It may be spectacularly under publicized, but January 12th marks the 50th anniversary of Motown Records, the label founded by Berry Gordy Jr. Motown Records created the sound of Motown and launched Marvin Gaye, the Four Tops, Diana Ross & The Supremes and Stevie Wonder -- just to name a few. The celebration is planned as more of a slow burn than a big gala and will last throughout the year. As part of the celebration this week, tours will be led by Motown greats and city dignitaries at the Motown Historical Museum.

More Information:

• Motown 50 website
• Motown Records Turns 50! / WXYZ.com
• Motown Historical Museum / Hitsville U.S.A.

The North American International Auto Show is up and running and right in the middle of its debuts. Among the unveilings so far is a fun, open-air concept car from Kia Motors America. The Soul'ster Concept Car is a convertible variation on Kia's Soul SUV, which is due at dealerships later this spring. The Soul'ster has two doors and a two-piece removable top. Frankly, it looks made for the beach.



Photo Courtesy of Kia Media

By 1915 Detroit was already identified by its auto industry. Before that time, however, Detroit was home to a much more diverse group of industries. Among the products manufactured in Detroit were shoes, tobacco products, paint, flower/vegetable seeds, pharmaceuticals, baking soda, varnish, stoves, ships, railroad cars and beer. In fact, beer was produced all over the Metro Detroit area. There were breweries in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Mt. Clemens, Pontiac, Wyandotte, and Windsor, Ontario.

Even so, the automobile dominated in the 1900s. Back in the beginning, however, there were a few more automakers in the Detroit area than the big three: The Studebaker Corporation, Hudson Motor Car Company, The EMF Company, Dodge, Maxwell, Chalmers and Hupp.

While the automobile dominated the Twentieth Century, other companies/industries managed to flourish here as well. For instance, Dominos Pizza originated in Ypsilanti in 1965. Brothers Tom and Jim Monaghan bought a pizza place called DomiNick’s in 1961, but brother Jim sold his share for a Volkswagen Beetle within the year. The rest is history.

Other well-known companies that originated, one way or the other, in Detroit:

• Faygo
• Eureka (vacuum cleaners)
• Lear (jets)
• Vlasic (grew from creamery business)
• Little Caesars
• Kmart (First store)
• Tubby’s (submarine sandwiches)

Sources:

• Funding Universe
• Detroit the dynamic: the industrial history of Detroit from cigars to cars by Charles K. Hyde, Michigan Historical Review (spring, 2001) as posted by FindArticles.com

Detroit may be in need of a new moniker soon. As you may have noticed, ever since the state enacted legislation that gave production companies tax incentives, movie production has increased by leaps and bounds. In fact, it has generated more than $100 million in revenue for the state.

Now an $80 million development deal is in the works that could create an infrastructure for Michigan's burgeoning film industry, including several film and television-production studies in southeast Michigan. At least one of the contemplated studies will be located in Detroit.

So, as the Motor-City moniker becomes more dubious, what do you think about Cin City?

"Moviemaker" in French is Cinéaste. Given our lost French heritage in regard to the name of our fair city and its streets, and our daily butchering of the French pronunciation, it seems to fit.

More Information:

• Mich. near $80M deal for film, TV studios by Louis Aguilar / The Detroit News (1/3/09)
• Information regarding Michigan's film incentives
• Films Coming to Michigan Soon as compiled by the Michigan Film Office