Wrong General listed in first episode of "The Cars That Made America"

[Guest Carol Greco]

General Pershing chased after Pancho Villa - not General Patton!  They showed pictures of General Pershing & misidentified him as General Patton!  WRONG AND INACCURATE!  Patton was a very young child then and after WW1 Pershing mentored Patton. Pershing was the only 5 star General in charge of all USA  military in WW1 -Pershing was my grandmother's cousin. 

[42319DB34]

As to " WRONG AND INACCURATE "

George S. Patton was born : 11/11/1885

Expedition against Pancho Villa : 03/14/1916 - 02/07/1917

Lt. Patton would have been 30-31 years of age , 

Not ..." a very young child ... ". 

 

 

 

 

[JV Puleo]

Patton distinguished himself during the punitive expedition, oddly enough by killing the Villista, Julio Cardenas at the San Miguelito Ranch while attacking with a fleet of three Dodge touring cars. GSP certainly wasn't a child... he'd already competed at the 1912 Olympics and taken a large role in the design of the M1913 Saber (still known as the "Patton" saber).

It's this sort of goof up that made me lose interest in History programing. Every time I saw something that touched on a subject I am conversant in, the mistakes were NOT minor.

[46 woodie]

The show was filled with errors. I don't understand how someone could produce a show without first fact checking what they air. They had to know "gear heads" would be watching and some of us might know a little about early automobile history. 

[Grimy]

IIRC, the show's Part 2 claimed Durant died "shortly afterwards" from his second dismissal as President of GM.  Apparently, for them 27 years (1947) is "shortly afterwards"....

[padgett]

No just typical yellow journalism (popular term in the era). Unless reading Scientific American, National Geographic, or various trade journals well researched truth is not a requirement. What sells, is. TV has credits, not footnotes.

 

I learned a long time ago (and once wrote regular columns for magazines) that enough errors are made in what I know to make me suspect everything else. Often can spend an hour or two researching a post (google and Wikipedia are your friends but have a lot of mythconceptions as well. I like at least three references to be semi-sure provided I am not two of them (ever hear of a "canary trap" ?)

 

Did wonder if they would mention the bowling alley. Guess they preferred many shots of Henry staring a sea of model Ts (CGI ?)

Edited August 15, 2017 by padgett (see edit history)

[Bhigdog]

3 hours ago, 46 woodie said:

The show was filled with errors. I don't understand how someone could produce a show without first fact checking what they air. They had to know "gear heads" would be watching and some of us might know a little about early automobile history. 

 

And yet we keep coming back for more. They don't care if we are screaming obscenities at the TV or not  just as long as we are awake. In fact all the errors are making the gear heads more engaged than not. ...............Bob

[SC38dls]

My daughter has worked in the documentary film industry and taught film studies at the college level for years. She has no patience for a person claiming they checked facts when she knows it's wrong. Then the person says well I  check it with two sources on the internet and Wikipedia! 

Younger people think that is a valid source. If you have never understood what real fact checking is you get errors like this that the writer will argue is correct. 

Edited August 15, 2017 by SC38DLS (see edit history)

[padgett]

Wonder what the production crew gets paid for things like this ? Must not be much, could not even afford proper period haircuts for the actors.

[RAH]

Guys, I do understand the 'Entertainment Value' BUT , yes I am interested in correct historic facts regarding the Brothers Dodge, I am annoyed with the continued perpetuation of that 'MODEL 30" designation of their new car! There is absolutely no evidence I have been able to ascertain for fact that the Brothers ever used that model designation. Current view is that some inept DMV employee could not leave the model designation on his form blank so instead inserted the car horsepower ( 30 - 35) in that spot and the error was off and running.  The Brothers Dodge specifically did NOT use the industry standard of model number and annual model changes instead chose to use a continuing upgrading as time goes on. In fact model numbers were absent from the Dodge Brothers line up to 1927 then identified as 'Series' 126,124, 128, 130, 140, etc. All this long after the Brothers were both deceased.  

     I was also a little put off by all the time spent focusing on FORD while basically skimming past the Brothers Dodge who were responsible for the running gears of Fords basically from the beginning far before that sacred Model T.

     If similar emphasis were applied to the Dodge Brothers one would give due respect to the work of Fredric Haynes , the Brothers right hand man, who was basically responsible for creating a company to produce complete automobiles instead of just parts for someone else' car! Imagine the job of starting from scratch setting up a production facility to create the parts in house and/or purchasing like 'all steel' bodies from E.G.Budd,  leaf springs from Detroit Spring works, wheels from Hayes with Standard Welding Co rims, Radiator from McCord, all the electrics which represented over 10% of the final price of the car, etc., etc, But the FORD name probably has more commercial identity and needs to fit the 2 hr. time frame.

     Other than that I guess it was somewhat 'entertaining'.

[Plyroadking]

5 hours ago, RAH said:

Guys, I do understand the 'Entertainment Value' BUT , yes I am interested in correct historic facts regarding the Brothers Dodge, I am annoyed with the continued perpetuation of that 'MODEL 30" designation of their new car! There is absolutely no evidence I have been able to ascertain for fact that the Brothers ever used that model designation. Current view is that some inept DMV employee could not leave the model designation on his form blank so instead inserted the car horsepower ( 30 - 35) in that spot and the error was off and running.  The Brothers Dodge specifically did NOT use the industry standard of model number and annual model changes instead chose to use a continuing upgrading as time goes on. In fact model numbers were absent from the Dodge Brothers line up to 1927 then identified as 'Series' 126,124, 128, 130, 140, etc. All this long after the Brothers were both deceased.  

     I was also a little put off by all the time spent focusing on FORD while basically skimming past the Brothers Dodge who were responsible for the running gears of Fords basically from the beginning far before that sacred Model T.

     If similar emphasis were applied to the Dodge Brothers one would give due respect to the work of Fredric Haynes , the Brothers right hand man, who was basically responsible for creating a company to produce complete automobiles instead of just parts for someone else' car! Imagine the job of starting from scratch setting up a production facility to create the parts in house and/or purchasing like 'all steel' bodies from E.G.Budd,  leaf springs from Detroit Spring works, wheels from Hayes with Standard Welding Co rims, Radiator from McCord, all the electrics which represented over 10% of the final price of the car, etc., etc, But the FORD name probably has more commercial identity and needs to fit the 2 hr. time frame.

     Other than that I guess it was somewhat 'entertaining'.

My wife finally told me to shut up and enjoy the cars or she'd switch to a cooking show.......

[padgett]

Heard that Gallagher now has a cooking show. That would be entertaining.

 

Wonder what happened to Wayne's Stutz (same time). Gravity fuel flow didn't work on an incline ?