Dodge Motor Cars 1917

Описание: Production Company: Dodge Brothers Motors.

In the 1900s, John F. and Horace E. Dodge of Detroit became the major suppliers of drive trains to the Ford Motor Company. They achieved such a stellar reputation for quality that when they decided to manufacture their own automobiles, incorporating as the Dodge Brothers Motor Car Company in 1914, 13,000 dealers registered to sell the new vehicles before a single auto had been produced.

The first Dodge model, completed in November 1914, was an immediate success. It cost more than Ford’s Model T but was thoroughly tested and soon became known for its durability. The vehicles proved so reliable in the U.S. Army’s campaign against Pancho Villa in 1916 that the military ordered more, a PR coop that cemented Dodge’s reputation.

In 1916, the company created a film department to promote the Dodge brand. This film appears to be one of its first products. It shows the company’s assembly line in action, demonstrating to viewers the workmanship and care invested in each vehicle.

According to Automobile Topics (April 29, 1917), the company had initially released its films directly to movie houses but soon found it easier to reach prospective buyers through its own sales outlets.

Dodge not only provided the film but also sold projection equipment, “at a price that is exceeding moderate.” “The machine,” reported the same trade paper, “is entirely self-contained, looking very much like an enlarged suitcase, and may be operated anywhere without violation of the underwriters’ rules. When placed twelve or fifteen feet from a screen or white wall, it projects a picture about 12 x 15 inches that is absolutely distinct and remarkable steady.”