Who is the kid and why is he grinning?
It could be you or it could be me. It just makes me happy to see him proudly posing with his new Columbia bicycle. I know the feeling.
A 1950s-vintage film of how Columbia bicycles were built at the Westfield Manufacturing Co. in Westfield, Mass., is available online at the National Association of Manufacturers' blog.
The NAM sponsored a weekly TV show during the '50s called “Industry on Parade.” The series was intended to highlight the advances of industry and modern technology in the workplace and how the products led to a better life for us all.
It's a little poignant now to watch rooms full of workers fabricating frames, lacing spokes and assembling bicycles, “bringing health and pleasure to millions of Americans who have learned to enjoy the pleasures of the great outdoors under their own foot power.”
Is there anywhere in the US where that's done on this scale?
I recommend hanging on 'til the end of this 6-minute video, there's a great commercial for Stag beer.
If you're crazy about old, vintage bikes, check out the National Bicycle History Archive of America.
The picture of the happy bike owner, and similar photos, can be found at Bicycle Bill.
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