June 6, 1952 – The Special Short Susie, the Little Blue Coupe, is Released to Theaters
“Susie was a happy little car, as she glided down the avenue.”
On June 6, 1952, the special short film Susie, the Little Blue Coupe, was released to theaters. It was based on an original story by Bill Peet, with the adaptation to film done by Peet and Don da Gradi. The short was directed by Clyde Geronimi, with music by Paul Smith, and narration provided by Sterling Holloway. The anthropomorphized look of the cars is said to have been an inspiration for the look of the characters in the Pixar films Cars and Cars 2.
“This is the story of Susie,” the narrator begins, with Susie seen in the front showroom of Miller Motors. She had many admirers stop and stare, for she was a beautiful blue coupe. Susie is seen flirting through the window, even giving one of her admirers a wink. One day, a man in a brown suit spotted Susie, and fell in love with her immediately. Susie was thrilled to be sold to the man, and has a cheerful strut as she drives down the road.
Much smaller than the other cars, Susie huddles in an empty space, intimidated by the others’ mean stares
As Susie entered the main roads, however, she was too slow for the other cars, nearly getting run off the road several times, but she was finally able to maneuver her way around with ease. She also ended up at the Parking Lot, trying to make friends with the big limousines and the big, fancy cars, although they did not take a liking to her. At the end of the day, she was just happy being back in her own garage, with the owner’s cat asleep on her roof.
Years go by, and Susie has not aged gracefully. Her carburetor is having trouble, and her slow speed causes traffic to back up for miles. She goes into Joe’s Garage for a checkup, and when the mechanic lets the owner know that she needs a new overhaul, the owner just says sadly that all he needs is a new car, leaving Susie to be abandoned in a used car lot, on sale for $95.
After the accident, Susie is carted off to where all cars go to die – the junkyard
A rather unsavory looking fellow walks around the car lot, checking out the cars available, when he spots Susie with a smile. He goes to check her out, and decides to buy her. Now, she was driving “back streets and dark alleys,” left out in the cold at night, feeling abused and depressed. One fateful night, as she was left alone on the street as usual, Susie is stolen, and is then pursued by the police. Susie’s captor runs a red light, sending her crashing into a trolley. Susie is then carted away to the junkyard.
Susie sits through the seasons in the junkyard, until one day she is spotted by a young boy, who buys her for $12.50. With the help of his friends, they take her apart and put her back together again, so she’s better than new. Susie speeds down the road, happy to be loved by an owner.
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