Design for Dreaming
Encyclopedia
Design for Dreaming is a musical sponsored film
about a woman (played by dancer and choreographer Tad Tadlock; real name "Thelma Tadlock") who dreams about a masked man (dancer and choreographer Marc Breaux
) taking her to the 1956 General Motors
Motorama
at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
and Frigidaire
's "Kitchen of the Future." The entirety of the dialogue is sung, though the actors do not move their lips to their characters' prerecorded voices.
The film starts off with her in her bedroom, with the masked man suddenly appearing. He then takes her to the Motorama. After looking at several cars including Buick
, Chevrolet Corvette
, Oldsmobile
, and Cadillac
s, she is taken to the "kitchen of the future," where she bakes a cake. She then goes back to the motorama and dances the "dance of tomorrow." After looking at more cars, she and her masked man (who unmasks himself) travel on the "road of tomorrow" in the "Firebird 2" and fall in love.
.
Design for Dreaming has gained a small cult following, with some enjoying it for its perceived camp
value, and others enjoying it for nostalgic reasons. One prominent showing of the film was as a short feature in a fifth-season episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000
(MST3K). The BBC
documentary series Pandora's Box by Adam Curtis
made extensive use of clips from Design for Dreaming, especially in the title sequence. Some footage was also used in the music video
for Peter Gabriel
's 1987 single "In Your Eyes
," Rush
's 1989 music video for "Superconductor," a 1989 commercial for the Nintendo Game Boy
game Super Mario Land
, a 1994 commercial for Power Macintosh
, and in brief clips on an episode in the 2nd season of Penn and Teller: Bullshit. Clips were during Nine Inch Nails
concert performances. Part of the film, with dialogue, is played during the opening titles for The Hills Have Eyes (2006 film)
. Some snippets (without dialogue) are played in the video watched by Michael Douglas
during his physical in The Game (film)
and in the opening titles for The Stepford Wives (2004 film)
.
Sponsored film
Sponsored film, or ephemeral film, as defined by film archivist Rick Prelinger, is film made by a particular sponsor for a specific purpose other than as a work of art: the films were designed to serve a specific pragmatic purpose for a limited time...
about a woman (played by dancer and choreographer Tad Tadlock; real name "Thelma Tadlock") who dreams about a masked man (dancer and choreographer Marc Breaux
Marc Breaux
Marc Breaux is an American choreographer and occasional film director best known for his work on musical films of the 1960s and 1970s. Most of his well known work was in collaboration with Dee Dee Wood to whom he was married for many years...
) taking her to the 1956 General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
Motorama
Motorama
The General Motors Motorama was an auto show staged by GM from 1949 to 1961. These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special or halo models. Motorama grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's...
at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
The Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...
and Frigidaire
Frigidaire
Frigidaire is a brand of consumer and commercial appliances. Frigidaire was founded as the Guardian Frigerator Company in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and developed the first self-contained refrigerator in 1916. In 1918, William C...
's "Kitchen of the Future." The entirety of the dialogue is sung, though the actors do not move their lips to their characters' prerecorded voices.
The film starts off with her in her bedroom, with the masked man suddenly appearing. He then takes her to the Motorama. After looking at several cars including Buick
Buick
Buick is a premium brand of General Motors . Buick models are sold in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China, Taiwan, and Israel, with China being its largest market. Buick holds the distinction as the oldest active American make...
, Chevrolet Corvette
Chevrolet Corvette
The Chevrolet Corvette is a sports car by the Chevrolet division of General Motors that has been produced in six generations. The first model, a convertible, was designed by Harley Earl and introduced at the GM Motorama in 1953 as a concept show car. Myron Scott is credited for naming the car after...
, Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile was a brand of American automobile produced for most of its existence by General Motors. It was founded by Ransom E. Olds in 1897. In its 107-year history, it produced 35.2 million cars, including at least 14 million built at its Lansing, Michigan factory...
, and Cadillac
Cadillac
Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...
s, she is taken to the "kitchen of the future," where she bakes a cake. She then goes back to the motorama and dances the "dance of tomorrow." After looking at more cars, she and her masked man (who unmasks himself) travel on the "road of tomorrow" in the "Firebird 2" and fall in love.
History
The film was directed by William BeaudineWilliam Beaudine
William Beaudine was an American film actor and director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers and in a wide variety of genres.-Early life and career:...
.
Design for Dreaming has gained a small cult following, with some enjoying it for its perceived camp
Camp (style)
Camp is an aesthetic sensibility that regards something as appealing because of its taste and ironic value. The concept is closely related to kitsch, and things with camp appeal may also be described as being "cheesy"...
value, and others enjoying it for nostalgic reasons. One prominent showing of the film was as a short feature in a fifth-season episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
(MST3K). The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
documentary series Pandora's Box by Adam Curtis
Adam Curtis
Adam Curtis is a British BAFTA winning documentarian and a writer, television producer, director and narrator. He works for BBC Current Affairs.-Early life and education:Curtis was born in 1955...
made extensive use of clips from Design for Dreaming, especially in the title sequence. Some footage was also used in the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
's 1987 single "In Your Eyes
In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel song)
"In Your Eyes" is a song by British musician Peter Gabriel from his 1986 album So. It reached #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks and #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November, 1986. It was not released as a single in the UK...
," Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
's 1989 music video for "Superconductor," a 1989 commercial for the Nintendo Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
game Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land
is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo for the Game Boy handheld game console. It and the Game Boy debuted in Japan on April 21, 1989, in the United States on July 31, 1989, and in Europe on September 28, 1990...
, a 1994 commercial for Power Macintosh
Power Macintosh
Power Macintosh, later Power Mac, was a line of Apple Macintosh workstation-class personal computers based on various models of PowerPC microprocessors that were developed, marketed, and supported by Apple Inc. from March 1994 until August 2006. The first models were the Power Macintosh 6100,...
, and in brief clips on an episode in the 2nd season of Penn and Teller: Bullshit. Clips were during Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
concert performances. Part of the film, with dialogue, is played during the opening titles for The Hills Have Eyes (2006 film)
The Hills Have Eyes (2006 film)
The Hills Have Eyes is a 2006 horror film and remake of Wes Craven's 1977 film The Hills Have Eyes. Written by filmmaking partners Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur of the French horror film Haute Tension, and directed by Aja, the film follows a family who becomes the target of a group of...
. Some snippets (without dialogue) are played in the video watched by Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas
Michael Kirk Douglas is an American actor and producer, primarily in movies and television. He has won three Golden Globes and two Academy Awards; first as producer of 1975's Best Picture, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and as Best Actor in 1987 for his role in Wall Street. Douglas received the...
during his physical in The Game (film)
The Game (film)
The Game is a 1997 neo-noir psychological thriller film directed by David Fincher, starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn, and produced by Polygram. It tells the story of an investment banker who is given a mysterious gift: participation in a game that integrates in strange ways with his life...
and in the opening titles for The Stepford Wives (2004 film)
The Stepford Wives (2004 film)
The Stepford Wives is a 2004 American science fiction film. The film is a remake of the 1975 film of the same name; both films are based on the Ira Levin novel The Stepford Wives...
.
Selected quotes
- Woman: I dreamt last night, the moon was so bright, it melted the world away.
- Man: Girls don't go to motoramaMotoramaThe General Motors Motorama was an auto show staged by GM from 1949 to 1961. These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special or halo models. Motorama grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's...
s, dressed in a pair of pink pajamas! - Man: Quick, please, a gown!
Woman: Ooh! I'll be the talk of the town!
Woman: Oh my!
Man: Go after it, fly! - Woman: I'm a girl who happens to think that a brand new carČarČar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
is better than minkMinkThere are two living species referred to as "mink": the European Mink and the American Mink. The extinct Sea Mink is related to the American Mink, but was much larger. All three species are dark-colored, semi-aquatic, carnivorous mammals of the family Mustelidae, which also includes the weasels and...
. - Man: Since it's just a dream and involves no money, which one would you like me to buy you, honey?
- Woman: I want a Corvette!
Man: I thought you would.
Woman: Ooh! I want a Pontiac too!
Man: Okay, we'll have the usual two-car garage. - Man: Better get her to the kitchen, quick!
- Woman: No need for the bride to feel tragic. The rest is pushbutton magic!
- Woman: Tick, tock, tick, tock! I'm free to have fun around the clock!
- Woman: The kitchen of tomorrow is calling me!
See also
- General MotorsGeneral MotorsGeneral Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
- Sponsored filmSponsored filmSponsored film, or ephemeral film, as defined by film archivist Rick Prelinger, is film made by a particular sponsor for a specific purpose other than as a work of art: the films were designed to serve a specific pragmatic purpose for a limited time...
- MotoramaMotoramaThe General Motors Motorama was an auto show staged by GM from 1949 to 1961. These automobile extravaganzas were designed to whet public appetite and boost automobile sales with displays of fancy prototypes, concept vehicles and other special or halo models. Motorama grew out of Alfred P. Sloan's...
- Home of the futureHome of the futureThe home of the future, similar to the office of the future, is a concept that has been popular to explore since the early 20th century, or perhaps earlier...
- A Touch of MagicA Touch of MagicA Touch of Magic is a musical sponsored film.The film begins with a designer at the drawing board, daydreaming about a 1920s couple who travel to the Middle Ages; the Man saves the Woman from a wizard and a dragon, only to abruptly discover that they are all performing for an audience in the 1960s...
- AdvertisingAdvertisingAdvertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
- Rick PrelingerRick PrelingerRick Prelinger is an archivist, writer and filmmaker, and founder of the Prelinger Archives, a collection of 60,000 advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur films acquired by the Library of Congress in 2002 after 20 years' operation.Rick has partnered with the Internet Archive to make...
- The JetsonsThe JetsonsThe Jetsons is a animated American sitcom that was produced by Hanna-Barbera, originally airing in prime-time from 1962–1963 and again from 1985–1987...