If you’re like us, whenever we see an old movie, the footage of street scenes, cars, buildings and people usually compete with the plot of the movie. Take a ten minute coffee break and have a look at this Chrysler Corporation traffic safety film from the mid-thirties. The old celluloid comes to us from Prelinger Archives via Hemming Motor News.

Produced by “Wilding Films, Detroit–Chicago” it has all the hallmarks of old school, black and white films of the era. A jaunty musical score and old radio style announcer are good fun but the cars and the evolution of the automobile are a great barometer of how far we’ve come and how nothing’s really changed. From crazy drivers to slow poke road hogs that won’t surrender their lane, all the annoyances of modern driving are present and accounted for even in the mid-thirties.

What an assortment of cars, trains and motorcycles! Obviously, Chrysler cars (mostly ’36 and ’37 Plymouths) are used in the majority of the shots, but a two car collision happens with what looks like a pair of 1932 Chevrolets. Don’t miss “Officer Friendly’s” cool old cop uniform and police-spec 1934-’36 Harley-Davidson VLD flathead. A funny bit with a slow poke driver with a hogs head (aka J. Road Hog) driving a 1934 LaSalle convertible with one year only bi-plane bumpers. The bad guys always seem to be in non-Mopar cars.

There is great footage of the Indy 500 with no roll bars or helmets and towards the end is some funny safety testing footage with Plymouth sedans being thrashed over railroad ties and going airborne. There’s even some vintage Chrysler factory footage as well.

Sit back and forget about modern lozenge shaped cars and the worries of your day and turn the dial back to a cooler time. Enjoy.