'This is Long Beach' movie preview

At the end of the Great Depression, a subculture was created around the automobile. Small groups of people began gathering with their cars outside diners and soda shops to form the clubs that symbolized the birth of American car culture. In 1948, a group called The Cavaliers was born just outside Poly High School in Southern California. Cars in America were becoming more than just a status symbol; they were a social statement.

Award-winning filmmaker and hot-rod aficionado Brian Darwas took an in-depth look at the clubs, cultures and cars in a documentary called “This is Long Beach.” The documentary focuses on three generations of The Long Beach Cavaliers as they reminisce about the cars and people they've met, all while chopping a 1947 Ford at a custom shop in Lynwood, Calif. The teaser for the film is above.

Hundreds, maybe thousands, of car clubs have lived and died while The Cavaliers plugged along. Hell, Converse All-Stars didn't even last that long.

Fast-forward a few decades: 2015 models are roaming the streets and high-revving four-bangers are gathering in packs. This car culture still lives on. Take the “Fast and the Furious” franchise, for example. While the illegal activities portrayed are shunned today, the culture and the bond still remain the same. That's what fans relate to, and that's what will make this doc worth a watch.

The film is available now at the Atomic Hot Rods site and will run you a cool $24.95 for a 60-minute blast from the past.

By Brad Wiley