Movie-A-Day #201: Freeway (1996).

The first major section of the Arroyo Seco Parkway – the nation’s first freeway, connecting downtown Los Angeles and Pasadena – was opened on this day in 1940. Although it is better known now as the Pasadena Freeway (Route 110), it was the precursor to the interstate highway system, which revolutionized the way Americans traveled. It still exists, almost unchanged, despite the fact that its design is completely outdated. When traffic is light enough to move at highway speeds, it can be a pretty harrowing experience with its narrow lanes, high walls and abrupt exits. Almost as harrowing as the journey in “Freeway.”