THE GENTLE TOUCH

Year Published: 1953

Creator: Wilding Picture Productions

Format: 16mm

Description: This 1953 color sponsored film produced by Wilding Picture Productions, Inc. for the Chrysler Corporation courts women drivers, demonstrating the power-steering capabilities of the New Yorker and DeSoto Firedome models using an extended cartoon animation segment featuring a boy who enlists the help of a magic steering genie to win a flying carpet race (TRT 13:46). Opening titles: "Chrysler Corporation Presents, The Gentle Touch" over a leaf falling into a pond. Credits: Story by Tom Byrnes; Directed by Wallace Fox; Photography by Al Gilks; Animation by Norman Wright; Editor William Minnerly (0:10). Animation lifts our gaze to a starry sky. Celestial bodies pass each other at close range, orbiting the sun. The moon circles the earth (0:43). Zoom on earth. A model sailboat is retrieved by a young boy. He adjusts the rudder and relaunches it (1:33). "Jimmy" is called by his mother from a Chrysler automobile. He asks to steer, but his request is denied (2:04). Closeup on the steering wheel. A 1953 Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe Newport. A 1953 DeSoto Firedome passes a slower car on the left (3:00). The New Yorker drives a rural road. Closeups on the grille and white walled tires, interior upholstery (3:22). "Aunt Alice" drives a crowned road with ease in the DeSoto. She takes an unpaved detour (3:57). The New Yorker drives a windswept gravel road. The tires leave, then regain the pavement (4:28). Handing smooth curves on a winding road (4:47). The steering wheel re-centers itself. The New Yorker in autumn (5:08). The Firedome parallel parks on an urban street. Jimmy’s mom stops and greets Aunt Alice. A date is made to discuss drapery material (5:41). Inside the car, Jimmy still wants to steer. He dozes off. Dissolve to animation (6:35). A cartoon boy outside "Bagdad Flying Carpet Sales Salon" advertising the "Latest Model Flying Carpet." Flying carpets pass overhead. Cartoon Jimmy kicks an oil lamp and a genie appears (6:58). The Genie grants a wish to steer a flying carpet. Jimmy isn’t familiar with carpet traffic laws (7:45). A flying carpet appears, complete with a steering wheel, which the genie turns from below with a firm grip. They fly away (8:24). They dodge a tower and enter an obstacle course (8:57). Sight gags: A wacky race of flying carpets takes shape (9:24). The cartoon carpets fly through the race (10:26). Jimmy takes a shortcut to the finish line. The steering genie winks (11:30). Arriving home, Jimmy awakes with a story about easy steering, but mom is unimpressed. Jimmy exclaims, "Mommy, you have a genie too!" Aunt Alice arrives (12:05). Title overlay: "The Gentle Touch, a Chrysler and DeSoto Presentation" (13:13). The first power-steering system for a production car debuted in 1951 with the Chrysler Imperial. This film helps to illustrate how quickly the concept caught on and spread through their main product line, as well as their DeSoto brand. To date, Chrysler has yet to unveil a flying carpet with a pre-installed genie. The DeSoto Firedome was a full-size automobile produced between 1952-59 by the DeSoto division of the Chrysler Corporation. The 1953 model heralded DeSoto's 25th Anniversary in 1953, and arrived as the new top series, displacing the Custom. Firedome prices started at US$2,740 and about 64,000 were produced. Animator Norman H. Wright was best known for his earlier work on the Nutcracker Suite segment in Disney’s "Fantasia" (1940), and as a sequence director for "Bambi" (1942). He later contributed to the "Magical World of Disney" television series.

Complete Record:

Transcription

[Music] astronomers say it's impossible to count all the millions of stars and planets and who knows what else swirling around in space and yet in spite of all the activity out there you seldom hear of those fellows bumping into each other take the moon for instance every 29 days or so it makes a complete revolution around the earth being an average distance of 239 000 miles and all the time this is going on the earth is going around the sun brother but doesn't it seem pretty repetitious same old left hand turn day after day year after year for my part i'll take more variety when i move around so let's get down to work where a fellow can change his course now now that's more like it to be able to make something go exactly where you want it to go this way one time that way the next time kids feel that way about making things go in different directions they've always felt that way jimmy oh jimmy we mustn't stay any longer dear it's getting late oh we'll come back again don't worry yup the fun of making something go exactly where you want it to go ask anybody who was young once what's the first thing a youngster says when he climbs into a car mom can i steer no dear steering an automobile is not for children i mean if i sat on your lap good night please when you've grown up then you can steer kids have been asking that question from the days of the first horseless carriage now here's a funny thing jimmy steering an automobile may not be for children as your mother says but with an automobile like this one or the one your aunt alice drives insofar as strength is concerned a child could do it but jimmy there's more to driving than steering and one day you'll have that experience let me tell you it's worth waiting for now for a minute let's watch your mother drive steering is easy for her you know why her car is equipped with an amazing new device that does nine tenths of the work of turning called full-time power steering a wonderful new unit is built right into the steering gear a light turn on the wheel and at the very instant she starts to turn this new device provides practically all of the power for turning the wheels this is steering that requires so little effort that women even smaller than your mother or your aunt alice can do it ever so easily this road and alice is driving on crowned road they call it because of the way it's humped up in the middle that hump makes you feel you might slide off to one side if you don't stay smack on top but her full-time power steering unit makes it easy for her to keep her car in a safe straight steady line [Music] those ruts don't seem to bother her either do they in strong crosswinds the lightest touch holds the car straight and steady without effort and on loose gravel or wet pavements and your mother doesn't have any trouble getting back on the concrete that's because every split second this amazing power mechanism is doing its job [Music] now watch your mother take these curves gee hardly more effort than you need to brush a fly off your forehead and the wheel swings back to center all by itself you know why it's called full time power steering and why that's so important it's because in these cars when you are turning it's working all the time from the instant you start to the instant you stop for a big turn or a little one and by so doing it makes it easier than ever to keep your car under control every second that's a wonderful new safety factor jimmy you should see how easily these cars handle in traffic too why with full-time power steering even parking is a breeze your mother and aunt alice never dreamed getting into a tight space could take so little effort you know jimmy this new kind of steering is something no one can really tell you about you have to feel it for yourself to know what it is it's so gentle and so easy alice hello well surprise hello jimmy hi ann alice why so glum he's put out because i won't let him be my chauffeur i can steer never mind jimmy you'll soon grow up drop by on your way home for a second will you the drapery material came this morning oh i'd love to see it don't forget i won't goodbye jimmy goodbye ann alice mom can i i mean wouldn't you let me ah never mind after you've grown up that'll be a hundred years [Music] up yes master who are you i am the powerful genie of the magic lamp yes master you released me therefore i am your friend and servant servant verily what is your will master well the the only thing in the world i really want to do is to steal our family's flying carpet my mother says i'm too little ah but do you understand the traffic laws traffic laws they are the rules which make it possible for us all to drive together happily and safely and of course if you don't learn the laws and obey them you're bound to get in trouble sooner or later but but i'd do my best of course you would [Music] but i'm not through helping you yet i'm going to provide the power for your steering it's still so easy that's because i'm doing most of the work let's go let's go let's go i knew i could steer you still helping indeed master every single second do you think that is could we enter however master i'd best streamline myself a bit hey are you still there verily i'll be working for you full time [Music] it's a great day for the race here in old baghdad and a tremendous crowd is beginning to gather spectators from everywhere are pouring into the city for this great exhibition of steering skill the colorful international sports carpet set is here to view the classic and likewise the jalopy crowd from the local high school is represented and of course the general public mr and mrs john q baghdad and now let's get right down into the pits where the actual contestants are busy tuning up their rugs and making last-minute adjustments is some of the carpets are even being souped up by the removal of the bridge and now here's an unusual entry with a lot of good points oh oh here comes hassan the racing voucher from ramcoon the heavy faith and there's alabama jimmy the youngest contestant ever to enter [Music] a hust settles over the great crowd it's a tense moment any second now and they're all it's a nice clean break from the gate and as they move into the first series of obstacles they spring out maneuvering proposition oh oh someone's in trouble already well in any exciting sporting event they're bound to be a few cloches and there goes the rapid roger confidently moving ahead but strangely enough alabama jimmy the dark horse moves right with him the crowd is going wild new chamber yes oaks is beginning to look like the raja and jimmy it's astounding what superb skill the others are outclassed and more and more of them are dropping out now the leaders are coming to the maze of minarets and it's filled the raja wait wait the course has been unexpectedly blocked they'll have to detour the roger's working hard he's jogging back and forth and now jimmy beats this unexpected obstacle but he's off again with a couple of easy turns now they're neck and neck as they climb for altitude look look they're coming into strong crosswinds and washboard clouds they both sunk into rats and the wind's flowing hard jimmy pulls up and out with unbelievable [Music] the winner [Music] this [Music] did you have a nice nap there mom is doing a car as much fun as steering a magic carpet well i don't know jimmy i've never steered a magic carpet well i have my mom you can turn the wheel real easy with one hand even when you're standing still you can dear with one hand easily like this oh like this [Music] that's it sure that's it that mommy you have a genie too [Music] [Music] you


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