I used to wrangle cars for movies. A friend had a collection of movie cars she rented out.
Actually watching a movie being filmed is pretty boring. We see, of course, a slick, edited, smoothly stitched piece of work, but in fact the original scenes are shot time and time again and many end up on the floor. Watching the stunts are fun, though, especially when they go wrong, which is often enough.
I find the behind the scenes more fun....lots of ego, treachery and some good laughs.
from these movie people again, and here's what it says...
"Hi guys...
I'm preparing list for Saturday so give me a few more hours and I'll have definite information for you as far as who will be working.
Sorry for the delays. I was in meetings all morning.
For those of you I do not send specific information to as to location and times I want to thank you for your interest and I apologize if I don't send you an individual email as time is short.
I apprecieate your interest and will keep everyone on file for future shows.
For those of you who will be working, this email will be followed by ones giving time, location, and specific instructions.
I realize that it might be unacceptable for you to send me information without knowing for sure if you will be working, but for those of you unopposed to it (and for those of you I've already gotten it from -- sorry for the repeat request) I'd like to compile the following:
name address contact numbers social security/fed id # vehicle make, model, year, color, and VIN #
(the VIN # is for the insurance certificates -- same with vehicle info) (ssn is so that you can get paid)
If you're not comfortable with giving out that information that's okay. I'll get it from you later.
Thanks,
jac"
Umm, yeah, I am a bit uncomfortable emailing my address, social security #, VIN #, phone #, etc to someone I've never even met before. :surprise: I guess that's information I can just give them at the day of the shoot, though?
I also found out the name of the movie is "Talk To Me"
Hmmm, I didn't even think of the possibility that they'd want to use more than one of my cars. If they paid $250 per car, and used the three of them, heck that wouldn't be a bad deal!
BTW, I figured out that by the time they take out taxes on that $250 (and I guess on a deal like this you have to pay double on the SS), I'll be lucky to see half of that. So if they need me for 18 hours, that comes out to like $6.95 per hour.
So it ain't gonna make me rich, but if they want to use one of my cars, I think it'll be a cool experience.
Actually watching a movie being filmed is pretty boring. We see, of course, a slick, edited, smoothly stitched piece of work, but in fact the original scenes are shot time and time again and many end up on the floor. Watching the stunts are fun, though, especially when they go wrong, which is often enough.
Do you ever get to see the main actors behind the scenes, or is it usually the secondary b unit?
Seen today at a variety of second hand car dealers:
-65 Mustang GT 2+2 looking very nice in orange w a white rocker stripe.
-64-5(?) Olds Cutlass convertible, pale yellow.
-73 BMW 2002tii/ Fjord Blue.
-62 Mini-Cooper S, modified w BIG Webers. Red
-63 Corvette Sting Ray convertible,black/black, claimed only 63k miles asking $49875. You can have the split-window coupes, I go for topless Sting-Rays. :shades:
in the past week 4 built up nova's. a 66-67, 2 68-69's, and 76-77. on the berlin turnpike, one of the 68-69's tried to goad me into a 'contest' as i was in my mustang. the nova was pretty built up and the plate was 'fear'. i wouldn't have given it a second thought, but he was just to the left and ahead of me and he kept glancing at the right side mirror. we both knew i had a pair of 2's to his full house. it would have been fun to play a bit, but my 16 year old was in the vehicle behind me. probably very frustrating for him.
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
that's a nice list Andy. I like all those cars for one reason or another.
MOVIES: Yeah, I saw a few stars behind the scenes....Bill Cosby, Melanie Griffith, that little snake, what's his name....Danny Devito?...Tony Danza (lol!) and Eric Estrada (lol x 2). But nobody like in GIGANTIC stardom....well maybe Cosby is/was. Cosby and Estrada were friendly, the rest could care less.
But I did talk to Ridley Scott, which I gladly would have traded the entire pack of "stars" to chat with anyway. He was filming a TV commercial of all things, about a Checker cab pulling up to an ATM on a foggy night. They never give you a script so you haven't a clue what's going on when they shoot.
well, they waited until the last minute, but about a half-hour ago, between ads enticing me to take out a third mortgage or go for a boob enhancement (as if I don't have enough back problems already :P ) I got a couple of emails from this movie company. They sent me instructions, a map, and a piece of paper to fill out and put on the dashboard in case they need to call me to move the car.
There's just one little thing they forgot to do...tell me WHICH car they want me to bring! :confuse: With my luck it'll be pouring buckets tomorrow, and they'll want the convertible. The convertible with no back window.
figures, the moment I post that previous message, they finally email me back. Turns out they want my '76 LeMans definitely. And the lady asked if I had anybody that could come with me, because it looks like one of their other contacts had car trouble, so they want to use one of my others. Only problem is, they'd need that other person to stay around all day...looks like they're going to be shooting at a variety of locations. I tried my uncle, and ordinarily he would, but he has to take a test tomorrow for a big-truck license for his job. I've been thinking about my buddy with the '04 Crown Vic, but he's scary enough behind the wheel of a modern car. I shudder to think what he'd be like behind the wheel of one of my old beasts. To his credit though, he's never had an at-fault accident!
So, anybody wanna come out to the DC area tomorrow and be a driver? Lemko? Fintail? Ghulet? Shifty? Bueller? :P
Shifty, why is it that they don't usually like white, red, or black cars? Are those colors just too cliched or something?
You should get a car hauler and bring em all. Just as easy as me making it out there. Wish I could though! Sounds more fun than being stuck in a deserted office for 10 hours.
Some car colors just don't come out well in film, and white and black tend to drop out in deep background shots.
I'm not surprised they forgot to tell you which car to bring...they are sometimes such airheads doing this PA stuff, or if they are smart and organized PAs, then they are buckling under stress. It's like the Post Office--the ones doing the best job get punished.
Yeah, $250 per car. It also looks like we're actually going to be IN the picture, not just the cars. They sent out an email saying to where button down shirts and nondescript pants, and nothing with logos on it or modern sunglasses.
Hey, maybe I could get their makeup department to put some pork chop sideburns on me! I always thought sideburns were cool...probably because I can't grow 'em. :P
Yeah, $500 for a day's work sounds good, at first. Although after taxes, and I think they'd take out twice on Social Security for something like that, I'd be lucky to see half of it. Plus, if I could line up someone to drive the second car, I was going to just let them have half of it. I've been calling around to my friends/family, and everybody either has other plans or has to work, or can't do it that early. I have to be in downtown DC by 5:30. I guess that means I won't be nipping at the cooking sherry tonite. :P
If nothing else, I think it'll be cool to get a LeMans of that era onto the big screen...AND have it keep its roof and other body panels intact, as opposed to what Sherriff Buford T. Justice did to that poor '77! :sick:
Sounds like they want you to do a drive-by behind the actors as they cross a busy street, etc. $250 isn't bad but they may keep you longer than you need to be kept, so keep asking them if you can go now please thank you. They may hit you for SAG dues, I dunno.
I'm interested in what is true about the DeSoto Adventurer actually being one.
As for the 1977 Cutlass Sedan Brougham Like he says you better hurry because if someone local shows up with the cash it's gone and you'll miss out :grin... I had a 1977 Cutlass Supreme 2 dr Brougham. Original is much nicer than those awful wheels and tires.
I think they're right, that it's a Firedome that's been cloned. At least, it has a Firedome roofline. An Adventurer would have a taller rear window that from most angles give the roofline a much slimmer, modern, airy look. The Fireflite, New Yorker, and 300C also had this same roofline, while the Firedome, Firesweep, Windsor and Saratoga used the roofline with the smaller window. The Adventurer also had a trim piece on the lower part of the C-pillar.
Also, most Adventurers I've seen from 1957 had 7 or 8 chrome strips on the hood. I don't know if that was standard or not, though. I also noticed they mentioned something about an engine plate saying "S-25". "S-25" was an internal designation for "Firedome". "S-26" was "Fireflite", "S-27" was Firesweep (the Dodge-based one) and "S-26A" was Adventurer. I think that was a holdover from 1956 when, IIRC, technically the car was a Fireflite Adventurer. I guess kinda like how the '58 Impala was techincally a Bel Air Impala?
I like that '79 NYer. It's kinda hard to tell from those pics, but it looks to me like it's teal frost metallic, one of my favorite colors. I hate to say it, but that car is VERY tempting to me! It's funny how in 1979, the New Yorker's interior was actually plusher and pimpier looking than the 5th Avenue, which was a $1500 option.
it's a 6000 SUX! :surprise: Shame about those wheels. If it was stock and reasonably priced, I wouldn't mind having something like that as a beater. I always thought GM's '73-77 intermediate 4-doors had a neat roofline.
Here's a better example and a finishing idea for a garage. I don't know if I like the black/red checked tile as a garage floor or not. I like how neat everything else is around the garage. We have carpet on our floor where the cars sit.
Yeah, I made it down there for that movie shoot. I don't know if it's something that I'd really want to do again, but I did tell the lady who was coordinating the cars that she could keep me on file in case anything else came up.
I got down there at 5:30 in the morning and basically did nothing except hang out on 3rd Street near the Capitol Bldg and the American Indian Museum which was kind of "base camp". Then, around 9:00 or so, they started getting a bunch of cars queued up to go out to a shoot, and told me to go down too. Then, once I get there, they tell me to come back. Turns out the scene they were shooting was for 1973, and the guy didn't realize my LeMans was a '76. Oops! So back I went.
Looking back, it would've been kinda interesting if I HAD made it onto that shoot with my LeMans. Then I could've ended up on the Internet Movie Database in their goofs section!
They also had me put on these fake plastic DC tags that were dated 1973. That might be one reason why they sent me off to that 1973 photo shoot. They weren't too accurate here. My buddy's '78 Mark V ended up getting a 1973 Virginia tag on the front and a 1979 on the back! Hopefully the cameras don't zoom in that far! For the 1973 shot they did let a '77 F-150 in it, but I don't think that would have drawn much attention. However, a car with rectangular quad headlights would have stuck out like a sore thumb in 1973! I also had a big sticker on the windshield that said "Carlisle GM Nationals 2006" that wouldn't easily come off, so I just put black electrical tape over it. I dunno if it would've showed up or not, though. A guy with a '68 Camaro convertible did the same thing.
Finally, about 4:00, they sent me, a '72 Mustang convertible, a '73 Firebird Esprit, a '78 Trans Am, and a '78 Pinto down to pose in front of the old Smithsonian Building for a scene around 1982. I remember mentioning that with all those Pontiacs that it was going to look like an episode of "I Dream of Jeannie". The lady in charge of the cars said most people wouldn't notice though, because the '73 Firebird and '78 Trans Am looked different enough from each other, and she couldn't even identify my car as a Pontiac, without looking at the badge on the nose! Well, we'll see. Anyway, the guy in the Pinto got to actually drive by in that scene, where the rest of us just had our cars parked at the curb. It was a scene that had Don Cheadle in it though, in what seemed like a pivotal moment, walking with a friend across the DC Mall, so it might not get cut out.
As for my buddy with the Mark V, it sprung a radiator leak, so that was it for him. I also heard that in one of the shoots that a '60 T-bird blew out its lower radiator hose, a '65 Comet convertible overheated, the '77 F-150 came close to overheating, and a '72 LeMans started acting up and stalled every time he had to shift into reverse.
I took a bunch of pics of the various old cars, and will try to post them later. They also had the wardrobe dept put me in a 70's silk/polyester shirt that was kind of a peachy gold color. It actually wasn't as tacky looking as it sounded! However, I didn't get to be in any of the shots, but they wanted me dressed appropriate in case I did any driving around in the shots. I'd think that by 1982 though, the scene where they used my car, that shirt would've been out of date.
and it turns out we hit a record high here yesterday. 96. I know that's chicken feed for some of you desert dwellers, but once you factor in the humidity, the hot asphalt, and the torture some of these cars had to go through idling, I guess it's easy to see why there were so many problems.
I wonder what it'll be like 40 years from now, if they try to make a movie that takes place in 2005? I'd imagine that most of today's cars, with their alumimum and plastic everything, often shaved to within an inch of its life for maximum efficiency and performance, would really be troublesome once they're 40 years old. If they're still around, that is. Or maybe by that time they'll just be using computer effects for EVERYTHING, and even go CGI on the closeups of the cars! Heck, they could actually probably do that today, but you'd still notice it was a computer effect.
Those movie cars make me think...I'd probably only be able to use the fintail in something set in a major city, especially on the west coast. The cars were a fairly unknown entity elsewhere, I believe. I don't know if they'd want to use a car in most period settings, where almost all cars were domestic.
I actually remember fintails being somewhat common when I was a kid. At least, in the 70's they were a fairly sight around here. I didn't know what they were, though...I thought they were Ramblers! I guess that kinda makes sense though, as they're similar-sized, had vaguely similar roofines, and similar fins.
In the early 80's, they re-routed one of the roads around here, making it into a 4-lane road that cut about a half-mile to the east of the old road. It ended up taking out a farm that appeared to have been abandoned for awhile. I remember the fire dept practiced on the farmhouse. There was also a barn that had a blue fintail in it, with years of dust caked on. I can't remember now if it was wrecked or rusted out or what. I dunno what happened to the barn or the fintail, but one day I went back there and saw that the whole area was gone, totally cleared away.
I think your fintail would've looked good in some of the scenes they were shooting for this movie. I'd imagine that they were fairly popular among the well-do-to downtown. Heck, in the scene my car was in, it would've added a bit of variety to the Firebird, Trans Am, Pinto, Mustang, and LeMans that were in it! As it stands, and this is sad to say, but the Pinto was actually the "star" of that scene, since it was the only car that was in motion!
Kinda funny too, but that Pinto got alot of attention from bystanders, tourists, etc. Much more so than many cars that would be considered far more desireable!
Maybe it's just my perception...most fintails I have seen originally came from the west coast or New England. But hey, in Smokey in the Bandit there are two short bits with fintails, so they made their way around I guess.
Several period movies featured the cars, almost always driven by a bad guy. Rock Hudson played a psycho and drove a car almost identical to mine. And I can't forget the chase in 'Marathon Man', and the bad guy transport of choice in many cold war spy movies.
I can actually see a Pinto having a lot of nostalgia value, as lots of people had them. Not a great car, but a memorable car.
..my mother's boss drove a fintail... She had it for years... This was in Lexington, KY.. I think Janis Joplin was their best advertising medium at the time...
I don't know how many Mercedes dealerships there were in the '60s.. But, I'd think if you lived in any top-50 population city in the USA, you'd be likely to see them.. They were certainly part of my consciousness as a child, then..
In comparison, the first time I remember being aware of BMW was around 1974, when I was in high school...
I had (still have, packed away somewhere) a burnt-orange BMW 6-series matchbox car. At the time I didn't know what it was. Because of the way it had kind of a split grille up front, with the twin-kidney creating a central focus, I thought it was some kind of Pontiac! But I was also like 7 or 8 years old!
Oh, I learned yesterday that in Egypt they call BMW's "BM's". The lady that put out the casting call for the cars was very chatty, and would talk to just about anybody. She was talking about one of her old boyfriends who was Egyptian and barely spoke English. He kept talking about wanting a "BM". I asked her if she ever explained to him what BM meant in American? She said no. :shades:
I have to wonder what got me into Mercedes, especially sedans. We never had one in the family, although a few friends or acquaintances had one. Even when I was like 5 my favorite toy cars were a pair of Pocket Cars 450SELs and a Hot Wheels W126.
I'd have to dig it out, but I don't think that's quite it. For some reason I remember it being a darker, more metallic-y burnt orange.
It's been ages since I've even seen my matchbox cars though. I remember packing them up in the attic over my grandmother's back room back in the 90's. In 1998 my uncle and I emptied most of that attic to insulate it, and a lot of that stuff got packed in her garage somewhere. So it's probably been a decade or more since I've even looked at them! I'd hate to think of the critters that might have gotten into all my old stuff in her garage by now, too. Heck, just today I started cleaning out my new garage, because I'm going to try to start painting the floor real early tomorrow before it gets hot, and found a lizard that would make most girls, and some guys, scream like sopranos! And if a lizard that size can get into the garage, I shudder to think what sized snake could! I'm not afraid of snakes, but it could be a shock one day to be driving down the road in my convertible and suddenly feel something slithering up my pant-leg! Maybe I'd better start keeping the windows up? :surprise:
There were color variations, but that's the car - Matchbox only ever made one BMW coupe back in the day, that's it.
You mentioned it as a 6-series...there was a 6 series coupe made by a German company called Siku...these were toy cars usually found in specialty shops that sold Brio, Playmobil, etc. I actually have one of these:
But this didn't come out til 1980.
I'd think you should park the car with the top and windows up, yes. Seems like a big rodent/pest risk. I cover the fintail even in the garage.
this morning on 'my classic car', they visited a car show that featured quite few customized merc 'lead sleds'. coming back from my stick shift lesson with my daughter, we saw a pristine stock looking, dark blue one driving north as we were driving south. i thought it was a '49, she thought it was a '50. i guess she paid attention during the tv show. :surprise:
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
It's funny how in 1979, the New Yorker's interior was actually plusher and pimpier looking than the 5th Avenue, which was a $1500 option.
Yeah that is funny Andre. I had a '79 Fifth Ave. Always thought my seats were kind of plain. However I am betting those seats builds up dirt where the button holes are.
Today I saw a VW Vanagon Carat from around 1990...it was kind of a candy apple red, and looked like brand new. But the interesting thing is the wheels on it looked to be from a late model Porsche! Strangely enough, it was pretty cool looking.
coming back from lunch through a very commercial area, home to the trash haulers and recyclers, at what looked like a 'bhph' lot, a red ferrari testrosa! it was parked just any of the other cars, none which i can remember. maybe it was on display to celebrate the ferrari f1 win yesterday. :confuse:
2024 Ford F-150 STX, 2023 Ford Explorer ST, 91 Mustang GT vert
That Cutlass Supreme Brougham (with a rather plain interior, IMO for a top line car, if only a mid-sizer) reminded me of the car I saw today....a Continental Mark VI (can't remember the last time I saw one) with what must have been 24" rims, the kind that have centers that don't move. It actually looked OK, especially considering I don't usually like stuff like that. The car itself was in very nice condition, it was a burgandy two-door with white vinyl top (of course).
Comments
Actually watching a movie being filmed is pretty boring. We see, of course, a slick, edited, smoothly stitched piece of work, but in fact the original scenes are shot time and time again and many end up on the floor. Watching the stunts are fun, though, especially when they go wrong, which is often enough.
I find the behind the scenes more fun....lots of ego, treachery and some good laughs.
"Hi guys...
I'm preparing list for Saturday so give me a few more hours and I'll have definite information for you as far as who will be working.
Sorry for the delays. I was in meetings all morning.
For those of you I do not send specific information to as to location and times I want to thank you for your interest and I apologize if I don't send you an individual email as time is short.
I apprecieate your interest and will keep everyone on file for future shows.
For those of you who will be working, this email will be followed by ones giving time, location, and specific instructions.
I realize that it might be unacceptable for you to send me information without knowing for sure if you will be working, but for those of you unopposed to it (and for those of you I've already gotten it from -- sorry for the repeat request) I'd like to compile the following:
name
address
contact numbers
social security/fed id #
vehicle make, model, year, color, and VIN #
(the VIN # is for the insurance certificates -- same with vehicle info)
(ssn is so that you can get paid)
If you're not comfortable with giving out that information that's okay. I'll get it from you later.
Thanks,
jac"
Umm, yeah, I am a bit uncomfortable emailing my address, social security #, VIN #, phone #, etc to someone I've never even met before. :surprise: I guess that's information I can just give them at the day of the shoot, though?
I also found out the name of the movie is "Talk To Me"
BTW, I figured out that by the time they take out taxes on that $250 (and I guess on a deal like this you have to pay double on the SS), I'll be lucky to see half of that. So if they need me for 18 hours, that comes out to like $6.95 per hour.
So it ain't gonna make me rich, but if they want to use one of my cars, I think it'll be a cool experience.
Do you ever get to see the main actors behind the scenes, or is it usually the secondary b unit?
Yup.
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
Weird stuff. :confuse:
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
-65 Mustang GT 2+2 looking very nice in orange w a white rocker stripe.
-64-5(?) Olds Cutlass convertible, pale yellow.
-73 BMW 2002tii/ Fjord Blue.
-62 Mini-Cooper S, modified w BIG Webers. Red
-63 Corvette Sting Ray convertible,black/black, claimed only 63k miles asking $49875. You can have the split-window coupes, I go for topless Sting-Rays. :shades:
2001 BMW 330ci/E46, 2008 BMW 335i conv/E93
in the past week 4 built up nova's. a 66-67, 2 68-69's, and 76-77.
on the berlin turnpike, one of the 68-69's tried to goad me into a 'contest' as i was in my mustang. the nova was pretty built up and the plate was 'fear'.
i wouldn't have given it a second thought, but he was just to the left and ahead of me and he kept glancing at the right side mirror.
we both knew i had a pair of 2's to his full house.
it would have been fun to play a bit, but my 16 year old was in the vehicle behind me.
probably very frustrating for him.
MOVIES: Yeah, I saw a few stars behind the scenes....Bill Cosby, Melanie Griffith, that little snake, what's his name....Danny Devito?...Tony Danza (lol!) and Eric Estrada (lol x 2). But nobody like in GIGANTIC stardom....well maybe Cosby is/was. Cosby and Estrada were friendly, the rest could care less.
But I did talk to Ridley Scott, which I gladly would have traded the entire pack of "stars" to chat with anyway. He was filming a TV commercial of all things, about a Checker cab pulling up to an ATM on a foggy night. They never give you a script so you haven't a clue what's going on when they shoot.
There's just one little thing they forgot to do...tell me WHICH car they want me to bring! :confuse: With my luck it'll be pouring buckets tomorrow, and they'll want the convertible. The convertible with no back window.
So, anybody wanna come out to the DC area tomorrow and be a driver? Lemko? Fintail? Ghulet? Shifty? Bueller? :P
Shifty, why is it that they don't usually like white, red, or black cars? Are those colors just too cliched or something?
I'm not surprised they forgot to tell you which car to bring...they are sometimes such airheads doing this PA stuff, or if they are smart and organized PAs, then they are buckling under stress. It's like the Post Office--the ones doing the best job get punished.
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Hey, maybe I could get their makeup department to put some pork chop sideburns on me! I always thought sideburns were cool...probably because I can't grow 'em. :P
If it was Monday, I'd have time to grow the sideburns...lol.
I'd do it.. $500? count me in..
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Good luck, Andre. Break a leg!
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
If nothing else, I think it'll be cool to get a LeMans of that era onto the big screen...AND have it keep its roof and other body panels intact, as opposed to what Sherriff Buford T. Justice did to that poor '77! :sick:
Send it home
The cool stuff you can get if you live in Canada
See above....but we should be pleased to choose from obese SUVs and personality-free appliances
That name on the side killed any chances of success...and then the mechanical limitations set in...
So Andre, is it what he says it is?
"True American Classic"
Neat little thing
Pretty survivor
Same here...nice pic looking out the back
"New" Andremobile
Restored late fintail, not bad
Oh yeah, that's cool
As for the 1977 Cutlass Sedan Brougham Like he says you better hurry because if someone local shows up with the cash it's gone and you'll miss out :grin... I had a 1977 Cutlass Supreme 2 dr Brougham. Original is much nicer than those awful wheels and tires.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Also, most Adventurers I've seen from 1957 had 7 or 8 chrome strips on the hood. I don't know if that was standard or not, though. I also noticed they mentioned something about an engine plate saying "S-25". "S-25" was an internal designation for "Firedome". "S-26" was "Fireflite", "S-27" was Firesweep (the Dodge-based one) and "S-26A" was Adventurer. I think that was a holdover from 1956 when, IIRC, technically the car was a Fireflite Adventurer. I guess kinda like how the '58 Impala was techincally a Bel Air Impala?
I like that '79 NYer. It's kinda hard to tell from those pics, but it looks to me like it's teal frost metallic, one of my favorite colors. I hate to say it, but that car is VERY tempting to me! It's funny how in 1979, the New Yorker's interior was actually plusher and pimpier looking than the 5th Avenue, which was a $1500 option.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Oldsmobile-Cutlass-1977-Olds-Cutlass-Supreme-Brou- - gham-all-original-9000-K_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ6405QQihZ002QQitemZ120012608- - 370QQrdZ1
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I got down there at 5:30 in the morning and basically did nothing except hang out on 3rd Street near the Capitol Bldg and the American Indian Museum which was kind of "base camp". Then, around 9:00 or so, they started getting a bunch of cars queued up to go out to a shoot, and told me to go down too. Then, once I get there, they tell me to come back. Turns out the scene they were shooting was for 1973, and the guy didn't realize my LeMans was a '76. Oops! So back I went.
Looking back, it would've been kinda interesting if I HAD made it onto that shoot with my LeMans. Then I could've ended up on the Internet Movie Database in their goofs section!
They also had me put on these fake plastic DC tags that were dated 1973. That might be one reason why they sent me off to that 1973 photo shoot. They weren't too accurate here. My buddy's '78 Mark V ended up getting a 1973 Virginia tag on the front and a 1979 on the back! Hopefully the cameras don't zoom in that far! For the 1973 shot they did let a '77 F-150 in it, but I don't think that would have drawn much attention. However, a car with rectangular quad headlights would have stuck out like a sore thumb in 1973! I also had a big sticker on the windshield that said "Carlisle GM Nationals 2006" that wouldn't easily come off, so I just put black electrical tape over it. I dunno if it would've showed up or not, though. A guy with a '68 Camaro convertible did the same thing.
Finally, about 4:00, they sent me, a '72 Mustang convertible, a '73 Firebird Esprit, a '78 Trans Am, and a '78 Pinto down to pose in front of the old Smithsonian Building for a scene around 1982. I remember mentioning that with all those Pontiacs that it was going to look like an episode of "I Dream of Jeannie". The lady in charge of the cars said most people wouldn't notice though, because the '73 Firebird and '78 Trans Am looked different enough from each other, and she couldn't even identify my car as a Pontiac, without looking at the badge on the nose! Well, we'll see. Anyway, the guy in the Pinto got to actually drive by in that scene, where the rest of us just had our cars parked at the curb. It was a scene that had Don Cheadle in it though, in what seemed like a pivotal moment, walking with a friend across the DC Mall, so it might not get cut out.
As for my buddy with the Mark V, it sprung a radiator leak, so that was it for him. I also heard that in one of the shoots that a '60 T-bird blew out its lower radiator hose, a '65 Comet convertible overheated, the '77 F-150 came close to overheating, and a '72 LeMans started acting up and stalled every time he had to shift into reverse.
I took a bunch of pics of the various old cars, and will try to post them later. They also had the wardrobe dept put me in a 70's silk/polyester shirt that was kind of a peachy gold color. It actually wasn't as tacky looking as it sounded! However, I didn't get to be in any of the shots, but they wanted me dressed appropriate in case I did any driving around in the shots. I'd think that by 1982 though, the scene where they used my car, that shirt would've been out of date.
I wonder what it'll be like 40 years from now, if they try to make a movie that takes place in 2005? I'd imagine that most of today's cars, with their alumimum and plastic everything, often shaved to within an inch of its life for maximum efficiency and performance, would really be troublesome once they're 40 years old. If they're still around, that is. Or maybe by that time they'll just be using computer effects for EVERYTHING, and even go CGI on the closeups of the cars! Heck, they could actually probably do that today, but you'd still notice it was a computer effect.
In the early 80's, they re-routed one of the roads around here, making it into a 4-lane road that cut about a half-mile to the east of the old road. It ended up taking out a farm that appeared to have been abandoned for awhile. I remember the fire dept practiced on the farmhouse. There was also a barn that had a blue fintail in it, with years of dust caked on. I can't remember now if it was wrecked or rusted out or what. I dunno what happened to the barn or the fintail, but one day I went back there and saw that the whole area was gone, totally cleared away.
I think your fintail would've looked good in some of the scenes they were shooting for this movie. I'd imagine that they were fairly popular among the well-do-to downtown. Heck, in the scene my car was in, it would've added a bit of variety to the Firebird, Trans Am, Pinto, Mustang, and LeMans that were in it! As it stands, and this is sad to say, but the Pinto was actually the "star" of that scene, since it was the only car that was in motion!
Kinda funny too, but that Pinto got alot of attention from bystanders, tourists, etc. Much more so than many cars that would be considered far more desireable!
Several period movies featured the cars, almost always driven by a bad guy. Rock Hudson played a psycho and drove a car almost identical to mine. And I can't forget the chase in 'Marathon Man', and the bad guy transport of choice in many cold war spy movies.
I can actually see a Pinto having a lot of nostalgia value, as lots of people had them. Not a great car, but a memorable car.
I don't know how many Mercedes dealerships there were in the '60s.. But, I'd think if you lived in any top-50 population city in the USA, you'd be likely to see them.. They were certainly part of my consciousness as a child, then..
In comparison, the first time I remember being aware of BMW was around 1974, when I was in high school...
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Oh, I learned yesterday that in Egypt they call BMW's "BM's". The lady that put out the casting call for the cars was very chatty, and would talk to just about anybody. She was talking about one of her old boyfriends who was Egyptian and barely spoke English. He kept talking about wanting a "BM". I asked her if she ever explained to him what BM meant in American? She said no. :shades:
I have to wonder what got me into Mercedes, especially sedans. We never had one in the family, although a few friends or acquaintances had one. Even when I was like 5 my favorite toy cars were a pair of Pocket Cars 450SELs and a Hot Wheels W126.
It's been ages since I've even seen my matchbox cars though. I remember packing them up in the attic over my grandmother's back room back in the 90's. In 1998 my uncle and I emptied most of that attic to insulate it, and a lot of that stuff got packed in her garage somewhere. So it's probably been a decade or more since I've even looked at them! I'd hate to think of the critters that might have gotten into all my old stuff in her garage by now, too. Heck, just today I started cleaning out my new garage, because I'm going to try to start painting the floor real early tomorrow before it gets hot, and found a lizard that would make most girls, and some guys, scream like sopranos! And if a lizard that size can get into the garage, I shudder to think what sized snake could! I'm not afraid of snakes, but it could be a shock one day to be driving down the road in my convertible and suddenly feel something slithering up my pant-leg! Maybe I'd better start keeping the windows up? :surprise:
You mentioned it as a 6-series...there was a 6 series coupe made by a German company called Siku...these were toy cars usually found in specialty shops that sold Brio, Playmobil, etc. I actually have one of these:
But this didn't come out til 1980.
I'd think you should park the car with the top and windows up, yes. Seems like a big rodent/pest risk. I cover the fintail even in the garage.
coming back from my stick shift lesson with my daughter, we saw a pristine stock looking, dark blue one driving north as we were driving south. i thought it was a '49, she thought it was a '50. i guess she paid attention during the tv show. :surprise:
Yeah that is funny Andre. I had a '79 Fifth Ave. Always thought my seats were kind of plain. However I am betting those seats builds up dirt where the button holes are.
I hope it's packing Porsche brakes and suspension as well.
maybe it was on display to celebrate the ferrari f1 win yesterday. :confuse:
I also saw this http://chicago.craigslist.org/car/188615400.html on craigslist, not a bad looking car for $1750, though I know the 380 engine is nobody's favorite.