The film begins in the woman's bedroom, with the masked man suddenly appearing. He then takes her to the Motorama. After looking at several cars including Buick, Chevrolet Corvette, Oldsmobile, and Cadillacs, she is taken to the "kitchen of the future", where she bakes a cake. She then goes back to the Motorama and dances the "dance of tomorrow". After looking at more cars, she and her masked man (who unmasks himself) travel on the "road of tomorrow" in the "Firebird II."
In the late 20th century the film emerged as a cult classic, appreciated as an epitome of mid-century corporate futurism.[1]
The film was produced and directed by Victor Solow for MPO Productions, stars Tad Tadlock and Marc Breaux, and features the voice of Thurl Ravenscroft. The original music was by Sol Kaplan. It was shot in 16mm Anscocolor. GM sponsored a sequel, A Touch of Magic, for the last Motorama in 1961.[2]
In popular culture
The short was included in a fifth-season episode of the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000.[3] In a related comedy sketch, the unnamed female lead is given the name "Nuveena, the Woman of the Future", and portrayed by Bridget Jones Nelson, who reprised the role in a handful of sketches in subsequent episodes.
The BBC documentary series Pandora's Box by Adam Curtis made extensive use of clips from Design for Dreaming, especially in the title sequence.[1]
