A cast of 100 costumed entertainers appeared during the 1940 Chicago Auto Show ‘Dame Fashion’ stage spectacle, accompanied by Ralph Foote and his orchestra. Standing 18 feet high, ‘Dame’ wore a hoop skirt 16 feet wide and concealed the new cars. When ready to be introduced, her curtain dress opened and a vehicle drove out to the applause of the audience. The original idea was conceived and staged by nationally known producer Edward Beck.
Anne Davis (left), who was ‘Miss Lithuania;’ Lucille O’Connell, one of the costumed attendants at the Chicago Auto Show’s ‘Dame Fashion’ stage presentation, appear with L.D. Cosart, general sales manager of Plymouth Division of the Chrysler Motor Co. The three are pictured with a 1940 Plymouth convertible, and it seems that both young ladies are impressed by how the self-operating top raises and lowers by the mere pressing of a dashboard-mounted button.
A variety of trucks were displayed in the 1940 Chicago Auto Show, including the Plymouth PT105 pickup in the foreground. Across the aisle are several new Chevrolet trucks.
Exposed powertrain, chassis and interior demonstrations have been popular displays since the beginning of the Chicago Auto Show in 1901. This scene is from the Studebaker exhibit during the 1940 show and dramatized the merits of the latest in automotive design and engineering.
Candid scene captures the Simoniz Wax booth in the aftermarket product section of the 1940 Chicago Auto Show.