Comments on: The Thrill Of Being Airborne

The Thrill Of Being Airborne

The Whelk — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 21:12:02 -0800

A 1955 TWA promotional movie about vacationing in the glittering metropolios - SKYLINE NEW YORK!

By: pjern

pjern — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 22:38:54 -0800

This American Airways promo from 1933 is fairly stunning, not only for the casual sexism and racism it exhibits, but the actual gushing over the features of the Curtiss Condor.

By: islander

islander — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 01:15:30 -0800

The same outfit, Dudley Pictures, that produced the TWA promo also did a travelogue of London. Not sure if the intrepid Sally and Francis got that far though.

By: caddis

caddis — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 04:35:06 -0800

NYC remains just as magical and wonderful half a century later.

By: Benny Andajetz

Benny Andajetz — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 05:31:46 -0800

As someone who is 6-4, seeing that much legroom on a plane does nothing but piss me off.

By: spitbull

spitbull — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 05:42:20 -0800

The legroom was my big takeaway too. And that poor sad polar bear in a little cage. TFA FTW.

By: leotrotsky

leotrotsky — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 05:45:37 -0800

Flying coast to coast is only 8 hours!

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 06:52:12 -0800

There's like 5 minutes devoted to FDR drive. Thanks 1950s you continue to be the worst decade in history.

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 06:55:23 -0800

Lol one mention of Brooklyn as they're gazing at the manhattan skyline A muttered "Brooklyn is in the distance."

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 06:57:25 -0800

Bill Gray is a creep.

By: mazola

mazola — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 07:37:47 -0800

Meal service on a plane?!?

By: randomkeystrike

randomkeystrike — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 08:24:03 -0800

Flying coast to coast is only 8 hours! And now, thanks to jet service, the TSA, and airline scheduling, it only takes 12!

By: randomkeystrike

randomkeystrike — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 08:34:06 -0800

Bill Gray is a creep. Hey now, it took him slightly over half the video to ditch his sister on these "sightseeing" expeditions...

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 08:43:25 -0800

The 1933 film is superior as a work of art to the 1955 film. It looks like Hollywood talent not just corporate PR. Decent actors, good script, good sets. As context, prior to Lindbergh's 1927 flight across the Atlantic, the US had an almost non-existence passenger airline industry. He single-handily stoked American popular interest in commercial flight. It was a mania really. The 1933 film is a direct heir of Lindbergh.

By: ROU_Xenophobe

ROU_Xenophobe — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 08:54:05 -0800

As someone who is 6-4, seeing that much legroom on a plane does nothing but piss me off. You could get a lot more legroom if you were willing to pay 1955 ticket prices. An LA-New York round trip looks like it would cost somewhere north of $2000 in 2013 dollars, or about double what a first-class ticket costs today.

By: languagehat

languagehat — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 08:57:23 -0800

That was a nostalgic thrill. I was in NYC for a visit as a kid just a few years after this was made, and moved there at the start of the '80s; it's amazing how much was still the same after a few decades. Baseball notes: interesting that Bill said "the Yankee Stadium"; very unnatural to say "playing one of their rivals"—in real life you'd name the team. (I suppose if one examined the clip closely one could figure out which team it was.) Thanks for the post!

By: TrialByMedia

TrialByMedia — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 10:42:35 -0800

I'm feeling a strong urge to conform to societal norms.

By: Potomac Avenue

Potomac Avenue — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 12:05:01 -0800

90% sure I caught some Orioles orange there. Also MSG and no Knicks. Lol white people.

By: crapmatic

crapmatic — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 14:32:56 -0800

Not sure whether travelfilmarchive is putting the timecode stamp on there as a watermark or they don't know how to switch it off on their videotape machine. Great videos, but the TCR thing is distracting. An LA-New York round trip looks like it would cost somewhere north of $2000 in 2013 dollars, or about double what a first-class ticket costs today. On the other hand, in terms of the service and amenities you get today, it's about even. I actually paid first class a few years ago flying domestic on Delta and would not do it again.

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 14:50:16 -0800

Yea but Delta is like literally the worst large US airline ever.

By: Morrigan

Morrigan — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 15:15:59 -0800

At 3:07, Fran writes out a postcard on top of her laptop.

By: vac2003

vac2003 — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 19:29:15 -0800

At 3:07, Fran writes out a postcard on top of her laptop. The Fifties version of live tweeting.

By: La Cieca

La Cieca — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 22:43:10 -0800

I was totally thrown for a curve when it turned out that Sally and Fran were not lovers.

By: La Cieca

La Cieca — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 22:49:56 -0800

Okay, wait. When Bill is waiting to meet Sally at Idlewild, he is standing underneath a clock that reads 12:00 and it's bright sunlight outside, i.e., noon. That means Sally and Fran must have flown out of LA or wherever at midnight local time, right, if it's an eight hour flight?

By: The Whelk

The Whelk — Sat, 23 Nov 2013 23:03:10 -0800

Sally and Fran are Vampires and the big apple is a feast compared to their small western town.

By: morganw

morganw — Sun, 24 Nov 2013 10:34:41 -0800

> This American Airways promo yt from 1933 is fairly stunning for the narration that sounds like lyrics of a Cake song The businessman uses the telephone [1:33] And the grave-digger puts on the forceps The stone mason does all the work The barber can give you a haircut The carpenter can take you out to lunch At the other end of your telephone, you'll find a trained staff of employees that'll make you glad you're flying American

By: telstar

telstar — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 15:29:21 -0800

Eight hour flight and these girls arrive fresh? I suspect "pep pills".