November 2023 is going to be an interesting month to watch car movies on streaming! Using an awesome post over at ComicBook.com, we were able to filter it down to great films that feature classic iconic cars or car chases. A little bit of something for everyone! Especially if you're a The Fast and The Furious fan. Some of these may not be just pure car movies. But you will see some awesome cars in all of these movies. For example Catch Me If You Can, may not be a car flick, but it has some great classics in it. So if you're looking for something new, here ya' go!
How many Saturday movies did you spend as a kid watching cartoons? I know this blogger sure did. I got thinking back to the sugary cereal fueled, care free mornings spent in front of the tube. Ah the good ole days. Then it hit me. A vision. A vision of this post. Alright enough paraphrasing Back to the Future. But I did have a vision. I was thinking back to all of the cartoon versions of famous live action tv and movie cars. There were a number of them! In this post we're going to look at few mash ups of famous cartoon cars and their live action counter parts. We spared some details, for future posts. But here's a taste of each.
After the success of the third Back to the Future film, dream team Zemeckis and Gale created the cartoon series. The series aired on Saturday mornings for two seasons in the early 90's. The series focuses on the Brown family. Who recently moved back to present, making a home on a farm just outside Hill Valley. In this timeline, the Delorean has been rebuilt. Remember it was destroyed at the end of the third film. Not only is it back but with some additional features. Including voice-activated time circuits. If you look closely in the show's intro, you can spot a barefoot surfer gas pedal. The time display panel is much more steampunky in the show. Which makes sense, given Doc's experience with steam powered time travel.
The Real Ghostbusters was the follow up to the blockbuster hit Ghostbusters. Running for over 7 seasons, the cartoon picks up where the first film leaves off. Sticking to the formula of the films, the Ghostbusters ride around in ECTO 1 as well. As with Back to The Future, the details are slightly changed. The car is much more simplified and appears much cleaner than in the films. But not without it's share of unique features. It's believed that this version of ECTO 1, inspired the "Gunner Seat" later in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. ECTO 1 wasn't the only ghostbusting vehicle used in the series. A number of specialty vehicles were used through out the show. Which also sparked an entire lines of Real Ghostbusters toys from Kenner.
Similar to that of Back to the Future, the Saturday morning special: The Dukes ran for only two seasons. From February to October of 1983, kids were treated to their own cartoon version of The Dukes of Hazzard. Hanna-Barbera put their spin on the live action car jumping show we all grew to love. But what about the General Lee? Well as you can tell, they did a pretty good job of recreating the iconic car in cartoon form. You can tell it's a 1969 Dodge Charger for sure! In fact, I would go as far as to say, it might be the closest representation of a live action car in this post. Except for the fact the car has gadgets. Yes! The General Lee got a handful of gadgets installed. Such as over-inflatable tires for softer landings. Special shocks that raise the body up for more ground clearance. That's the beauty of cartoons is being able to stretch the laws of physics and imaginations of the viewers. Over all the show reminds me of a mix of Scobby Doo, Knight Rider and Speed Buggy. Kinda neat huh?
That's all for now. But be sure to stay glued to the tube as we bring you more: On Screen Cars.
Just about every good car movie has a jump scene. We here at On Screen Cars are big fans of car acrobatics. Through our series Famous Jumps, we explore some of the best of vehicles going airborne. This week we commemorate another fine display of automotive volley. The bridge jump scene from the first Smokey and the Bandit movie. You know the one! But in case you're unsure or haven't seen it. Warning spoilers ahead.
The Scene
The scene takes place toward the middle of the movie. While traveling through Arkansas, Bandit runs up on a roadblock setup by the local county sheriff's department. Bandit quickly diverts down a dirt road and the officers jump in their cars and chase after him. Sheriff Branford and his associate lead the chase. The young deputy is excited to say the least. Branford confidently tells the deputy not to worry too much about losing him. Because they're approaching the recently dismantled Mulberry Bridge at the end of the road. They think they have the Bandit right in their grip. There's no escape! But little to their surprise the Bandit doesn't go down easy. The Bandit and Frog leap through the air, clearing the bridge. Frog cheers and can't believe they've made it. Now she's on cloud nine with her Bo, wanting to jump more stuff.
The Jump
It's unclear how long the jump is. But legendary stunt man Hal Needham setup the shot and made Bandit look so good. If you pay close attention you can see sand or red dirt flying through the air. Even as soft was the red dirt may have been I'm sure the stunt driver was rattled and the stunt car never drove again. In an interview with Motor Trend, Hal talks about how they used a special modified Trans Am for this scene. Hal asked his NASCAR race team to send him a 750+ horsepower motor and stick shift version of the SE Trans Am. As you may have noticed the car lands level. Chances are additional weight (often concrete) must have been added to the rear. Between all that and a well built ramp, Hal's team got the money shot we've all grown know and love.
Filming Location
I would like to sperate the fact from the fiction. According to the scene in the movie, they're in Arkansas. However the scene was actually shot in Jonesboro, Georgia. For those interested, the address is 365 Flint River Road, Jonesboro, GA 30238. This will take you a bridge over the Flint River that may have replaced the bridge jumped in the film. Several YouTubers have made videos about visiting the site. Only a few pillars of the bridge remain. But with a bit of imagination you can piece it together. Near the landing site, appears now be a storage center. Amazing how things change and develop. The road in the film was much wider and seemed longer. Nature sure has taken back the road less traveled. Speaking of the road less traveled, it's time for us to hit the dusty trail. Till then, keep your wheels spinning and your beavers grinning. Whatever that means. *wink*
The year was 1957. The Soviet Union had just launched Sputnik. The world's first artificial satellite. This event would not only trigger the beginning of the space race. But would also ignite the imagination of a young man in Coalwood, WV, Homer Hickam. According Homer's memoir, Rocket Boys later adapted into the movie classic October Sky. That he and his friends set out to build their own rockets and later enter and win the National Science Fair. All of Homer's crew went to college. Homer went on to become an engineer for NASA. But how did the boys get around? Well according to the movie, they traveled in a 1937 Plymouth DeLuxe owned by one of the boys, Roy Lee.
1937 Plymouth DeLuxe
1937 was a year of firsts and last for Plymouth. It was the first year they offered a pickup truck. But also the last year for vented windshields (that open for ventilation). Plymouth was the 3rd top automaker in the states at the time and was one of the few car companies that faired well during the Great Depression. New for the1937 Plymouth DeLuxe was a redesign of the instrument cluster. Gauges were now situated in front of the driver instead of the sticking out in middle of the dash like on previous models. Several versions of the car were produced. The P3 (2 door) and P4 (4 door) varieties being the most popular. All 1937 Plymouths DeLuxes came with a 201.3 cubic inch inline six cylinder engine making roughly 80 horsepower. Backed by a 3 speed floor shift manual transmission.
Roy Lee's Car
In the book it mentions that Roy Lee inherited the car after his father was killed in the mine. In the 1950s having your own car as a teenager was pretty rare. Even if said car was almost 20 years old in the time the movie takes place. A lot of these cars by then were either abandoned in junkyards are made into hot rods. But I have to note there was one feature of Roy Lee's car that made it unique. It's missing the front grill and bumper. Not sure if it was lost to time or something custom the boys did. Hard to say. But I think it looks kinda neat without the grill. The rear bumper is also not standard. Appears to be custom or make-shift. Some of my favorite dialog from the movie takes place in the car. Including this gem between Quentin and Roy Lee.
* Roy Lee is trying to start the car.
Quentin:
You got a loose choke cable.
You hear that?
The butterfly valve isn't closin' all the way.
Uh, last year I built an internal combustion engine...
and entered it in the science fair.
Roy Lee: Yeah, well, you wouldn't happen to have it on you, would you?
Final Thoughts
So why did I choose to research and write about Roy Lee's car. Well several reasons. October Sky is one of my favorite movies. I watch it every fall. After this year's viewing I thought I would write about what may be the only hero car in the movie. It's for sure the most pictured car in the film. Roy Lee seemed to have a love/hate relationship with the car itself. In one scene he's seen shooting at it. But the last reason is I love the film is it reminds me some of my own childhood, growing up in coal country. That's all for now. Aim high!
Hot Wheels can be works of art right? Of course, especially when restoration artists like baremetalHW on YouTube get a hold of them. I came across this gem a while back while browsing for tv/movie car models. I just want to share and say he did an excellent job recreating an iconic but yet often overlooked movie car. This video was actually part of a challenge from Diecast Resurrection. Another interesting toy/model car restorer and customizer. Some of the techniques in this build used 3D design to build custom printable aesthetics to give the car the appearance similar to the vehicle in the movie. Then later in the video he applied flocking to give the appearance of fur. I'll stop for now, I don't wanta spoil the video for you. You can watch it below. But till next time, keep your tail wagging!
