By Mike Sussman
I was home recuperating from a killer cold. I watched a 1946 movie of Dick Tracy. Dick was tracking down Cue Ball. A big tough bald guy. His trade mark kills are strangulation with a leather hat band. Naturally there were many car scenes. Dick and Pat drove a 1937(?) Buick side mount sedan. A hot suspect drove a Caddy (1946 ?)sedan. Cue Ball stole a 5 window coupe and a Taxi Cab. The Cab was interesting, it had a sliding sunroof for the back seat passengers. Yes there were parked cars as props in the back ground. Every car in that movie had black wall tires.
In one of Gene Autry’s movies all the cars had blackwalls. True there weren’t many cars in the movie, but the bad guys convertible sedan had them too. I did not know what year it was but in the movie they recited the Pledge of Allegiance and words “under God” were not in. That makes it pre 1954.
A number of years ago, I went to Captree State Park. In the pavilion were period photos of the park when it was opened in the fifties. Several photos were of a full parking lot. Almost every car had blackwall tires. Chevy’s, Fords, DeSotos, Pontiacs, a few Buicks. All with blackwall tires.
About the only place I don’t see blackwall tires is at a car show these days.