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This great old promotional film from 1952 shows original hot rods in action all over Southern California—on the street, at the Santa Ana drag strip, and on the El Mirage dry lake. Don’t miss it!
We have to admit we don’t know a ton about this old film, preserved as part of the enormous Prelinger Archives in the Library of Congress. We know it was produced in Southern California circa 1952, stars two actual teenagers, Melvin Potts (stepson of speed equipment pioneer Earl Evans) and Thera Ward, and features a whole bunch of very cool early hot rods filmed doing their thing on the streets and at Santa Ana and El Mirage. Which makes the film priceless in our book.
It’s not hard to guess the movie’s original purpose: first, to encourage youngsters of the time to take their racing impulses off the highway and onto sanctioned racetracks; and next, to show civic authorities the wisdom in providing such facilities.
So the script is thin and the acting is implausible. Sure, like we care. We’re watching just for the priceless opportunity to see authentic, real-deal hot rods in their original element. It’s not long, only 12 minutes, but it sure is fun. Grab some Junior Mints and enjoy the movie.
