New Moon
In 1944 the Redman Trailer Company from Alma, Michigan was producing the New Moon line of trailers and claimed that they were the world’s largest trailers. These trailers were to be available as housing for the bonafide war workers.
Not the 1953 New Moon seen in the movie “The Long Long Trailer”
The trailer in the film was modeled after a 36-foot 1953 New Moon. The cars used in the movie was a couple 1953 Mercury Monterey convertibles and a 1953 Lincoln convertible modified to appear similar to a Mercury .
The Redman brothers actually broke away from the Alma Trailer Co. in about 37 to begin making their own trailers also in Alma. Their model name “New Moon” was an attempt (apparently successful since they later ended up buying the Alma Company out) at one upmanship since the Alma trailers were marketed as “Silver Moon”
From 1944 to 1953, Redman Trailer Company (Alma, Michigan) developed New Moon, a significantly longer line of trailers than others in the industry. In 1947, this trailer was “the world’s largest trailer”. In response to the success of its New Moon units, the company took the name New Moon Homes.
During the 1930s, almost by chance, the house trailer and mobile-home industry took root in Alma Michigan, with the emergence of the Silvermoon Trailer. Unable to keep up with orders for it’s new trailer, the Alma Trailer company expanded into abandoned plant No.1 one of the Republic Truck Company and began producing the New Moon Trailer. Rivalries within the company soon resulted in a second business, the Redman Trailer Company. Government orders for trailers to be used as housing at military installations during World War II resulted in several major transports of trailers from Alma to the East Coast. The mobile-home industry continued in Alma until the 1970.
Manufacturer Information
Name plate reads “Redman Trailer Co. Alma Michigan”
Models
Pictures/Videos
New Moon Dealer Signs
1940 New Moon
1958 New Moon Hallmark 35×8 found in a field outside of Grand Junction, CO. Abandoned for 10 years. Transported to Desert Sands Vintage RV Park in Borrego Springs, CA and currently undergoing restoration.
1941 New Moon Advertising
This “New Moon” spotted in a private trailer park in Ontario, Canada
1953 model
This is our new old New Moon William Cooke fatjoegut@msn.com
Int. shots
I saw your website and thought you might be interested in these pictures of a New Moon house trailer (or mobile home, if you prefer) that I bought in August 1976 and sold in December 1980. The trailer was 10 x 55 with a tip-out, but I don’t remember the size of the tip-out. (It was a LONG time ago.) I lived in this place while I attended Graduate School at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. Even with the $62 per month lot rent, I figured out that it was actually less expensive to live in this place than to rent an apartment in town. I also had a much nicer environment to live in and a lot of privacy. After I sold this trailer, the buyer moved it to some other location in western Iowa. As I recall, this trailer was built in 1964. Even though the trailer was stationary, I still had to pay to have it licensed by the State of Iowa. My memory is that it cost about $50 per year for the license. – Best Wishes, Bill Sheleski Fairfax, Virginia
Some photos
David and Wendy Housholder. hbhous@gmail.com Borrego Springs, CA. 1958 New Moon Hallmark 35 x 8. Desert Sands Vintage RV Park. #54.
Kate O’Connor (verminchild@gmail.com) Lancaster MA – 1953 New Moon 33′
When the movie was released in 1953 they actually took it to theaters to help launch the film. The camper that was used was a 36 foot long 1953 Redman’s New Moon mobile home. In 1954 they released the “I Love Lucy” model because of the great success of the MGM film release.
‘The Long, Long Trailer’ became MGM’s best grossing comedy up to that point and transformed Redman overnight from a small regional outfit (building one or two trailers a day) into one of the nation’s largest mobile home manufacturers (with five or six factories, producing hundreds each day).
This movie is too funny! The best part in my opinion is when Desi has the nightmare about the trailer brakes, too funny!
Look at those curtains!
History of New Moon Trailers
The company began in 1930, when, with no previous training in the field, Harold and William Redman, along with engineer Al Hathaway, designed and produced the first Redman trailer coach.
In 1937 the group incorporated the business as the Redman Trailer Company and established their first manufacturing plant in an Alma, Michigan, pickle factory. Initially, eight men on two production lines produced four to five trailers weekly. In the 1940s sales increased when the firm developed a significantly longer trailer than others in the industry.
During World War II Redman received government contracts to construct military equipment and housing, ammunition trailers, and hospital units, though the government eventually curtailed trailer home manufacture due to shortages of steel, copper, aluminum, and rubber.
Growth resumed after the war, as Redman and others responded to the housing shortage caused by soldiers returning from war. In 1953, when the company took the name New Moon Homes in response to the success of its New Moon brand units, it also began to advertise nationally in major magazines, replacing the concept of trailers with the new idea of mobile homes.
