(first posted 9/8/2016) It takes all sorts for the world to go around and we are all the better for it. Tapping into those various sorts, combined with a good healthy dose of curiosity, is what led me to The Celebrity Car Museum on a recent trip to Branson, Missouri.
Branson is simply hard to describe. With a full-time population of 10,000, the typical daily population when accounting for the tourists is around 110,000. Housing these people necessitates those 16,000 hotel rooms. Branson may be the only place in the world where King Kong can be seen within about two blocks of a full-sized (but partial) replica of the Titanic. Naturally, the Titanic is kissing an iceberg that is also life-sized.
This museum is of unknown age, but relatively new. How do I know this? It occupies the very same space in the basement of the Dick Clark Theatre that contained the ’57 Heaven Museum back in 2009.
Walking through the museum made me realize the displays were of a rather bipolar nature – they were either highly relevant in historical terms or were a part of the modern pop culture in which I am happily removed. Yet the readers at CC are a wide audience so I’m covering it all.
In fact, there were two different versions of this 1969 Dodge van.
The other one looked like it had been dug out of a lake and there was a picture of these two next to it with no explanation. All I know is the blond likes to say “snootchie-bootchie” accompanied with something about a mother. The relevance of the clapped out van, along with these two, was totally lost on me.
Another one lost on me is the movie Jurassic Park. Why this movie was so popular at the time is one of the great mystifying events of the last quarter of the 20th Century as it was profoundly stupid. I saw the original at the theater and had I not been pulled back into my seat by my baby sister, I would have not been subjected to this asinine waste of celluloid. It was as predictable as an infant messing its diaper.
Anyway, this Ford Explorer is one of the George Barris commissioned Fords used in the movie. Interestingly, the seats had “Eddie Bauer” stitched into the headrests. Most of the dashboard had been removed at some point in time.
Just to show that I am not entirely a curmudgeonly luddite, next to the Explorer was this 1976 AMC Pacer.
You are correct, this picture isn’t quite focused, but lighting in here was a challenge.
I couldn’t help but say “schwing!” as I took these pictures.
Like most of the cars in the museum, Wayne & Garth’s car is for sale if you want to party on.
Speaking of partying on, this VW was a stunt car used in the Lindsay Lohan version of the “Herbie” movie franchise. There is a hydraulic motor in the rear that drops a wheel down so the car can appear to drive on its two side wheels.
The other VW from the movie was somewhat available to the public. For $10 you could sit in it and have your picture taken by a museum employee – with your own camera!
I took this picture for free.
While this 1983 Honda Civic has zero appeal to me, it was used in the HBO Series True Blood. Not being a subscriber to HBO, I know nothing about the show but figured somebody might appreciate this Honda.
Directly in front of the Honda was this 1968 Ford Cortina.
Talk about a sweet looking little car! The sign claimed the two-door models are rare and it’s left-hand drive – does that make it doubly rare? If it has any popular culture connections, it was not mentioned.
The Fast & Furious movie franchise was thoroughly over-represented throughout the museum.
I actually did see the original Fast & Furious. The Dodge Charger being wrecked in a spectacular, slow-motion fashion was as easy to predict as the dinosaurs getting pissed in Jurassic Park.
Despite my snark, I do respect the amount of work that went into making the various cars and pickups for these movies. This Chevrolet crew cab, for instance, has had serious modifications on everything behind the cab. It’s not easy to make such modifications look so natural.
A movie that I will also unapologetically call stupid (vapid, vacuous, insipid, pick your adjective), and completely regret having watched, was the godawful The Dukes of Hazzard movie. What a waste of good Chargers.
If I wanted to see something from The Dukes of Hazzard, a quick youtube search finds me this chase from the very first episode of the television show (this clip is chock full of C-body Mopars, even a fuselage). Back then, if you jumped a car for a movie or television show, somebody had their butt in the drivers seat – it wasn’t slung off a conveyor and presented as being real. Nor was there computer animation for stunts that defied the laws of physics.
Besides, I had seen another orange 1969 Charger being used as an advertising prop on the way to the museum.
Since the video clip above shows the rear of a 1975 Plymouth Fury, here’s what I found in the parking lot behind the museum. While I suspect it belongs to the Legends show series, this was delightful to see.
Opinions vary wildly, but I have always had an affinity for these C-bodies.
Plymouth only sold about 11,000 of these Gran Fury four-door hardtops in both Custom and Brougham trim for 1975 (this car is a retail model). While I hate seeing it used as a prop, at least it’s been saved from the scrapheap.
I have no problem walking to left field to proclaim these C-bodies were, to me, the best looking full-sized car in the United States during the 1970s (as a disclaimer, I am not accounting for the R-body Mopar that came along in 1979). No doubt somebody is thinking I set the bar pretty low, but hey – somebody has to come out on top!
Do I even need to mention what movie inspired this life-sized diorama?
Even if you’ve seen it umpteen times before, The Blues Brothers is always worth a few minutes.
Meandering along, I stumbled upon this 2001 Ford Crown Victoria. It made me feel aged, much like a forgotten barrel of Scotch. Having owned an ’01 Crown Vic, seeing one is a museum is a jolt. Aren’t cars in museums supposed to be old?
However, this car was one of the more intriguing movie cars for what I learned about how its construction ties into filmmaking. See the holes in the hood?
This car appeared in the 2010 film Inception; the holes are simulated bullet holes and are called squibs. Prior to filming, holes are drilled in the sheet metal with small explosive charges placed in the cavity with filler then placed over the squib hole. Each charge is attached to a wire and these charges will then detonate in sequence to simulate gun fire. Interesting, no?
Additionally, the rear of this Ford is constructed of rubber. It allowed a stuntman to be pinned between two cars without causing him any physical harm. It can all be seen in this clip.
I will note that while I had never heard of this movie before, a little research shows the director shied away from using computer generated stunts as much as possible. Kudos to him.
Over time, I’ve read several references to the show Breaking Bad in the comments. Again, it’s a show I’ve never watched. However, Breaking Bad was represented at the museum with this 1992 Buick Century.
It was used in that episode where there was a drug deal and somebody got shot.
This Buick frustrated me. I owned a Buick that was identical to this, even down to the color, and it was in much better condition.
They wanted $10,000 for this Buick. That’s about five times what I sold mine for!
With the likely exception of The Blues Brothers, many of the cars seen so far, in terms of being related to popular culture, are going to have a pretty short shelf life. Think about it; in twenty years, are any of these shows or movies really going to be at the forefront of very many minds? That’s where I do credit this museum for covering a broad cross section of “celebrity” in the cars they have acquired.
This is a prime example of this thought.
Any time a person sees a 1934 Pierce Arrow, it is a memorable event. With the Pierce Arrow being a very premium car in its day, it is safe to assume these were acquired only by the wealthy and/or influential.
One of these influential people was Tom Pendergast.
Pendergast, the ninth child of Irish immigrants, was born in 1872 in St. Joseph, Missouri, and relocated south to Kansas City in 1894. Working in various business ventures, Pendergast later branched out into politics, ultimately controlling the Democrat Party in the Kansas City area and exerting some degree of influence in the state capital. He supported Harry S Truman for county judge in 1922 and again in 1934 when Truman ran for the United States Senate.
The power and influence of “Boss” Pendergast was so comprehensive, Truman was referred to as “the Senator from Pendergast” after his election to the Senate.
This Pierce Arrow belonged to Tom Pendergast during the height of his influence.
As an aside, Pendergast also owned a V-16 Cadillac during the 1930s. The engine from this Cadillac belonged to the father of a woman I met here; the V-16 is now in Australia.
Sitting next to the Pierce Arrow was a Rolls Royce billed as a 1937 model that had once been used by Prince George. However, this particular Rolls was built prior to 1937, as it was being tested in Derby in 1935 as one of the experimental Spectres. It would migrate to the United States by 1960.
This yellow 1939 Packard isn’t any ordinary Packard. It’s been a world traveler and seen adventure with many. However, one of its users is one of the most historic figures of the 20th Century.
Winston Churchill used this Packard on many occasions. How so?
Does this give you a hint?
This Packard is one of three sent to Kenya for use on safari expeditions. The other two do not survive. How long it was in Kenya was not disclosed, but this Packard dwarfed the Rolls sitting next to it. This is undoubtedly built on the longest commercial chassis Packard offered.
This is a hint about the next car I examined, which can be seen directly behind the Packard seen above. This picture was taken November 25, 1963, in Washington, D.C.
The Cadillac seen here is the limousine Jackie Kennedy rode in to attend her husband’s funeral. I’m not dwelling on this sad chapter of American history as finding the historical picture was ample reminder of this event.
I suspect the car I saw is not the same one seen in the period picture, but you get the general idea.
Thankfully, not all of the cars were connected to politicians of various stripes as this Lafayette will attest.
At first, I was confusing Lafayette with LaSalle – then, when seeing the Nash emblems, I was really thrown for a loop.
This 1938 Nash Lafayette belonged to Lynne Cooper, a St. Louis resident, who would later marry Paul Harvey, a radio broadcaster for ABC who continued his daily news show until his death in 2009. Harvey’s career activity and ownership of this Nash was like his relationship with his wife; it wasn’t until death did they part.
This clip from the now defunct Cars & Parts magazine from 1992 gives more detail. Now you know the rest of the story.
As a whole, I’m concerned few are the people who will have a full appreciation for every car here, as was the case with me. As the title indicates, the cars range from absolutely irrelevant pop culture props to highly relevant, with a distinct place in history.
Perhaps in that sense, it has something that will appeal to everyone, even if it’s as mundane as a 1979 Ford Thunderbird that belonged to country music great George “He Stopped Loving Her Today” Jones.
Wow what an odd collection, and from what I see in the background, it appears you didn’t even scratch the surface. I subscribed to Cars&Parts for many years, it was a great magazine.
I subscribed to Cars & Parts for years as well and read each page cover to cover. I still miss it’s monthly arrival. A fantastic magazine.
That Ford Cortina was probably the most popular English Ford to be imported into the US. Seem to remember Ford dealers selling a few of them until it was fatally damanged by the Maverick, and then completely killed off by the Pinto. Looks like it’s been slightly customized.
As to those two dudes, one is Silent Bob and the other’s name I cannot remember, they’re from a series of comedy movies that appeal to the Gen X (or is that Y?) crowd. I saw one of the movies they were in (name forgotten, but it’s the one where Alanis Morisette starred as God – which is why I remember it) that was fairly good.
Lafayette was a short lived sub brand to Nash, not unlike Essex or Terraplane to Hudson, etc. Nice cars, sold decently well, but sold a hell of a lot better when they just put the parent make’s brand name on the hood.
That would be Dogma, also had George Carlin as a priest! Clerks was good too, I think that was Jay and Silent Bob’s origin.
Yes, Clerks was the origin of the Jay and Silent Bob characters. Silent Bob is actually portrayed by Kevin Smith, who is the director and has gone on to become very accomplished, with an impressive body of work. I don’t fanatically love his early work (Clerks, Mallrats, etc.), but as an avid viewer of independent film I tend to follow directors that I’ve seen early memorable work from during their formative phase, and Smith is one of the few who made a mark with silliness and schtick, but went on to make some relevant stuff, and continues to be tied to decent work. Besides, I’m from Jersey…so, well…ya just gotta.
Yes Clerks was the origin of Jay and Silent Bob. It was Silent Bob’s (Kevin Smith) first movie which he wrote, directed and financed by selling his car, maxing out his credit cards and borrowing money from his parents and anyone that would give him money. Total budget before Miramax picked it up and added the sound track was reported to be $27,000. The C-store is real and is where Kevin Smith actually worked at the time. The scenes inside the store were actually filmed in the middle of the night after Kevin had worked as the clerk in it. My son and I just watched it on Netflix this weekend.
The Mystery Machine sans full Mystery Machine livery figures ties into Jay and Silent Bob from the Movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back as they were picked up by the Scooby Do gang while hitch hiking across the US.
Based on my experience, the Cortina killed itself here. My scoutmaster had one that was really falling apart by about 2 years old. I really liked it, but it just seemed brittle compared to the more traditional Falcon and later Maverick.
I think that “Breaking Bad” will indeed hold it’s relevancy 20 years from now, if only as an accurate portrayal of the times we live in. The show is much, much better than that dry description conveys. It’s all in the details.
I’d buy that Buick.
And Jay and Silent Bob were well known even 23 years ago.
Agreed. I didn’t like TV dramas until I watched a Breaking Bad, but one episode of that show is more compelling than any movie I’ve seen on the big screen in the last 20 years.
Breaking Bad has the best ‘teaser’ for a first episode I’ve ever seen (the RV being driven frantically through the desert with a guy in tighty-whities and gas mask at the wheel) , and got me so hooked that I lost a lot of sleep watching entire rented DVD sets through the night. BB and The Sopranos are two of the best dramatic television shows ever produced.
Interestingly, the Mercury minivan used in the Sopranos was on display here. Likely the best kept one in existence.
Tony Soprano had a Lincoln Continental, then an Escalade, Carmella had Cayenne, Paulie Walnuts had a Cadillac, Johnny Sack drove a Maserati, Adriana had a Thunderbird. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen the show, but who had a Mercury minivan? It seems way out of character for any mob guy or even his goomah. Maybe Tony’s sister, Janice?
Tony only rented the Continental to drive Meadow on a college visit.
He owned the infamous dark cherry ree Tahoe for the first few seasons, then switched to a White Diamond Escalade ESV.
The Villager was a minor car, driven by Tony and Paulie to Florida in an episode to set up a deal with some Eastern Europeans for general merchandise smuggling.
Bransons sounds like a tourist-trap dump, similar to Pigeon Forge (apologies to Ms. Parton, who is a sweet, sweet woman and merely wanted to create joy with her theme park; the surrounding area is a snoozefest).
Jurassic Park was a landmark cinematic event, and the book was even better. Perhaps a bit of-their-time, but still relevant in dealing with ethics of automation, biotechnology, and an intriguing look at chaos theory-which was much downplayed in the movie. Still, stunning visuals, and rightfully popular and well-regarded as fantasy based in reality escapism.
Breaking Bad is one of the most richly dramatic TV shows ever, exploring the human condition of everyman getting in way over his head in an attempt to combat a life tragedy (Walt begins making meth to fund his cancer treatments, but loses control of himself and his circumstances throughout the series). The characterization and attention to detail are what make it such a worthwhile journey.
I know there’s a kerfuffle farther down the page. I won’t wade in but to say the article came off as overly high-minded and insulting of several immensely popular and beloved cinematic and tv franchises, and could certainly be taken as an overt attempt to shout about “being above” several of them.
To each their own.
Here’s what was offered…
Reminds me a lot of Volo auto museum in Illinois, everything’s usually for sale and there’s a building dedicated to rather mismatched historical and pop culture rooted cars. In fact I’ve seen that mystery machine there, as well as the pacer, so they either got the same batch of backups or they swap their inventories with each other like pokemon cards.
Jurassic park was predictable but it’s special effects were incredible for 1993, I haven’t seen a CGI heavy movie that comes close since. Plus it had good actors and good pacing. Dumb Dinosaur movie with no plot? Yes. But the BEST dumb Dinosaur movie with no plot! The only real criticism I have is it should have ended there, having 3 sequels was basically a way to sell kids toys.
I’ve struggled to avoid the F&F movies at all costs, and I’ve still managed to see most of them due to the company I keep. Those have, hands down, been the most dumb, tensionless, predictable, corny, horribly acted, unrealistic, poorly filmed, poorly setup film franchises in history. And they never end. It started as a knock off of Point Break with rice burners, and ever since it’s been plot after plot and of crap unfit for a throwaway episode from a short lived TV show on Fox. And then there’s the cars… Restomod hell, and muscle cars are infinitely more disposable than the imports. The most egregious of which is “the” Charger. Yes, THE Charger, because apparently the cannon is the 68-70 (it’s varied in all of them) featured in several installments, going way back to the first one where it wrecked, belongs to meathead #1, and has managed to get “restored” and again quite literally torn to shreds over and over again, only to come back in the next one without explanation…. At least Dukes pretended the general lee landed just fine, one of the F&Fs actually showed it explode and get caved in on by an underground tunnel in the middle of the desert – what, did muscles and his serious faced crew go back out there after the events of the film with shovels and dig it out?
Sidebar: Early on in one of the recent installments actually showed vin diesel giving some kid a diecast model of the black 70 Charger from the first movie, which I vividly remember since my best friend had it! It was made by Ertl and had Fast and the Furious plastered all over the box! So in the movie, which is fiction, gives a fictional kid a toy made in real life from the very part of the fictional series I’m struggling to watch already. Some will call that kind of thing an Easter egg, but I don’t think the writers are that clever.
Lord of the Rings had stellar CGI.
I’ll agree with you on the F&F franchise (though I’ll admit I didn’t mind the first); it’s entertainment value lies in how awful and cheesy it is.
I have a Fast & Furious DVD I picked up at the dollar store. 1954 Roger Corman original with John Ireland. Think I’ll unwrap it and take a look. Done on a 50k budget, but the cars will a lot more interesting.
Re. the F &F franchise. If you`ve seen one, you`ve seen `em all.
Jason, you are a good man to suffer through all that dreck to bring us a report. Like you I don’t know what half those shows and movies are about.
Gotta say though, The Blues Brothers is my favorite movie. 1:55 in the video clip is the best scene, they really are driving a car at 120mph under the subway tracks. In the video extras there’s an interview with director John Landis, where he says they had to shoot that scene twice. The first time there were no pedestrians and it looked fake (even though it wasn’t) so they had to do it again with people walking down the sidewalk.
At any rate, since I took the 42 Nash in your previous report and left town I don’t have to worry about Breaking Fast or Jay & Furious Bob or whatever those shows are 🙂
Jason, you are a good man to suffer through all that dreck to bring us a report. Like you I don’t know what half those shows and movies are about.
Ditto.
But I do know that the two-door Cortina was not uncommon, and almost certainly outsold the four door version by a healthy margin.
I own the Blues Brothers on DVD. Wonderful movie.
As far as Jay and Silent Bob….I saw Clerks and the movie Syke refers to. Clerks was okay; the other, well, I still regret that wasted portion of my life.
And for what it’s worth, I spent way less than an hour here.
That place looks awesome! I’d like to visit sometime.
Seems like the kind of museum you could only find in Branson. I always thought the Mystery Machine was a Chevy, not a Dodge, but hard to tell from from a cartoon.
Continuing with today’s International theme, I always thought “Mater” was an A series International, not a ’55 Chev. My daughter made me watch that movie, ugh. Not only did I have to suffer through Larry the Cable Guy, but to my horror the Gremlins were the bad guys! What a horrible injustice to automotive history 🙂
I’ve never been to Branson, but my understanding it’s like Las Vegas, Gatlinburg, and Myrtle Beach combined and fed steroids. Is the local scenery worth seeing? I have mostly lived in or the foothills of Appalachia in SC, TN, WV, PA, and NY, so I’m a bit jaded when it comes to scenery. I was waiting for a layover at the airport in Atlanta a couple weeks ago and a young woman was telling someone on the other end of a phone call how beautiful It was around Atlanta. Goodness, North Georgia would blow her mind with its beauty if she thinks gently rolling hills with a bunch of trees is beautiful. Poor girl, she must live somewhere with really bland scenery. We all have our amusements to take the edge off, so no judgements about Branson, it’s all good.
I’m a grumpy old man when it comes to popular culture, but Breaking Bad is worth watching, just get past the first few episodes before you decide to proceed or not. Mike sure loves his curbside classics! The scenery is facinating to me as an Easterner as well. It’s beautiful in its own way. If I can ever get the time, a road trip out west is high on my bucket list.
Thanks for sharing!
Yeah, I was skeptical about Breaking Bad too, but I’m real glad I stuck with it. Not only was it really well done with a great story, but the automotive casting was great. I’m sure it’s been said here before, but there’s so many genuine curbside classics. Whoever picked out the cars for each character really knew their cars. An Aztek, 4wd Tercel, Grand Wagoneer, Chrysler 5th Avenue, all over the map.
You bet….
The car casting was utterly genius. They were exactly the cars those people would have driven. Just another example of their attention to realistic detail.
One of the best examples is how Walter White, in his nebbishy schoolteacher phase, drives an Aztek then, as he gains confidence and cash, buys himself a proper sinister black Challenger.
The kid got the Challenger (which his wife made him take back, but he went wild and wrecked it, instead). Walter got himself a black Chrysler 300 SRT which eventually winds up being discarded in lieu of an old, ratty pickup (which is actually pretty cool, in that CC way) bought from an old Native American in the desert.
Wasn’t there a CC on the cars from Breaking Bad? Seems like it said there was an auction where Jesse’s old Tercel wagon was being offered.
That Buick Century at the museum is actually one of the lesser cars, with an appearance only in that one episode. If they hadn’t had the sheet describing the scene, I’d have never remembered it. It’s definitely ‘not’ worth the $10k price. The car Mike is most remembered for is his old, Volaré-based Chrysler Fifth Avenue.
Breaking Bad is one of my favorite shows as well, that I started watching by accident, due to 1) watching Mad Men and then leaving the TV on, and 2) having infant children at the time which meant we were often up that late.
My favorite automotive-related scene is early on in the series when Walter White gets cut off in traffic by a BMW, and then finds himself at the same gas station with the same BMW shortly thereafter. While the BMW owner is inside the station, Walter pops the hood and puts a metallic window cleaning squeege across the guy’s battery terminals and closes the hood. Hilarity ensues!
Branson is very much in the Ozark Mountains – well, not really mountains per se, but my understanding is that it’s a very old mountain range that has worn down over time. It’s been many, many years since I have been to your neck of the woods, so it’s hard for me to compare. However, the hills are many and long, often steep for this part of the country (7% to 8% on highways), and fall is a good time to see many colors off in the distance. “The Strip” in Branson is on top of a ridge, and from the hotel we stayed at, it was easy to see the many hills off to the north.
My kids were amazed by the roller-coaster roads the first time we visited the Ozarks, and the locals are not afraid to drive them fast. Many of the roads are narrow, and I’ve navigated many of them with an 8’6″ wide boat trailer. In the dark. In pouring rains. Sometimes my knuckles are white until November!
To Harold’s question, Lake of the Ozarks is pretty commercialized, but you can still find quiet and beautiful space. Table Rock is relatively quiet, and you can lose yourself in a lot of out-of-the way places.
haroldingpatrick – you might say I’m in the scenery business, and you’d be amazed at what floats some folk’s boats. I can take people to places that seem totally humdrum to me, and they rave about how gorgeous they are, and then they totally fail to appreciate places I love.
I can take people to mountainous areas and assume everyone will say “Wow!”, but I’m always impressed by people who can appreciate slightly more subtle beauty.
I guess it depends on what they are used to. I’ve always lived somewhere with lots of trees and texture to the topography. I think the young lady was probably referring to how “green” everything is in Atlanta. Metro Atlanta is an enourmous sprawling urban area that is teeming with trees, shrubbery, gardens, flowers,etc. Millions of people spread out in what probably appeared to be a forest to her. If I recall correctly, Tom Wolfe’s “A Man In Full” makes a very well written description about the folks who come to live under all of those trees. I figure the girl probably was from a particularly flat and treeless part of the country.
Breaking Bad caused me to realize my own ignorance of the desert. Prior to watching the show I just figured it was a barren wasteland (an opinion well informed by Wylie Coyote / Looney Tunes) and why would anyone want go see that. The natural set of the show looks exotic and beautiful to me, but probably not to someone who has lived there for a while. I hear that cacti actually bloom and the blooms can be very beautiful – so are kudzu flowers, especially when they are interlaced with flowering honeysuckle. A hungry man can eat the kudzu leaves and have the nectar from the honeysuckle for dessert!
“Like most of the cars in the museum, Wayne & Garth’s car is for sale if you want to party on.”
As XR7Matt noted, same situation at Chicagoland’s Volo Museum.
I can’t quite reconcile “museum” and “most inventory for sale”; is there some tax advantage, etc. to calling yourself a “museum” if you really function–when there’s a willing buyer–as a dealership?
Dumb question, I know, but it’s nagged at me for years. Can any of the collective wisdom clear this up?
Not many people are going to pay admission to a dealership. Call it a museum, on the other hand, and you can get $10/head.
Sounds right. There is a dealer in Cedar Rapids that charges admission. Of course, if you buy a car, the admission is refunded. Such a deal!
Come on, it’s the special effects. Jurassic Park is all about the special effects. That CGI still holds up, even after almost 25 years.
The one car from Inception I remember well, was the Ford Econoline. It was relatively important to the plot later in the movie. Descent movie, if a bit trippy; I recommend watching it.
And the Hyundai Genesis.
Just out of curiosity Jason, is there a firm cutoff date to your pop culture IQ? I’ve never understood people who have some sort of arbitrary barrier to these things. I get the feeling that aside from a few movies or TV shows, pop culture just isn’t one of your interests. I’ll be 30 in a few years and I can very much appreciate older films like Citizen Kane, The Jazz Singer, Bridge on the River Kwai, The Graduate, To Kill A Mockingbird, etc.
“Think about it; in twenty years, are any of these shows or movies really going to be at the forefront of very many minds?”
People still talk about Friends, Seinfeld, Frasier, Babylon 5, and other shows decades after they’ve aired. Newer does not equal worse, especially when it comes to television. Plus the internet helps keep interest alive too; just think what Netflix has done for older shows.
Our website is ground zero for keeping interest in vehicles that others don’t really think about anymore. Pop culture functions much the same way.
Its fine that you’re not really a modern film or TV person, but scoffing at people who do enjoy these things is a bit misguided.
+1
Ed, where have I scoffed at anyone? If anything, I’m poking fun at my glorious lack of involvement with popular culture while trying to stimulate thought and conversation.
How did this lack of involvement come about? For one, popular culture, primarily of the manufactured entertainment variety, generally doesn’t interest me. Second, I have prioritized my life – not in a conscious way, but I’m about to turn 44, have a demanding career, have a family, and believe that other things, such as the upcoming election, are more relevant to me than any number of other pop culture happenings.
I suspect we differ on our viewpoints as we are at different points in our lives. And, frankly, interpreting what I’ve said about movies applying to people (you might want to reread the first sentence of this article) is a bit misguided.
Its fine that pop culture isn’t something that is important to you, but your piece went beyond poking fun at your pop culture blind spots and instead mocked the people that would enjoy seeing props from their favorite movie or TV show in the flesh.
For example: “Walking through the museum made me realize the displays were of a rather bipolar nature – they were either highly relevant in historical terms or were a part of the modern pop culture in which I am happily removed. Yet the readers at CC are a wide audience so I’m covering it all.”
“Happily removed” gives me the impression that you view modern pop culture as something that is beneath you, and your second sentence not-so-subtly implies your disdain for such things since you’re only writing about the displays for the readers.
“Another one lost on me is the movie Jurassic Park. Why this movie was so popular at the time is one of the great mystifying events of the last quarter of the 20th Century as it was profoundly stupid. I saw the original at the theater and had I not been pulled back into my seat by my baby sister, I would have not been subjected to this asinine waste of celluloid. It was as predictable as an infant messing its diaper.”
Again, you view this movie, and by extension, its fans, as beneath you. Its pretty easy to determine why this movie was (and still is) so popular: its one of the most visually groundbreaking movies in cinematic history. If you didn’t like it, fine. But there’s no reason to call it stupid here, especially without a specific reason.
“It was used in that episode where there was a drug deal and somebody got shot.”
Not nearly as bad as the preceding material, but from your wording I get the feeling that you hold the show in contempt for some reason. Breaking Bad is about far more than drug deals and people getting shot, even if it did feature a lot of that stuff.
“With the likely exception of The Blues Brothers, many of the cars seen so far, in terms of being related to popular culture, are going to have a pretty short shelf life. Think about it; in twenty years, are any of these shows or movies really going to be at the forefront of very many minds? That’s where I do credit this museum for covering a broad cross section of “celebrity” in the cars they have acquired.”
I talked about this in my earlier comment, but aside from the fact that there really is no way to determine exactly what pop culture will be discussed twenty years from now, you’re coming off as someone who is completely writing off any newer forms of entertainment with little justification.
“As a whole, I’m concerned few are the people who will have a full appreciation for every car here, as was the case with me. As the title indicates, the cars range from absolutely irrelevant pop culture props to highly relevant, with a distinct place in history.”
Irrelevant to who? Its one thing to place the vehicles with historical significance on a higher pedestal than the movie and TV props, and quite another to dismiss items that people with other interests might enjoy. One could easily make the argument that a vehicle Churchill used in Kenya while on vacation isn’t very relevant to history.
One of my mantras in life is “people like what they like.” This piece appealed to me as someone who enjoys pop culture and also has a master’s degree in history and political science. Unfortunately your dismissal of modern pop culture reeked of condescension towards a large segment of the population and it rubbed me the wrong way. If I come off as harsh its only because I hold your writing in high esteem and was a little disappointed that this post didn’t rise to the level of your previous work.
Ed; you’re overreacting a bit. We express strong opinions here about cars all the time. And some folks undoubtedly get offended by that. I’ve been doing it for years. How many GM-lovers have hurt feelings over my GM DS posts?
Jason is clearly expressing his opinion about this museum and some of the popular culture associations that underpin it. He has every right to. And he’s clearly made somewhat of an effort to be inclusive and/or light-hearted about it.
What was his first line? It takes all sorts for the world to go around and we are all the better for it. Does that not set the tone for what you are about to read? Frankly, it’s a lot more inclusive than many of my GM Deadly Sins.
I’m sorry you disagree, which you have every right to. But your disagreement has become an inappropriate criticism of Jason, and goes frankly bumps up against our commenting guidelines. You’re free to disagree with him, but judging him for an implied condescension, which I don’t see here, is going a bit too far. Let’s end this comment thread right now, as I’m still considering removing it altogether.
Regarding that supposed CV movie car I’m not buying that it is anymore than a recreation as I bet the majority of the movie cars there are. The car in the clip had most of the windows broken and the front bumper doesn’t have scuffs on the corner, at least at the end of the clip. I also am very skeptical about its rear being made of rubber. The impact bar being removed and the stock cover put back on sounds like the more likely explanation.
Yeah, I’m not impressed with the ‘museum’ and glad for the article. It’s ironic that two of the more interesting cars were in the parking lot and could be seen for free.
I’ve mentioned before that I passed on an opportunity to see this museum when in Branson killing a rainy day when we were on a boating trip to Table Rock. The word “celebrity” is always a bit suspect to me, and not a real draw. Still, some interesting stuff. As others have said, thanks for taking one for the team.
Movie cars are always a bit suspect. Any car with a starring role usually has several back-ups, and additional cars may be made up for traveling promotions.
The celebrity used or owned cars are more interesting. A glimpse into their lives.
Pendergast and others of his type and time are interesting Bürgermeisters that seem so wrong in the United States, but obviously there were several of them, including in the American Midwest. Mafia bosses dressed up as politicians, small wonder that he had two of the most expensive cars of his times.
I like the George Jones car a lot – a cash rich celebrity that walks into a dealer without much pretense and simply buys a nice, but ordinary, car is okay in my book. He even bypassed the pretense of a Lincoln Mark V, and probably got a car that was easier to drive and live with on a day-to-day basis. Good for him!
The ’60 Cadillac limo seems to be missing the passenger side rear view mirror seen in the 1963 photo. You may be right that it is not the same car.
I’m mixed on the ’74 and up Plymouth and Dodge C bodies. The best looking versions were the cars as they were introduced in ’74, and ma Mopar seemed to try and sabotage them at every step with every appearance “improvement” they came up with. The Plymouth and Dodge were obviously not well differentiated. Interestingly, the four door models have unique fenders, front bumpers, and front and back doors, but it takes a trained eye to spot the differences. Why go to the trouble with so little to show for it? If I wanted a big Plymouth or Dodge C body, I’d go with a ’73 or older model. I’m a bit weird in that I like some of the more eccentric late fuselage cars, and they won’t be emission strangled in the same way as the ’74 and up cars.
I like the George Jones Thunderbird too, and largely for the same reason.
Jones seemed to like mid-priced Ford products. I’m pretty sure he drove a Galaxie convertible in the 1960s, and then I remember this 1990s album cover of him with his Grand Marquis.
I’m a big fan of his voice. Didn’t know he was a Ford guy.
George Jones unfortunately was a pretty terrible alcoholic to go with his fantastic vocal talents, and I hoped that he didn’t get into too many scrapes doing DUI, or crash his vehicles to an extent. Fortunately his 3rd wife got him to sober up, and he managed to live into his eighties. Even outlived his 2nd wife Tammy Wynette.
Well, Branson can keep that motley crew of famous cars. We will hang on to the really good ones for ourselves, like Fozzie Bear’s Studebaker from the Muppet Movie. 🙂
Seriously, this is the kind of car museum I will usually pass on. We can tell it’s a new place because they have not been holding onto a “Bonnie & Clyde Death Car” since the 70s.
Although not the best, the Studebaker museum is still pretty good. I just wish they’d lose some of those grungy, prototype Avanti shells and replace them with a few more Larks (and bring the Sceptre showcar out of its cubby hole in the basement).
Plus, the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg museum isn’t too far away.
A bear in his natural habitat. A Studebaker.
This movie is a gold mine of good things.
“a 1934 Pierce Arrow, it is a memorable event”, especially when next to a Rolls and BMW 3.0CS.
The Cortina is rare in the US, and that 2 tone paint is non-factory as well. In the UK at least, I suspect that the 4 door outsold the 2 door.
Interesting array, and that Grand Fury police car is starting to talk to me….although I suspect the US can offer better car museums
There is one very rare MK2 Cortina, the GTE other than that particular trim level they remain quite common.
Surprised that T-bird is actually there, should be a “no-show” with maybe a placard announcing its non-presence. I did see him once and he showed up so it’s just a joke.
Thanks for the good, the bad, and the ugly. And filling in the cultural refs I never knew about.
Seeing as it’s just us here, I’ll quietly confess that I own the Jurassic Park and Fast & Furious DVD box sets! I really enjoyed JP I and III (II was a bit ridiculous), and all the F&F releases (well, ok, the one without Paul Walker or Vin Diesel was a bit slack, but it had a Nissan GTR-engined Mustang which almost made up for the slackness).
No I don’t know why I enjoyed all the JP and F&F movies, and yes I’m sane (enough!) – although I didn’t like the Blues Brothers movie… But different tastes is part of what makes life (and CC) interesting. A fascinating selection Jason, thank you for sharing!
There ain’t a thing in the world wrong with owning those. Not everyone enjoys the same variety of tea (or liquor or coffee or…)!
I will agree with you – our friend Jason is woefully misguided on Jurassic Park, which is a movie I will watch any time I stumble across it. Of course, my kids were young and really into JP when it was fresh, and they were fun family viewing. F&F is less of a must-watch, but I have seen several of them and have enjoyed them. But then my taste in movies often tends towards exciting escapist fare.
Escapist is a good word for Jurassic Park.
I was steeped in the house of Speilberg during my high school years, and always go into his movies with a positive attitude, and usually enjoy them.
Somehow, I completely missed Jurassic Park in ’93. I got married that year, and my job was in high gear, so I guess I was busy.
I completely missed any JP movie for 20 years. When the 20th anniversary re-release was made, I put aside my reservations that it was too kid oriented, and concern about the possible disappointment with 20 year old special effects, and rented a copy.
It was classic Spielberg escapist stuff. I enjoyed it.
Very entertaining visit, Jason. And an even more entertaining read.
What, no ECTO-1? No DeLorean? No red Torino coupe? Gimme back my ten bucks!
Oh, but there’s that Pierce-Arrow, that Packard and a Bluesmobile…
And that nice Rolls. Who’s Prince George, BTW? I know Prince; I know Boy George. Any relation?
There was such a DeLorean, but it’s one of how many built???
Now I will offer two British finds. If you don’t remember Anna Nicole Smith, you might google her – she owned the Jag. She left an indelible impression on a young 20-something me.
And me. Her original Guess jeans stuff was outstanding. Then her lifestyle got in the way…
Damn. So much promise.
Jason, do you have a small Guess logo tattooed on your lower back?
Yeah, I remember her… not from these ads though but from that Naked Gun movie. I was 15 when that came out. Hehehe…
HaHaHa, the Naked Gun was the first date with the future Mrs. JPC. It’s amazing that we went on a second. She spent the whole movie wondering what I found so funny while I spent it marveling at her complete lack of a sense of humor. I thought it would be fun to watch on our 25th anniversary last year, but . . . uh . . . no. 🙂
Your situation mirrors mine exactly! How my wife can sit through an Austin Powers movie (and not by choice) and not even crack a smile is beyond me (“This coffee tastes like $hit!”).
But she will watch Hallmark channel movies (all of which have essentially the same plot – single career woman from big city goes back home to small town due to family crisis (has stuffed-shirt boyfriend in the city), meets former flame, torn between big-city life and stuffed-shirt or small-town job keeping mom’s pet-shawl and homemade muffin store going along with hunky former HS boyfriend) all day long. Blergh . . .
redmondjp, that is my house as well. You’ve nailed the Hallmark Channel – lol!
+1 redmondjp!
Redmondjp, there is also the Lifetime Movie Network. It adds the plot about the plucky young widowed career woman who goes on a date with the psycho serial killer who becomes fixated on her. When she learns the truth about him after reading old newspapers at the library, she goes home to find him in the house, where she outwits him, making him go berserk and accidentally killing himself instead of killing her.
I have the Naked Gun boxed set, which my brother got me for Christmas and which I love. I will not apologize for it.
What a collection…great report and pictures, Jason! While I do agree that there’s quite the continuum of quality and relevance among the cars here, the Mirthmobile has been calling my name since I read this post last night.
you can see all kinds of collections through this site http://www.titanicmovie.org/
I’ll take the 79 Town Landau Thunderbird. And no, it’s not because I’m a huge George Jones fan. It’s just a damn fine looking car.
I recall this article when it was new and could have sworn I wrote a comment defending the honor of one of my favorite movies (Jurassic Park), but I guess not. Looks like an interesting place!
Sometimes tongue-in-cheek just comes across better than it does at other times.
As a one time resident of Missouri, Branson has always been a cheesy tourist trap, except now it’s a bigger and better tourist trap. A good place to go for entertainment if listening to the singing has beens is your thing.
All US delivered MK2 Cortinas would have ben LHD, though why there are some here is a mystery Ive seen two one fordor and one tudor.
I think the tone and content of this article and some of its more defensive replies could’ve been left in the tiny minority of “do not repost for additional clicks” category for CC…
Counterpoint (in the spirit of most of the commentary in this post): I actually enjoy these re-posts, mainly for the comments. I stumbled into CC around 2014 or ’15, and find the comments to be the most fascinating aspect of the site. I’ve been known to cringe inwardly even at some of my own older comments, as opinions change and memory evolves (or devolves). Not being too inclined toward pop culture myself, and finding myself to be increasingly curmudgeonly as the years go by, I enjoy the insights gained from reading people’s thoughts and opinions on rather random subjects without having to interact with them directly. It’s like sociological voyeurism;)
I love many of the reposts, though I certainly would be happy with more new content. However I can’t complain about that without being willing to help create new content, which I am not. And things simply change over time. And I have no say in the direction of someone else’s website. But to your comment, the lack if active discussion is what I dislike the most about the increasingly repost-heavy content.
But this particular article was divisive when new, remains very out of character negative for CC, and I just feel it isn’t terribly worth reposting. Articles about specific cars, absolutely! An article about how a guy wants you to know he spent as little time as possible at a museum he didn’t enjoy, and also wants you to know how little he thinks of immensely popular cultural touchstones that almost anybody reading will have some positive connection to… eh. One of the original 7 year old comments mentions how this isn’t up to his usual quality, which I absolutely agree with. This is a semi-rant, written I feel on a day he woke up a little grouchy. Is that part of the back catalogue to revisit?
We make an effort to put up four new posts every day. And the reruns are to give folks who weren’t here a chance to see our evergreen content.
For a non-automotive take on Branson culture, I recommend Donald E. Westlake’s novel “Baby, Would I Lie?” It was published in 1994 but it doesn’t seem like things have changed since then. Wickedly funny.
Well, as MTN says just above, I like these re-posts because many of them come from before I was a CC reader, and particularly if they cover something historic they’re as relevant today as they were originally. Plus, it’s always fun to dive into the earlier writing of established CC authors like Jason.
Re: the 2001 Crown Vic with the “bullet holes” in the hood, with all the work that went into making the bullet holes, why not just fire a gun into the hood. Got to be easier.
That would be too dangerous, and they might want to slap a new hood on the car and use it for an taxi in some movie.