Taken in Yakima, that’s a barefoot, 11-year old me with my Washington cousins Peter and Paula in front of my older sister Jane’s brand-new 1966 Chevelle Malibu. We were on a 2,000-mile family vacation from North Dakota to Washington and back, five of us in the middle of summer, in a non-air-conditioned car, in pre-Interstate highway days .
Some of my memories of the trip include harrowing twisty mountain roads shared with logging trucks, roadside stands selling fresh picked tree-ripened Flathead cherries, the unforgettable smell coming from pulp mills in Montana and Idaho, and my Mom complaining about the unusually-high dashboard on the Chevelle. It was on this trip that I saw my first drive-in movie, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”, in Hardin, Montana.
Back in those days, there was no GPS, Internet, or cell phones, and you didn’t make hotel reservations in advance. You just rolled into town, hoping there was a motel with a room available. If not, you drove to the next town, and the next.
What became of the Chevelle? Jane moved from ND to Minneapolis, where it quickly rusted away. The car’s lifespan was less than ten years.
What a great movie to see at your first drive-in experience. That was already 2 years old by that point. A favorite of mine, it is loaded with vehicles from the good ol’ days and some terrific stunt driving. One of my favorite lines is when Ethel Merman says to Milton Berle “We’re the ones with the Imperial and we’re running last?”
“You just fly the plane and I’ll make us some Old Fashionds the way dear old Dad used to.”
“What if something happens?”
“What can happen to an Old Fashioned?”
I saw this movie the first time in KVOS TV12 from Bellingham, Washington. KVOS was a US station for the Canadian market and being on Vancouver Island, we had an excellent signal.
KVOS played all the old 50’s and 60’s shows in syndication. It also had movies every day at 3:30 PM. They were mostly B flicks but I loved them.
At 11:00 PM there was a late movie. I say “It’s a Mad…” there at about age twelve. I could hardly believe what I was seeing
Ha! My brother and I use that one on the regular.
“I say, what’s that chap honking his hooter for? It’s probably some road hog who thinks he owns… What? – What?”
“I got to ask you something about Mama! Russell, wait a minute! ”
“- It’s my brother-in-law.”
“What’s he doing? Be careful of him. He’s not normal.”
I’m amazed at the skill of the drivers in this scene. The Chevy goes airborne and almost hits the utility pole and any type of driving like this in a convertible contains a risk of death in a roll over or flying debris.
I have seen this movie probably 10 or 12 times through the years. I love the cars and the stunts but I think my favorite scene is when the light twin flies through the billboard. Back in the days before computer generated graphics some pilot had to actually fly the plane through the billboard. I think I remember reading that it was just paper the plane flew through but there was still little margin for error as there was little clearance on either side of the aircraft.
“Kicks the bucket”
One of a million memorable moments in this movie.
Just press the button back there marked “Booze!”
Nice Malibu! If my eyes don’t deceive me, it’s a 283 with PG…the V on the front fender would suggest it to have a V8, probably the smaller one. You can see the gear lever in a “P” position (of course, it could be reverse in a manual, but I don’t think many people park in reverse).
It’s interesting how seeing restored, or at least revived cars makes one believe things were a little different. For instance, this one has nice chrome accesories, like wheel well lips and rocker panels, while not on the door posts and windows. Vinyl top, but simple hubcaps. I know there were almost infinite combinations and all would be sold, but interesting nonetheless.
Do you happen to remember the color? I’d bet for an acqua, tourquoise, or some similar light-blue hue.
Probably not in ’66, no. I can’t remember what year steering column locks came online, but in my ’79 C10 (250.3-speed) you HAD to put the shifter in reverse to take the key out.
I didn’t take the steering lock/reverse position into account, you are right. Anyway, GM installed steering column locks in ’69, one exception being the Corvair that never got them as it was phased out that year. The mandatory lock was for 1970, and Ford and IIRC also Chrysler did not adopt it till the 70 model year. In fact, the first Ford Mavericks had the ignition in the dash.
Then again…why on Earth would someone “collect” memories about the position of starter switches and steering locks? I do…please tell me I’m not alone!!!!
Hi, Rafael, I replied to your questions but my post didn’t show up. Please excuse me if we end up with a duplicate response.
The color was a light metallic blue (“Mist Blue” in the brochure) with a painted top in darker “Danube Blue”. Blue cloth and vinyl upholstery, and a 283 under the hood with Powerglide.
Thanks for the answer, Blaine! B&W photos can be confusing. I was so sure that it was a vinyl top I didn’t even question it. A darker blue makes a lot of sense. Very nice looking…
Wow, we forget how high these used to sit up on their springs before they got to be forty + years old.
Hello Cc Kid! Thank you for your contribution. Just wondering what part of North Dakota you hail from. I’m originally from the northern Red River Valley, but I spent most of my formative years in Fargo.
Bismarck area, most all my life.
Did the Chevy really rust away after only 10yrs???
Unfortunately. I learned later on in life that my sister was planning to give the car to me when she got a new one, but learned that the frame was so badly rusted, it was unsafe to drive, so it got scrapped. This was in the early 70’s.
Even up into the 1970’s in eastern Canada, holes in the floors or fenders were common after 5 years.
Personally verified examples: 1954 Nash, 1960 Falcon, 1965 Volvo, 1969 VW van, 1973 BMW. 🙂
the 62 Dodge was a pretty goofy car, but I would be mighty pleased to have
Sylvester’s convertible from It’s a Mad Mad Mad World at my beach house
at least till it got wrecked Mopar or no car!
Nice, I wish I had pics of me with my dad’s ’66 Chevelle that was the first car I remember. Sadly, that was in the mid ’70s and they didn’t take any pictures of me with the old heap which probably didn’t make it far past the 10-year mark.