Vintage Detroit Video Circa 1968

**Doma** · May-17-09, 12:22 PM

Wow, wish I would of had an opportunity to see some of this in my lifetime.

http://detnews.com/article/20090517/...deo--circa--65

**pffft** · May-17-09, 01:10 PM

Those of us who were alive then also saw housing ads that said "colored" into the early '60s...and then in '67, the riot/rebellion. So we saw some bad stuff that you didn't...

**EastsideAl** · May-17-09, 01:10 PM

Ummm, it's from '65. A considerably more "rose-colored" time than '68 [[save for the Tigers).

Lorax · May-17-09, 02:10 PM

What's so striking to those of us who either lived through, or caught the tail end of seeing a relatively intact Detroit, is that how in 44 years the city has become something entirely different.

The old names on corporation headquarters are either changed, moved, or vanished entirely.

While the waterfront arguably is better looking today and more cohesive, the rest of the city is almost entirely bombed out.

The run-down of restaurants shown- Top of the Pontch, Top of the Flame, Mario's, The Roostertail, etc, is such an amazing juxtaposition to what it's like today.

Since I attended WSU, I'd like to start a thread to get the university to do something about restoring the Japanese water garden in front of the MacGregor Memorial- I was there recently and it looks shabby at best.

**Russix** · May-17-09, 04:10 PM

Its creepy. Like watching an airline stewardess serve drinks minutes before an engine falls off.

**douglasm** · May-17-09, 04:42 PM

In watching this film again [[it's popped up a couple of times) I always feel a little sad for Jerry Cavanaugh. He beat a semi-corrupt Louis Mariani for mayor, then got stepped on big time by the '67 riots. Like the article says, Cavanaugh knew the city was changing, he just didn't know which direction it was going.....

**Treble484** · May-17-09, 07:27 PM

We can never go back good or bad as it was, but damn lets build for the future. and make it better for the next generation. Mayor Bing do you read this website. Lets turn Detroit around.

2blocksaway · May-17-09, 08:41 PM

13:25. Holy Smoke!!!

I also noticed that the video includes many things not located within the city limits of Detroit.

Back then city leaders knew "Detroit" was more than just Detroit proper. Why don't todays?

**Linda from Detroit** · May-17-09, 11:42 PM

Wow, what a great video. I remember those days well. In fact I used to see Jerry C. downtown quite often while taking my lunch break from the office.

**marshall** · May-18-09, 06:04 AM

Where cana one find it to watch? I would love to see it! Is it on line anywhere?

**softailrider** · May-18-09, 06:41 AM

Originally Posted by 2blocksaway

13:25. Holy Smoke!!!

I also noticed that the video includes many things not located within the city limits of Detroit.

Back then city leaders knew "Detroit" was more than just Detroit proper. Why don't todays?

Right, Cranbrook and Greenfield Village were mentioned. These days Detroit leaders would never give props to anything outside of city limits.

**jackie5275** · May-28-09, 09:16 PM

I just ran across this today. Being an infant in 1965, I've always wanted to see how things looked like in Detroit when the city had some vibrancy. This gave me a glimpse.

**oladub** · May-29-09, 01:08 AM

Mayor Cavanaugh made a serious tactical error during the riots. He got on tv and announced that he had ordered the police not to shoot looters because he said, people were more important than property. Not to disagree with what he said but his timing was terrible. Within hours, it seemed, the amount of looting skyrocketed. A lot of people who were worried about being shot took his statement as a green light of sorts. Cavanaugh should have kept his mouth shut about the order he gave the police until after the riot was over. Maybe more neighborhoods could have been saved. Detroit never recovered to its 'height' as Mayor Cavanaugh ironiclly mentioned in the film.

Buy American · May-29-09, 07:43 AM

I was working in the City County Building when that video was made. Jerry Cavanaugh was my boss and in my opinion he was a very good man who wanted the best for the City. Those were good days in Detroit, it was a vibrant city, crime was low [[compared to today) and people cared for one another. Today, it's a whole other story. No one cares, especially most of the elected officials on the Clownsil.
Just look at how they steal and rape the very people they are supposed to represent. It's a "get in, get what I can, get out" mentality that is running Detroit today.

**daddeeo** · May-29-09, 12:23 PM

Yeah, now it's the officials that are doing the looting.

**gnome** · May-29-09, 02:03 PM

I think Jerry's divorce did more to end his run as mayor than did the Riots. He also was the guy that brought a city income tax to Detroit ...

**Fury13** · May-30-09, 04:52 PM

Cavanagh's heart was in the right place. He had a pretty inclusive administration; more so than any before him. As was said, he had no idea how fast things were changing in Detroit.

**RickBeall** · May-31-09, 11:17 AM

That is a fascinating video. Detroit looks like it was just filled with scurrying white people. The history of Detroit begins when the first white person, Cadillac, appears in the 1700's. Forged-about-da-Indians. The diseased slums had been newly cleared just 7 years before [[Hastings Street). Hastings Street would have been our Beale St today, or, just a likely, another street with empty fields on both sides like Oakland Ave. today. But you can dream.

This film was a promotional video for a bid for the the 1968 Summer Olympics. Imagine if we had won it, and preceded it with our race riots in 1967. Sweet!

Fascinating look at our own view of ourselves in the 1960s. God we were boring.

**Fury13** · May-31-09, 07:09 PM

Boring, maybe. But the quality of life within the city of Detroit was 100 times better then, than it is now.

Bearinabox · May-31-09, 09:01 PM

Originally Posted by Fury13

Boring, maybe. But the quality of life within the city of Detroit was 100 times better then, than it is now.

But the cluelessness exhibited in that video about what made the quality of life better is part of what got us from where we were then to where we are now. Hint to 1960s-era city leaders: Big imposing blank-faced buildings surrounded by plazas, massive "slum clearance" projects and "modern" freeway systems don't make the city a better place to live, even if they make for impressive skyline postcards and short-term bragging rights. None of the things they boast about make me want to live in the place they're plugging.

**EMG** · June-07-09, 03:41 PM

Those who liked the above video may also be interested in this one - an early ad for the Renaissance Center.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6RlUsi_-ZA

**jcole** · June-07-09, 04:01 PM

Originally Posted by Buy American

I was working in the City County Building when that video was made. Jerry Cavanaugh was my boss and in my opinion he was a very good man who wanted the best for the City. Those were good days in Detroit, it was a vibrant city, crime was low [[compared to today) and people cared for one another. Today, it's a whole other story. No one cares, especially most of the elected officials on the Clownsil.
Just look at how they steal and rape the very people they are supposed to represent. It's a "get in, get what I can, get out" mentality that is running Detroit today.

Buy American, my Dad also worked at City/County when this film was made. He was in charge of the License Bureau. His name was Lt. James Cole. Did you know him by any chance? I've got a really nice pic of Dad with the Mayor and City Council in about '65 or so.

Buy American · June-07-09, 08:31 PM

Originally Posted by jcole

Buy American, my Dad also worked at City/County when this film was made. He was in charge of the License Bureau. His name was Lt. James Cole. Did you know him by any chance? I've got a really nice pic of Dad with the Mayor and City Council in about '65 or so.

I don't recognize his name jcole. I'm sure we passed each other in the halls many times.

**izzyindetroit** · June-07-09, 10:18 PM

Originally Posted by EMG

Those who liked the above video may also be interested in this one - an early ad for the Renaissance Center.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6RlUsi_-ZA

The building didn't quite work out as planned did it?

Thanks for the link.