Taken for a Ride: Difference between revisions

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{{Short description|American documentary (1996)}}
{{about||the 1931 short film|Taken for a Ride (1931 film)|the song by fabloothe band Tally Hall|Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum (album)#Taken for a Ride}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Taken for a Ride
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| producer =
| writer =
| narratorsnarrator = Jim Klein<br />[[Renée{{unbulleted Montagne]]list
| Jim Klein
| [[Renée Montagne]]
}}
| music =
| cinematography =
| editing =
| distributor = [[New Day Films]]
| released = {{Film date|1996}}
| runtime = 55 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
| gross =
}}
 
'''''Taken for a Ride''''' is a [[documentary]] film by Martha Olson and Jim Klein about the [[General Motors streetcar conspiracy|Great American Streetcar Scandal]]. The 55-minute film was first broadcast on August 6, 1996 on the [[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] television series ''[[POV (TV series)|POV]]''.
 
==Synopsis==
''Taken for a Ride'' begins with interviews on the inefficiencies and congestion on [[Transportation in Los Angeles|Los Angeles' highways.]] Next, the film displays a variety of archival footage on streetcar systems around the United States, asserting that [[streetcar]]s were a widespread and efficient means of transportation. The film continues into a description of the [[General Motors streetcar conspiracy]], starting with a history of [[National City Lines]] and [[Pacific City Lines]] and General Motors' investment in both companies. The film builds the argument that streetcar systems purchased by these companies were deliberately sabotaged through service reductions and fare increases, then replaced with profitable, less convenient, bus systems. Next, the film makes a connection between this conspiracy and the construction of the [[Interstate Highway System]] and the suburbanization of America in the face of the [[Highwayhighway revolts]] in the 1960s and 1970s. The film ends with footage of the reduction of [[Trolleybuses in Philadelphia|Philadelphia's trolleybus system]] at the time of filming.
 
==Analysis==
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[[Category:Documentary films about rail transport]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:English-language films]]
[[Category:Documentary films about environmental issues]]
[[Category:Documentary films about urban studies]]
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[[Category:Documentary films about the automotive industry]]
[[Category:1996 independent films]]
[[Category:1990s English-language films]]
[[Category:1990s American films]]
[[Category:English-language documentary films]]