Cranks, Bumps, and Bangs: A Nostalgic Ride Through Early Automobiles"

By Betty Paglieri - circa 2002

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Will Rogers once said, “The United States is the first country to go to the poor house in an automobile.” It was a joke, but looking back, there was a great deal of truth in it. Americans adored cars.

A man could sell his furniture, abandon his dog, lose his house, and leave his wife, yet cling to his automobile with fierce determination. There was always an automobile in our possession from my earliest days. The first one I have any memory of was a boxy black Ford sedan with thin tires, prominent bumpers, and a quaint horn.

It did not start spontaneously. There were some levers that had to be set around the steering wheel, and there was a crank under the front grille that had to be turned vigorously. If my father was alone, this required some running back and forth on his part. If my mother or brother were around, they got the job of working the crank until the engine turned over.

Sometimes the crank would flip backward, and often it took several efforts to get the car going. There were invariably colorful outbursts from my father—nasty but highly descriptive words. Once the engine caught, everyone would jump in, and the Ford would get going with sputters, loud bangs, and a bumpy ride.

It was always exciting. The brakes on these cars evidently were not very good, as I recall many times when we bumped other autos or they bumped us. This would necessitate drivers jumping out and making disparaging remarks about the other driver’s steering abilities or their ancestry.

I don’t remember anything more than verbal exchanges, as cars then seemed impervious to much physical damage. One time, the Ford was cut off on a curve of a country road and tipped over on its side. No one was hurt, and several passersby's helped my father tip the car upright again.

As plumbing became a prosperous livelihood around 1938, my father bought a Dodge coupe, which was more streamlined than the old Ford and did not require a crank to start. Ownership of a smoother, more reliable car opened up a world of opportunity for us to take diverting day trips of one sort or another.

Later, my father purchased a used 1939 Dodge sedan and gave Charlie the coupe, which he drove to Texas and back. Charlie used it until he was able to purchase one of the first post-war autos, an Oldsmobile, which caused a sensation in our neighborhood as it was the first new car anyone had seen in years.

Oldsmobile that caused a stir