DAD WAS A CADILLAC MAN

By: Cookie Curci

When Henry Ford created the automobile, he opened wide the floodgates of American enterprise. The manufacturing of automobiles soon became a competitor's market, with the Ford Company, General Motors and Chrysler Corporation all vying for the public's favor--and dollars.

In the 1940s, when I was a kid, it was Dad who purchased the family car, and he alone decided if he was going to be a Ford, Chrysler or GM man. For Dad, the decision was easy. He knew he was going to be a
Cadillac man, for life, the minute he slid behind the wheel of a sleek 1942 Caddie. The awesome body of this two-tone green coupe, detailed in chrome with a huge front grill, was too much car for Dad to resist.

While 1942 marked the year Dad purchased his first Cadillac America was also recording some "firsts." What later became Camp David was founded by President Roosevelt and named Shangri-la. Sad Sack cartoons
were created, Victory Gardens were planted and Bing Crosby crooned "White Christmas" for the very first time. Bandleader Glen Miller received a gold record for his recording of "Chattanooga Choo Choo,"
and tubeless tires were being tested.

Fashion trends of 1942 included padded shoulders, alligator shoes, frivolous hats and Betty Grable's hairstyle. In the World Series, it was the St. Louis Cardinals over the mighty New York Yankees, and a
wartime drama, Mrs. Miniver starring Greer Garson, won the Academy Award for "Best Motion Picture."

Maybe it was the war years that inspired guys like Dad to own the biggest, most durable car on the highway. Whatever the reason, the seemingly indestructible Cadillac was to become an American trademark
for sleekness, power and style during its automotive heyday.

In a time when a man's car personified his personality his choice of car was an all-important decision. Grandpa was a Chrysler man. He wouldn't own anything but a Plymouth, Dodge or Imperial model
Chrysler. Whenever Dad drove up in a new General Motors car, Grandpa would recite his favorite joke: "What time was it when the Cadillac passed the Ford?" Answer: "Tin pass tin!" Grandpa chuckled loudly
while Dad did a slow burn.

Like most car buyers of his day, Dad was a man who believed in tradition. If a product was good, you stuck with it, year after year. He was steadfast in this belief and drove only a Cadillac throughout
his adult life.

It was 1947 when Dad traded in his 1942 Cad for a new, larger model. With a growing family, he knew he'd be needing a bigger car. In late September, Dad took the entire family downtown to the Cadillac
dealership on First Street to check out the brand-new cars on the showroom floor.

It didn't take Dad long to spot his next car gleaming under the bright display lights. The luxurious auto, loaded with extras, sported an ornate hood ornament, flashy grill, sparkling hubcaps, thick whitewall tires, plus an impressive chrome spotlight. It was love at first sight for Dad, a love affair that would last for many years.

Back then, most of America could easily afford one of these grand automobiles. An average man's salary was $3,023 per year, and a brand- new Ford could be had for $900.

By 1955, the lavish Cadillac had become the latest in status symbols. This state-of-the-art car featured exaggerated tailfins, pushbutton- controlled windows and radio, automatic radio antenna, light dimmer
and even a driver's foot control button for the radio dial. Ornately chromed from top to bottom its torpedo-shaped bumpers protruded like sharp teeth from its broad grill. This 1955 version of the Cadillac, bearing its familiar crest and hood ornament, would rule the road in the 1950s and become America's dream car.

This model Cadillac fit right in with the flashiness of the 1950s: poodle skirts, rhinestones and rock & roll. Bright pink "Caddies" with jet-black leather interior were all the rage.

Yet, for his new car, Dad chose a subdued, baby-blue Coupe de Ville. And, no doubt about it, that car was Daddy's baby. He washed it and polished it to a high gloss, and each night tucked it away in the
garage.

Later, Dad would come to own several Cadillacs that sported those large trademark tailfins, but he always held a special place in his heart for that first uniquely fish-tailed Coupe de Ville.

By 1975, the Cadillac had slipped to fifth in popularity in the General Motors production line. Skyrocketing gas prices and long lines at the service station sent consumers shopping for small, economical cars. But Dad, undeterred by such concerns, became the proud owner of his last and most elaborate automobile, the ultra-deluxe Cadillac El Dorado.

Equipped with every new gismo and gadget from A through Z, this car had a radiant paint job gleamed and glittered under the lights like shimmering gold. Its all-leather upholstery was as soft and
comfortable as Dad's favorite cushioned armchair. With power steering, cruise control, and automatic light beams, Dad would often say, this car practically drove itself. But all these features weren't enough to sway the buying public away from the smaller car.

Dad's last Cadillac also marked the last of the super-sized Cadillacs. GM would begin trimming down its huge, rambling cars to accommodate the public's demand for smaller gas-saving models. In 1985, GM introduced the Saturn, designed to be a smaller, fuel-efficient car.

I'm sure GM's new line of cars are all of this and more. But I know if Dad were here today, he'd be sadly disappointed to see that today's compact cars are all the rage, more popular in many circles than his
beloved grand and glorious Cadillac.

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