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I've been watching alot of the old TV shows on the nostalgic cable channels lately, and by far and away, the show ADAM -12 with Kent McCord & Martin Milner gets my award for the b-e-s-t show for looking at the old cars when they were new, everyday cars. Sure, the street scenes never seem to match up with the same sequence when they are in the cop car on the road but I can overlook that to get to see a brand new 70 442, or a 3 year old Toro.
This show is a great way to jump back into that era.
There are several old TV shows like this. "Emergency!" from the early 70s was like this as it was a spinoff from Adam-12, which was itself a spinoff from the 60s show Dragnet. Since the show-runners ran both Adam-12 and Emergency!, the street scenes were similar. I used to watch all those shows when I was a young lad. But that was when they were "new".
And don't forget the old show called "Mannix" around that same time which the show-runner was a car guy so there were many car scenes. Featured cars that Mannix drove around in was a George Barris customized Olds Toronado convertible in the first epidodes, but then went to customized Chrysler products, like a red 68 GTS convertible painted dark green for the show, a 70 Cuda convertible (same car was updated in 72 with new exterior bits since there were the 72 Cuda convertibles were cancelled), a 73 Dodge Challenger, and later a blue Camaro LT with Z28 wheels. I used to think that Toronado was the cats *** back then and even built the model car of it.
They used a lot of "stock" vehicles that show up in many background scenes in various episodes. A sliver/black top 65 GTO showed up in a lot of Mannix shows, and a 71 Vista Cruiser and a 68 Camaro SS made appearances in several Emergency! episodes.
Check out Highway Patrol from 1955 to 59. Vehicles are prominently featured, Fords, Buicks, Chevrolets. typically in action. The bad guys typically have convertibles, often flashy Virgil Exner Chryslers. Police procedure, or lack of, is notable. I think they would shoot an errant jay walker.
I like seeing the old cars on these shows, too. But one thing you notice on Adam-12 at least and probably other shows from Jack Webb, when you start paying attention to things like this, is how often they use the same street-scene footage in different episodes. There's one scene in particular that sticks in my mind. The boys get a call on the radio, put the car in gear, and take off. Then there's an external shot of them going around a corner, and the same 1960 Chevy is parked on the right side of the road every time.
Speaking of the Mannix Toronado, that went up for auction in 2019 and sold for something like $100,000, if I recall. I saved photos from the online auction. The Toronado was used only in the first season, when the show had a different premise with Mannix working for a firm called "Intertech" or something like that. Seasons 2 through 8 had him in his private detective role and introduced Peggy as his secretary.
I've never seen the Mannix Tornado convertible, couldn't maintain a low profile in that.
Generally not much automotive footage, but I did see an episode in the original Hawaii Five-O series with a 1970 W31 in the parking lot.
A few screenshots from first season Mannix episodes showing Joe in his Toro.
I like this screenshot not because of the Toro but because of the big-finned Plymouth(?) parked against the curb in the background. I think it's a Plymouth. 1959?
Mannix was driving a different car in one episode,and he was chasing someone at high speed. The scene changed momentarily to show the car's speedometer. Mannix is doing over 70! And the car is practically new with less than 2000 miles on it.
I like these two shots of the Toro, which are from the same episode. It's one of the few times we see the car with its headlights on and the brake lights lit up.
This is a street scene from one episode were Mannix is in the Toro tailing the cab, so the view is through the Toro's windshield. Note all the businesses, and, in particular, Bruck's Oldsmobile in the upper right. That was, of course, a real Oldsmobile dealer.
Here's a newspaper ad from Bruck's in the Los Angeles Times. The issue date was May 20, 1954. I recall researching this dealership a few years ago. It was founded in 1950 and closed up shop some time in the mid-1980s. Located at 4575 Hollywood Blvd. Do a Google streetview of that address and see what's there now.
Last edited by jaunty75; Nov 17, 2022 at 10:46 AM.
Speaking of Hawaii Five-O, I've taken a few screenshots from episodes there as well, especially if they show an Oldsmobile. Here's one from the second season, This would have first aired in the fall of 1969.
That's Steve McGarrett (Jack Lord) getting into his famous Mercury Monterrey. But in the parking lot towards the back is a full-size '64 Olds four-door hardtop. Some other interesting other cars as well, including a couple of Chevys, a partial of a Pontiac at far left, a partial of a '65(?) Cadillac at far right, a VW Beetle, and some others.
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Again, when paying close attention to the street scenes in these old shows, you sometimes see some real continuity whoppers, and Five-O has had some of the funniest I've seen.
McGarrett's famous car is the 4-door Mercury Monterrey. I think it's a '68. He's always getting into it, driving like a bat out of hell somewhere, screeching the tires, even when the road surface is dirt or gravel, and then gets to his destination, screeches to a stop, and gets out of the car. "What have we go, Dan-O"?
Anyway, in one episode at least, McGarrett gets into his four-door Monterey. Along the way to his destination, they're showing street shots as the car whizzes by, and the car is suddenly a Monterey two-door! Then, we he arrives at his destination, it's suddenly a four-door again.
In another episode, McGarrett goes to the airport to meet some dignitaries, and they get into a Lincoln limousine, leave the airport, and head to the hotel or whatever. When they arrive at the hotel, they're in a Cadillac limo! I nearly fell out of my chair laughing. What? Did they stop at a Caddy dealer and trade in the Lincoln along the way?
Mannix turning a corner in his Toro. Note what's parked against the curb on the left. A '68 Olds Delta 88.
Another unusual shot of the Toro. It always amazes me in watching these shows how little Mannix cares about his own security when he drives somewhere and leaves his car. He never rolls up the windows or locks the car. Bad guys have no trouble getting to his car, putting bombs under the hood, hiding in the back seat ready to pull a gun on him, cutting the wires of his nifty car phone, and all the rest.
In this episode, the bad guys wired some dynamite to the ignition system of the Toro's engine, and we get a close-up view of it and a few parts of the engine. Of course, Mannix is saved because the bad guys are always sloppy, and in this case leave their fingerprints all over the car's hood. Mannix notices the fingerprints, gets curious, lifts the hood, spots the bomb, and lives to see another day.
I wondered why the bad guys didn't take a minute, route the bomb's wires down the side of the engine, and hide the sticks of dynamite so a casual observer wouldn't see them. Did they need to leave the dynamite sitting so dramatically on top of the engine? Apparently so!
Oops. I was wrong. The Camaro in Emergency! was a 69 SS 350. Pretty cool though. That car was kinda beat up though, from what I recall some of the other scenes it was in.
And the 71 Vista
Oops!
Not in a good place
From a Mannix episode
Here's that 65 GTO that showed up all over the place on Mannix over the years.
Adam-12. Anyone up for a 62? Oh, and a Chevelle SS on the side.
Everything about these shows is fabulous, and better than today IMHO. Nobody got shot, ok maybe occasionally. People had appreciation and respect for each other, and the police. Officers Malloy and Reed rarely fired their weapons, they chased, and problem solved - they helped people.
Just to get technical for a minute. The yellow Camaro is actually an RS/SS. That is definitely a bowtie scene. C-10. Chevy wagon. Utility box C-10. Looks like a 67 or 68 Camaro in the back ground also.
It can be painful to how they trash desirable cars in those early shows
Last edited by no1oldsfan; Nov 17, 2022 at 01:26 PM.
Check out Highway Patrol from 1955 to 59. Vehicles are prominently featured, Fords, Buicks, Chevrolets. typically in action. The bad guys typically have convertibles, often flashy Virgil Exner Chryslers. Police procedure, or lack of, is notable. I think they would shoot an errant jay walker. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hbih-1ru9YM
They used mainly Oldsmobile's, Buicks and an occasional Mercury for patrol cars. The other cars were usually Fords, Chryslers (Plymouth, Desoto maybe a Dodge) and Mercurys. That was back when a siren was really a siren. It is nice to hear the exhaust sound and tires squeal. If you ever owned one of those old cars, its "music".
I like seeing the old cars on these shows, too. But one thing you notice on Adam-12 at least and probably other shows from Jack Webb, when you start paying attention to things like this, is how often they use the same street-scene footage in different episodes. There's one scene in particular that sticks in my mind. The boys get a call on the radio, put the car in gear, and take off. Then there's an external shot of them going around a corner, and the same 1960 Chevy is parked on the right side of the road every time.
I noticed the same street scenes in the iconic movie with Steve McQuine "Bullitt" suppose to be the best car chase movie, but if you pay attention there seems to be many reused clips. Just fun to re-live the era and those times trough the time captured on film, good stuff
Everything about these shows is fabulous, and better than today IMHO. Nobody got shot, ok maybe occasionally.
It's clear you haven't been watching Mannix. Or Hawaii Five-O. The body counts on these shows can get quite high on a regular basis. We were watching an episode of Hawaii Five-O just tonight, sixth season or so, and there were three people shot to death during the episode, including a policeman. Get an episode with notorious bad guy Wo Fat, and the bodies start dropping like dominoes.
Jack Webb's shows kept things cleaner. Dragnet, Emergency, Adam-12 actually featured few deaths. But start watching the cop shows of the '70s, and get the morgue ready!
Last edited by jaunty75; Nov 17, 2022 at 07:53 PM.
Truth be told, Rockford files was top of the heap for me in the 70s. My father was a big Pontiac guy (and Oldsmobile), and we loved watching Jim do his thing. Creative plot lines and dialogue, awesome cars/ driving sequences, and little to no gun violence. Great TV for the family.
Most on here also know Jim’s always had a soft spot in his heart for Oldsmobiles, just like we do. He should’ve driven a cutlass or a 442 in Rockford files, not a Firebird.
Forgive the earlier hijack, back to the boys in blue (sure looks like a young Tom Brady with martin) from LA, curbing traffic offenders, breaking up fights, and staking out drug deals.
Classic!
Last edited by vCode442; Nov 18, 2022 at 10:37 PM.
I saw that one with Barbara Eden. She was driving a 57 or 58 Plymouth Plaza, the low dollar car. But it had bumper wings, usually found on Fury's. I found that odd.
The episode I saw with Barbara Eden she was taken hostage. She was held hostage in an early fifties Ford F-100 panel. She didn't drive a car in that episode.
A thousand pardons. It was Regina Gleason in the episode with the Plaza. I must have watched both episodes back to back and my mind installed Barbara Eden in the Plymouth. Still odd that a Plaza would have bumper wings.
