Henry Ford on PBS

I think by that point (1945?), old Henry was debilitated enough by strokes and other health issues to be cognizant of his own mortality, and surely would have rather seen Ford Motor Company in the hands of Family than an outsider, such as Bennett.

And if there is truth behind the stories that Clara threatened to leave Henry if he did not get rid of Bennett and install HF II as president, I suspect Henry knew better than to chastise HF II for Bennett's firing.

I don't think it was so much "lack of concern" on old Henry's part, but perhaps more of resignation that his reign was over and it was time for a new generation to take-over.
 
Ahhh, they left out the part about how the quadricycle didn't fit through the door of the shed that it was built in. Mighty stout wall to tear out.
 
Respect for Edsel, nothing is worth that kind of treatment by a parent. More proud to drive the A that he pushed to build. Henry was a brilliant man. Those factories were immense. Thank you to Bob Van Pelt for letting me know it would be on television.
 
Due to time constraints, I am sure, there was nothing of Henry's agricultural endeavors. He envisioned himself as helping to feed America and really pushed his farm tractors and soy bean production. He cultivated huge tracts of land in Dearborn.
 
I don't think they addressed the "soybean" car either.

Henry Ford unveiled the now-legendary "soybean car," with soy-based plastic body panels, in 1941.
 
They left a lot out. One reason for the building of the Rouge plant was that suppliers couldn't keep up with the demands of production, so Ford made his own steel, glass and tires. He may have thought that vertical integration was a good idea, too. They did touch on the suit by the Dodge brothers, which affects how corporations are run even today. If we complain about how companies pay more attention to Wall St. that anything else, that is why. Henry wanted to reinvest in the company and the shareholders, including competitors the Dodge Brothers, did not like it. That $20M payout per shareholder was quite a lot of money in those days. Now, too!

I thought that another aspect of that whole gambit was that the "new" company, Henry Ford and Son, made the Fordson tractor, so it was more than an idle threat. Henry was a crafty bugger!
 
mhsprecher said:
They left a lot out. One reason for the building of the Rouge plant was that suppliers couldn't keep up with the demands of production, so Ford made his own steel, glass and tires. He may have thought that vertical integration was a good idea, too. They did touch on the suit by the Dodge brothers, which affects how corporations are run even today. If we complain about how companies pay more attention to Wall St. that anything else, that is why. Henry wanted to reinvest in the company and the shareholders, including competitors the Dodge Brothers, did not like it. That $20M payout per shareholder was quite a lot of money in those days. Now, too!

I thought that another aspect of that whole gambit was that the "new" company, Henry Ford and Son, made the Fordson tractor, so it was more than an idle threat. Henry was a crafty bugger!
Click to expand...
They didn't explain how the DB brothers became large shareholders either. They built parts for Henry as everyone knows. But he couldn't pay them totally in cash, so he gave them stock in lieu. I'm glad they didn't paint his as squeekly clean as other documentaries have. As has been said I have more respect for Edsel now.
 
Pondering: Chief & Henry were about the same education level, both tinkerers & inventors. One with "modern" tools & machines & electricity, one, down in the woods, with makeshift tools, no lectricity, etc. (But one generation apart)
I wonder if Chief would have switched lives with Old Hank? I hope not, I might have been named BUDSELL!! Bill W.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top