Supermarket Drive-In

Fred McNabb illustrated an idealistic series of futuristic concepts for the New Departure Manufacturing Company, founded in Bristol, Connecticut by innovators Albert and Edward Rockwell in 1901. By the way, Albert was also the founder of the Yellow Taxicab Company of New York. New Departure later became a division of General Motors. 

The above 1956 illustration seems to have numerous details that are mystifying, at the very least, like the conveyor belt for sending out groceries on a rainy day. I cannot imagine this concept succeeding east of the Rocky Mountains in the winter. Plus loading the preferred brands one is there to purchase. They did seem to envision the drivers' ability to open the trunk from inside the 1959 models, however. Not being able to comprehend there will be more than seven shoppers at a time is a huge oversight. Let alone the idling cars behind as if at a McDonald's drive-up window. Optimistically, perhaps these were the "express lanes" when shopping for no more than twenty items. One had to shop inside the store for a full shopping experience. Without ever knowing it, it seems the bazaar illustration was heading in the right direction regarding "remote" buying. What McNabb and New Departure could not have possibly envisioned was the Internet. Or shutting down the economy in 2020. Shopping without ever meeting any live person has become common for those who experience "life" via a Smartphone.

See McNabb's full-page ads here.

Infuriating Infrastructure

The Interstate Highway System, officially known as the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, was so named because the President signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. Its intent was to make travel safer with efficient routes, eliminate traffic jams, and speedy, safe transcontinental travel. Idealistic ideas for mid-century travel. The all-freeway system was designed with nationally unified standards for construction and signage. The money for the Interstate System was handled in a Highway Trust Fund that paid for 90 percent of highway construction costs with the states required to pay the remaining 10 percent. The eventual payments, however, were through higher taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel. Something Eisenhower wanted to avoid.

Generally patterned after the Autobahn system in Germany, General Eisenhower noted their efficient use during World War II. The original intent was to speed around cities, not through them, for quick transportation of military equipment in the event of a conventional or nuclear war. Local politicians and individual state movers and shakers, however, began slicing through inner cities disregarding any historical significance in the name of progress. In this regard, this 1960 illustration predicted things fairly accurately. Never mind the Disney mono-rail.

The Sixty-Six Year Old Whopper

In 1953, Keith Kramer and Matthew Burns bought the rights to a special grill machine called the Insta-Broiler and named their restaurant Insta-Burger King. James McLamore and David Edgerton purchased one Insta-Burger in 1954, renamed it Burger King, and opened the first restaurant in Jacksonville, Florida. The duo came up with a gas grill that they called a "flame broiler," and eliminated the problems of the Insta-Broiler. The Burger King mascot was created in 1955 and the driver of that 1957 Pontiac (above) may have ordered a new Whopper for the first time. A full chronological history here including the origins of Mr. McLamore.

Frank Bullitt

Appropriate praise has been placed on the ground-breaking chase scene within the film Bullitt (1968). Amazing considering its brief screen time, but the film seems made up of gravitating brief moments. Lalo Schifrin’s jazzy “cat and mouse” score to set up the chase—as well as his main theme—carries just as much impact. Beyond this presumed “car guy film,” Steve McQueen is at his apex in a role perfectly suited for his subtleties. A strong "reactor" beyond "actor." One particular scene has Bullitt returning to the hotel where a contract killing took place. There is no dialogue. No music. Only the sound of highway traffic coming through an open window. Contemplating how the murder could have happened, his minute expressions, eye movements and body language make this seemingly dull scene very powerful. Another defining element concerns his co-star, Robert Vaughn, in a hospital communication station. Foretelling the tension coming in the famous chase, the two characters come to terms. They do not like each other. Bullitt’s tolerance reaches its end with the self-aggrandizing Chalmers. “You work your side of the street, I’ll work mine.” It is a beautiful “un-acted” moment, making it overwhelmingly realistic. A quality that sums up the entire film.

Note: The capture above is the spark that ignites the car chase.

Longevity of Design

Saul Bass (1920-1996) was an American graphic designer and Oscar-winning filmmaker, best known for his design of motion-picture title sequences, film posters, and corporate logos. During his 40-year career, he worked for some of Hollywood's most prominent filmmakers. His iconic title sequences for Man with the Golden Arm (1955), North by Northwest (1959), Vertigo (1958), working with John Whitney, and Psycho (1960). Bass used a variety of techniques, from cut-out animation for Anatomy of a Murder (1958) to fully animated mini-movies. As a graphic designer, Bass designed some of the most iconic corporate logos in North America, including Geffen Records, the 1968 Continental Airlines jet stream logo, United Airlines' 1974 stylized "UA" as a tulip logo, the 1972 Warner Bros. "Big W" logo, and AT&T Corporation's first globe logo in 1983. 

Some additional samples of Saul Bass's designs here.