Monday Commercial Break

Here's Lee Iacocca's last ride, a final round of commercials and car innovations:

He's leaving but  Chrysler and America are back. 

The commercial feels like 1992 to us.

By the way, those special affects were a pretty big deal in 1992.

Friday Commercial Break

Here's Iacocca in 1992. You can tell Chrysler and the country is changing. 

They're blowing up the old factories and building a billion dollar 'technology center' a combination of words we are sure did not exist in 1978.

There's a ton of symbolism in that.

The company is back, and so is America.

We've come a long way from the bailout.

What else can I tell ya?

That's what Lee Iacocca told congress.

Here's his 1978 testimonry before the House, asking for a Federal bailout.

A microcosm, Chrysler was that big. 

So was America, racked by oil shocks, stagflation, economic competition from Asia and a crisis of confidence after Vietnam and in the face of communist advances.

'I need your assistance now and I need a vote of confidence.'

Iacocca simply had nowhere else to turn and went to congress hat in hand.

The bailout was about a lot more than cars.

Wednesday Commercial Break

By the 1980s everybody knew you couldn't trust an American car. They were built by lazy, indifferent factory workers protected by a union that had too much power.

No joke, folks. The smart shopper never bought a car built on a Monday or a Friday. The workers were either hungover or already had one foot out the door.

Here's Lee Iaccoca taking you through a factory to show the trained, motivated work force and the technology they use:

Tuesday Commercial Break

Here's Lee Iaccoca just after Chrystler turns its first post Federal bailout profit:

The chairman makes his pitch. The salient points, a throw back to better times, the simple fact that they've been 'kicked around.'

Note Iacocca's innovation, ubiquitous now, innovative then: the minivan. 'Not bad for a company that had one foot in the grave.' And look at this, they're going to challenge the Germans (the Germans!) in the luxury car market. Then they're going after the Japanese in the small car market.

In one ad Iacocca addresses all of the American can industries' weak points.

Be the best indeed.

Monday Commercial Break

Here's Chrysler  Chairman Lee Iacocca putting it right on the drumhead. America has an inferiority complex toward Japan:

He's right. Everybody just knew Japanese cars were better. All the gadgets were Japanese too, Atari, Nintendo, Sony Walkmans, VCRs, TV's. The Japanese were buying up all the real-estate in Manhattan and LA. They had left us in the dust, and they weren't shy about saying so either.

Watch that commercial again. Iacocca is a serious man with a serious problem. For me he looks like Grandpa, of course.  He's confronting us with the facts and he's going to deal with them head on. Who else would we want in charge? 

Notice the man's innate respect for the customer, for Americans. Iacocca is making his pitch, no glitz, no flim-flam. Again, just the facts. 'Our cars are every bit as good as the Japanese.'

Heh, you could get a car for 'under ten thousand bucks.'