Midweek Matinee: The Way You Want It, 1950

All photos are frame grabs from video below.

Who says Jam Handy couldn’t produce a straight-forward advertisement for Chevrolet? We can debunk that myth right here: This is an eight-and-change-minute ad, pure and simple. No goofy pretext is necessary.

The film begins with the standard don’t-do-this-at-home automotive abuse scenarios, also referred to as “You see, Officer, I was merely testing the limits of the car’s performance characteristics – in the name of safety,” or whatever line you deftly offered up the last time you were pulled over. And ticketed.

And that friendly service man, Bill, helping the kindly Mr. Gleason? Word on the street is that’s Eric Fleming, better known for his role as trail boss Gil Favor in the TV series Rawhide. Favor played against Rowdy Yates, portrayed by some kid named Clint.

But it’s all good: your local Chevrolet dealership enlists the aid of “the finest scientific equipment” to ensure that their service staff will “do the job right, and do it right the first time.” Genuine Chevy/GM replacement parts? You betcha: And wouldn’t you just love a chance to poke around those 1950 shelving units for a few OEM gems?

Public domain archival footage courtesy of the Internet Moving Images Archive, in association with Prelinger Archives.