Here’s an original factory film with an in-depth look at the 1955 Chrysler line, the cars with the Hundred Million Dollar Look.

This Chrysler film is actually an edited version of a longer Hollywood production titled The Hundred Million Dollar Look, which featured a lengthy lead-in sketch by the cast of CBS Television’s The Jack Benny Program (but curiously, not Benny himself). Mercifully for us, perhaps, that segment has edited away in this version to take us straight to the automotive content.

Of course, the Hundred Million Dollar Look was another Chrysler marketing term for The Forward Look, Virgil Exner’s stunning 1955 redesign of the entire Chrysler product line. (The $100 million reference was reportedly the cost of designing and tooling all-new sheet metal for Chrysler’s five car divisions.) Bragging points for the Chrysler brand featured here include improved visibility, the beefy 354 CID hemi V8, and a handsome instrument panel that still looks great today—note the dash-mounted selector lever for the Powerflite transmission. Not shown here are two new models for Chrysler in ’55, the Town & Country wagon and the hot-performing C-300, probably because they were mid-year introductions.

There are also some awesome scenes at Chrysler’s giant proving ground in Chelsea, Michigan, brand new at the time, before we meet up again with cast of The Jack Benny Program at the 20-minute mark. Don Wilson, Rochester, and crew perform one final bit and then the Sportsmen take us home with a snappy jingle singing the praises of the ’55 Chrysler. Video follows.

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