“WHERE THE SON SHINES” - 1952 ALL-AMERICAN SOAPBOX DERBY, AKRON OHIO CHEVROLET PROMO FILM 90784

Want to support this channel and help us preserve old films? Visit Visit our website This color film, produced by General Motors’ Photographic Division for Chevrolet, showcases the 1952 All-American Soapbox Derby held in Akron, Ohio. Beginning in and around Saratoga Springs, New York, we meet the community leaders who promote the local Derby and a few of the participants. The action then moves to Akron, where the whole town has Derby Fever! The heats commence at Derby Downs and 11-year-old Joe Lunn of Columbus, Georgia, crashes his car and looks to be out of the running. But after a quick repair, Lunn goes on to win the championship. He and all the other racers are then feted at a banquet attended by politicians, businessmen, and movie stars. The All-American Soap Box Derby is a youth soapbox car racing program which that has existed in the United States since 1933. During the Derby’s heyday in the 1950’s and 1960’s, as many as 70,000 people gather