Movie of the Week: The Look of Things to Come (1953)

General Motors hit their absolute highest point of automotive styling between the early 50s and the mid 60s, in my opinion, when pure futuristic design drove every production decision. The cards were thrown down hard in 1953 as GM introduced the concept-come-to-life Chevrolet Corvette, Buick Skylark, Oldsmobile Fiesta, and Cadillac Eldorado all at the same time. These were models that were never going to make big money for the Studio, but rather make a statement about excitement, passion, and what was possible when pure styling lead the way. By 1955, Ford and Chrysler began the catch up, and had a few styling hits along the way, but in all honestly, GM was the transportation design milestone they were chasing. Here’s a General Motors film from that pivotal year of 1953 were they really explain the responsibility to create beauty in what a car designer creates. Just imagine if car manufacturers though this way today…