We get influenced by the cars from movies. There is something fantastic about cars used in films and television as many of them become famous forever in American culture. Most of you must have heard about General Lee, Herbie, or that cool Ferrari Testarossa from Miami Vice. But as recognizable as these examples are, one car is more signified among all, i.e., LaSalle.
History Behind “LaSalle”
Lastly was a car band from the 1930s. It was honored in the single line of the theme song from the CBS popular TV show “All in the Family” which ran during the 1970s.
The LaSalle was mentioned in the line :
“Everybody pulled his weight.
Gee, our old LaSalle ran great.
Those were the days.”
Archie and Edith Bunker (Carroll O’Connor and Jean Stapleton) of “All in the Family” sang the lyrics of the song every Sunday night, captivating viewers from all over the world. The theme song’s name was “Those were the days” and by this LaSalle became closely associated with the family show.
And more interestingly, producers slightly changed the theme song for the final three seasons of the show. The line, “Gee, our old LaSalle ran great” was somewhat difficult to interpret. To make it more satisfactory and easier, Archie changed the enunciation and articulation of the song. However, the story about LaSalle was more complicated than you can think.
A brief introduction about LaSalle
LaSalle was the American brand of luxury automobiles that were manufactured and marketed by General Motors Cadillac division from 1927 through 1940 as a separate brand. It was the first fully stylistically designed vehicle. It is said that it broke the principle of, “form following function” as it was the first car where “functions followed form”.
Harley Earl was the man who made such a massive shift in automotive car design. He had also designed the well-known Corvette in the later years. And he is also the father of the LaSalle brand.
With its importance in the hit TV show that aired from 1971 to 1979, the LaSalle has won several hearts. LaSalle has gained popularity for its reliability and well-built stature.
More about LaSalle Cars
LaSalle produced more than 20,000 vehicles during its 13-year run. After introducing the first 303 coupe convertible on 5th March 1927 GM and Cadillac produced over 26,000 LaSalles as they became the most important products of the automakers. However, they could barely keep up with demand.
In the early years, LaSalle offered five different body styles and 11 individual models which are –
A roadster
A Coupe
A convertible coupe for two passengers
Four places phaeton, victoria
Dual-cowl phaeton
A five-passenger sedan
A town sedan
Two places coupe
A sedan
Town cabriolet
Transformable town cabriolet
Over the years, especially after the Great depression, LaSalle had to adapt to survive.
The Final words
Undoubtedly, LaSalle was a successful brand. The cars looked so good that even some of them were immortalized as “gangster cars” during the era. It has won several hearts particularly of those who have been blessed with the opportunity to drive it. At one time, GM had plans to revive it in 1963 but Buick Riviera was released that time. GM said that Riviera is designed to be a LaSalle and is also referred to as LaSalle II.
Thanks to the show, ” All in the Family” helped keep its namesake intact with its reference to the iconic brand, making it an outstanding ambassador to this classic franchise.
