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Popular Media And The Car

The Automobile as an Iconic Symbol

“Get your kicks on Route 66.”- Bobby Troup
  • Impact on Culture
    • Auto Vacation
    • Autopia – California’s Drive-in Culture
    • The Automobile As An Iconic Symbol
    • The Automobile As A Hobby
    • Freedom of Migration
    • Freedom of Movement
    • Freedom from Social Constraints
    • Popular Media And The Car
  • Impact on Industries
    • California Automobile Associations
    • The Automobile Maintenance Industry
    • Auto Insurance and Vehicle Safety
    • California Petroleum Industry And The Auto
    • Demise of Public Transit in California
    • California Auto Industry
  • Impact on Government
    • Early Role of Government
    • Good Roads
    • State and Federal Highways
    • The Lincoln Highway
    • Auto Trails to Superhighways
    • How The Automobile Shaped the Urban Environment
  • Exhibits
    • Introduction
    • Shaping the Culture
    • History and Impact
    • State Departments

The cult of the car has been associated from the beginning with many different forms of popular entertainment, such as music, film, television shows and comic books.

Hollywood not only glamorized the automobile in classic films such as Bullitt and American Graffiti, but also gave us many famous actors and actresses who were keen car enthusiasts, such as Mary Pickford, Gary Cooper, James Dean and Steve McQueen.

California rock ‘n’ roll artists and groups, such as Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys, continually celebrated in song the teenage rite-of-passage and love affair that came with owning a car.

California State Capitol Museum – The Road Ahead Exhibit

This is a website specifically for the “The Road Ahead: The Automobile’s Impact on California” Exhibit. Dates: May 23, 2018 – April 29, 2019 at the California State Capitol Museum.

For Museum-related information such as contacts, hours and location: Visit capitolmuseum.ca.gov.

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