Best of Kaiser Frazer Commercials | 1950-1954

[@albertwells8503]

They talked about being able to manufacture a safe, dependable low cost car. And making a car that most people could afford. Now days, car manufacturers don’t even mention low priced cars. All they care about is selling you a car you can’t afford. And most of them are junk that don’t last 2 years without a breakdown. Then you pay a fortune to get them fixed.

[@kfclub]

This is a good point!

[@rogerb5615]

Always liked the shape of the Kaiser windshield, with its curved top that peaked in the center. Unique!

[@kfclub]

I agree!

[@Greatdome99]

"Widow's Peak"

[@johnreitz5676]

Classic "Dutch" Darrin...

[@lancewalker1999]

The Darrin Dip

[@slicksnewonenow]

Imagine how well the company would have done, had they built the '51-'54 "big" cars to include a two door hardtop and a convertible model! And maybe bought-in a V8? That body style and the Raymond Lowey Studebaker design were miles ahead of the competition in the early Fifties... Both just absolutely beautiful cars.

[@kfclub]

If only the V8...

[@hugh007]

Sears sold the Henry J too. Called it the Allstate. Badge engineered, but it was K - F product

[@kfclub]

The Allstate was essentially a Henry J, but with a number of differences that included Allstate badges on the hood and rear deck, a more upscale interior of Saran plaid or occasionally leather or smooth vinyl, special hubcaps/wheel covers, horn buttons and instrument bezels, a locking glove box and trunk lid, special engine color (blue), custom armrests and sunvisors, revised door locks and keys, and special parking[1] and taillamp assemblies. Most notably, the Allstate featured a unique two-bar grille and jet-plane hood ornament designed by Alex Tremulis, who had come to Kaiser-Frazer from the Tucker Corporation.

[@hugh007]

@@kfclub Thanks

[@pdrphil8159]

My grandfather & my dad worked for Kaiser.

[@mediaconnect1070]

Did they like it?

[@kfclub]

Did that like it?

[@pdrphil8159]

@@kfclub They both retired from Kaiser... Yea, I suppose they did..

[@darylkik777]

I would never buy a Henry J because they are not well equipped. That is why I bought a new Sears Allstate model that I ordered. Now that is a classy car.

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

LOVE this video!!

[@privatepilot4064]

I worked with a guy at Honeywell Aerospace in Phoenix that had one of these. I’m pretty sure he was a member of the owners club too. He’s retired now. But he talked about it frequently. I worked with him on the Turbine Wheel Line.

[@orbyfan]

Rex Marshall, who appears just past the 4-minute mark, also did the Auto-Lite commercials for the "Suspense" TV series (1949-1954).

[@kfclub]

Wow thanks for pointing that out.

[@whalesong999]

Drove my step mom's '51 Kaiser 4 door all through high school and, honestly, didn't appreciate the use so much at the time. They were good looking, had a Continental 6 cylinder, flat head engine, nothing special there but was easy to work on (had to replace the head gasket once). My birth mom had a Henry J for a while and we used to take jaunts in it but I recall it being sorely balanced and over washboard surfaces, wanted to swap ends, took a mighty grip on the wheel and good reflexes to keep it out of the ditches.

[@onlyweknow2]

Nice Cars

[@Floridapickleballexpo]

Good ol’ times!

[@dlb3512]

I remember in the 50's they also produced a low-priced car marked un the name Henry J and also sold by Sears Roebuck named the Alstate.

[@greggweber9967]

I don't think the censors would have liked him shifting really close to one of them. You pick.

[@kfclub]

Ill pick the KF cars anyday!

[@johnreitz5676]

Frank Zappa hated the one his parents had... He mentioned it in a book he wrote.

[@errorsofmodernism7331]

Zappa was always complaining about something.

[@domenicv7962]

Too bad

[@kfclub]

Really never heard of that before? Did he mention it in an interview?

[@desertbob6835]

One of my friends had a '51 Manhattan with a 303 Olds 4 bbl and Hydra-Matic, a swap that Henry J himself wanted for his full sized cars, but Al Sloan nixed any chance of that, drawing the line at the Hydra-Matic. A Manhattan with a Continental 6 wasn't very lively. Kaiser developed a prototype V8 of their own, but by the time it was ready for production, Kaiser had already decided that fighting GM wasn't worth it, and sold the V8 to the new AMC, which put it to very good use.

[@JohnReitz-ps2ct]

The seat shown would struggle to hold even two of the Big Berthas we see today.

[@davesnothereman7250]

Cool commercials. Nothing like a Henry J with a straight front axle...nose high, big block or hemi with a blower, pizza cutters in the front and some fat baloneys out back. I've often wondered if the German name hurt sales in any way....right after WWII.

[@Chazd1949]

Yeah, Henry-J gassers, always a favorite at the drag strip!

[@kfclub]

It is not uncommon when talk about KF cars and people assume it is a German made car.

[@dave1956]

This is before my time, but my father told me years ago what junk these things were.

[@UncaDave]

I am 76 and remember this car as out neighbor had one, a Mrs. Helm, in Lordship, CT. It broke down a lot and we had to go get her and help. It was a great idea but something was amiss and I don’t know what, probably something with the engine. Dad thought the Crosely although much smaller was a more reliable compact car. After WWII Dad didn’t want anything small. My Mom even drove one of those big Buick Roadmaster convertibles. Dad liked the big Oldsmobiles like the 88, his last one was the Olds 98. Mom later had a Cadillac Coupe DeVille. She loved it but the thing was a land yacht for sure. Her last car was an Olds, a midsize car, maybe something called a Cierra. Can’t remember. Great video!

[@nephi5059]

Wow. 21 models. That's alot. Huge company that went bankrupt. As many others.

[@kfclub]

What's your favorite?

[@kenhenize8165]

I also loved the tucker torpedo too from the tucker factory and tucker the man and the dream too kh ilove watching that movie 🎥 too over and over too khoops the man and his dream too Preston tucker kh

[@kfclub]

Yes yes yes

[@johnreitz5676]

Never confuse the movie version of the Preston Tucker story with the truth.

[@alanolson6913]

In 1946-47 Kaiser truly made Ford,GM & Chrysler take notice. K-F had modern looking vehicles and better interiors than the “Big 3”. K-F was among the top manufacturers at the time when the others were offering warmed-over 1942 designs. But the others who had the money & factories to build more vehicles soon caught up and passed K-F.

[@kfclub]

Good point!

[@marc639]

1359 dollars for a car is less than a bicycle today

[@slicksnewonenow]

@Mar C Hiya Mar- Well, that original price comes out to about Fifteen Grand in "today's money", so I guess it was a pretty good deal... Then again, someone was lucky to make about $1,700 per year back at the time. I guess it's all relative, but the crazy prices that they charge for just about anything these days seems out of the question... Especially considering the lack of quality in most things.

[@kfclub]

How much was gas?

[@uslines]

I remember the Kaiser-Fraiser perhaps the first sub-compact American automobile. Early 1950's??

[@uslines]

...I mean't the Henry-J

[@gmamagillmore4812]

What about the Crosley.

[@uslines]

Wasn't the Crosly sold through the mail? I vaguely remember their adds in the back of Popular Mechanics magazine. But yes, there was the Crosly.

[@kfclub]

Crosley was a small, independent American manufacturer of subcompact cars, bordering on microcars. At first called the Crosley Corporation and later Crosley Motors Incorporated, the Cincinnati, Ohio, firm was active from 1939 to 1952, interrupted by World War II production. Their station wagons were the most popular model, but also offered were sedans, pickups, convertibles, a sports car, and even a tiny jeep-like vehicle. For export, the cars were badged Crosmobile.

[@whalesong999]

@@kfclub They had a most unique little overhead cam engine, very small, perhaps under 1 liter. IIRC, Homelite bought a version of the engine as an outboard for boats after Crosley went out of business.

[@SuperBullyone]

That is a better deal than a VW bug.

[@kfclub]

Yes it was!

[@Nomadcreations]

According to google Light weight was under 2500 lbs & Price then was near $3,000 then which equates to $33,000 nowdays, Pricey ...... & Most ALL Melted away to tin cans

[@kfclub]

Wow!

[@Nomadcreations]

@@kfclub Yes, How Could people Afford them, Accordingly? Rhetorical

[@keithammleter3824]

He said there were a total of 600,000 K-F cars on the roads. Wow - that's about 2 years' production of just one GM model. Total US car production in the early 1950's was about 6 million per year. The road life of an average car was about 10 years, so K-F's on-road total was about 1%. Most American car buyers would have known that, so it is a strange thing to put in an advert - it's kind of like saying "please buy our car because we can't sell the thing." If I remember rightly, the "Henry J" was a strange thing by American standards - built with government aid money with a tiny side valve engine and none of the worthwhile features like wind-up windows all round that you got with a Chevy or Ford for very little more cost. Because they were hard to sell, K-F added a turbocharger - presumably that was what the lady at the end was referring to.

[@American-Motors-Corporation]

Lol ford and GM got plenty of government money!

[@keithammleter3824]

@@American-Motors-Corporation : By selling the government vehicles and arnaments, though.

[@kfclub]

Wow good info!

[@moemcgovern7345]

I never heard of this.

[@kfclub]

Most have not! They are great cars to get because most people have not heard of them so it's great conversation!

[@domenicv7962]

Where do I sign?

[@kfclub]

www.kfclubmembers.com

[@Floridapickleballexpo]

Does any know the significance of the Buffalo?

[@kfclub]

Buffalo on the Kaiser badge is a representation of power and stability, the big and calm animal is a symbol of confidence and determination, and the image with the Buffalo facing left evokes a sense of reliability and protection, making the company's customers feel safe buying the Kaiser cars

[@kenhenize8165]

There was and old Keiser Frazer garage too up in shunk PA too in the town of shunk PA too kh oops kaiser not Keiser ok kh

[@n.mcneil4066]

I considered Kaiser & Frazer to be good cars but the Henry J, no.

[@kfclub]

Why not?

[@mcleanblades9234]

looks like a tesla

[@kfclub]

Better gas milage too 😂

[@jameschavez6400]

I already gave a frasier car I need a niles car🤣😎

[@kfclub]

What was that again?🤔

[@jameschavez6400]

Meant I had frasier Crane car Mercedes Benz need niles crane car Prius or whatever high end car niles would choose,I wasn’t born yet in 2850s