Mickey's Big Chance (1952)

Prelinger Archives Producer: Rockett (Frederick K.) Company Sponsor: American Automobile Association, Foundation for Traffic Safety

[@Modeltnick]

Great film! We could use some of these values today in this upside down world.

[@tombob671]

Gosh, that was swell!

[@bigstuff52]

Mickey's girl is a real looker...If I was her dad I'd be having a few words with that young man so as to head off any hanky-panky thank you very much..

[@CEOkiller]

Stay outta the back seat, kid!

[@georgemartin1436]

"What's that, Lassie? Mickey impregnated a girl, stole his brother's car, and fled to Las Vegas???!"

[@randy109]

In 1967/68 more Americans died in auto accidents than total US deaths in Vietnam war. When I was a kid we all had friends or relatives who died in Car Accidents. Cars and highways are way safer now than in the mid 1960's and most "accidents" are driver error, NOT accidents at all.

[@jeromecabral7464]

I like these classic films

[@johnhand871]

The scene they never showed. Where Mickey took the little cutie to the drive in theater.

[@jonmacdonald5345]

John Hand You know Mickey busted those cheeks in!

[@bbt5358]

😜😂😂😂

[@johna.4334]

@@jonmacdonald5345 Oh jeez!

[@CEOkiller]

And to the submarine races afterwards…

[@waynejohnson1304]

The average stopping distance today is around 190 to 200 feet from 60 MPH. In this film, it's 300 feet. Disc brakes and wider tires, I suspect, are responsible.

[@martinsliepins6225]

"its just a matter of time and practice". cant say better

[@sidneyhirst1925]

The kid is driving . The dog looks both ways. Lol

[@CEOkiller]

The dog looks scared shitless…

[@matrox]

LOL...the beginning credits show the dogs name is Lassie Jr.

[@fromthesidelines]

Which meant he was one of the original "Lassie's" offspring, owned and trained by Rudd Weatherwax.

[@PolizeiPaul]

I think the younger boy talking in this is the same boy from Anatomy Of An accident with David Wayne..He played Tommy and later dies of his injuries from the wreck.

[@02chevyguy]

I just wanted to slap the hell out of the self-righteous BITCH in that one. She caused the entire accident.

[@frankmartin1344]

Wish I could go back to those times....better times...at least we knew what bathroom to use!

[@buddywayne1]

Cool old video. Love old cars, thanks for posting.

[@Daren_PNW]

Great wholesome early educational films.

[@holretz1]

Oh, these nice old gasoline guzzlers...

[@wdmm94]

You mean like our modern tank pickups that everyone buys as a luxury car.

[@wildhorseu812]

At 15:14 Mickey runs a light. You can see the light turn red in the right hand corner of the screen before Mickey turns.

[@senorkaboom]

It is actually at 14:15.

[@johnhand871]

+wildhorseu812 That was me driving the 52 Nash that ran in front of him. Stupid kid hit the brakes before we could stage a good crash scene.

[@grantdunham335]

No, he was passed the stop strip and in the intersection when it changed to red. NOT GUILTY!!

[@redtra236]

He might have had a turn arrow if he did that light would be red.

[@bobbyheffley4955]

@@grantdunham335 if you are through an intersection and the light turns red, keep going.

[@monsterhobbiesonlinestore]

Still a good film. I have been driving for years...a lot of years...and this is the first time I ever thought of the "Safety Zone" extending out in front of the car based on the stopping distance. The faster you go, the longer that distance is. I wonder, with the new tires, how much the "Zone" has decreased.

[@101Volts]

+madcapromanian Not enough to stop some drivers from making mistakes whether or not they know they're making them; I've been tailgated a lot since I started driving in 2011. Perhaps they weren't all driving as closely as I think they were and I'm classifying some as "tailgating" where it wasn't too bad, but I literally thought it best to pull over on more than one occasion to let the tailgater past me; one time I did this on an interstate because it was so bad but first I put the four-way flashers on for a while before slowly slowing down and they still tailgated me for a while as I pulled off - they passed me but it was still quite close. Another time when I still had my learner's permit an older man (And I mean maybe in his 60s) passed me on a double-line around a bend; I was going 35 in a 55 zone. What can I say, I was young and new to driving.

[@waynejohnson1304]

The average stopping distance today is around 190 feet from 60 MPH. In this film, it's 300 feet. Disc brakes and wider tires, I suspect, are responsible.

[@monsterhobbiesonlinestore]

@@waynejohnson1304 Tires - The tires in 1952 are Bias Ply. Modern tires are Radials. The difference is in the way the tires are constructed. Bias Ply tires relied on strong sidewalls and the tread flexed. Radials rely on flexible sidewalls with a rigid tread. Radials have superior stopping characteristics because of this dynamic, hence the use of Bias Ply tires ended in the mid 1960's.

[@waynejohnson1304]

@@monsterhobbiesonlinestore Yes, I agree. When I wrote "wider tires", I meant the radials of today.

[@monsterhobbiesonlinestore]

@@waynejohnson1304 I own a 1972 Oldsmobile with Bias Belted tired and 4-way drum brakes. Although the Bias Belted are better than the Bias Ply, Radials are superior, even in a 4 drum situation.

[@jimervin387]

The producer must have decided to pull the hood off to make it easier to show what Mickey was doing. Otherwise it looks like little Mickey was in the process of hot rodding the old "48. And that wouldn't be too likely without a lot of help.

[@PintoPopProductions]

Nice job, Mickey. All the way around town in first gear!

[@marcfield582]

Ya did good, Mickey. Ya did good.

[@MikeLawson-cj4kt]

Nice to see one of these films that has a happy ending. So many others are informative but man are they depressing!

[@soumyadebsikder5047]

At that time there weren't anything like seat belts. Pretty lucky these days to have such equipment

[@mysticgeneie4668]

They are for pussies

[@matrox]

LOL The dog reminds me of my dog. As soon as you start doing some serious work she gets in your face and starts licking you.

[@senorkaboom]

Bill seems a little, ummmmm, eager to help Mickey, and not just for driving. Good to see Mick have Lassie around, in case Mick ends up in the well, again.

[@cadrolls]

I thought the same thing. He stared at his younger brother with incestreous lust in his eyes. I think he was a pervert!

[@randy109]

In 1952 men and boys could show fraternal Love with no idea what might appear homoerotic. The world was a better place in 1952 than it is now. Sad to watch a society fall by a thousand little cuts at its fabric. Each of those "cuts" appear harmless when viewed by themselves but our society is crumbling...

[@johna.4334]

Alright, alright. Keep the perverted thoughts to yourself.

[@phuk4549]

@@cadrolls yeah I think Bill wanted Mickey to have his babies.

[@EricJamesHanson]

...and that's Swell!

[@paulseabrook8179]

Same car that was in the first Karate Kid movie

[@endorsti7137]

Same exact car or same type of car

[@EldritchAnanke]

You can stop on a dime, however YOU are not the vehicle

[@postal_the_clown]

Thumbs up for the PE juice hog at 9:35. Last time I saw one was Xmas '63...And it looks like someone predicted the Studebaker Lark in the animation at 11:10..

[@TG-cp9jw]

Praise Jesus Mickey did a good job.

[@CEOkiller]

Good thing he let Jane help… she could be the next Veda Orr…

[@GTVAlfaMan]

Can anyone tell where this was filmed?

[@02chevyguy]

7:35 (building behind billboard) Daily Planet Building.

[@welchshahan714]

I cant tell the difference, is the car a 46, 47, or 48, Ford?

[@mauriciopinzongomez1114]

Ford Super Deluxe Club Convertible Coupe 1947

[@1960tpk]

what happened to the hood when he was cleaning plugs?:)

[@johnhand871]

It was real easy to pull the hood off those early Fords. If I remember correctly, it was just 4 bolts on the hood hinges in back. On the early Buicks, 1940s and early 50s, two people could remove the hood, no bolts. Those hoods would open from either side of the car, flip up left or right. Two people could undo the hood latches at the same time and lift the hoods right off. A side note: I drove across the desert on US 66 a few times, and it was a common sight to see Buick hoods left lying alongside the highway after the car had overheated and the driver took the hood off. Of course, later, in Los Angeles or wherever, they would be looking for a new hood.

[@ShakespeareCafe]

Instant Karma--- 5:40

[@trackpackgt877]

The kids still looks too young to drive looks like he's 12 what age did they let kids start driving back then? Anybody know is that 15 1/2 like now

[@caerynfitzpatrick8715]

That dog is looooooong dead now

[@richardrice40]

Wouldn't been easier to text each other?

[@sidneyhirst1925]

They must have had crappy brakes and tires back then... Those numbers seem a little off!

[@earlnut]

I drove a '41 Buick for about 10 years and those old cars are fine, but they don't react like modern cars do. People in those days gave the cars in front of them a wide berth because of it. Sometimes in old movies you'll see on the back of commercial vehicles a warning that they have air brakes, and you might not so don't follow closely. You really have to drive those cars, but with all their quirks and drawbacks, there is something about them that makes you look forward to going somewhere in them.

[@Northaxe]

this movie is actually later colored

[@richardrice40]

Driving a bicycle?

[@somersetdc]

I think mickey's voice should change before he's allowed to drive a car. Sounds like he's nine years old.

[@alphonsocarioti512]

Unfortunately, Bill got killed in Korea and Mickey dies in Vietnam.

[@phuk4549]

And their child died in Iran.

[@asteverino8569]

The boy had cool plaid flannel shirts.

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

Gee willikers

[@VintageVaughnVehiclces]

If I grew up in that segregated wonderful neighborhood I would have gotten a maroon or green Mercedes diesel. And a box full of spare Hood Stars.