david smith While these cars were gorgeous, handled well, engineered brilliantly, it was sad to know Chrysler paid almost no attention to rust proofing. Most of these cars began to rust within a year or two of purchase. Few remain.
Of all my cars, my favorite was my 1959 Plymouth Belvedere --- what a beauty! Truth be told, I could barely see over those enormous tailfins. Be cautious in reverse!
One feature all '58 Mopar wagons had over GM and Ford was the sliding tailgate window. GM and Ford wagons had a 2-piece tailgate. GM wagons went to the sliding tailgate window in '59. Ford, the leader in wagon sales, didn't get the sliding tailgate window until '61.
@@trudygreer2491 Yes, Mercury wagons did have the roll down or slide down tailgate window in '57. We had a '57 Ford Country Sedan with a 2-piece tailgate.
I don't know if Betty White would actually drive a Plymouth - but I do know she drove a 1977 Cadillac Seville Lime Green- a game show host bought it for her, they may have been married at one time, I don't know who the guy was, this took place before my time. It's on display at an automobile museum near Hersey Pennsylvania, they also have an amazing bus collection there. I highly recommend checking it out of your in the area.
In her autobiography, "Here We Go Again," Betty White relates the story of how Plymouth sponsored first, "A Date with the Angels" and the second "Betty White Show" (a variety series that replaced "Angels."). And as I noted above, Plymouth gave her a '58 Belvedere convertible, so she had to get rid of the '55 Oldsmobile convertible....
Betty White married Allen Ludden, famous game show host of "Password" on CBS. Betty was a celebrity contestant on the show and she and Allen fell in love and married in 1963. Allen Ludden was a wonderful man and stayed loyal to his gameshow fans right up to his untimely death in 1981. He remains the love of Betty's life.
@@eddstarr2185 Yes, that's the guy, I remember that name now.. His picture is on display with the car. I owned a 1977 Seville and it was a really great car, I would consider buying another one if the opportunity comes my way in really good condition..
That's good to know, however you found out! I was a day away from being 5 months old. I knew it was probably the first intro ad, but not much else. A lot of car ads then were these big, happy and long (3 minute!!) commercials. Today's cars aren't worthy of even half of 30 seconds!
As part of the sponsorship agreement, Betty White had to get rid of her 1955 Oldsmobile convertible so she could drive a '58 Plymouth convertible...at 2:21: "and here's the new Plymouth convertible, just like mine."
Love the way that 50s cars were sold with class...song, dance and flair. Not much mention of performance, but always maintaining that they were the lowest priced in their field and the best buy ever in their price field. "The Forward Look". "See the USA...". All this and much more. But how does it handle tight corners? With ball race steering of course! Safety? FUHGEDDABOUDDIT. Dinah Shore says that you should take her word for it that Chevrolet is THE car to see the USA in! And of course Lincoln is THE finest in the fine car field! Never mind its dependability, trade-in value, repair costs over the years, or even fuel economy. As long as it looks good, has an attractive grille, and a catchy tune and BIG BIG STARS to sell it, it's for....YOU!
Pretty kooky with the overhead shots and the dancers twirling around with curtains. The '58 Plymouth wasn't new at all; it was just a '57 with a few styling changes - although the grille in front was a big improvement over the '57. Unfortunately for the American car makers, 1958 was a recession year and sales were off quite a bit. It also marked the start of foreign car sales really beginning to take off, as Americans turned away from big finned autos like this one.
The fact that Chrysler's build quality and quality control went downhill starting with the 1957 models didn't help either. I remember seeing auto trade magazines for the body-and-fender industry (my dad worked at a Pontiac dealer at the time) and as early as 1958, they were offering rust repair patch panels for new Plymouths and other Chrysler cars....
@@gcfifthgear Yes, rust was a big issue then. Jay Leno has a few vintage Chrysler cars and stated that in moist or cold climates they would "rust through" in 2-3 years...
The Golden Girls (which was around when Goodtimes Home Video made 2 Cars Of The 50s And 60s tapes this is on) May have been my first exposure to Betty White, but this Plymouth ad was how I first remembered her name.
1958 was the first of the notable sales "crises" in the post-WW2 American car industry, due to a modest recession. The solution was a nationwide sales campaign entitled "You Auto Buy Now!"
The "Forward Look" was a pretty successful styling exercise and perhaps an even more successful marketing exercise. The creator of the "Forward Look" was designer Virgil Exner who started working on it as early as 1953. He had previously worked for Studebaker. This was during a sort of a transition period where a lot of cars had been more or less designed by engineers and were now being designed by industrial designers.
Car commercials haven't changed a whole lot a lot of hype and just giving a bit of a glimpse of the car itself, a way of getting you to the car lot, with that said, they were great cars though.
I love Betty White AND the '58 Plymouth. I noticed at 1:48 the one feature she casually touched on was the grill. The lower vertical slats on the '57 were the only unattractive feature about it. Plymouth fixed that and had her slip that important fact in as only she could.
Maybe dorky, but how many of us are commenting 62 years later about a car that hasn't been built since 2001? (I don't think we'll get many comments about, say, a Saturn TV commercial)
Betty was 36 in 1958 - we lost Plymouth in 2001 and Betty in 2021. Still can't believe that neither is with us any more.
Betty is still alive...in my heart ❤️
that plymouth has more character in it's front grill than an entire 2015 camry
david smith
While these cars were gorgeous, handled well, engineered brilliantly, it was sad to know Chrysler paid almost no attention to rust proofing. Most of these cars began to rust within a year or two of purchase. Few remain.
You are so right!
Also more horsepower in its grille than an entire Camry
With its badge you mean, just it’s badge
@japanwatchconnection I hope you enjoy your camry
Christine in her youth!
RIP Betty White! Christine was really a special girl! She was advertised with Betty White!
Of all my cars, my favorite was my 1959 Plymouth Belvedere --- what a beauty! Truth be told, I could barely see over those enormous tailfins. Be cautious in reverse!
59 Plymouth is one of my favorites too. My neighbor had a 59 Plymouth Savoy. Sort of a blue-green color.
Rest In Peace Betty. 💔
what a great car commercial
My First Car was a 1958 Plymouth Savoy Great Car.
Jazzy theme song, AND choreographed production number to go with it. WOW. THANKS for posting this.
I always thought the 58 Plymouth wagon was the best looking wagon of the fifties.
I rode in the backward facing rear seat in one in 110F heat in LA for hours. All we had in the cooler was butter.
One feature all '58 Mopar wagons had over GM and Ford was the sliding tailgate window. GM and Ford wagons had a 2-piece tailgate. GM wagons went to the sliding tailgate window in '59. Ford, the leader in wagon sales, didn't get the sliding tailgate window until '61.
@@Greatdome99 how did the butter taste?
@@frdjr2529 Mercury had a roll-down tailgate window in '57..
@@trudygreer2491 Yes, Mercury wagons did have the roll down or slide down tailgate window in '57. We had a '57 Ford Country Sedan with a 2-piece tailgate.
now I want one.
Miss Betty white is such an amazing person both her and the car are time capsules
my father bought a Plymouth fury in 1958 including air conditioning,auto trans. taxes= $ 2,200.00
I want that 440 again
I don't know if Betty White would actually drive a Plymouth - but I do know she drove a 1977 Cadillac Seville Lime Green- a game show host bought it for her, they may have been married at one time, I don't know who the guy was, this took place before my time. It's on display at an automobile museum near Hersey Pennsylvania, they also have an amazing bus collection there. I highly recommend checking it out of your in the area.
In her autobiography, "Here We Go Again," Betty White relates the story of how Plymouth sponsored first, "A Date with the Angels" and the second "Betty White Show" (a variety series that replaced "Angels."). And as I noted above, Plymouth gave her a '58 Belvedere convertible, so she had to get rid of the '55 Oldsmobile convertible....
Betty White married Allen Ludden, famous game show host of "Password" on CBS. Betty was a celebrity contestant on the show and she and Allen fell in love and married in 1963. Allen Ludden was a wonderful man and stayed loyal to his gameshow fans right up to his untimely death in 1981. He remains the love of Betty's life.
So that's where her Caddy ended up.
Use to be at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles.
@@eddstarr2185 Yes, that's the guy, I remember that name now.. His picture is on display with the car. I owned a 1977 Seville and it was a really great car, I would consider buying another one if the opportunity comes my way in really good condition..
Originally seen on the "DATE WITH THE ANGELS" episode of October 25, 1957.
That's good to know, however you found out! I was a day away from being 5 months old. I knew it was probably the first intro ad, but not much else. A lot of car ads then were these big, happy and long (3 minute!!) commercials. Today's cars aren't worthy of even half of 30 seconds!
As part of the sponsorship agreement, Betty White had to get rid of her 1955 Oldsmobile convertible so she could drive a '58 Plymouth convertible...at 2:21: "and here's the new Plymouth convertible, just like mine."
YIKES!
Love the way that 50s cars were sold with class...song, dance and flair. Not much mention of performance, but always maintaining that they were the lowest priced in their field and the best buy ever in their price field.
"The Forward Look". "See the USA...". All this and much more. But how does it handle tight corners? With ball race steering of course! Safety? FUHGEDDABOUDDIT. Dinah Shore says that you should take her word for it that Chevrolet is THE car to see the USA in! And of course Lincoln is THE finest in the fine car field! Never mind its dependability, trade-in value, repair costs over the years, or even fuel economy. As long as it looks good, has an attractive grille, and a catchy tune and BIG BIG STARS to sell it, it's for....YOU!
Sounds like you are really attempting to resist the attractiveness of this car.
"Sell the sizzle, not the steak."
Pretty kooky with the overhead shots and the dancers twirling around with curtains. The '58 Plymouth wasn't new at all; it was just a '57 with a few styling changes - although the grille in front was a big improvement over the '57. Unfortunately for the American car makers, 1958 was a recession year and sales were off quite a bit. It also marked the start of foreign car sales really beginning to take off, as Americans turned away from big finned autos like this one.
The fact that Chrysler's build quality and quality control went downhill starting with the 1957 models didn't help either. I remember seeing auto trade magazines for the body-and-fender industry (my dad worked at a Pontiac dealer at the time) and as early as 1958, they were offering rust repair patch panels for new Plymouths and other Chrysler cars....
@@gcfifthgear Yes, rust was a big issue then. Jay Leno has a few vintage Chrysler cars and stated that in moist or cold climates they would "rust through" in 2-3 years...
RIP Betty white 🥺
It's a kinescope, so I'll bet the commercial aired live as well.
It was live
RIP Betty White
The Golden Girls (which was around when Goodtimes Home Video made 2 Cars Of The 50s And 60s tapes this is on) May have been my first exposure to Betty White, but this Plymouth ad was how I first remembered her name.
1958 was the first of the notable sales "crises" in the post-WW2 American car industry, due to a modest recession. The solution was a nationwide sales campaign entitled "You Auto Buy Now!"
Граждане того времени даже не предполагали, что спустя 60 лет их будут смотреть на Ютубе....
My Great Grandfather Judge Silas Wolf, the presiding Judge in the clip of the DeBarr Murder trial. Thank you for posting.
Could Virgil Exner have imagined that one of his designs would turn into a monster?
Maravilhosos!
The "Forward Look" was a pretty successful styling exercise and perhaps an even more successful marketing exercise. The creator of the "Forward Look" was designer Virgil Exner who started working on it as early as 1953. He had previously worked for Studebaker. This was during a sort of a transition period where a lot of cars had been more or less designed by engineers and were now being designed by industrial designers.
Christine
Car commercials haven't changed a whole lot a lot of hype and just giving a bit of a glimpse of the car itself, a way of getting you to the car lot, with that said, they were great cars though.
The dancers are like this is the end of the world final moves
Rest In Peace Betty 😘
R.I.P. Betty White
The guy with Betty White is the actor Bill Williams, who was more famous for being the husband of Barbara Hale (aka, Perry Mason's Della Street).
She's probably the only person alive that had anything to do with this promo
So does that mean Rose from the Golden Girls drove a K-Car?
nlpnt that's cute
Only if she was paid....
Twice I saw her get out of an Oldsmobile coupe. So maybe not.
No. When she wanted to get the job with "Enrique Masse" she told him "I am a battered consumer. I drive a Gremlin for God's sake.".
My mom had a brand new '57 Sport Suburban station wagon.
Rip Betty white
King probably saw these commercial and said DEMONISE THEM
Nice.
good
Betty white and Christine
"And here's the new Plymouth convertible, just like mine" 2:18
Yer full of of it Betty, RIP
Nope, it was true. She was given one as part of the sponsorship agreement, under which she had to get rid of her Oldsmobile.
I'm sorry Betty. 🥺
Accept my apology.
Christine....
Wow. She looked old even THEN.
How much crack do you do on a daily basis?
She would have been thirty-six.
I love Betty White AND the '58 Plymouth. I noticed at 1:48 the one feature she casually touched on was the grill. The lower vertical slats on the '57 were the only unattractive feature about it. Plymouth fixed that and had her slip that important fact in as only she could.
I had a '57 Belvedere. I agree about the grill. Add to that those ugly turn signal lights that were the second headlight. All fixed in '58.
And then Virgil Exner designed the hideous 1962 models that got him fired.
Eddie Miller Thats what happens when you design a car from a hospital bed. Exner was recovering from his heart attack for months.
Poor guy.
He was forced to downsize the company made him. Even he referred to them as ugly. It was not his mistake.
Don't forget Edsel Ford and his idea....
Wasn’t it the ‘61 models that did him in?
Old commercials look better than new bs
Gee where was Betty White when the halled Miss Belvedere out of her pit.
All that time wasted on the dorky dancers and bad music. You're supposed to be showing us the car!!
Maybe dorky, but how many of us are commenting 62 years later about a car that hasn't been built since 2001? (I don't think we'll get many comments about, say, a Saturn TV commercial)
As was commented already: “sell the sizzle, not the steak” is how advertising works.
Gee Betty it sure looks an awful lot like last year’s Plymouth...
That is what an automobile is supposed to look like. 🥹