Chrysler presented one of greatest interactive shows on the fairgrounds – the talking car. The car was put through its paces in a specially designed amphitheater meant to hold 700 individuals. Ray Parker, who acted as the interlocutor between the audience and the automobile, and Harry Greene developed the illusion. The car was entirely free of any wires and no one was inside the car. The pair of inventors never revealed how the illusion worked, but, Harry was never seen during any performance.
One of the great charms of this performance was that the car reacted to the audience as if it were human. For instance, if a young lady approached, the car waved its windshield wipers and if she touched its body, the car trembled.
Parker led the audience through a series of on-the-spot comedy routines. He would select an individual from the audience and then discuss the poor soul with the car.
“What color hair does this man have?” “Brown.” “How does he comb it?” “With an egg beater, apparently.”
When a man with a mustache was brought forward: “He must have had an accident.” “What do you mean?” “One of his eyebrows has been pushed down under his nose.”
A young couple approached the car: “What kind of stone is in her ring?” “An Irish diamond.” “Why do you say an Irish diamond?” “Because from here it looks like a sham-rock.”
The interaction could even be quite topical. After discovering a folded umbrella in a woman's purse, the car speculated: “Well, she must have been to Munich!” This line drew a great laugh, but, the woman was astonished. “So I was, but, how did you know?” Obviously the lady did not understand the reference to the eve-present umbrella of Britain’s Prime Minister Chamberlain and the previous fall’s Munich Conference.