Bowery Boogie unearthed two promotional videos?one from the 1940s (above) and another from the 70s?that encourage people to ride the subway. Their selling points are hilariously dated, like the ability to "travel to most points in the city, quicker and cheaper than by any other way." Well, duh. Observe the lack of minority straphangers, as well as quick glimpses of not just of the platforms and turnstiles of the day but also inside an old-school car and tunnel. Notable absences: homeless people; buskers; breakdancers; kids selling M&Ms.
Fast-forward 30 years or so to witness a barrage of well-dressed and well-coiffed passengers filing into a station in a surprisingly orderly fashion. That's right, no one is jumping the turnstile or throwing themselves onto the tracks or doing skateboard tricks over the third rail. Somehow, these PSA makers managed to muffle the unattractive train-screeching-to-a-stop noise under a narrator's calm, reasoned, and hyberbolic assessment of this safe mode of transportation. You'll get "swept along on an endless tide of humanity," "moving along at an exciting tempo," and find yourself in the middle of "a modern concerto?ever the same, ever-changing. Moving. Exciting. Always something new. Pleasurable. Memorable." (Lots. Of. Dramatic. Pauses.) Also, apparently train drivers back then wore suits. Swanky.
· Subway Hype Videos from the 1940s and 1970s [VIDEO] [Bowery Boogie]
· All Video Interlude posts [Curbed]
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