All language subtitles for The Cars That Made America - Season 1 Episode 2

- Hello, I'm Dale Earnhardt Jr.

As many of you know, cars
area huge part of my life,

as I'm sure they
are for many of you.

This evening,
along with History,

I'm proud to present to you
part two of the epic story

of the most American
of machines.

As the country's place
in the world grows,

so does the role cars
play in American culture,

infrastructure, and in the
lives of everyday people.

This is the story of how
the car made America.

- [Narrator] Previously on
the cars that made America,

the modernization of
the country is underway.

Railroads connect the nation
and steel is helping to build

cities that touch the sky.

But it's a new industry
that's truly changing America.

Cars have brought about
a national road system,

created a middle class,

and paved the way for a new
phenomenon, the suburbs.

From a group of
hundreds of car makers,

Ford,

General Motors

and Chrysler
have the urge to form,

what will be known
as The Big Three.

No one has more to shake
the industry and change

the American landscape
than Henry Ford.

(glass shatters)

His Model T is the
industry's first phenomenon.

By 1920, almost five million
are driving America's roads.

The Model T spurs Ford's
rivals to innovate.

Both William Durant at
GM and Walter Chrysler

are driven, not only
to compete with Ford,

but to beat him.

Over the next 50 years, cars
would define American culture

in The Big Three
will lead the way.

Ford

Chevrolet

Dodge

and Chrysler become
household names

that will forever
shape the country.

(dramatic music)

(chattering)

(engine rumbles)

Walter Chrysler decides
that the company that bears

his name will be all
about innovation.

He designs a new car that
he hopes will finally unseat

the Model T as America's
best selling automobile.

- Henry, there's something
I want to show you.

- What is it Chrysler?

- This.

Take a look.

Impressed?

Six cylinder engine,

efficient and powerful.

Hydraulic brakes, top
line features throughout.

You're looking at
the future here.

- It won't sell.

(dramatic music)

Not even with all the gimmicks.

- This is forward
thinking here Henry.

- How much did you waste
on this contraption?

Whatever it was,

it's not gonna be enough to
pull Chrysler out of the gutter.

- When the public sees this car,

they'll be ready for the future.

- Go ahead and build this

monstrosity and when
it doesn't sell,

remember I told you so.

- The competition in the auto
industry is not a fist fight

or a cage fight at all.

It's much bigger than that,
much bigger than that.

It really is war.

They may not say
it, but it is war.

- Ford wasn't buddy
buddy with anybody

in the automobile industry.

He let business be pretty
much strictly business.

- Always a pleasure Henry.

- One of the most important
things to remember about

the 20th century is it's
a century of technology.

It's a century of innovations.

No more pronounced innovation
than the automobile.

- The reason why the auto
industry really took off

in America is because
there was more capital,

greater natural resources.

- If you're going to
have lots of automobiles

you're going to need more steel.

You're gonna need more iron,
you're gonna need more rubber

for tires, you're
gonna need fuel.

- [Narrator] America is a
global economic powerhouse,

and the time for
innovation is now.

- The automobile comes
at a period of time

when Americans are adapting
to new technologies,

they're adapting to
living in cities,

working in factories, et cetera.

The automobile is a
technology that is available

to a large number of people.

- Most people you know, had
never gone 10 miles beyond

where they were born.

Now people had
freedom to go places

they had never gone before,
travel outside of their city.

- [Narrator] By 1924, Henry
Ford's Model T cost just $300,

giving the every man a
chance to roam the country

like never before.

- Freedom you know,
just the ability to go

and do what you
want when you wanted

without having to ask for a ride

or depending on someone
else to get you there.

- [Narrator] The T makes
the Ford Motor Company

America's largest car maker.

But Ford's appointment
of his only son Edsel

as his successor,
leads many to question

the company's future.

- Even though Edsel was
officially the president

of the company,

Henry didn't hesitate to
countermand his orders.

He gave Edsel a lot
of responsibility

and never gave him
control of the company.

- He wants to cultivate Edsel,

to make him, often a
mistake with many fathers,

like himself.

It almost never works, and
it definitely didn't work

with Edsel.

- Edsel was a
forward thinking man.

He was an intelligent man.

He was always looking
to the future.

Everyday brought new change
and he was happy with change.

He was comfortable with change.

- [Narrator] Seeing what
competitors

like Chrysler are doing,

Edsel believes Ford must
keep innovating to maintain

its dominance.

- There is a huge population
of people that want more

out of the automobile.

They want to explore
the outer capabilities

of what an automobile
is able to do.

- And it became an arms
race of technology.

So it used to just be a
simple ride down the street

to maybe go to grandma's
house for dinner,

and now it's this evolution
of getting to point A

to point B and while
you're doing it,

you want to be the best at it.

- [Narrator] Edsel Ford
gambles on a major innovation.

One he feels can keep his
company ahead of the market.

Like many cars of the
'20s, the Ford Model T

relies on mechanical
brakes, which transfer force

from brake lever to wheels
using a simple cable pull.

But friction and stretching
can distort the mechanism

and dangerously uneven
pressures can cause the wheels

to skid or swerve.

Hydraulic brakes transfer
force to the brake pads

via sealed tubes
filled with fluid.

This innovation ensure
braking pressure is applied

safely and equally
to all four wheels

while multiplying the
power a driver can apply

to stop the car.

(dramatic music)

- Edsel Ford was up to date

on all these
technological advances.

When you talk about Edsel
Ford running the company,

he knew how to run the company.

He knew about business, he
knew what questions to ask,

he had no problem
making a decision.

- [Narrator] Edsel's plan
has one potential flaw.

(twangy country music)

- Henry Ford, for many years,
was adulated by the public

but he had a large
organization to run

and the only way that
he knew how to run it

back in those days
was through force.

And he used Harry
Bennett to do that.

(chattering)

- Bennett was someone who had
traits that Henry Ford admired

and identified with.

He was tough, he
was single minded,

he was not deterred from tasks.

He was intensely loyal.

(thuds)

- Henry Ford seems to
have thought Harry Bennett

was picturesque
and a lot of fun.

- Let's see what you got.

(gun fires)

He would be in a meeting
and jump up and say

hey this is boring, come on
Harry, let's go out and shoot

and they'd go down to Harry
Bennett's private shooting range

and squeeze off pistols.

(gun fires)

- [Henry] Ready?

(dramatic music)

(laughs)

- Dad?

Dad there's something
we'd like to discuss.

(gun fires)

- [Narrator] To convince
his father of his plan,

Edsel recruits Ford's
top production engineer,

William Knudsen.

- William Knudsen was an
engineer that was absolutely

superb at his job and

he was Henry Ford's invaluable
chief of production.

- This new hydraulic
design will modernize

our current braking system.

- Chrysler already gave
up mechanical brakes.

Open your eyes.

Mechanical brakes are proven!

And practical!

- Edsel is right Mr. Ford.

We need to keep up
with the competition.

- There's only one
Ford in all of Michigan

who's ever right Knudsen.

I think you'd a
known that by now.

(dramatic music)

- Let's go.

- You can't be serious!

- Come on, let's go!

- Knudsen knew
Henry Ford by then

to know what this meant.

(gun hammer clicks)

That was the end of Knudsen
at the Ford Motor Company.

(gunshot)
- Go, come on.

- Henry Ford never
did the firing.

He always had somebody else
do it, namely, Henry Bennett.

- But when he gave an order
he wanted people to act

and not question him and he
thought his son was a weakling.

I think he was thinking
when he died, that Edsel

would not be able
to run the company

so he put obstacles
in Edsel's way

to try to teach
him to be tougher.

- [Narrator] Firing Knudsen
sends Edsel a clear message.

He's president in name only

and his father's
decision not to innovate

has unintended consequence.

It offers the competition a
rare chance to surpass Ford

if they can take advantage.

After being fired from
the company he founded,

William Durant has bought
his way back

to the top at General Motors

but just six years into
his second stint

as president, with
sales dipping,

the car conglomerate
is facing a challenge.

Durant tries to spend
his way out of trouble,

a move that deeply concerns
Vice President Alfred Sloan.

- Billy Durant could charm
the birds out of the trees,

but he was hell on
wheels to work with.

- Billy Durant was a gambler.

Like a lot of gamblers,

he could win big and
he could lose big.

(telephone rings)

- It's getting bad.

The sales aren't picking up.

- That's how the market moves.

- [Sloan] All 12 divisions
are overspending massively.

- [Narrator] Sloan
is sharing his doubts

not only with Durant
but also with GM's board.

- Sloan was a manager type.

He wasn't an engineer and he
had gone from one business

to the next and people
who worked with him

understand that he knew how to
get people to work together.

-[Sloan] Did you read my report
on centralizing management?

- I haven't had time.

- Alfred Sloan was an
extremely intelligent guy

with surprisingly his thumb
on the pulse of the market.

- [Durant] Is the board
assembled?

- [Sloan] They already
started.

And they've see the debt number.

(dramatic music)

- How bad is it?

- 30 million.

- The bankers were very
concerned with the extent

of the debt that
GM had incurred.

They weren't certain about
where the industry was headed.

(door clicks)

(dramatic music)

- What's this?

- The board has
voted to retire you.

- You can't do this!

I made GM what it is!

- It's already been done.

General Motors needs
new leadership.

- [Man] Alfred Sloan is
very careful with expenses,

very calculating, whereas
Durant was the gambler.

- This is wrong Al.

You'll regret it.

- After Durant was kicked
out of General Motors

the second time, he went
into personal bankruptcy

following that and then
died a short time later.

- [Narrator] As history repeats
itself for William Durant,

Alfred Sloan will have
just one chance to turn

General Motors around.

- Congratulations Mr. President.

- Gentlemen.

Let's discuss how to beat
the Ford Motor Company.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] America's
car industry is driving

an economic boom

and as innovation leaps
forward in the 1920's

the competition is as
aggressive as ever.

- The public sees this car.

- Just stay out of
the low cost market.

- [Narrator] Henry Ford
has built his business

into one of the largest
companies in America.

- Nothing stands
up to the Model T!

- [Narrator] His best
selling Model T allows Ford

to double the size of its
two biggest competitors,

GM and Chrysler

but Ford's refusal to
innovate gives engineer

Walter Chrysler the opening
he's been looking for.

- Top line features throughout.

You're looking at
the future here.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] While GM's new
president, Alfred Sloan,

is dealing with the massive
debt left by his former boss.

- If you had a big organization

that had lots of moving parts,

and you wanted it to run
efficiently make a profit,

Alfred Sloane was your guy.

(dramatic music)

(chattering)

- [Narrator] Sloane knows
efficiency can help GM

get on the right path.

He sets his sights on
GM's assembly line.

The goal, to get it running
not just as fast and cheap

as Ford's, but to get
it running better.

- Quite a view in this place.

- Times are changing,
like it or not.

- Progress doesn't stop.

- William Knudsen
worked for Henry Ford.

He was a strong man,
he was a strong leader,

he was a gifted industrialist.

So much so that Henry
pretty much fired him.

- Your work on
Model T production

hasn't gone unnoticed.

- That's very kind.

But that place is a mess.

(dramatic music)

- Well how would you
feel about working

in a less chaotic place?

- Is this an official job offer?

- Vice President of production,

at GM you'll have everything
you could ever want.

- All I want to do

is crush Henry Ford.

(clinks)

- Alfred Sloan found him a
place and put him in head

of General Motors

and that's when General Motors

began to Henry Ford's nemesis.

- Alfred Sloan is
the quiet mob boss.

He pulls the levers
behind the scenes,

not in the face of the
public, not as the front man.

That's Alfred Sloan,
he's the quiet don.

- He was knows as Mr. Sloane.

He was not called Alfred or Al.

He was Mr. Sloane to everybody.

He had the soft
way about talking

but people could tell that
he was extremely strong.

- He was really the
person who gets credit

for creating, not just
the modern General Motors,

but the modern corporation.

- [Narrator] Sloan realizes
that even more than innovation,

efficiency is the
key to profitability.

But to truly rise
above his rivals,

he'll need to capture
the imagination

of a country that's
experiencing prosperity,

unlike anything the
world has ever seen.

(dramatic music)

- The roaring '20s were
roaring in large part

because the automobile industry
was roaring at that time

and it made possible
this independence,

this freedom that people
hadn't had before.

- Young people, people
of modest means,

anyone with a job could gain
access to the automobile.

What this means is
that the use of the car

then goes towards obvious
pursuits of young people.

Going out and having
fun with their friends.

- Far more than jazz
or anything else,

it was the automobile who
brought in modern times.

In freeing people from the farm,

it also freed them from ancient
family and courting rituals.

The general loosening of
morals from that being to get

away from your aunt and uncle.

Being able to have a little
traveling private space,

that was brand new.

(dramatic music)

- There were plenty people
thought this was the ruination

of American morals.

- Henry Ford never drank.

He didn't swear.

He didn't carouse.

He was virtuous in these
ways beyond question.

- John Steinbeck, 10 years
after the Model T was invented,

that half of the babies in
America were conceived in one.

And that went against
some deep Puritan grain

in Henry Ford.

Henry Ford a man who never
truly embraced change,

orders the back seat of
all Model Ts shrunken

to prevent
inappropriate behavior

and begins enforcing his strict
moral code on his employees.

- Something that
seems like a prying

and busybodiness today,

but he formed something called
the Sociological Department.

- He literally had
Bennett's Ford Service,

which was in essence
his secret police force

looking in the
windows of workers.

If a worker was
found philandering,

it was cause to get you fired.

- [Narrator] While Ford
imposes his rigid moral code,

Alfred Sloan is embracing
America's cultural change.

(dramatic music)

- General Motors is emblematic

of the great wheel of progress.

Spokes of this wheel

are our outstanding
operations divisions,

design, engineering,
research, sales.

At the hub of this
wheel is the GM family.

Each person here contributes
their own talents

and skills to one vital idea.

Innovation.

The new name for
progress will be

(dramatic music)

General Motors!

(cheering and applause)

- The headline writers
will love this Alfred.

- I just want to see the
look on Henry Ford's face

when his Model Ts
start piling up.

- [Narrator] To reinforce
his progressive views,

Sloan launches a car that
exudes luxury and prestige.

Chevrolet series K Superior

takes direct aim at
the Ford Model T.

The 26 horse power
four cylinder engine

is more powerful and with
a top speed of nearly

60 miles per hour,
it's also 33% faster.

It features smooth lines,
and stylized trim accents,

giving it a sleek modern look

that outshines the Model
T and gives Americans

the stylish design
they now desire.

(applause)

But the car isn't
the true innovation.

(dramatic music)

- With General Motors, the
connection of this product,

a car, to a lifestyle,

and one's vision
of oneself begins.

(dramatic music)

What Alfred P. Sloan,
General Motors, realized was,

cars could be like clothes
where every year you need

a new suit, you
need a new wardrobe,

because you need to show that
you have the latest fashion.

The emphasis shifted from
production to marketing.

(dramatic music)

- He changed the way
automobiles are designed.

He was the first to bring
clay into the studios

and the clay allowed them
to create more fluid,

more passionate
shapes for a vehicle.

- Ford's cars were all
black but Alfred P. Sloan

came up with a way to create
desire for an automobile

by introducing color,
choice, options.

(guitar music)

- [Narrator] Sloan's decision
to focus on style is about

to send ripples through
the entire industry.

- Nice work Bill.

Henry Ford won't
know what hit him.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] America is fast
becoming the most modern

country in the world.

Boasting the best transportation
and the largest cities,

a new generation is embracing
style like never before.

But some in the auto industry
failed to take notice.

- Six cylinder engine,
hydraulic brakes,

top line features throughout.

- It won't sell.

- Henry Ford fails to recognize
the demand for innovation,

allowing his rivals to
launch cars superior in both

style and engineering.

- The new name for progress
will be General Motors!

(cheering and applause)

- [Narrator] By 1927, Alfred
Sloan's GM overtakes Ford.

For the first time
in two decades,

General Motors is America's
number one car company.

(phone rings)

As his competitors focus
on fighting each other,

Walter Chrysler sees a
chance to lure some talent

from his competition.

(dramatic music)

KT Keller, a rising
star engineer at GM.

- KT Keller met Walter
Chrysler in 1911

when Chrysler was
involved with Buick

and Chrysler liked
him immediately.

Chrysler and Keller
understood one another

when they talked anything
to do with mechanics.

- [Narrator] Keller and
Chrysler immediately being

work on a car they believe
has the style of a Chevy

at a cost that rivals Ford.

- What do you think?

Chrysler Plymouth.

Too much?

- It's perfect.

The pilgrims were pathfinders
just like this car.

- We on schedule?

- Absolutely, it's
gonna be huge.

Are you sure about the pricing?

- Chrysler was very clever.

The Plymouth was basically
out of the Chrysler parts bin

and that saved a lot of money.

- Don't worry, give the public
something better to buy,

that's what they'll do.

- There's no incentive
to get rid of your car

if you're just gonna buy
something that is gonna be

just the same as the old one.

And that is why the
other car manufacturers,

when they start innovating,

they leave the Model T behind
and Henry Ford with it.

- A car definitely
reflects the owner.

The owner looks for the vehicle

that kind of fits
them, their style.

- Here's another one of
these kind of Americanisms,

which have now become
defining of the entire world.

The idea that you're
defined by your car.

You're defined by
the style of the car.

It tells the world your class.

It tells the world your hobbies.

- [Narrator] Ford doesn't
understand the new generation.

Their desire for
style doesn't mesh

with his focus on substance.

- Henry Ford had
no fashion sense.

He was an engineer.

You couldn't tell a 1910
Model T from a 1918 Model T.

With GM, the idea is to

impress the folks

and there was the
ladder of aspiration.

So GM had several models.

You'd start out with
the low cost Chevy,

and you'd move from the
Chevy to the Pontiac.

And then when you're
making a little bit better,

you move up to the
Oldsmobile, and finally,

when you struck it rich
you get the big Cadillac.

And everybody would know,

when you got the
Cadillac, you had it made.

(dramatic music)

- It was hard to talk about
the Model T in the same breath

with a car like the Chevrolet.

You could see it was
much more of a car.

It was vastly
improved, more stylish,

more comfortable, more
powerful than the Model T.

- [Narrator] Despite his
father's rejection of his plan

to update the Model T,

Edsel continues trying
to find ways to modernize

the Ford Motor Company.

- GM is pricing their cars
at twice what we're selling

the Model T for.

- That's no surprise.

Sloan is wasting six million
a year in advertising.

- It's not a waste,
it's working.

The public looks at
GM and they see style.

- The public doesn't
care what cars look like,

they care what they do!

(dramatic music)

Nothing stands up
to the Model T.

- Father we are
resting on our laurels

while our competition
is evolving.

We need to progress or
we'll be left behind.

- If your goal is to convince me

it's been a pathetic attempt.

- The sales people are
too afraid to tell you

what you need to know.

(dramatic music)

The Model T has run its course.

- We've cut production
to bolster demand.

- This is not temporary.

Our sales have
dropped every year.

We are going to fail
if we don't act now.

- Henry, I think it's time.

(dramatic music)

(steps clattering)

- For Henry Ford, there
was a piece of his soul

in that car.

He could hardly bear the
thought of it going away.

- The Model T was more to him

than a fine utilitarian
object that had put

all America on the road.

It was a moral force.

It was just as much car as
people needed and no more.

Anyone who wanted
to tamper with it

was personally
assaulting Henry Ford.

- The Model T had not
evolved as an automobile

over many years.

Henry Ford finally figured
out he had a serious problem.

He didn't have anything
to replace it with.

- [Narrator] As sales plummet,

Ford finally comes to terms
with the painful truth.

America has moved
on from the Model T.

With 15 million
cars on the road,

it's made Ford's company among
the biggest in the world.

But, his refusal to innovate
has left him vulnerable.

- [Edsel] The Model
T has run its course.

The public look at GM
and they see style.

- [Knudsen] Edsel
is right Mr. Ford.

- [Edsel] Our
competition is evolving.

We're going to fail
if we don't act now.

- [Chrysler] You're
looking at the future.

- [Knudsen] Edsel
is right Mr. Ford.

-[Edsel] Chrysler already
gave up...

-[Knudsen] It's forward thinking
here Henry...

- [Clara Ford] Henry,
I think it's time.

(crashes)

(gasps)

(clanking)

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] The 1920's
bring one of the greatest

economic booms
America has ever seen.

Fueled by modern technology,
and mass production

this prosperity
creates a new culture.

America is now a
nation of consumers

hungry for more of everything.

Cars are no exception

and America's car makers fight
for the public's attention

and buying power.

- The new name for progress
will be General Motors!

(cheering and applause)

- [Narrator] General
Motors, led by Alfred Sloan,

gets that style will
be what Americans want.

At Chrysler, the Plymouth
captures the imagination

of a public that's
tired of the Model T.

- Are you sure
about the pricing?

- Don't worry, give the
public something better to buy

that's what they'll do.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Henry Ford
must face the fact.

The country has moved
on from the Model T.

- If Henry had had his way,

he would have stuck
with the Model T

until he had driven
the company down too.

- Henry Ford is the man who

most influenced the
changing American culture

and economic scene.

It allowed America
to change

and it became a car culture
because of Henry Ford,

more than any other man.

(dramatic music)

- When you look at the
automobile and its influence

on American society,

it's almost beyond
measure in the sense that

people now have
access to a technology

that's going to allow them
to travel vast distances

but what comes with that

is the need for roads that
are going to be able to

safely and conveniently get
people from point A to point B.

- The modern tourist
industry comes out of this.

There had been a
tourist industry before,

but it was a fixed
point kind of thing,

because it had to be closely
connected to the railways.

(dramatic music)

- We got roads going
to the National Parks.

We got roads through
the National Parks.

This means you got the
great American road trip.

This is a family destination.

An affordable vacation.

- I love a great road trip.

To be able to have the
opportunity to hit the road.

It's special.

I always longed for that
one on one time with my dad

and in the car, you can't
go anywhere. (laughs)

I mean, sometimes that
wasn't always great,

but it was the perfect situation

because you had his
attention and had some great

conversations just
riding down the road.

- [Narrator] With the Model
Ts legacy firmly established,

it's up to Henry Ford's
long maligned son Edsel

to help define the
future of the company.

- Thank God that Henry
Ford had a son named Edsel

who was really into style.

Cause it was Edsel that
really pushed his dad

to start creating some
really stylish automobiles.

(dramatic music)

- Edsel had a good
sense of how to change

and where the car
market was going.

- Now Edsel thought that
the Model T not only needed

to be updated, it needed to
be abolished and replaced

by something far more
modern and snappier looking.

- [Narrator] Edsel
makes designing

Ford's next generation
car his personal mission.

But his father's
outsized expectations

aren't his only challenge.

- Not bad kid.

But the production line
would have to stay down

for six months to
make this change over.

That's not gonna happen.

- You don't scare me Bennett.

- Oh yeah?

Don't be so sure of that.

(dramatic music)

- Bennett obviously saw that
Edsel Ford was a threat

and so he began to
undermine Edsel.

(dramatic music)

- Harry Bennett was born just
a year before Edsel Ford

and in many ways,
was like a brother.

But like the evil
brother, the dark side.

- Edsel and Bennett
could not even stand

to be in the same room together

because Henry Ford liked
Bennett so much more.

- Edsel is the heir apparent,

but Bennett starts to get ideas,

well he could take over
and Henry Ford is actually

feeding this notion

that Edsel isn't gonna be
the one who's gonna inherit

this company, it's
gonna be Bennett.

Edsel is left in the dark here

and it's a very problematic
situation for the entire family.

- [Narrator] Despite Bennett's
attempts to sideline him,

Edsel convinces Henry the
time has come for a new Ford.

- If Ford was going to continue
they needed a new product

and everything for the
future hinged on that.

- Edsel, he worked on
him and he worked on him

and he worked on him

and it was only the bottom
line that finally convinced

Henry that okay, we have
to retool the whole concept

of a car for America.

- The Model T was
such a successful car,

like any inventor, like
any good business man,

it becomes difficult to
move on from success.

- Edsel's greatest triumph
was to convince his father

to change.

- [Film Narrator] The times have
changed and the car

that have changed them
was no longer needed.

Henry Ford decided
to stop producing it.

In May, 1927, the
15th millionth Model T

came out of the plant.

And the assembly line
closed down forever

on the world's most famous car.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Working
together for the first time,

father and son begin to
develop a new Ford model.

- Henry Ford gave Edsel the
responsibility of the design

and Henry would take
over the mechanical part

of the vehicle.

Edsel was taking care of the
things that he liked to do

and then Henry was
taking care of the things

that he wanted to do.

- It took a long time
for them to figure out

all the components
of the new model.

- Henry Ford wanted that
vehicle to have 40 horse power.

The Model T had 20 horses.

Henry Ford was having a hard
time getting 40 horse power

out of the car.

Well Edsel walked in and was
looking at the blue prints

and he goes, "It looks
like to me the valves

that you have here are
too small to give you the

horse power you need."

This is Edsel Ford
telling Henry Ford

and his engineers that.

Well, they change the valves,

and they got the 40 horse power.

- [Narrator] While GM and
Chrysler have gained traction

in the market place,
for many Americans,

the car and the Model
T are the same thing.

A buzz starts to build
around Ford's new design

and ever the showman, Henry
aims to take advantage.

- My friends, there are
15 million Ford Model Ts

scattered around the globe.

This car blazed a trail for
the entire automobile industry.

It's phenomenal success

literally paved the
entire country.

It will never be replaced.

Only succeeded.

Ladies and gentlemen, we
bring you the Ford Model A.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] The Model A was
the most technology advanced

car of its time.

It features a water
cooled 40 horse power

four cylinder engine capable
of 65 miles per hour,

20 miles per hour
faster than the Model T.

It has hydraulic
shock absorbers,

four wheel brakes, and its
stylish body exemplifies

Edsel's vision for the
future of Ford design.

It seems to the be right car
for America at the right time.

- When he introduced
the Model A in 1927,

this is the same
year that Babe Ruth

60 home runs for the Yankees,

it's the same year
that Lindbergh flew

from New York to Paris in
the Spirit of St. Louis,

it was the introduction
of the Model A.

That was the biggest
news story of 1927.

It was huge.

When finally the new
Model A came out in 1927,

when Ford had finally given in,

it was much better than
looking than the Model T.

It was in every
way a better car.

- Isn't she a beauty?

(clacking)

[Narrator] The first 25
years of the 20th century

see unparalleled
growth in America.

The economic boom is driven
by three massive car makers.

Ford,

Chrysler,

and GM.

Long the industry leader, Ford
is facing new competition.

- Nice work Bill, Henry Ford
won't know what hit him.

- [Narrator] As GM stylish
Chevrolet Series K,

and Chrysler's high value
Plymouth begin to take

market share from the Model T.

- Father we are resting on our
laurels while our competition

is evolving.

- [Narrator] As profits decline,

Henry Ford enlists and
unlikely ally to help him

keep up with the
competition, his son, Edsel,

who now has the opportunity
to define the car

of the next generation,
the Ford Model A.

- Old Henry, he
worked with his son,

and everything for the
future hinged on that.

As you look at Ford leadership,

it's not as much company
as it is a royal court

and Harry Bennett was
clearly jealous of Edsel.

It came to a point where
Harry Bennett thought

he could actually take
over Ford Motor Company,

that he could become
it's president.

- [Narrator] The Model
A, name to show the world

that Ford is making a fresh
start marks the high point

of Henry and Edsel's
relationship.

As the '20's draw to a close,

the Model A is a huge
success with a million sales

in its first year, returning
Ford to the number one spot.

But in October 1929,

one fateful day will
halt Ford's turn around.

(chattering)

- The Great Depression
hit in 1929

and that really changed
the face of not only

the automobile industry

but life in the United
States in general.

All of the automobile
manufacturers

were suddenly finding that

their sales volumes
couldn't be sustained

because people
didn't have the money

to buy their automobiles.

- [Narrator] As the country's
economy slows to a crawl,

sales of Ford's Model A
decline by a massive 50%.

But Henry Ford doesn't see
the depression as the cause.

- It was all that crap we added.

If it wasn't for your
design enhancements,

the Model A would have
been just as profitable

as the Model T.

- The design is not the problem.

- The lower the pricing gets
the more people can afford it.

The more people can afford it.

- You have never been
willing to innovate.

On how many we sell, it
will not make a profit.

- Because you had to
mess with a good thing.

- No because you
priced it too low!

What worked for the Model
T will not work forever.

It's a new age.

It's time you stopped
living in the past.

(steps clattering)

- The Model A sold pretty well,

but it could have been
much better had Henry Ford

followed Edsel's
advice completely.

But he never forgave
his son for forcing him

to get rid of the Model T.

From that point on, he
did not believe that Edsel

was on his side.

- [Narrator] The Great
Depression spares no one.

- The Great Depression
hits, all of a sudden now,

it doesn't matter
how hard you work

it doesn't matter how much you
want to support your family

the jobs aren't there.

That sense of powerlessness,
that there's no hope.

This is something new.

- It was ugly.

People selling apples
on street corner,

bread lines, and soup lines.

That's not an exaggeration.

The last thing in the world
most people were thinking about

as hey, I need to
by myself a car.

- The Depression hit
workers because they found

that there was downward
pressure in the wages

and they didn't want
to lose their job

they didn't want to lose wages.

And so workers began to
mount strikes against the

automobile industry.

- They are the most
strike-ridden years

in American history.

These are locally started,
for the most part,

not general calls by
large national unions.

They are driven by work force
that is looking to secure

new advantages as
American laborers.

The Depression is an accelerator

for a new American institution,

unions.

The Big Three all resist
their growing power.

- We're entering
a new era Harry.

(gun fires)

- [Narrator] But Ford, as
usual, is the most aggressive.

- Bolsheviks, communists!

We need to protect what's ours.

- Ford wasn't just paranoid
about his competitors.

He was paranoid
about his financiers.

He was paranoid
about the unions.

He did not want unions getting
involved in his business

and was convinced they
were trying to take over

the auto industry.

(gun fires)

- [Henry] I don't think
I can count on my son.

- With all do respect sir,
I'm nothing like your son.

(gun fires)

All you gotta do
is say the word.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] The Great
Depression is slowing

the American economy
like never before.

The Big Three are
feeling the pinch

as the country they've
helped to create

is struggling to
hold itself together.

While the Model A puts Ford
back in the number one spot,

sales slow dramatically after
the stock market crashes.

Henry Ford blames the
newly designed Model A

for the company's problems.

While they're also struggling,

GM's Alfred Sloan
focuses on efficiency

and Chrysler emphasizes
affordability,

helping both to
stabilize losses.

The poor economy results
in the creation of unions,

something Henry Ford
immediately sees as a threat

to his business.

- I assume you have the list.

That's everybody?

- Harry Bennett was the rough
and ready tough guy

to kind of enforce Ford's desire

to keep everything
under control

to keep a tight
lid on everything.

No matter what it took to do it.

- He kind of developed
this network.

His spies would find out
if people were talking to

union organizers.

You might get beat up.

You've gone to the
secret union meeting,

well the car follows
you down the street,

two guys get out and
beat the hell out of you.

- Harry Bennett
installed more goons

with more intimidation
within the plant to keep

the union out.

- [Narrator] Bennett knows
that dealing with the unions

is the boss's
number one priority.

(gun fires)

- Henry Ford clearly
is a control freak.

He's someone who wants to
be able to have his hand in,

and more importantly,

his control over
manufacturing processes,

how his employees
work, how they live,

and certainly anyone who was
strong as a union advocate

was going to be weeded out
of the Ford Motor Company.

- Management could fire
a person for any reason

or no reason.

There was no recourse.

If you were fired you were gone.

You walked out the
door, that was the end.

- People on the
Ford line were fired

if they worked too slow.

They were also fired if
they worked too fast.

By making these products
available to everyone,

he brought it in a manner
of work which left people

totally broken after a
few years of doing it.

- [Narrator] Slow
sales of the Model A

means Ford's profits
continue to take a hit.

In response, Henry cuts wages
and slashes his work force.

With Ford preoccupied,

Walter Chrysler sees an
opening in the market place,

one he hopes his newly
released Plymouth will fill.

- The first Plymouth was brought
out just at the same time

that Ford was producing
the first Model A's.

So it was meant to rival
Ford from the beginning.

The Plymouth was the life boat
of the Chrysler Corporation

because it helped the
corporation get through

the worse times
of the Depression.

Chrysler Corporation
became the second largest

manufacturer because
it outpaced Ford.

- [Narrator] In 1932, the
Ford Motor Company slips

to the number two spot,

returning GM to
number one once again.

Ford blames the fall on
Edsel and the unions.

- Ford was the most begrudging.

Henry Ford still had this idea,

this is my company I'm
gonna do it my way.

- Ford certainly didn't want
a bunch of outside agitators

telling him how he
should treat his workers

and saw them as an enemy.

(muffled screams)

- [Narrator] Ford's
push for efficiency,

the lay offs, and the wage
cuts leaves his workers

at the breaking point.

On one of the coldest
days of the year,

3,000 protestors
take to the streets

ready to descend on
the Ford factory.

- We have to stop this.

The police are using
tear gas at city hall!

- Filthy communists.

What?

- [Bennett] My men are already
down there Mr. Ford.

- Then you should be too.

- [Bennett] Let's go,
come on, go!

- Put a stop to
this madness now.

- Dad, he is going
to kill someone.

(dramatic music)

(yells)

(machinegun firing)

(gun fires)

- It was a different world.

People wound up in the hospital.

A young boy got shot.

That splashed all
over the newspapers.

This was how the Ford Company
was treating its employees,

its people.

- [Narrator] Four men die
and dozens are injured.

The newspapers call the
incident the Ford Massacre.

- Henry Ford became a
sort of working man's hero

for a while when the
Depression hit down

and the union movement started.

That element of his character
was long since gone.

- Suddenly, the friend
of the working man

seemed like the enemy
of the working man.

- [Narrator] The newspapers
point to Harry Bennett

as the shooter and blame
Ford for the deaths.

But despite the dead workers,

Ford and Bennett
are never charged.

- That gave Harry
Bennett more power.

That convinced Henry
that Harry was right.

Organized labor was bad.

That it was violence, the
violence was being propagated

by the union.

And so Harry Bennett, with
Henry Ford's blessing,

clamped down further
on the unions.

- [Narrator] For 30 years,
the car has shaped America,

creating roads, suburbs,
and the middle class.

But the Great Depression sees
America's biggest car makers

facing an uprising.

Workers rebelling against
oppressive conditions,

(machinegun fire)

but Henry Ford is
pushing back hard,

forcing a show down
that ends in death,

proving to Ford that rule by
fear is good for business.

Poverty reigns in America.

There is little hope and
the nation's desperate.

- There is a sense
that there is nothing

we can do about this.

There's nothing the
politicians can do.

This is what creates a
sense of despair

because there's no way of
getting out of it.

- [Narrator] Then in
1932, Franklin Roosevelt

is elected president.

- I, Franklin Delano
Roosevelt,

do solemnly swear

that I will
faithfully execute

the office of President
of the United States.

- Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
in his inaugural address,

says the only thing we have
to fear is fear itself.

He's speaking to an
economic reality.

- As a test of our courage.

- And the only way to
combat it with hope

and that is what FDR brings in.

- [Narrator] During his
first 100 days in office,

FDR initiates the New Deal,

a series of federal programs

to bring back American jobs.

Among them, landmark laws,

giving workers the
right to form unions.

- When the Wagner Act is passed,

for the first time it legalizes
the right of auto workers

to form collectively a body
that will speak for them

in legal terms, in terms of
wages, working conditions,

benefits, et cetera.

- [Narrator] Some
industrialists, like Henry Ford,

oppose FDR's plan calling
it a socialist threat.

Others, like GM's Alfred
Sloan, see an opportunity.

FDR's New Deal also contains
the public works act,

aimed at putting
Americans back to work.

So Sloan lobbies Congress to
build more roads and bridges

to complete the
national road system.

- Alfred Sloan
says, wait a second,

if we can't beat
em let's join em.

Let's lobby them to direct
their funds into building roads.

- Sloan was a very
capable manager.

He could see things
in the future.

His management style
was entirely different

from everybody else.

He was not one of these
authoritarian type of leaders,

he was an intellectual leader

and his style was
extremely effective.

- [Narrator] The decision is
huge for the car industry.

More highways mean more cars.

And Americans will
need a new kind of car,

with a smoother ride, faster,
and with better gas mileage.

The company that builds them
first will have a big lead

over their competitors.

Sloan makes designing a
new car for the open road

GM's number one priority,

starting a top secret
project to get it done.

Walter Chrysler also
seizes on the opportunity.

- How the hell's you come
up with this? (laughs)

- I wish I could
take the credit.

It was the engineers.

They asked a good question.

Why aren't our cars
aerodynamic like planes?

We need to build some sort
of air tunnel to test it.

- Chrysler was the very
first company to actually use

the wind tunnel for
production vehicles.

The wind tunnel was gonna
give him that competitive edge

on the competition from GM.

We're talking about aerodynamics
technology innovation

in a way that we
hadn't seen at the time

in the automobile industry.

- Until that time, the speeds
were so relatively low,

aerodynamics were
not that important.

-[Film Narrator] Rounded edges
offer less resistence

to the wind...

- Before wind tunnels,
everything was just a theory.

You know, it was put
your hand out the window

and that tells you what's
going on with aerodynamics.

- [Man] They blew
smoke into the tunnel

and watched its performance.

- One of the odd
things they found was,

the typical car
of the late 1920's

had less wind resistance
going backwards (laughs)

than forward.

- [Narrator] Chrysler's
gamble on the wind tunnel

produces a bold
new design style.

- Streamlining was an idea
that represented modernity.

Industrial designers
latched on to this.

- [Narrator] Chrysler
engineers streamlined the body

of their new model into an
aerodynamic tear drop shape

and moved the front wheels
and passenger seats forward

on the chassis.

These advances reduced
wind resistance

and improved weight
distribution.

The eight cylinder engine,
it enables the car to handle

comfortably while hitting
speeds over 90 miles an hour.

Chrysler also makes state of
the art safety enhancements

using reinforced glass
and a full steel body,

while other cars still
rely on wooden frames.

With all its innovation,

Chrysler stakes the future of
his company on the new model.

The Chrysler Airflow.

- Chrysler was developing
its products to compete

with General Motors.

They both worked assiduously
to get to that top spot.

- Detroit at the time,
was full of engineers,

information was shared.

Corporate espionage was alive.

- Guys were moving from
company to company to company

in this big swimming
pool of innovation.

It must have made your head
spin to try to keep up with

who had the best make
and model at the time.

- [Narrator] Refusing
to allow Chrysler

to beat him to market,
GM's Alfred Sloan,

rushes to put his car
in show rooms first.

- Sloan also brought
designers in who emulated

the way airplanes looked,

that they had a lot of
stream lined design.

- They immediately went
to the drawing board

to start crafting
a response to that.

So they brought in the Albonita.

- [Narrator] GM's big advantage
over Chrysler is financial,

so Sloan knows he
can out spend them.

- Alfred Sloan jumped
on the opportunity

in a way that only a
large company could,

which was to use their ability,

the amount of money they had
to actually launch a campaign

like the Albonita and
the marketing behind it.

When this amount of
competition came to light,

Chrysler started to move faster.

- [Narrator] But in
the race to be first,

one auto giant will
make a costly mistake

that changes its course forever.

The Great Depression
is putting the brakes

on a period of unprecedented
growth in America.

Attempting to spur the economy,

President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt

passes landmark
legislation to improve

the country's infrastructure.

- I pledge myself

to a New Deal for
the American people.

- [Narrator] America's
Big Three car makers

react in different ways.

While Ford is preoccupied
with keeping the unions out.

- Filthy communists.

- [Narrator] GM's Alfred
Sloan and Walter Chrysler

are battling to bring
a modern car to market.

Chrysler's Airflow is
among the most innovative

cars to ever hit the market

and they spare no
expense on advertising.

- These were very
streamlined automobiles.

They actually moved
the engine forward

so that the passengers
sat between the wheels,

which made for a smoother ride.

- [Man] Two plate
safety glass turns back

even the pitchers full delivery.

- It was a very modern,
very rugged kind of car.

The sheet metal was
welded onto the frame.

- [Man] There it goes!

Wow a complete double somersault
and lands on its feet,

nimble as a cat!

I'll say that car
deserves a cheer!

- [Narrator] Determined to
beat GM's Albonita to market,

Chrysler moves the
Airflow into production.

- Walter Chrysler was
bound and determined

that it should appear at
the auto show in 1934.

- [Man] Here it comes
on its death drop,

leaping clear of the ledge and
landing with crushing impact

in the rocky shales beneath.

Will the car run?

I'll say it will!

- When you make a
change that's as drastic

as the Airflow was, you
often run into problems

and they ran into problems.

- They hadn't really
figured it out

in terms of manufacturing it.

The first 3,000 or
so Airflow cars,

the dealers were getting a
lot of complaints about them

and they had to be fixed.

- [Narrator] The
Airflow's biggest problem

was that when the vehicle
hit 80 miles per hour

the engine would
often come lose.

- Chrysler forgot the
most important thing,

do not bring out a new
product before it is ready.

- [Narrator] Seeing
Chrysler's problems,

Sloan seizes his opportunity.

- Gentlemen.

- GM had a very deliberate
and carefully thought out

smear campaign.

It's not a safe car,
it's not a good design.

- Through advertising
and dealers,

the word got out that thing
was maybe too far ahead.

- It was a great idea,
it was poorly executed.

They put the
aerodynamics so in front

of creating a beautiful car,

that it ended up
to be a disaster.

- [Narrator] Alfred Sloan's
smear campaign is the last nail

in the coffin for the Airflow.

- What drove Chrysler
and what drove Sloan,

was they wanted to be the
best and the most powerful

in their industries.

These were titans, and
these titans had no limits

as far as they were concerned.

- [Narrator] Sloan steers
GM through the Depression

by closing factories
and laying off workers.

While the move cuts expenses,

they also make GM a
target for the unions.

(clanking)

(dramatic music)

- Unions had been
trying to organize

the automobile industry
for a long time

and the breakthrough of
unions occurred in the 1930's

when workers staged
a sit down strike

against General Motors.

And so to remove them would
have required physical force.

- What do you mean they've
taken over the factory?

The governor needs to
call the National Guard.

- People don't
realize sitting down

and taking private
property in 1936 '37,

that was huge.

I mean, what right do workers
have to take over property

and not allow the owners in?

- The sit down strike
was created because

when they were striking before,

the employers would just
bring in scabs to take the

positions behind the
machines and then continue

on with production.

Now we just say no.

When we go on strike, we're
just gonna strike here.

Everybody was
camped out for weeks

and the employer is
gonna lose their profits

and not gonna be able to
get the factories going

and yeah, we're gonna get hurt,

but so is he.

And this is the way
of getting leverage.

- By this time, democrats
were in control in Michigan

and in the country as a whole.

So they were not inclined
to send in the sheriffs,

to send in the National
Guard, to send in the Army

to displace the workers

because the workers were
an important constituency

for the democratic party.

And so, the sit down strike
forced General Motors

to recognize the
United Auto Workers

as the bargaining
agent for workers.

- [Narrator] After
a 44 day stand off,

Sloan signs a deal with the UAW.

The shut down costs GM
$175 million dollars,

almost three billion today.

- There are issues of human
resources that are easier

to deal with when you
deal with the union,

and they have a contract.

The contract's gonna
last for five years

or whatever length
the contract is.

You don't have to
worry about it anymore.

So, it was crucial to this model

that GM was really profitable

and eventually, the other
big automobile manufacturers

had to come on board.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] A month later,

Chrysler signs an
agreement with the union.

But Ford, dead set against it,

lashes out and triggers
a bloody chain of events.

America's industry is in turmoil

as Roosevelt signs new laws
that empower labor unions,

American car workers rise
up against an industry

that pushed them
to their limits.

- [Edsel] The police are
beating the protesters!

- What do you mean they've
taken over the factory?

- [Narrator] Both GM and
Chrysler caved to pressure

from the newly formed
United Auto Workers.

But Henry Ford refuses
to recognize the union.

The United Auto Workers
refused to give Ford a pass.

A small group of organizers
march on the River Rouge complex

demanding a $2 a day
raise for workers.

They quickly realize.

- Yes sir, Mr. Ford, yes?

- [Narrator] That no
one tells Henry Ford

how to run his business.

(dramatic music)

- Let's go.

- Bennett set some
of his goons loose

and beat them almost senseless.

Threw them down a
flight of stairs,

they were all bloodied.

They did it in front of
a group of photographers.

Now you have this
national scandal

against the Ford Company,
against Henry Ford.

That was just a public
relations fiasco.

They called it the
Battle of the Overpass.

The law gave them the right
to hand out those leaflets.

That was a huge
black eye for Ford

but in Henry's eyes,
it just proved again,

that he was right
about the unions.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Despite public
support for the unions,

Ford continues to
stonewall the UAW.

(birds chirping)

It also hurts Henry's
relationship with his son.

- We need to make a
deal with the union now

before it's too late.

We're losing millions a week!

I warned you it
would come to this.

You never listened.

(glass shattering)

- You never learned!

- Henry.

- [Narrator] Clara Ford
said to Henry Ford,

that she would leave
him if he didn't give in

to the workers and
allow them to unionize.

- If you don't end this I will.

(steps clattering)

- To strike an agreement
with the auto workers

so that there was
uninterrupted production,

more sales, everybody wins.

Edsel was a forward
looking person.

Henry didn't see it that way.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Alfred Sloan's deal

with the United Auto Workers
keeps GM in production.

- By allowing
workers to unionize,

that then forces across
the entire industry

all of the companies
to raise wages,

which in turn means that
those workers will have

the ability to buys cars.

The ability to buy houses.

The ability to feed the
engine of consumerism

and the American economy.

That is good for everybody.

- [Narrator] But in
the summer of 1940,

America loses one
of its great titans.

Walter Chrysler
succumbs to a stroke.

- Walter Chrysler had the
world's third largest

auto company by 1928 and by 1933

the second largest in the world.

He was a man of vision who
attracted like minded people

to himself.

Chrysler groomed Keller
for a number of years

to take over the company,

giving him more and more
important responsibilities.

So KT Keller and his
associates were on their own

and he succeeded very well
in running the company.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Chrysler and
GM know their deals with the

UAW are meaningless unless
Ford agrees as well.

- Only way in which
we're gonna get out

of the Great Depression is
getting money into the pockets

of the majority, of the workers.

So that they in turn will
go out and buy products

which will create
profits for other owners.

So all boats are gonna
have to rise together.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] While Ford
continues to ignore them,

the UAW calls a massive strike,

ordering its 60,000
workers to picket.

Henry Ford finally realizes
that while he may have won

some battles, he's lost the war.

- Why are we giving
in to these bastards?

- Just sign the damn contract.

- Did Mrs. Ford have
something to do with this?

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] The car industry
has shaped America for decades

creating the middle
class, the suburbs,

the highway system,
and the unions,

but now, a much bigger
problem is rising

across the Atlantic.

- [Radio Announcer] Germany
has invaded Poland

and has bombed many towns.

General mobilization
has been ordered

in Britain and France.

(speaking German)

- [Narrator] The Germans
have secretly spent years

building a massive
arsenal of weapons

and have a clear
advantage over the Allies

as the war begins.

They quickly move
east, taking Poland,

then west to France.

And President Roosevelt
believes that America

will inevitably be
drawn into the conflict.

- In 1940, the vast
majority of Americans do not

want to get into the
second World War.

The problem is, we do have
major national security threats.

For FDR, the solution
is to give the Brits

and then Soviets the
weapons to fight the war

so that America doesn't have to.

- Henry Ford was very much
against the United States

involvement in World War
II as it was being fought

by Britain against Germany.

- Henry Ford looked at the
onset of the second World War

as the end of capitalism.

That this thing is going to
blow the entire economic system

that we have built upon.

It's now gonna be the
communists are gonna take over.

- [Narrator] But not
everyone at Ford agrees.

(dramatic music)

- [Knudsen] Edsel, it's been
quite some time.

It's good to see you.

- You too Bill,

though I suppose I should
address you as General.

- [Knudsen] As you like.

But I haven't been
a General for long.

- [Narrator] Former Ford and
GM executive, William Knudsen,

is appointed head of the
Army's wartime production,

charged with catching up
to the German war machine.

- I have a request of you.

Ford wants to do its
part for the war efforts.

- Your father does not
make that very easy.

Doesn't he claim to be
some kind of pacifist?

- Let him claim
whatever he wants.

You an I know the truth.

(dramatic music)

- For the sake of the country,

I'll do what I can.

- [Narrator] Edsel Ford signs
a deal to build airplane

engines for the war effort

and while it's good
for the bottom line,

it deepens the divide between
Henry Ford and his son.

- Edsel's deal to
provide weapons

to the Brits right, is
totally inline with US policy

towards the war.

But Henry Ford hates this
idea that government's

telling me what to do, I
can't produce more cars,

I gotta start
producing B24 bombers.

- [Narrator] At GM,

the focus turns to
capitalizing on war preparation

while continuing to produce
cars for the American consumer.

- And our assembly line
upgrades should be proceeding

according to schedule
for our Ohio plant,

which is good but--

- Mr. Sloan!

- [Narrator] When
tragedy strikes.

- What son?

- A surprise attack.

The Japanese on Hawaii.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] On December 7, 1941

(engine rumbles)

the Japanese attack
Pearl Harbor.

For America, World
War II is starting.

- By the time
Pearl Harbor comes,

we knew we were gonna be
involved in a World War,

and the important thing at
that point for the government

was to quickly build
a lot of tanks,

a lot of planes, to
manufacture lots of rifles,

lots of artillery pieces.

- [Narrator] The German's
head start in war production

means the entire might
of the US economy

will be needed for an
Allied chance at victory.

Perhaps most important,
the Big Three car makers.

(dramatic music)

- Bill, what brings you?

- Actually, it's
General Knudsen now.

- [Narrator] Sloan, the man
who hired Knudsen at GM,

is hoping to keep
profiting from cars,

even as the country
prepares for war.

- I came myself because I want
to be sure you understand.

- [Narrator] But, as head of
the Army's wartime supply,

Knudsen is now the
one calling the shots.

- All civilian auto
manufacturing stops now.

For every US car maker.

You're working for Uncle Sam
and you should get used to it

because this war is going
to go on for a while.

- Of course, we wouldn't
expect any special treatment.

- Good.

- You can count on GM.

(steps clattering)

(dramatic music)

- [Radio Announcer] An
appeal to help has been made

as Allied troops are
moving to their support.

- [Narrator] Now, all of the
Big Three are using their

work forces to propel
the Allies to victory.

- There was a big chill on
the automobile production

in this country.

- [Reporter] A year ago, these
girls made automobile tires.

- All of these plants
were turned to war production.

- [Reporter] Today they inspect
some of the 15 hundred

precision parts that go into
the making of bull fours

anti-aircraft guns.

- There's a transformation
and a retooling in Detroit

for the automobile industry.

It takes time and
effort to reconstruct

the manufacturing process.

Now gonna be manufacturing
trucks, tanks,

artillery pieces, bombers.

They were building, at one
point, one bomber an hour.

- The notion of an
unbridled automobile culture

certainly takes a back
seat to winning the war

and providing the
materials to fight the war.

- The outcome of the war
without the effort of Detroit

and everything that was
happening in Detroit,

could have been much different.

(thunder claps)

- [Narrator] Edsel steers
Ford's vast resources

behind the US war effort.

But his biggest concern
is his son Hank Ford,

known affectionately to
the family as The Deuce.

- Is it that time already?

- Duty calls, I'm afraid.

Where's mom?

- She wanted you to
remember her smiling.

- I understand.

- Take good care
of yourself son.

I'll see you when you get back.

- Don't worry dad.

(solemn instrumental music)

(thunder claps)

- [Narrator] Henry Ford, who
put all America on the move

with his Model T,

is the figure head of a
company that's falling apart,

one that's no longer
even making cars.

For two decades, the
automobile has led the nation

into the future.

But now,

as America's auto makers
watch their country go to war,

for the fist time, the
America of tomorrow

is beyond their sight.

On the next episode of The
Cars that Made America.

(Hitler speaking German)

With World War grinding
car making to a halt

- The country's in good hands.

- [Narrator] Detroit shifts
gears to defeat evil.

In victory comes
unparalleled prosperity

as the Big Three
race to innovate.

- This car is the
future of Ford.

- [Narrator] And deliver
Americans the speed,

power,

(laughing)

and style they crave,

leading to the golden
age of American cars.

(tires squealing)

(engine rumbles)