Let's Keep America Beautiful 1957. Classic cars, clueless drivers, litterbugs throw trash everywhere

Still see litter on the streets today? It's not like there were not promotions to stop litterbugs going way back to 1957 and before. The term litterbug was started in 1947. What's neat about this film are the cars and styles. Classic cars from the 1957 era...collector cars on the road we wish we had today. Street shots with all kinds of cars. Please call them out in the comments. See the men, and the women, who are trashing up the countryside clueless of the mess they are making. Wait until you see what the judge made a driver do when he threw trash out the window. Wonder if that would work today. A fleet of White 3000 trucks move the garbage. Warning: Messy people and children in this film! But, nice 50's fun too. Transferred from 16mm Kodachrome film.

[@CarsandCats]

Nothing on the ground in my neighborhood. And if I see it, I pick it up.

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

Oh jolly good show, but if there's nothing on the ground how can you see some??? And with respect its what you cant see that's the killer polluted air and contaminated ground water and my feet ...

[@MarinCipollina]

Give a hoot ! Don't pollute !

[@mohammedcohen]

...when I arrived in Germany 53 years ago in November 197,I was seriously impressed with the cleanliness of the country and of the efforts of the common German citizen in keeping it that way...a few weeks after I arrived I caught a ride with one of my new friends and saw a little old lady (who prolly witnessed BOTH World Wars sweeping the sidewalk...and street - in front of her house with a 'witch's broom' - made of twigs...that was an epiphany for me...throughout my next 2 years, 8 months & 26 days I NEVER saw trash ANYWHERE on streets or the ground...after I returned home in July, 1974 (5o years ago - I NEVER again tossed trash onto any street - or the ground ANYWHERE....I learned a lesson about not being an 'ugly' American...

[@tnate6004]

Narrator is Marvin Miller who was the longtime announcer for the radio program The Whistler, sponsored by Signal Oil. He also starred on TV's The Millionaire and later served as narrator for The FBI.

[@durandjohnson1321]

This was filmed mostly in Washington State!

[@user-gu1jk4qn6b]

I used to smoke, and even then, I never left butts , behind me. I stopped smoking, 11 years ago, but Never stopped caring about the mess left behind me. I was 6, when I saw this, in 1961. I started to pay attention. I was child #5, and if we stopped at a picnic table, I took it upon myself, to pick up after my older siblings.

[@johngroll9186]

Fines are a very good deterrent, like a $300 fine for throwing out a hamburger wrap or perhaps 6 months in Jail. That was what I was faced with (did pay a $50 fine)

[@FrankButterfield]

I'm in my late 50s and the trash on the side of the road and pretty much everywhere is not nearly as visible as I remember it being when I was a kid when it was common to find trash in pretty much every park we went to. And we no longer burn trash which used to be common. In the USA, we've generally improved on that score.

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

Dupont totally agrees with you we are so clean .. .🐃💩

[@jimlubinski4731]

This is a great message and unfortunately something that continues. Although this film was made in the late 50's, it would be good to have it aired on the networks again now.

[@MoviecraftInc]

Agreed!

[@MarinCipollina]

Our cars were much cooler then

[@jimlubinski4731]

@@MarinCipollina Absolutely!

[@Aztec73]

Since this was filmed Things have improved In some places of our country And in other places have become worse.

[@frankwafer6919]

😐☹😢💯👍Keep our green Clean!❤

[@KCCardCo]

Look how different 1957 is to 1970. How 13 years makes a noticeable difference.

[@wkat950]

The "Pitch In" movement was hot and heavy in the Seventies. I put a decal on my bedroom window (it's still there) at the old house when I was eight. I remember the green and white decal. I also remember the film that was shown to us that starred Jonathan Winters.

[@ernestcruz6316]

Great message. The guy in the thumbnail with the pack of smokes looked like the typical angry American of the time with his "I don't litter...unless there isn't a trash container around...or if I just don't have the time... I'm a busy guy ya know!"

[@Oldbmwr100rs]

More like "I'm a smoker, like everyone else, what am I supposed to do? Besides, cigarette butts are hardly littler".

[@ernestcruz6316]

@@Oldbmwr100rs If I remember right, it wasn't a cigarette butt he tossed. It was an empty pack.

[@Oldbmwr100rs]

@@ernestcruz6316 It was, but for ages smokers felt that they do nothing wrong, that pack is just a small thing too, besides, everyone smokes, right?

[@oldschool1993]

Littering was commonplace in the 1950's as people now had automobiles and a new highway system to travel and had not yet understood that that little sack of trash they tossed out the window would add up as millions just like them were doing the same. I was in middle school in 1959 and my uncle owned a couple of drive -in restaurants. He paid me 25 cents to go and pick up the trash from his parking lot each morning before school. I got 50 cents for Saturday and Sunday because in those days people would eat in their cars and then just toss the trash out the window before driving away. By the mid sixties, the anti littering campaign had educated all but 13% of the population, so it was no longer necessary to clean up each morning. However, today we are importing people who are taking us back to those glorious littering days of the 50's.

[@user-tk2dg7ij8o]

They are worse today

[@dave1956]

I have never been one to litter and find it offensive when I see someone do it.

[@MrCtsSteve]

Wasn't it Lady Bird Johnson that had that beautify America's freeways program?

[@-oiiio-3993]

True now as then.

[@rickloera9468]

Why anyone would litter is beyond me. My mother in law was a huge litterbug. I taught my kids not to be like her. To this day, they even stack the plates at the restaurant table to make it easier for the busboy to gather the plates.

[@-oiiio-3993]

05:37 - 1955 Ford Ranch Wagon. My first car was a '56 with 312 'Thunderbird Y-8'.

[@ranstan814]

Make America great again

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

Don't vote for Humpty Trumpty..

[@user-wo8uz5uw4t]

Great answer don't vote for Trump!​@@johnathandaviddunster38

[@paulhelman2376]

see picnic sequence in " It's A Gift".

[@PolymathCrowsbane]

What's all this about not being a jitterbug? Dancing is good exercise.

[@MoviecraftInc]

Ahem....Litterbug...unless it's doing the jitterbug, I guess...

[@PolymathCrowsbane]

@@MoviecraftInc Oh...never mind!

[@allenwayne2033]

@@PolymathCrowsbane Ha! Good one!

[@lencortigiano1450]

Looks like pre-eruption Mt. St. Helens at :58 mark.

[@forestghost7]

Yep, back when it was pretty as Mt Fuji, nice to see it again 😊 shame what happened but nothing is forever (except my 2 classic cars ❤😂)

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

Create employment litter ....

[@MrCtsSteve]

Don't be a litter bug 🐛

[@Famous-Potatoes]

Looks like the southern border. Oregonians dumping in Idaho again.

[@kjnest]

No other other excuses other than they are bums!

[@DanKirchner5150]

tee hee HEE.......

[@Madness832]

So, propaganda film from a now-defunct oil company?🤔

[@MoviecraftInc]

The message would not be considered propaganda, but factual truths.

[@johnathandaviddunster38]

This video is a load of rubbish....

[@kathleenking47]

Looks like homeless was there

[@glennso47]

Literally.

[@freelonmorris3659]

Its dissapointing that people throw thier trash out of their cars.I pick up litter every day and my neighbors and their kids do too