Live Better Electrically

[112561]

I think you'll get a charge out of this! (no pun intended)
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[appliguy]

Alan

This parody was done by a man named Paul Wilson of Arizona. He plays each one of the characters in this video and they are known as the Kimble family. Here is a video that his local news show did about his house.....PAT COFFEY

CrashingCrockery

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[appliguy]

Oh and here is another video of the Kimble family that is a

Boring Kimble Family Home Movies 1945-1963 (thats the actual title of the video not my discrpition)..PAT COFFEY

CrashingCrockery

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[112561]

See what living in Phoenix has done to this man

I had to subscribe to his channel! He's the absolute most!! Thanks for the other links!

On the way home from the Fort Pierce Goodwill today, I saw a Frigidaire Turquoise 1958 Chevrolet Bel Air four door sedan, with '58 Impala flipper wheelcovers!

 

[passatdoc]

I remember the original ads for all-electric Medallion homes

Builders were encouraged (paid off?) by electric utilities to put in all electric homes, with no gas lines. My parents live in one such home built 1972. Homes that participated in the "medallion" program had a "better living through electricity" medallion affixed to the home near the front door, and many utilities extended a 10-15% discount on the monthly electric bill to all-electric homes. I remember my parents saying that the 10% discount ended shortly before they purchased their current home, so they never reaped the benefits. But those who bought in the 1960s did.

I should add that electric bills used to be rather low, what people worried about was the PHONE bill, due to high long distance and "local long distance" charges. Until the 1973 energy crisis, I never heard anyone talk about turning out the lights when you weren't using a room, etc.

 

[hydralique]

112561,

Yeah, great videos, didn't know of them before so am glad you posted this!
​
​FYI, those dual lens turn signal pods on the grille of the '58 Chevy were inspired by the twin engine nacelles on the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress. The B-52 first flew in '52, but went into service with the USAF in '55 around when the '58 Chevy was being designed, and all those designers just loved anything to do with jet aircraft. It's mind blowing to think that while the '58 Chevy is now a rare collectible the B-52 is still a prime component of the USAF arsenal, not because there aren't newer bombers in the fleet, but because there is still not a better aircraft for many missions. The last B-52 was built in '62, but the remaining operable planes have been updated and improved through the years with better electronics and such, one might view them as the flying equivalent of Robert's Super Unimatic in that some superior old-tech is combined with the latest in computer control!

 

[appnut]

58 Chevy

If I'm not mistaken, the 58 Chevys were the ones which gained the reputation of having the horrible planned built-inobsolescence accusation. I think the economy was in a downturn and coupled with the reliability reputation, I think that's why there are so few of them now. I don't remember seeing all that many of them when I was little. I remember seeing far more 57, 59, and 60 models.

 

[appnut]

The house across the street was a Reddy-Killo-Watt Gold Medallion home, also in the parade of homes for Houston that spring, as was ours, before we moved in. I did have a gas line for the dryer (her 57 Frog-Eyed Kenmo dryer) as well as the fireplace had a gas line to start the wood burning. I think the house included an electric water heater. There was also a heatpump for the climate control of the house. The kitchen had sea-foam green Westinghouse appliances and NuTon vent. The cooktop & vent are still in use today and I know the Westy garbage disposal lasted for decades. The rollout dishwasher had the heat-boost switch on the front panel.

 

[hydralique]

PasastDoc,

I remember all the publicity surrounding the Medallion programs, and then how having an all-electric home became a real disadvantage during the mid-'70s energy crises. Most that I know of have been piped for gas and now have the usual gas rangetop, water heater, and furnace.
​
​I have a buddy who's a general contractor and lives in a nice condo complex in Brentwood. One day we were walking around the complex and I spied the Medallion logo imprinted into a concrete walkway near his unit. My friend grew up in Ireland so had never heard of Medallion all-electric homes, and had wondered for years what that little stamp was!

 

[112561]

Chevrolet design

That's a fascinating bit of information on the 1958 line. It wouldn't surprise me for a minute if they really did plan more obsolescence in that model. That, with many historians and people of the time that thought '58 General Motors cars were grotesque, a belief I don't share. Chrysler Corporation, at least in 1957 and '58 had an across the board rust, fit and finish problem.

Texas seemed to produce thousands of beautiful homes in their communities in the 1950s, and before, after. From attractive ranch styles to drop dead gorgeous Mid Century Modern one offs.

 

[pulltostart]

Obsolete?

It's my understanding that in 1958 GM officially introduced the "planned obsolescence" policy across the board. Such a shame! Especially considering that was also the corporation's 50th year.

Re: Being an Air Force kid, IMHO, the B-52 remains to this day the most-awesome aircraft AND the most-beautiful aircraft to every fly. There was a SAC component at Seymour Johnson AFB when we lived there and so the B-52's flew in and out all the time. Absolutely breath-taking machines.

Lawrence

 

[appliguy]

Actually Appnut, the 1958's were just supposed to be fre

when a GM designer got a look at the new for 1957 Chryhsler products sitting in the Chrysler plants holding yard in Hammtramck Michigan in late 1956 he rushed back to GM and told the styling department what he had seen. The next day a bunch of the other designers went out to Hammtramck and stood staring through the fence at the new 1957 Chrysler Corp cars. They then rushed to redesign the 1959's to look the way we know them to look. That is why cars like the 1959 Impala Sport Coupe have thin roof lines akin to what Plymouth had in 1957. Of course this was all done when Harley Earl was in Europe and without his knowledge. When Earl got back and saw the dramatic redesign that had gone on in his absence, he knew the hand writing was on the wall and that his time had come and gone so he decided to retire. The 1958 GM designs were not supposed to be a one shot but for the above reason they became so. Appnut you also speak of reliability problems with the 1958 Chevy. What reliability problems did the 1958 Chevy have? I have known people that have had them and they are quite reliable....they also have better rust protection then any 1958 Chrysler products which are just as hard if not harder to come by these days. Of course you are going to see less 1958 Chevys than 57's, 59's, or 60's but that is more to do with the Eisenhower recession than reliability. With the exception of the new 348 CID V8 and the three speed Turboglide Automatic all the driveline mechanicals were held over from 57 if I am not mistaken....PAT COFFEY

 

[112561]

Feast your eyes...........

My favorite '50s Oldsmobile! I had a Dynamic 88 briefly, that was fun.
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[112561]

Forward Look '59

From Chrysler Corporation!! If the uncut DVD of this whole program exists, like the original 1958 color videotape still does, I've got to get it!
(rerun from other threads, for those who haven't seen it)
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[cadman]

I can't think of anything that would have made the '58 GM's "more obsolete" or mechanically inferior to anything else on the road at the time. They were panned for poor brakes and to some eyes, the styling too baroque, but that's about it. Don't forget the Eisenhower recession was also in full swing.

 

[dirtybuck]

What I liked about the '58 Chevy can be described in one word...BIG!

What I didn't like about the '55-'57 Chevy's (AKA THE HOT ONES)...the '56 didn't seem to grasp the attention like the '55 and '57 did. But to me, I thought it was a much better looking car.

Here's a link to one of the most famous and favorite '58 Chevy's in all of movie land. Steve Bolander's from "American Graffiti".

The REAL “American Graffiti” ’58 Impala – xFrameChevy.com

 

[dirtybuck]

Miss Dinah Shore

Was anybody on here lucky enough to get a '58 Chevy for Christmas in 1957?

 

[whirlcool]

 From what I remember, everyone loved the 57' Chevy, it was considered a very good year.
 I don't think the public was enarmoured with the styling of the 58' Chevy. It was too radical a departure from the 57's for most peoples taste. It was also lowered more than the 57's were. Usually car styling was a mild evolution from year to year, but the 58' was like a major redesign. I didn't think anything of it until I saw an Impala Sports Convertible down the street with the three tone interior. Now THAT was something to behold. My dad had a 58' Chevy Del Rey for about a year. He never did like it for some reason.

Now when the 59's came out, I remember people laughing at it. It looked like some kind of martian vehicle. A lot of people thought it was just strange. But when they toned the styling down for the 1960 model, it sold better.

Ah, the cars of the "Atomic Age".

 

[112561]

In June of 1962 Daddy traded our black '51 Mercury club coupe for a mint green '57 Chevy 210, with absolutely nothing on it, strictly three on the tree and six cylinder. Mom cried her eyes out over the Mercury, they had it in Japan and Okinawa, where it took me to my first home after I was born. A few months later after the Chevy purchase, Daddy was at a gas station where the attendant identified it as his old car, and that apparently the mileage had been turned back at Merkle Motors, the Mercury dealer where it ended up.