Two videos highlight city driving in the late 1930s and 1940s

Street scene in San Francisco in the 1940s

(May 25, 2019) Here are two interesting videos depicting city street driving in the 1940s. The first video was filmed in Portland, Ore., in 1939 and the second — some of it filmed in color — was shot in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Mexico City.

The first short video shows fast-paced action at the intersection of Sandy Boulevard and 33rd Avenue in Portland. The video shows that aggressive driving is nothing new. It's breathtaking in a couple of places when drivers make quick left turns in front of on-coming traffic. This film courtesy of Clayton Pattison.

The second video begins with scenes on San Francisco streets courtesy of the San Francisco Library. Seen are cable cars on Presidio Avenue, the Market Street route, and the O'Farrell, Jones and Hyde streets route.

The balance of the footage was shot in Mexico City and Los Angeles. The purpose of that film could have been to serve as studio backdrop for movie scenes taking place in moving cars.

Courtesy of The Old Motor