61044 1950s CHEVROLET PEDAL CAR DRIVER’S EDUCATION MOVIE “TOMORROW’S DRIVERS” JAMES STEWART

This 1954 black and white documentary film Tomorrows Drivers is presented by Chevrolet dealers (:07) and produced by Jam Handy Pictures (Jam was also a U.S. Olympic swimmer). It details an early education safety consciousness driving program aimed at kindergarten through third-grader students at Garfield Elementary School in Phoenix, Arizona. James (Jimmy) Stewart is the storyteller. Actors Charles Bernstein, Haskel Welch, and Thelma Bennett play roles. A group of six-year-old children shown standing in a classroom (:16) are now driving child-size peddle-push Chevys on a closed course of miniature roads, complete with road signs, as an experiment in driver’s education (:47-1:27). A traffic jam at an intersection is interrupted by the teacher (1:28-1:39), which is now duplicated by real Chevy cars on a real road (1:41-1:58). A mother drives a 1954 Chevy BelAir while taking her young daughter to Garfield Elementary runs a stop sign (2:00-2:19). Children play in the schoolyard (2:20) before sitting in an auditorium (2:43) to watch the program. First is a magic safety show performed by a police officer (2:52-3:19). Next, a game of musical chairs has been modified as they study traffic light signals (3:20-3:38). Outside the classroom, a group of first-graders and their teacher cross the street at the crosswalk (3:39-3:55). Classic scenes of a teacher seated up front with a small group of students while the rest are seated at their desks is shown (3:56-4:17). The children practice good driving skills with toy vehicles (4:18-4:55). Outside, Chevy has created this miniature driving course at the school, with cars that have real tires, headlights, and horns (4:57-5:10). A car mounted on blocks is called “The Phoenix Link Trainer” in which the student displays a knowledge of hand signals and how the car works (5:11-6:07). The Advanced Course is complete with traffic signals, crosswalks with pedestrians, and policemen, as the first-, second-, and third-grade children take turns being each one (6:12-6:37). Tickets are given to violators and driving privileges are suspended (6:38-6:53). By the time they enter fourth-grade, the children are well aware of the safety laws of being a driver and a pedestrian (6:54-7:30). The older children next move to bicycle safety (7:30-7:42). When they reach the age for the driver’s ed car, a 1954 Chevy BelAir 4-door, they’re already familiar with the rules of the road (7:43-8:06). Hot rod clubs are organized by the police and a race is shown between with a hot rod (8:06-8:40). An officer on a motorcycle pulls over a teenager, who then meets with the judge due to reckless driving in a Chevy BelAir (8:41-9:08). Phoenix has a “Attitude School” requiring ten hours of schooling by police, including a written examination. Scientific instruments explain depth perception and reaction time. School concludes with a ride in a patrol car before getting a license back (9:09-10:08). A well-dressed teenager escorts his date to the car before driving off (10:09-10:37). Adult driving habits also improved under the program to set better examples (10:38-10:58).

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