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--></style></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p>Happy Holidays to everyone, <o:p></o:p></p><p> Below is an article about a 1960s tv comedy sshow called “My Mother the Car.” I’ll let the article <br>speak for itself. Note that in this sitcom we see the inspiration for the personal digital assistants we now <br>use today and the possibility of audonomous vehicles that can drive themselves. Though not intended to <br>predict the future this sitcom hinted at things to come. This is a tv sitcom fast becoming real. Enjoy: <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p>In the pantheon of 1960s television, few shows occupy as notorious a space as "My Mother the Car." <br>While often cited by critics as a "clunker" of a concept, viewed through a modern lens, it serves as a <br>fascinating, accidental blueprint for the conversational AI and autonomous vehicle technology we use <br>today. <br> <br>?? The History of a "Classic" Flop <br>Premiering on September 14, 1965, on NBC, the show was part of a "fantasy-sitcom" wave that included <br>Mister Ed and Bewitched.1 It ran for one season of 30 episodes before being parked permanently.2 <br>+1 <o:p></o:p></p><p>The Premise <br>The story follows Dave Crabtree (Jerry Van Dyke), a small-town lawyer who visits a used car lot looking <br>for a station wagon.3 Instead, he finds a dilapidated 1928 Porter. Upon sitting in it, he hears a woman’s <br>voice calling his name—it is his deceased mother, Gladys, reincarnated as the vehicle.4 <br>+1 <o:p></o:p></p><p>The humor (and conflict) stemmed from: <br>? The Voice: Mother communicated exclusively through the car’s radio, with the dial light flickering in <br>sync with her speech.5 <o:p></o:p></p><p>? The Exclusive Bond: Only Dave could hear her; to everyone else, he appeared to be talking to a <br>hunk of metal. <br>? The Antagonist: Captain Manzini (Avery Schreiber), a fanatical car collector who spent the series <br>trying to acquire the rare Porter by any means necessary.6 <o:p></o:p></p><p> <br>??? The Creative Minds Behind the Machine <br>Despite its reputation, the show was built by an "All-Star" team of television legends who would later <br>revolutionize the medium.7 <o:p></o:p></p><p>Role <br>Person <br>Legacy <br>Co-Creator <br>Allan Burns <br>Later co-created The Mary <br>Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda. <br>Co-Creator <br>Chris Hayward <br>Writer for The Munsters and <br>Get Smart. <br>Writer <br>James L. Brooks <br>Created The Simpsons and <br>directed Terms of Endearment. <br>Star <br>Jerry Van Dyke <br>Brother of Dick Van Dyke; <br>famously turned down the <br>lead in Gilligan's Island for this <br>role. <br>Voice of Mother <br>Ann Sothern <br>Academy Award-nominated <br>actress and 1950s sitcom star. <br>Fun Fact: The show was originally titled My Wife the Car, but executives changed it to "Mother" to avoid <br>"necrophilic" undertones.8 <o:p></o:p></p><p> <br>?? Technical Specs: The 1928 Porter <br>In reality, there was no such thing as a "1928 Porter" production car.9 The vehicle was a custom <br>"Frankenstein" build: <o:p></o:p></p><p>? The Skeleton: Built by legendary hot-rodder Norm Grabowski, it was primarily a 1924 Ford Model <br>T.10 <o:p></o:p></p><p>? The Engine: It was powered by a Chevrolet 283-cubic-inch V-8 with a Powerglide automatic <br>transmission.11 <o:p></o:p></p><p>? The Illusion: To make the car appear "self-driving," the floorboards were removed so a stunt driver <br>could sit low and out of sight, steering the car using mirrors.12 <o:p></o:p></p><p> <br>?? From Sitcom to Reality: The AI Connection <br>What was considered "absurd" in 1965 is now standard functionality in 2025. The show predicted three <br>major pillars of modern automotive tech: <br>1. Conversational Interfaces: Gladys was the spiritual grandmother of Siri, Alexa, and Google <br>Assistant. The idea of a vehicle providing "comic guidance and meddling advice" mirrors how <br>modern AI assistants now manage our schedules, navigation, and entertainment via voice. <br>2. The "Living" Vehicle: Today’s cars use Predictive Maintenance to "tell" the driver when they are <br>sick (low oil, tire pressure, or engine faults), much like Mother would complain about her own <br>mechanical ailments.13 <o:p></o:p></p><p>3. Autonomous Operation: While Mother’s "self-driving" was a Hollywood trick involving hidden <br>mirrors and floorboard drivers, it foreshadowed Level 4 and 5 Autonomy, where the human is <br>purely a passenger in a machine with its own "mind." <br>While My Mother the Car was intended as a parody of the era's gimmick shows, it accidentally gave us a <br>glimpse of a world where our machines aren't just tools—they're personalities we live with. <br> <br>Would you like me to find a list of specific 1960s episodes that featured the most "futuristic" car <br>gadgets, or perhaps more details on the custom car builder Norm Grabowski? <br>Peter Donahue <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-bottom:12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>