Discussion Paper- Tucker: The Man and His Dream
The film Tucker: The Man and His Dream is a prime example of a man that embodies the American dream in the automobile industry. Preston Tucker is a big dreamer who refuses to take no for an answer, and has ambitions of changing the American automobile industry forever. The film takes place in the year 1948, which is post World War II, and plays a huge role in the movie. The movie starts off with a newsreel explaining his innovative military vehicle for the Army in World War II, which on paper, seems like a great idea. However, the military ultimately denied the design due to the vehicle being too fast. As silly as it sounds the military believed a war vehicle should not be able to exceed 35 miles per hour. Despite this setback, Tucker focuses all his time and energy on creating an automobile for the general public that has revolutionary safety and mechanical features that will take the nation by storm and become the new standard for cars.
Tucker’s dream is fixated on the idea of being able to successfully dismantle the “Big Three” automakers from the top of the charts. These three companies consisted of Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler, and they ran almost the entire auto industry in America. Tucker believes he is fully capable of this feat, as he has one of the best skills needed in business, which is negotiating. Over the course of the movie he is able to win business men over with his intelligence and social skills. He starts by winning over the investor Abe Karatz, who helps him acquire the largest factory in the world located in Chicago. Because of this, he is able to gather other investors as well as directors to help launch the company and begin manufacturing. His crew spends the next two months trying to perfect the prototype of the car before it is ultimately unveiled to the public. At the event they unveil it to eager civilians and the press where it is an instant success. A huge takeaway I got from this point in the movie was the slogan released by the company in advertisements, which stated “Don’t let the future pass you by.”
By this point in the movie there are several key details I have noticed that have helped lead to his success. One is his drive and passion to pursue the American dream. With the odds heavily stacked against his favor he merely brushed them to the side and attempted to create an automobile company from the ground up. From class and throughout the book we have discussed the importance of trying to create the “perfect market.” While it is impossible for it to be perfect, competition and innovation drive our nation forward allowing us to reach our maximum potential. Within the book there is a quote that reads “By engaging in producing for other people’s consumption, engaging in specialization under the division of labor, exchange, and innovation, overall production is greatly increased.” This relates to Tucker’s current situation almost perfectly, as Tucker created a car that was wildly different from the rest of the market, and the people absolutely loved it. His company slogan is also genius, as it implies that his car IS the future, and innovates the industry entirely.
While Tucker doesn’t get the end result he exactly dreamed of, he does become an inspiration to many. During the trial he gives a captivating speech about innovation and how he has chased the American dream which persuades the jury to find him not guilty. Preston Tucker is an excellent example of how even the smallest of entrepreneurs can potentially overthrow the “big dogs” in the market by applying his creative and innovative thinking, and taking action.