Murphy's Romance 1985

[keninman]

Chanin was scanning the channels last evening and spotted a car that looked very much like our Dictator. The movie is, Murphy's Romance, starring James Garner and Sally Fields. I rented the video on Amazon. Some websites I have found allege it is a 1930 Model 53 and this is a rebadged Erskine. Murphy states that it "came off of the assembly line in South Bend, Indiana in 1927". There are also several problems with this car. Someone has painted the whole thing red and etched its side and rear windows. It has a Flying Atalanta on the radiator cap that Murphy calls "the goddess Venus". When he is showing the car to Jake, he points out an eight day dash clock that to me is mounted wrong. I thought this should have been in the dash with the long stem to allow winding and setting at the bottom of the dash. When Murphy takes Jake for a ride he comments about traveling 30 mph which ironically seems to be about where my car is most comfortable. 

 

At any rate I make several screenshots of the car so maybe everyone here can help decide what this car really is. There are several similarities between this car and the one we have. The engine cowl louvers in sets of three. The dash is identical except for the clock. The rear tire carrier and split bumpers. The small view of the engine is identical except for color. The seats are the same, down to the color. I doubt the Atlanta was used on standard sedans and I don't have one. When the front windows are rolled down they stick up at the rear, mine do this and I assumed it was because of wear in the mechanism but I could be wrong. The movie car does it too. 

 

So for my two cents worth, I am going to say that this car is a 29 or 30 Dictator Six. 

 

 

Edited July 17, 2017 by keninman
spelling error (see edit history)

[nzcarnerd]

It is a 1930 Studebaker Model 53 if it has a Studebaker badge on the front. Unlike the 1927 to 1929 Erskines which were completely different cars and unrelated mechanically to the Studebakers, the 1930 models were essentially lower priced Studebakers. My understanding of it is that they decided sometime during the 1930 season to drop the Erskine name and any remaining stocks were rebadged. They then became Studebaker Model 53s.

 

Regarding the quotes from the movie, they are right but just out of context. Yes the Erskine did come off the line in 1927 but it wasn't this car. This car has a Studebaker badge so must be a Studebaker.

 

Where it gets confusing is that the Model 53 Studebaker has a 114" wheelbase, the GL Dictator has a 115" wheelbase. I don't have a parts books so don't know what parts they share. What also makes things confusing is that Studebaker at that time introduced new models at different times of the year, which makes dating the cars accurately very difficult.  The engines are basically the same, just the Model 53 has a smaller bore.

 

A friend of mine has a 1930 Erskine two door sedan, probably quite rare in right hand drive. It was barn find about 30 years ago with about 40,000 miles on it. It has done many more since. The paint is what was applied over the original black, with a red pin stripe, in order to sell it 'new' in 1931. Three pics; as found and on our regular winter rally in 1995 and in 2014.

Edited July 16, 2017 by nzcarnerd (see edit history)

[nzcarnerd]

There is an Erskine Registry here  -  http://erskine_registry.tripod.com/owners.html  - although it is not opening properly at the moment.

[keninman]

Nzcarnerd, the bumper of the 1930 Erskine matches the bumper of the car in Murphy's Romance. The bumper on my Dictator is slightly different, so the car probably a Model 53. Thank you for the pics. I am always eager to learn more. 

[nzcarnerd]

Thought I had posted this one yesterday but must have not hit the submit button. A GL Director Regal, NZ new with right hand drive. I am not sure if this car has ever had a full body of restoration. If it did it was a very long time ago. I don't know if the Dictator name was ever used in NZ in those early years. I think it was in the mid '30s though.