either 11 or possibly 14 degrees- my memory isn't what it used to be.
I think it would be completely awesome if one, if not all 3, of those Bonnell brothers would do a video of their recollections of this trip! Someone said they ended up in Vancouver Canada, but, no one knows for sure, except that family, and since Lee Bonnell and Gale Storm are both deceased, it would be up to the boys to tell us for sure.
The video mentions stopping for food, drink, exercise, fuel, and checking the oil, tires, and car cooling system. There is no mention of bathroom breaks. I suppose people didn't pee or poop in the '50s.
I really don't know about TV, educational film, or advertising, but the first time a toilet was shown in a feature length film was in 1960 in Al Hitchcock's psycho, and a dirty one at that.
Man they should bring back all these how to films for the young adults , today they act helpless even though they have a world of knowledge in their hand
Strange to see Gail Storm in this. She was already a star of Movies and TV (My Little Margie). This is basically known at that time as an Industrial Film.
+ Charles Perrin - GPS is not widely available at the time as it was developed in the 70's. At the time, people use maps and compasses to figure where they are.
I’ve seen a few comments on the toy gun of the kid. Are those really so uncommon now? I know I used to have quite a bit of fun at parks with cap guns, the old paper caps and the guns without the orange tips. I still see cap guns, even though they’re usually bright green or orange or something. I guess I haven’t really looked for one in awhile. No longer being a small child though, I suppose it’d be easier to get into trouble.
4 года назад
Woody OFP857 we also used to make tennis ball launchers. You take about 6 tin cans and make holes top and bottom with an old soft drink opener leaving the bottom of one untouched. Tape them together stacked with the can with the solid end on the bottom. On the top put an empty tennis ball can with the bottom punctured tape it in place. At the base of the bottom can make a hole with a nail. Squeeze in some lighter fluid and put a tennis ball in the top can. Light it at the bottom hold the stack and watch the ball go. It blows away volcanos with baking sofa and vinegar. Lol. We used hide them near the school and use them at recess of course you’d get caught right away cause of the ‘boom!’ Lol✌️
Got a good laugh out of locking the traffic side back door so the kid couldn't fall out into traffic. LOL I guess its ok if he falls out into the ditch or on the curb side. LOL
For the safety of the kids, two-door station wagons and two-door sedans were popular with families with small children back then, because there were no doors they could open.
Ah, the old hidden key trick...my folks always did that with our '63 Olds station wagon. Can't do it with today's cars - with all the plastic and carbon fiber, there's no metal for the magnet to stick on !!
ComedyGuysCom - The 1956 (yellow) base went to three letters/three numbers. The 1963 (black) and 1969 (blue) bases followed suit until 999 ZZZ was reached in 1980. The 1AAA000 series continued on the blue base until the sunrise base debuted in 1982 with 2AAA000. As of May 2018, California is in the early 8AAA000 series on the "lipstick" base.
I grew up being told that American drivers didn't care about safety. I have found this to not be true. Maybe 5% of the drivers would rather drive recklessly and suicidal, but I would think that more than 90% of the drivers do care, even in the 1950s, and want to make it safely to their destination, and want to make sure that their passengers make it in one piece.
They didn’t care about safety above style when buying but of course they cared about getting places safely. One can argue that people today still buy cars for looks more than safety but because all cars are tremendously more safe now compared to then the choice will not be as poignant.
Two extremes aren't very good. Blaming it all on the car isn't good, but blaming it all on the driver isn't good either. The only reason a car kills people is inexperienced drivers, who don't know the rules of the road.
@@hankaustin7091 - I noticed Autronic Eye on the dashboard, which was automatic headlight dimming. My '59 Olds 98 that I owned in the 1990s offered that option, but didn't have it.
You obviously haven't driven in NJ. lol & what about soooooooo many people texting / talkin on the cell phones EVERYWHERE while driving? - does that show care? Reverse the %'s above.
No "padded dash; no collapsible steering column or deep dished steering wheel; no safety door latches; no dual braking system; no crumple zones, and on and on.........GOOD TIMES!
@61gisele Yeah I knew gas was cheaper than back then. I think back then it was comparable to around 3$ a gallon in some areas. Gas is super cheap right now anyways due to the price war between Saudi and Russia, in my area right now it's like 2.00/1.98 a gallon. I appreciate that little history lesson though. I had no idea they alternated like that. The good old days, in some respects.
It did have air conditioning! Two in fact. One on the left window, one on the right! They both unlocked and opened outward. Then you got all the air conditioning you wanted!
I had a '54 (and wish I still did) and got rid of the bias tires as soon as I could afford to. They had a tendency to want to run "square" after they cooled off. I loved the way the car rode on the open road but the front end suspension seemed a little too soft in cornering. Mine had the 235 in-line 6 cyl, and that was a tough engine and easy to maintain. It did everything I wanted it to do and was about the best car I ever owned. Lot of memories!
Get ur facts straight moron I own one drive it everyday goes fine on the expressway at 80 drove mine from Chicago to Montana straight threw averaged 75 to 80 and I have firestone bias ply tires
A normal car in those days only had a 3 speed manual without overdrive. Go drive your car on the highway in 3rd gear and tell us how crappy your fuel mileage is. Even on modern cars, fuel mileage peaks at around 55. You can't get around physics of drag.
No recharging stations, no gps, no AC, no cars to drive themselves, no tablets for the annoying kids, no comfortable seats, no NOTHING lol. 🙄🙄🙄 What horrible times......
My family had a 1953 Chevrolet which was very similar in appearance to the 1954 featured here. It had Chevy's famous and economical 6-cylinder engine coupled with the 2-speed Powerglide transmission. The car here is a Bel Aire which was Chevy's luxury model in those days. Nice trim, radio, the premium upholstery, etc. The car pictured here was equipped with power seats which was a rare option in those days, especially in Chevys.
That dashboard looks familiar - my mother kept her 1954 Chevrolet station wagon for over 50 years.
No safety equipment, no air conditioning, and especially - no freeways yet. So a long trip like this one involved complicated routes on big and small roads. That explains the family coming to the dead end at night when everybody's fussy.
Those were the days 👍🏼
Gale Storm was famous at this time. Lee Bonnell was her real life husband. She had 4 children altogether. I owned a 1954 Chevrolet Model 210 2-door. Wish I had it now.
"Thanks to 3 small boys with a hidden talent for Burglary" lol...
😁🫡
I had a `54 Chevy as of about 12 years ago, the `55`s thru `57`s were supposed to be the hot ones from Chevrolet of that era, but everywhere i went with mine, someone invariably said to me, "I had one of those", or, "a `54 was the first new car I had" So I felt special.
My aunt had a new, powder blue 54 bel-air Convertible. I remember sitting behind the wheel and admiring the beautiful dark blue metallic steering wheel.
We vacationed in the 60’s & 70’s. We too had three in the back seat. Never an accident, a mishap or a flat tire. There once was a detour for an interstate section under construction.
Loved this-lots of practical advice on packing (& the rest!)!
How sweet era.....so nice
If we leave a note for the postman or milkman today we would find our house empty when we return.
LOL that's for DAMN sure!
How the times changed.... to worse. I wish I could live in that period, I can survive without my smartphone.
You could do that because the neighbors looked out for each other and the law was brutal on crime
Tom Burgess
Also less incentive for crime because people were more prosperous and less divided
I bought a derelict '54 Chevy on eBay and towed it from a field in Texas back to Mem-
phis, Tn. in 2009. Got it driving again in 2010( a little). 2011 goal- take it on a trip
like in this video. Just wish the gas prices were the same! Thanks for this video.
See how much they are now!
Gas is the same price in 2024 as it was in 1954. 29 cents/gallon in 1954 when accounting for 70 years of accumulated inflation is $3.34 which is just what I paid here in central Indiana.
Ahhh the good old days!
this video compiles how tedious this time was but at the same time relaxing and peaceful to the point of feeling as if you were sitting on your sofa after a long shower and drinking hot chocolate with your slippers on an autumn night. sooo good.
My dad had a 54 belair -yellow with the green top. Brings back good memories --the drive in etc. The seats were bouncy and this video is a great example of how the 50's were the best time to raise a family, not romanticizing the past, just wishing all those basic family values didn't disintegrate. What happened to America?
My aunt had a '54 Chev with a three-on-the-tree... still remember the LOUD but rather pleasant whine of the transmission, especially in second gear.
NipkowDisk - My dad had a '66 Chevy pickup truck that made that same sound!
Straight cut gears?
Break out that big old.cumbersome. gas station roadmap.
@@Bartonovich52 They were helical-cut, but the angle was rather shallow. I thought I read somewhere years ago that the helix angle was either 11 or possibly 14 degrees- my memory isn't what it used to be.
Gale Storm was so cute but she sure had that smokers voice
I think it would be completely awesome if one, if not all 3, of those Bonnell brothers would do a video of their recollections of this trip! Someone said they ended up in Vancouver Canada, but, no one knows for sure, except that family, and since Lee Bonnell and Gale Storm are both deceased, it would be up to the boys to tell us for sure.
The video mentions stopping for food, drink, exercise, fuel, and checking the oil, tires, and car cooling system. There is no mention of bathroom breaks. I suppose people didn't pee or poop in the '50s.
Scot Carnell It wasn't polite to discuss lol
I really don't know about TV, educational film, or advertising, but the first time a toilet was shown in a feature length film was in 1960 in Al Hitchcock's psycho, and a dirty one at that.
They did but it was impolite to talk about it! :-)
Humans didn't pee or poop until the 1960's......
no @@ironcladranchandforge7292 not true. people have been pooping since the 1600's.
Man they should bring back all these how to films for the young adults , today they act helpless even though they have a world of knowledge in their hand
@Seattlecarnut The father is Lee Bonnell, actor-turned-businessman. He was Gale Storm's first husband and father of her four children in real life.
She had 4 kids? Wow!
Next time I go on vacation, I'll be sure and leave a note for the milk man :)
Autronic Eye on the dashboard
the comments on these videos are the best thing about them.
I fell in love with Gale Storm when I was the age of her kids.
All it took was three small boys with a hidden talent for burglary. Lol
They are lucky they didn't end up spending the night with Torgo and the Master after
taking the old coot's directions!
Thank god for GPS!
What don't you have a compass? or know how to use one?
I have a compass... and indeed I know how to use one. I’ve navigated aircraft hundreds of miles with only a compass. But GPS is easier.
I have to use the bath room !!
You should have thought of that before we left.
I'd love to go on road trips in those old cars.
Most didn’t have AC though.
@@davidd1395 windows
@@tyrstone3539 The air outside may be too hot. Like here in Latvia last summer.
Strange to see Gail Storm in this. She was already a star of Movies and TV (My Little Margie). This is basically known at that time as an Industrial Film.
No doubt Chevrolet was generous in payment...
Kid in the back seat playing with a toy gun, that would never happen in today's world and if he took it to school it would get him expelled.
See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet Gale & fam.
In that scene where she talked to the old man and got lost...I was almost expecting it to play out like in National Lampoon's Summer Vacation! LOL!
+ Charles Perrin - GPS is not widely available at the time as it was developed in the 70's. At the time, people use maps and compasses to figure where they are.
Evening rush hour was 4:30-6:00 pm? In Philadelphia, rush hour goes from 2:30-6:30 pm!
As a Philadelphia, I agree
Same in Minneapolis/St Paul. The ramp meters get turned on at 2:00 PM!
Holy crap! Imagine that kid @3:15 doing that today?
Not unless he wanted to be a dead person at the hands of a trigger happy cop.
I’ve seen a few comments on the toy gun of the kid. Are those really so uncommon now? I know I used to have quite a bit of fun at parks with cap guns, the old paper caps and the guns without the orange tips. I still see cap guns, even though they’re usually bright green or orange or something. I guess I haven’t really looked for one in awhile. No longer being a small child though, I suppose it’d be easier to get into trouble.
Woody OFP857 we also used to make tennis ball launchers. You take about 6 tin cans and make holes top and bottom with an old soft drink opener leaving the bottom of one untouched. Tape them together stacked with the can with the solid end on the bottom. On the top put an empty tennis ball can with the bottom punctured tape it in place. At the base of the bottom can make a hole with a nail. Squeeze in some lighter fluid and put a tennis ball in the top can. Light it at the bottom hold the stack and watch the ball go. It blows away volcanos with baking sofa and vinegar. Lol. We used hide them near the school and use them at recess of course you’d get caught right away cause of the ‘boom!’ Lol✌️
Got a good laugh out of locking the traffic side back door so the kid couldn't fall out into traffic. LOL
I guess its ok if he falls out into the ditch or on the curb side. LOL
For the safety of the kids, two-door station wagons and two-door sedans were popular with families with small children back then, because there were no doors they could open.
A 265 would change everything a year later
Ah, the old hidden key trick...my folks always did that with our '63 Olds station wagon. Can't do it with today's cars - with all the plastic and carbon fiber, there's no metal for the magnet to stick on !!
@inkey2 California has had seven digits on at least some license plates since 1951.
ComedyGuysCom - The 1956 (yellow) base went to three letters/three numbers. The 1963 (black) and 1969 (blue) bases followed suit until 999 ZZZ was reached in 1980. The 1AAA000 series continued on the blue base until the sunrise base debuted in 1982 with 2AAA000. As of May 2018, California is in the early 8AAA000 series on the "lipstick" base.
And a final tip for livening up the journey: Try driving ont he left for a change - see the last shot!
I grew up being told that American drivers didn't care about safety. I have found this to not be true. Maybe 5% of the drivers would rather drive recklessly and suicidal, but I would think that more than 90% of the drivers do care, even in the 1950s, and want to make it safely to their destination, and want to make sure that their passengers make it in one piece.
This was the era when they drove because they were too drunk to walk.
They didn’t care about safety above style when buying but of course they cared about getting places safely.
One can argue that people today still buy cars for looks more than safety but because all cars are tremendously more safe now compared to then the choice will not be as poignant.
With a good GPS, highway navigation can be very simple.
Try a map and a compass.
Year I was born.''.damn good year.''.ha and...I own a classic '
55
They're traveling all around and they're not even wearing masks!
Ah, the good days ... I remember 'em well ...
The kid sitting in the middle gave me a good laugh because i thought the toy gun was a real gun😂
You would!🫨
Two extremes aren't very good. Blaming it all on the car isn't good, but blaming it all on the driver isn't good either. The only reason a car kills people is inexperienced drivers, who don't know the rules of the road.
@inkey2 Several states do now, but not in the 50s I believe
i thingk i will go buy one thank you!!!
Sure is a nice 1954 Chevrolet, though.
@eddie054 No, they just THOUGHT they didn't need them.
yes that 25 cent a gallon gas is expensive...
Inflation
Haha, oh Gale, you know we'll never go to the moon.
Gale was hot
Loved her version of "Dark Moon".
i was in side one, one time it was soo cool i love that car but it is SO SMALL in side 5 pepole on a trip!! they will all go crazy!!!
The needed a station wagon.
Believe it, or not, people were a bit smaller then. Every generation is approximately 4% larger than the previous one.
My Little Margie!
Get your kicks on Route 66
No child seats or seat belts in those days
Cool
3 young boys on a 'vacation' road trip...only a partial vacation for mom and dad...😉
this makes me want to Travel :) QC
I've known drivers who have texted using a cellphone. That's dangerous. I have a cellphone, but I never use it while I drive.
Back then they were busy messing around with cigarettes and matches
See, they didn't need seat belts and air bags.
Nope, not needed.
Nor "crumple zones"
You can see the obvious family resemblance to this Chevrolet grill and the grill on the 1953 Corvette.
I'd like to see a 2012 chevy comaro in that video following the family
That’s a great car .
:O The eybrows! The eyebrows!
Didn't know about the watch as a compass trick
My gram had a Roma red one just like that. ❤
But, did it have Power-Glide?
Probably so, this was the Super Deluxe model Chevrolet, which had just about every option Chevy offered at the time, except for power windows.
@@hankaustin7091 - I noticed Autronic Eye on the dashboard, which was automatic headlight dimming. My '59 Olds 98 that I owned in the 1990s offered that option, but didn't have it.
Yes, it's automatic. I'd prefer stick.
I think it had power steering too
YES!
I wonder if Gale was ready to put out on Vacation?
Hell yea
7.20 interesting info
You obviously haven't driven in NJ. lol
& what about soooooooo many people texting / talkin on the cell phones EVERYWHERE while driving? - does that show care? Reverse the %'s above.
Social engineering firms what a time to be alive
why is this so hilarious
He should of had a necker knob on the steering wheel then he could drive with one hand. No seatbelts oh well.
No "padded dash; no collapsible steering column or deep dished steering wheel; no safety door latches; no dual braking system; no crumple zones, and on and on.........GOOD TIMES!
One of these days Alice! Bang Zoom! I already know how to get you to the moon!
where is their smartphone with mapping and Siri tontell you where to go??
Let her rip gas was cheap then!
@61gisele What was her average work schedule? Interested in how the average work month adjusts for inflation compared to modern day...
@61gisele Yeah I knew gas was cheaper than back then. I think back then it was comparable to around 3$ a gallon in some areas. Gas is super cheap right now anyways due to the price war between Saudi and Russia, in my area right now it's like 2.00/1.98 a gallon.
I appreciate that little history lesson though. I had no idea they alternated like that. The good old days, in some respects.
So were the wages, averaged about $50 a week. Still think gas was cheap?
@ojars zvaigzne Everything was cheap. A house for 5 g's. 30 year mortgage! You do the math.
He said the actual time wasted at the gas stations also.
1954...Looks like you picked the WRONG year to buy a Chevy!
Why don't use a gps ?
Ikr
FIRST, we need to launch a few satellites!
@@TheOzthewiz
The first one wouldn't be launched till 2 years later.
My Little Margie
Thanks God for GPS
Only thing missing is Barney
lets ride!!!!!
Wild hairstyle for the US in 1954.
I prefer 2:40 to 10:20 ha.
I saw a boy with a toy gun early in the video! He would be arrested today!
HE WOULD BE SHOT DEAD!
Where's the traffic??
There were only 2.7 billion people on Earth back than. Traffic must've been a lot less.
@@chielwouterscw Yes! Especially when you consider that MOST families only had ONE car.
Gale Storm - My Little Margie
That was a good show.
Oh NO, kid with a toy gun @ 3:12
(sarcasm)
They would probably get shot at today if a cop saw them at 3:12
LOL!!! probably so!
And no air conditioning! Who farted?
He who smelt it, dealt it.
Gale.Storm
My.little.Marge
Imagine driving in AZ in a Chevy with no air-conditioning.
It did have air conditioning! Two in fact. One on the left window, one on the right! They both unlocked and opened outward. Then you got all the air conditioning you wanted!
That car had a model 260 air conditioner - roll down 2 windows and go 60.
Gail Stroame
A '54 Chevy with old bias tires couldn't travel more than around 50-60 mph and maintaint good handling.
I had a '54 (and wish I still did) and got rid of the bias tires as soon as I could afford to. They had a tendency to want to run "square" after they cooled off. I loved the way the car rode on the open road but the front end suspension seemed a little too soft in cornering. Mine had the 235 in-line 6 cyl, and that was a tough engine and easy to maintain. It did everything I wanted it to do and was about the best car I ever owned. Lot of memories!
The Pennsylvania Turnpike was posted at 70 in those days.
That's plenty fast enough, especially on 1954 highways.
Get ur facts straight moron I own one drive it everyday goes fine on the expressway at 80 drove mine from Chicago to Montana straight threw averaged 75 to 80 and I have firestone bias ply tires
@@samomg5641 damn Sam, you must have the power glide and higher ratio differential.
No Google Maps back then
И лисапед в багажнике бы поместился
Things suck now. Traveling used to be an adventure. Fuck the iphone and GPS.
Things are still great. Just don't take the interstate.
Good old days with only two genders
3:15 - 4:09 -- REALLY? Well then, why is the Highway MPG almost always HIGHER than the City MPG on gasoline powered vehicles?
A normal car in those days only had a 3 speed manual without overdrive. Go drive your car on the highway in 3rd gear and tell us how crappy your fuel mileage is. Even on modern cars, fuel mileage peaks at around 55. You can't get around physics of drag.
No recharging stations, no gps, no AC, no cars to drive themselves, no tablets for the annoying kids, no comfortable seats, no NOTHING lol. 🙄🙄🙄 What horrible times......