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Packard movie


Guest JT

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Guest Randy Berger

Is that the movie with Jack Palance? He was in a movie with a 53 Caribbean driving through narrow alleys and banging the Caribbean into walls! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/frown.gif" alt="" />

YFAM, Randy Berger

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Guest Randy Berger

I enjoy this thread. Can anyone name other movies/TV shows that had Packards?

I remember an episode of the fugitive where he was drivin an OLD pickup with a Nun in it and they got stopped for some reason and there was a 56 Patrician behind them. [color:"green"] The movie "Diner" features a 54 light green convertible with dark green top.

YFAM, Randy Berger <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" />

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it seems to me that there was a movie about the Starkweather kid that led police on a 100+ MPH chase across several western states in a 56 Patrician. True story.

PackardV8

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The Starkweather movie noted by PackardV8 above is a made-for-TV on the Lifetime channel. It was just on within this last month, but I only caught the tail end of the chase scene where the cops stopped the kid and they shot out the rear window and winged the kid in the neck. BTW, they used a 1955 Pat in the movie, whereas it was a 1956 in real life. It was way faster than the pursuing cop cars, but I guess the kid ran out of gas.

Another movie is "Back to the Future" where the professor owns and drives a 1948-50 yellow "Bathtub" convertible.

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Well, I'll attest to the quality since I purchased the very tape to which you refer, and another similar one several months before. I have many videos of car commercials, and of course there are no Packard ads on any of them. That's why these videos appealed to me. They aren't superb, but they certainly aren't bad and I don't regret the $10 I paid for each. Especially good was an introduction to the show TV Reader's Digest, sponsored by S-P, and featuring a great commercial for the '56 Packard. Even better is the commercial that appeared in the middle of that broadcast, which uses a nifty 50's cartoon to explain the magic of Torsion-Level ride. Then as I watched further, be still my heart, my very own '56 Clipper zooming around the Proving Grounds track. Now that was definitely worth the $10!

Incidentally another movie with a brief Packard appearance is my favorite movie - Clue. In the ending where Mrs. Peacock was guilty, she's about to get into her (I think off the top of my head) '52 sedan (not a Patrician, I think the 300) Of course, that's also my favorite scene because I prove a mistake, where the Cadillac next to the Packard is clearly a '56, and the movie's supposed to be set in 1953.

Many tell me I need to get a hobby... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" />

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Guest Randy Berger

Robert, sharp of you to spot the 56 Caddy error. I hate to admit it but my son spotted a Packard error in the movie "Patton" and I missed it completely. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/blush.gif" alt="" /> His staff car in N. Africa was a 48-50 Packard! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/smirk.gif" alt="" /> Of course, Patton did have connections back here in the USA, but I doubt even he could have gotten a postwar Packard into N. Africa in 42-43. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/wink.gif" alt="" />

YFAM, Randy Berger <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" />

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An interesting if a little sad observation. If you check the "Thin Man" movies of the 30's and 40's you see that Nick and Nora drive Packards in the 30's and Lincolns in the 40's. Could have been a coincidence, or maybe the auto companies moved into paying to have their cars used as they do today, or it could have been a sign of the times.

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Hi - My first time in here.

Who can forget "The Big Sleep" (1945?) with Bogart watching a 1935-37 senior being pulled out of the water at San Pedro, California?

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I've seen the movie "Sudden Fear" with what I believe is a 1951 Covertible that ends up getting wrecked. In "Big Jim McLean" Starring John Wayne there is a 1951 200 being used as a Taxi. Don't forget that Perry White (John Hamilton) drove a 1953 Packard Covertible in an episode of "The Adventures of Superman". In the 1956 Movie "The Unguarded Moment" a white and black 1955 Custom Clipper Constellation is seen following the detective's police car through the rear window as he has a conversation with the school teacher thats being stalked. Its identical to mine. My grandchidren couldn't figure out how "the car" got in the movie. I've seen "The Fugitive" episode with the Patrician. One that you missed was the story about the actual "Starkweather" case on The History Channel with the actual 1956 Patrician in it. It has some good shots of the car and its interior. There also was a piece on "Unsolved Mysteries" that used a number of '50's Packards as well.

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If you want to see a '38 Packard V-12 being thrashed, see if you can find "THE MARETH LINE" with Henry Fonda. It was at best a "grade "B" movie, made by, of all things, an ITALIAN "runaway" company filming in, of all places, side streets in Beverly Hills, just south of Sunset Blvd... The "story line" involved four senior military officers who were child-hood friends, who wound up on opposite sides in World War Two.

In one scene....you will see the Twelve screeching around an "Italian road" ( I stole one of the "prop" highway signs..and still have it...!) almost on two wheels.... (personally...I think...(and I told him so at the time) that Henry Fonda was NUTS to get into a strange car, with a smart alec like me, whom he did not know.....and be a passenger in that kind of foolishness....but he just laughed...said it was fun....and..anyway, he said......" who was kidding who...we BOTH needed the money " !

Dont worry....while none of the driving scenes were 'faked'...it was ME doing the driving, and I didnt put a mark on my car !

You wanna talk "car chase"... we had one "for real"....! Turns out..the cheapo local production company...had failed to get the proper filming permits from the City Of Beverly Hills. When the production mgr. said " it's a wrap..everyone get the hell out of here "......DID WE EVER....!

Pete Hartmann

Big Springs AZ

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The movie "King of the Gypsies" with Erik Roberts has an opening scene where a young gypsy girl is kidnapped by a rival faction. The kidnappers speed off in one of the "bathtub" Packards. It's great to see the power of that massive car roaring off across the field where they are camped.

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  • 2 weeks later...

THE MARETH LINE (with Henry Fonda).... '38 Packard Twelve being thorougly thrashed on an "Italian" street (great scenes of coming around corners in four wheel drifts....just off Sunset Blvd. in Beverly Hills, driven by a MUCH younger and hairier YOURS TRULY......!

Pete Hartmann

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  • 3 weeks later...

Another "bathtub" Packard in the opening scenes of "LaBamba". Being worked on and driven by Ritchie Valens older brother, played by Esau Morales.

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  • 4 weeks later...

New movie just out called Far From Heaven is set in late 50s. Three early 50s Packs and one bathtub. One 55 Studebaker President. Dozens of mid 50s Buicks and Caddies. Now that's what it takes to make a great movie. If they'd had three Packards and a Studebaker in it, even Waterworld would been a hit. Ask the man . . .

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"Murder in the Heartland" was on again yesterday (Sun, 24 Nov 2002) on Lifetime. This is the one about the Charles Starkweather murder spree in Nebraska and Wyoming in the mid 1950s. This time I had my VCR ready! All scenes with the 1955 Packard Patrician totaled over 13 minutes. In reality it was a 1956 Pat, but details... There were a couple of good mini-"Thunder Road" kind of scenes. Also, at times, it looks like they turned off the T-L (Pat jacked up in rear), maybe to keep it from leveling and distracting from the on camera action? One scene has a cop calling on his radio, "...he's driving a blue, late model luxury car...maybe a Cadillac?", HA! Also, several scenes have people complimenting his (stolen) car to his face.

Anyway, this movie has got to be the one with the lengthiest screen time for a 1955-56 model.

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Not only did they compliment him, but the cop his girlfriend runs to (in the scene where he's trying to hijack a Buick) makes the announcement to look for Charles Starkweather driving a "fancy car" that might be a Cadillac! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" /> The chase scenes in this movie are great. What a fantastic looking car.

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  • 1 month later...

I was watching the movie Holiday Inn last weekend and in the opening scene Fred Astare gets out of a Packard cab. So many of the taxis back then were DeSotos and Dodges. I was surprised to see a yellow-painted (gray on my TV) Packard sedan. But I guess just like there are Lincoln and Caddy cabs today people liked the Packs.

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Anyone remember the last scene in "DR ZHIVAGO"...you know...the one on the dam (which, I understand, was shot somewhere in Spain). A nice looking "bath-tub" limo (missing fender skirts) "doubles" as a ZIS....!

Pete Hartmann

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I saw "Tin Men" again last night with Richard Dreyfus, Danny DeVito and Barbara Hershey. Placed in late 1962, early 1963, all the "Tin Men" (salesmen for aluminum siding for houses) drive late-50s and early-60s big finned Caddys. There's also lots of street scenes with a wide variety of late-50, early-60 autos of all makes and models. In the orphan car category, I spyed an early 50s Kaiser, one or more Stude Hawks (maybe even a 56J) and ONE 1955 Packard Clipper (dark green on light green, rear view) driving away.

Just a lot of eye candy for us enthusiasts and a funny movie at that! <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

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Guest Kevin AZ

Here's a three movies with a Packard or two seen in the filming. This past week, BULLET with Steve McQueen was on cable. There was a beautiful shot of a front clip from a late 30's senior, as Steve was walking to the grocery stote.

And let's not forget the GODFATHER films. There are several scenes featuring a '41 Packard 160 belonging to Clemenza. Later I also spyed a rear view of a '54-55 Clipper.

Lastly, BACK to the FUTURE, has a scene with a 48-50 Bathtub convertible in the parking lot outside the dance. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

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If I had a dollar for everytime I saw this movie I would not have to win the Lottery, but it was only last night that I picked up on the car. "pride of the Yankees" You have to be quck to catch the grille, but the scene with theresa wright and walter brennan drivig to a sandlot to pick up gary cooper, she is driving what appears to be a 120.

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  • 3 weeks later...

"Topper Returns" is a great "who dun it" comedy from 1941 that has a chase scene and crash of about a 37 super 8 convertible. Lots of old mansion scenes as well. The car most used in the film I believe was a Duesenberg or Mercedes. It has some good car close up shots but most of them were of the Dues or Mercedes. There was also a good undercarriage shot of a taxi, don't know what make. It stars Joan Blondell, Roland Young and Eddie (Rochester) Anderson. It's a good funny movie with lots of suspense.

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Just caught a brief scene with a 48-50

Packard Limo in a street scene with a 54 and a 55 Plymouth taxi in the movie

FUNNY FACE it Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn

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There is a '58 Packard Station Wagon in one scene of "Hearts in Atlantis" with Anthony Hopkins. Looks like it just came off the show room floor.

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Just tonight on A.M.C. Jack Nickolson and Faye Dunaway were running around near (Chinatown)the name of the movie, in a yellow '38 Packard convertible coupe with sidemounts.

It really made me cringe,oh jeez, when Jake (Nickolson) kicked out the right tail-light to make it easier for him to follow her in traffic. I never did like that guy, he and his "devil may care attitude."

Jay of DuBoistown,Pa.

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  • 2 weeks later...

How about "Billy Bathgate" with Dustin Hoffman and Nicole Kidman? It is set in 1935 and features a 1935 Senior, but the poster shows a 1941 One Twenty !!

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