Twilight Zone car spotting

[rocketraider]

I'm a big fan of the original Twilight Zone anthology and always look forward to SyFy channel's New Years TZ marathon.

 

Just watched 1963's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" with William Shatner as a recovering nervous breakdown patient with a fear of flying, who saw a gremlin messing with one of the plane's engines and created a "situation".

 

On to the car spot, when he was removed from the flight he was loaded into a 1960 Buick ambulance. Can't tell if it was a Flxible or C-B but definitely on Electra chassis. Four portholes.

[Frank DuVal]

Yes, lots of car spotting in Twilight Zone!

 

I did tune into the Rose Parade this morning for a few minutes and saw a Thomas decked out with roses. driving in the parade.

[zepher]

There is an episode called Mr Bevis and he drives a 1924 Rickenbacker.

The Rickenbacker even ends up on its side a one point.

[Oz Dodge 4]

Yep, watch it through Paramount ! If you are a Ford fan from 1958 through to about 64, it's the best there is. Quite a few episodes with cars from the twenty's through to the mid 60's and yes I loved the "Rickenbacker" blowing all the smoke with the kids pushing it down the street. William Shatner was also in another episode in I think series two, listening to the devil through a card machine, and driving a convertible of the same era.

Great stuff !

[kuhner]

I look forward to the marathon also.  
How about the 53 Ford Coupe, it was the episode about the older folks in a home who return to their youth.

 

[Oz Dodge 4]

After reading these posts, I though "I'm going to watch a couple of episodes before I go to bed!" 

 Dang, looks like Paramount have stopped streaming it in the new year, and I still had about six months worth to go 😢

[28 Chrysler]

The Outer Limits has episodes that have nearly all Fords, Plymouths, etc. always lower price cars

[Pfeil]

Perry Mason is another great car spotter TV show especially the early years.

[Frank DuVal]

Paramount screwing up Showtime also, but I digress, as this is a car thread.

 

Season 2 Episode 14. Used car dealer Harvey Hunnicutt can only tell the truth due to a Model A he put on the lot.  Titled "The Whole Truth".

 

I just checked, still available on Paramount Plus (with subscription...).

[rocketraider]

5 hours ago, 28 Chrysler said:

The Outer Limits has episodes that have nearly all Fords, Plymouths, etc. always lower price cars

The Outer Limits was kinda low budget but it scared hell out of me as a child and made me want somebody to adjust the TV set! But storylines and casting were every bit TZ's equal, especially now that I realize how hokey a lot of the props and makeup really were.

 

I think shock rocker Rob Zombie owns some of the original OL props. Preserves those same as we do old cars. He was born into a carnival family so no surprise he loves that stuff.

[CarlLaFong]

Corry and his 32 Ford touring car in "the Lonely"

 

[John348]

21 hours ago, rocketraider said:

I'm a big fan of the original Twilight Zone anthology and always look forward to SyFy channel's New Years TZ marathon.

 

Just watched 1963's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" with William Shatner as a recovering nervous breakdown patient with a fear of flying, who saw a gremlin messing with one of the plane's engines and created a "situation".

 

On to the car spot, when he was removed from the flight he was loaded into a 1960 Buick ambulance. Can't tell if it was a Flxible or C-B but definitely on Electra chassis. Four portholes.

There is a 60 Buick Ambulance that makes one or two appearances on Perry Mason as well, I wonder if it was a studio fleet car? There could not have been too many of them made.

[JamesR]

Imagine William Shatner looking out his plane window and seeing one of these. Horrifying!!

[zepher]

18 minutes ago, JamesR said:

Imagine William Shatner looking out his plane window and seeing one of these. Horrifying!!

I'd be pretty horrified, too, if I saw that Gremlin on an airplane wing.

[jdome]

8 hours ago, Pfeil said:

Perry Mason is another great car spotter TV show especially the early years.

We watched the Perry Mason marathon on Jan 1 when our new grand-baby was visiting with his parents. I don't think I watched an episode since I was a kid.  Perry was always defending some hot babe accused of murder and involved in a love triangle. All evidence points to her, it is obvious that she did it but you know the plot twist will reveal the other woman killed him, because Perry always gets the least likely character to confess in court. Shure enough, it was a third woman, the neighbor across hall that confesses "Yes I did it, but I loved him. But he treated me like dirt and he was in love with her and her." Who would have guessed.  But some scenes are predictable.  If someone is driving a 40 ford coupe in a late 50's episode, you know that car will be totaled. Not that exact car but one that matches stock footage of a 40 Ford driving off cliff along some lonely Cali hi-way that you've seen a hundred times before. They just can't budget destroying a new model. In another episode, Perry receives a phone call at 2:30 in the morning because all of his murders occur or are discovered at 2:30am. The caller asks Perry to come to an address and when he gets there he discovers a murder scene. So he calls the Police. The next scene is of a dark 57 Buick Special 2dr hardtop with a Continental Kit speeding down the hi-way siren blaring.  No markings, no lights just a siren and a big old Continental Wheel sticking way out behind the Buick as it passes through the camera shot.  That's Hollywood. You do see a lot of slick, decked-out cars on Mason.

[BillinMd]

Anybody ever watch the original Untouchables with Robert Stack? Plenty of old autos in those episodes.

 

[marcapra]

Does anyone know the car that Steve McQueen drives in The Blob (1958)?  It's a blue convertible.   You can see clips of the car throughout the movie.  See movie at 5:00 minutes in:  

 

Edited January 3 by marcapra (see edit history)

[TAKerry]

I prefer black and white viewing. Not for the lack of flash, but because there is less nonsense to be seen. One of my favorites are the old Batman serials. Its particularly entertaining when there is a car chase. The cars involved in the chase seen are modern to the times, late 30's/40's, then when one goes off the cliff and explodes into a ball of flames it is obviously a pre 1930 car.  

 

Which brings me to another point. Why is it that every car that has ever been in a tv crash explodes violently? LOL

[Frank DuVal]

I am going on memory, 54 Lincoln, modified, Steve McQueen, Blob.

[60FlatTop]

On 1/1/2024 at 10:34 PM, rocketraider said:

when he was removed from the flight he was loaded into a 1960 Buick ambulance.

There is a 63-64 Buick Riviera parked next to the '60 Ambulance. You can tell by the parking lights.

 

Parked sort of like this.

[jdome]

1 hour ago, Frank DuVal said:

I am going on memory, 54 Lincoln, modified, Steve McQueen, Blob.

I was thinking modified Merc or Lincoln capri too but google says 53 Plymouth Cranbrook.

[marcapra]

Google is right!  The guys in the 40 Ford razz McQueen about his Plymouth calling it a "Kiddie Car" and a dog.    

[rocketraider]

6 hours ago, TAKerry said:

I prefer black and white viewing. Not for the lack of flash, but because there is less nonsense to be seen. One of my favorites are the old Batman serials. Its particularly entertaining when there is a car chase. The cars involved in the chase seen are modern to the times, late 30's/40's, then when one goes off the cliff and explodes into a ball of flames it is obviously a pre 1930 car.  

 

Which brings me to another point. Why is it that every car that has ever been in a tv crash explodes violently? LOL

So the thrillseeking audience will ooh and aah and stay glued to their seats! Much as a movie ticket costs now I expect I'd stay glued to it anyway...

 

That SFX even follows into the animation world. "Adult Swim" genre cartoons seem to be especially fond of burning vehicles.

 

At least in animation no REAL old cars were ever sacrificed. Never mind that at the time they were just car cars. I'm not big on destruction for its own sake or for entertainment.

 

Says the man who had had it up to his neck with an ornery Howard Miller battery powered mantel clock and threw it forcefully into the dumpster yesterday afternoon. Wouldn't keep time, chime got way off and yesterday, with brand new Duracell batteries like its manufacturer said "use ONLY", it stopped and wouldn't restart. I can get a new movement, but ain't spending $165 on a nothing-special clock I paid ten bucks for at an auction ten years ago. Good riddance.

 

Hm. Maybe the clock was entering the Twilight Zone.

[JamesR]

2 hours ago, marcapra said:

Google is right!  The guys in the 40 Ford razz McQueen about his Plymouth calling it a "Kiddie Car" and a dog.    

I liked the word "container" 😄. That's a new one on me. I think the Plymouth convertible is cool and I like it, but the speedometer shot of him doing 53 mph is about right.

Edited January 3 by JamesR (see edit history)