Familiar house in factory photos

[Davidinhartford]

In the 1962 feature in the CLC magazine there was this photo:



I instantly recognized that balcony from one of my favourite Cadillac ads.



But then I spotted it again in this 1955 factory photo:



As the saying goes "twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern".   LOL

Anyone else recognize this house?    Does it belong to some GM executive?

[Doug Houston]

Had  . to  look this one up in the Michigan Tech Alumni Directory.

It's the residence of Martin J. Caserio, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. At one time, he was the general manager (?) of Pontiac Motor Division. He was a friend of one of our CCCA members, who had me take a salon picture in front of that house.

[Davidinhartford]

Thanks Doug!    I knew someone here would recognise it.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Great catch!

I have the same 1964 ad, "First one up gets the Cadillac" except it is the husband standing up on the balcony, cup & saucer in hand with the wife at the wheel ready to drive off.

[Davidinhartford]

Great catch!

I have the same 1964 ad, "First one up gets the Cadillac" except it is the husband standing up on the balcony, cup & saucer in hand with the wife at the wheel ready to drive off.

Really?   I'd like to see that!    Can you post it?

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Really?   I'd like to see that!    Can you post it?

Done!

I brought it with me to work this morning to post it for you.

Love the opening line: "A new Cadillac automatically puts any other car in the family - in the "second car" category..."

**Dang- one of these days someone's got to show me how to post an attachment so it doesn't over-enlarge!!!

[Davidinhartford]

WOW!      Eric that is fantastic!      I've never seen that version.

Can I ad it to the magazine ad database?   I will give you photo credit for it.

Here is a link to my ad collection:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/that_chrysler_guy/sets/72157608685847079/

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

By all means- you have my blessing. 

-BTW That's a fantastic compilation of Cadillac advertisements you have there. If I come across any others, I will let you know.

**EDIT: Just noticed- there appears to be two different couples used in the two ads but wearing the same outfits.   

[Doug Houston]

This is one in a million, so to speak,where a setting is recognizable for car ads. When I look for a setting for taking shots of my  own cars,  I have always found it to be a big part of the project.

I used to live in Detroit, a couple of blocks north of the Detroit-Grosse Pointe city limits. A favorite setting for salon shots was the Grosse Pointe War Memorial, whick is (I believe) the for mer home of Fredrick Alger. It's along Lake Shore Drive. I was shooting 4X5 negatives with my Linhof camera, many of the for the CCCA "TORQUE" magazine. There were several Mercury-Lincoln pub shots taken there, too.  That was put to an end by the custodians of the mansion, probably because they weren't getting a cut of the action.  All you need to do is appear at a place like that with a nice car, and a big press camera, and you're a commercial photog. Those thick skulls have no place for facts!

There is a beautiful home on Windmill Pointe Drive, also in Grosse Pointe Park, which was a favorite for Chrysler's publicity and catalogue shots.

There are  still good backgrounds for good photographs. You just need to keep an eye peeled for them. For instance, I have my eye on a very nice cemetery, not far from where I live now, and I intend to get some decent pix in there. Like anything else in life, it ain't easy!

[Davidinhartford]

By all means- you have my blessing. 

-BTW That's a fantastic compilation of Cadillac advertisements you have there. If I come across any others, I will let you know.

**EDIT: Just noticed- there appears to be two different couples used in the two ads but wearing the same outfits.

Thanks Eric!   I have added it to the set.

Thanks for the compliment on my ad set too.   I'm sure it is not 100% complete, but back when I was a teenager I tried to find everyone I could.  But getting older, life gets in the way.  LOL    That plus todays new Cadillac ads are nowhere as exciting or attractive as the ones in the past.

[veesixteen]

Lots of similar ads may be found in in the "Ads" section of the Cadillac Datbase:
http://www.cadillacdatabase.org/Dbas_txt/ADINDEX.HTM
Many patrician homes and other familiar landmarks (in Detroit and elsewhere) were used for these photo shoots. 

[Alan Harris CLC#1513]

I believe that I remember a different version of the same ad from 1968. Different house, though!

Looking at these ads reminds you of how special and unique Cadillac advertising used to be. This was lost sometime in the seventies or eighties. The newer ads just do not promote a mystique for the car.

The late Tom McCahill wrote once that he was told by a Cadillac executive that their advertising was designed to please current owners and keep them loyal to the brand. When you think back, it used to be that Cadillac had very high owner loyalty. Customers would buy Cadillacs over and over and not even consider other makes.

Unfortunately, this is gone now.

[Eric DeVirgilis CLC# 8621]

Quite right Alan & David- Since The Penalty of Leadership,  Cadillac advertising in itself is indeed the Standard by which all other advertising is measured. For decades, the "by implication" theme was one that served the Division extraordinarily well and in so doing, cemented Cadillac's image.   

Personally I feel the traditional spirit of Cadillac advertising remained until the early '80s (more or less).

[Series75]

Here's another in 1966.  Tom CLC#6866

[David King (kz78hy)]

In the first shots, the  landscaping is different in the 1st 3 photos.  I wonder if each shoot paid for the owners next front yard change?

David

[Series75]

yes, I'd bet short money on airbrushing the photo.   Tom CLC#6866

[Glen]

Or they rented potted plants for the shoot.