in the hollywood trip episodes, they buy a pontiac and make a big deal of how quiet the engine is and how nice it rides they make it sound like its a rolls, this was before my time, were pontiacs really that fancy????
sharePontiac was the step-up from Chevrolet and before Oldsmobile/Buick. They were solid/smooth. GM gave that one to Desilu as a really big product placement.
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Guacamole in my choos
As posted was a mid range GM make set between Chevrolet and Oldsmobile. Like many GM cars of the 1950s, 60s and 70s the price of the car could be increased dramatically with options so a Pontiac could be the same price as a higher end make. Also Pontiac was a sponsor of ILL and provided Desliu w/vehicles during the sponsorship. Ford became a sponsor in the later episodes.
shareYeah, that car was an almost TOO obvious product placement. Somehow they wove in the Phillips & Morris cigarettes more discreetly.
There's some thing about Lucy talking about the Q-Tip---I think in the latter episodes. That one too kind of sticks out, but nothing like the "Pontiac convertible!".
But it was no Cadillac.
shareI believe the most direct answer to your question hifi, is "No. They were a low-end auto, next to lowest in the GM line of makes. It seemed awkward to hear them raving about it, as you say, like it was a Rolls. Of course, the characters could have naturally raved about the "car" in the same way since none of them were used to owning a car. But the way they went on talking about the Pontiac always sounded weird to me, too.
On the other hand, it was nice that they identified a make rather than the way most shows avoid mentioning or showing any particular brand.
Why don't we just shoot 'em down and be through with it?
I think initially Lucy was clamoring for a Cadillac convertible. Then Fred brought back that old Cadillac that was (literally) falling apart. I wonder if that was Pontiac's snarky way to increase its image. Would GM let such dirty advertising campaigns happen among its sister companies?
share