The Swing Shift Shuffle is a radio program of swing, big band, jazz, boogie woogie and other popular music from the 1930's and 40's that airs every Wednesday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. (US Central Time) on WEVL 89.9 FM in Memphis, Tennessee, with a live webcast at wevl.org. In addition to the radio show, this blog is dedicated to all aspects of the Swing Era, including art, automobiles, cartoons, comics, history, movies, music, news, science, technology, and anything else that happened during that time. It also includes announcements about events in the Memphis/Mid-South area related to the Swing Era, such as classic movies, concerts, dances, lectures, etc. If you see something that fits the description, send it to me at tim@wevl.org. If you would like more information about the radio show, just go to the Radio Show FAQ page.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Big Bus Conversion for the War Effort

Two posts on the Hemmings blog reveal interesting automotive contributions to the war effort during the 1940's by communities and corporations.  The first was the Santa Fe Trailways articulated plywood bus.  The bus line custom built the vehicle out of plywood to save war materiel, and used it to carry war workers to and from their factories, thus also saving the employees' fuel and rubber for the war effort.   There is no information on whether the driver sat on top, in the bottom, or split himself in half while turning.
The other post relates that a town in Georgia bought one of GM's 1936 Futureliners and donated it to the U.S. Army for use as a mobile USO platform.  The huge side door that was a feature of the Futureliners during GM's promotion "Caravan of Progress" now opened to reveal the stage.

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