Is this an original vintage postcard from 1952? Or is this Henry J a curbside attraction for a more recent Uptown Cafe in Branson, MO? It’s a bit hard to imagine a HJ being used for a taxi back on the day, when folks expected a roomy four door sedan, or even more, in New York.
Not the real thing, at least based on this https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/auto-extras-and-memorabilia/2875047-1951-kaiser-henry-j-taxi-diecast.html
While not the real thing, hordes of VW Beetles were (and still are ?) used as taxis in 3rd world countries…aren’t they?
Aside from a Henry J taxi being ridiculous, the phone number has an area code which were not in use until many years after ’52.
Zip Codes weren’t used until 1963. Put a blue gum ball on the roof and an ostrich in the passenger seat and use it to sell insurance.
The Uptown Cafe is a 1950s-based retro-themed entertainment restaurant in Branson. While the Henry J is not an original taxi, it’s been there for so long that it might as well be considered original… it’s still there, shown in the Google StreetView image below.
Also, according to the restaurant’s website, they offer rides in the Henry J too, so evidently it’s in good running condition:
https://www.bransonuptown.com/about-taxi-cab
Somewhere I have a set of pictures of that Henry J, nabbed the last time I was in Branson – which has been a few years now. Not sure if I ever used them here or not…
If anything can be used to make money, it can be found in Branson.
Yeah, I have to say that that whole image impressed me as something from one of those nostalgia places that typically don’t have a lot to do with actual fact or history. It doesn’t surprise me that it’s from Branson.
Reminds me of the heavy-handed fake nostalgic stuff I encountered in OH and PA around the “Quaker Steak and Lube” (two words – steak and lube – that really shouldn’t be used together). Just a pistache of tired mid-century automotive tropes that don’t need to be re-tread.
There used to be a blue Sears Allstate parked there with it.
As everyone seems to have noticed by now, the combination of a postal ZIP code and a telephone area code marks this as a modern postcard.
I always marvel at peoples’ choices for some vintage specialty vehicles. Was there ever a Henry J taxicab in the history of the world? I like the idea of the Henry J as an advertising prop, but as a taxi?
Without noticing the clues to modernity, I wondered if cab companies back then offered dedicated courier service. A small vehicle such a a Henry J might’ve made sense in that scenario. (That wavy checker stripe seemed a bit too fanciful for the staid old 1950s, though!) 😉
In the ’50s dispatch and courier services were often operated by newspapers. They had a fleet of economical cars to serve subscribers, and re-used the fleet for courier purposes later in the day. Metropolitans were popular in those dispatch fleets, so a Henry J would also make sense.
2-door taxis aren’t generally in the fleet unless the front passenger seat is either removed or folds completely out of the way. See the Mexico City VW Beetle cabs for examples.
Luggage accommodation could be challenging for several reasons!
While everyone’s debating the anachronistic ZIP code, I’ll point out that the font the legends are set in (ITC Avant Garde) didn’t even exist until 1970.