FAMOUS TV CARS OF THE STARS!

For 1966, Custom Car designer George Barris created "The Batmobile" from a 1955 Ford Futura concept show car. It required 1,200 man hours and there were three built. I saw the second one at an auto show. Screen Gems paid Barris $20,000 (US) in 1965 to build the car. The show ran from 1966-68. Burt Ward who played Robin wrote a tell all book about the exploits of he and Adam West that I'll leave to your imagination! Let's just say the women went nutso for them.

The Dynamic Duo in tights!

The Partridge Family (1970-74) bus was a 1957 GMC manual 4 speed transmission, and I saw an out-take of a then 36 year old Shirley Jones blowing a scene grinding the gears and busting out laughing. The original bus was with the Orange County School District and purchased by Al's Used Car Lot in Los Angeles. It was sold several times after the show ended production and was found abandoned in a Taco Restaurant parking lot. It was eventually junked in 1987. When David Cassidy resumed touring in the 1990's he had a bus painted similar to this one. Good marketing! The show of course, centered on a widow whose children form a band to earn money. Top studio musicians were used to dub the instrumentation, however Shirley Jones and David Cassidy's vocals were authentic. The "band" had several hits from the show, which was a hoot because Danny Bonaduce faking playing a bass guitar was never in synch with the studio musicians. Susan Dey looked hot. What can I say?

On tour?

Mike Connors as "Mannix" circa 1971 with a Plymouth Barracuda convertible.

James Garner as private eye, "Jim Rockford" of "The Rockford Files" . The show opened with Jim's telephone answering machine (this was the 1970's) usually with a threat from some mob goon or a pal he owed money to. He lived in a house trailer and was an ex-con later acquitted for a crime he never did. His girlfriend was a defense attorney.

Jim drove a Gold colored 1974 Pontiac Firebird!

David Soul and Paul Michael Glazer used this Ford Torino in the TV series "Starsky & Hutch"--a favorite TV show of Elvis Presley! I had the rare pleasure of meeting Paul Michael Glazer and his wife Elizabeth in 1990 for whom The Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric Aids Foundation was named after her passing.

The Monkee's TV show ran from 1966-68 and The Monkee mobile was a heavily customized GTO built by Dean Jeffries used to transport the band to sites of their antics. There was a second car built for stunts but never used. Why a third one was built is beyond me. George Barris of Barris Custom City employed Jeffries and he bought the original car from him after television production ended. A long running dispute broke between the men about who designed it. As I blogged about previously, this TV manufactured band was later transformed into the guys actually taking on their own instruments and music seriously. They opened a show for Jimi Hendrix on tour--one show.

Here's the original car entering the restoration shop! I've seen this in person and it is quite impressive!

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This is a weird topic for a Wednesday,
but good for a quick coffee break!