Classic TV Cars   Peabody & Sherman cartoons on DVD Car Battery Charger Carol Burnett Show on DVD Batman 1966 TV Show on DVD Greensboro Wrestling Book Flintstones on DVD
Please consider a donation!
New TV
TV Shows on DVD/ / / / / / / / / / / / / / Movies on Blu Ray/ / / / / / / Holiday Specials on DVD / / / / / / Classic Commercials

 

 

 

'TVparty is hands down the best site on the Web for classic TV.'
- Discovery Channel

“Bionic


Classic TV Cars

Some television shows just wouldn’t be the same without their signature cars. Imagine Batman riding the subway to get to Commissioner Gordon’s office, or Thomas Magnum impressing the ladies with his red bicycle. Here, then, is a run-down on some of TV’s most famous cars, beginning with two which had a voice of their own.

My Mother the Car My Mother the Car (NBC, 1965-66)  Universally panned as the worst TV show ever, the star of this sitcom was a 1928 Porter (actually a 1924 Model T) which was the embodiment of a re-inCARnated Ann Sothern, who played the mother of hapless Jerry Van Dyke. The maternal car was designed by actor Norm Grabowski.

 Knight Rider (NBC, 1982-86)  David Hasselhoff might have been the title character, but it was his hi-tech Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, named “KITT” that stole the show.  In addition to being able to drive itself, KITT also talked, with a voice supplied by William Daniels, who was starring in St. Elsewhere at the time. Ironically Bill had also been interviewed for the male lead in My Mother the Car, but his voice left the producer, “so depressed that he almost dropped the idea of doing the show” (from Daniels’ book, There I Go Again).

Classic TV Cars: The Munsters

 The Munsters (CBS, 1964-66)  This spooky comedy featured not one, but two tricked-out cars, both designed by George Barris who also created memorable vehicles for The Beverly Hillbillies,  Batman, and Knight Rider. In The Munsters, Herman drove a “Koach” that was made from three Model T bodies, while Grandpa buzzed around in the “Dragula” hot rod, whose body (pardon the expression) was a coffin. Butch Patrick, who played Eddie Munster, told me recently he was never allowed to drive the cars until he returned to Universal Studios as an adult, and got behind the wheel of the Koach, not realizing that the tires had very little air pressure and no screws holding them to the beam. “I goosed it, and the back two tires came off,” he laughs.

 The Dukes of Hazzard (CBS, 1979-85)  Duke cousins Bo and Luke were famous for climbing in and out of their 1969 Dodge Charger (they had to because the doors were welded shut) and for jumping it over all sorts of obstacles (no wonder they had to make 300 of them over the years). But the General Lee was not an original design for the TV series. It first appeared in a 1975 Hazzard-like movie titled Moonrunners, and was named Traveller, after R.E. Lee’s horse.

Batmobile Batman (ABC, 1966-68)  Equipped with a Bat Phone, internally mounted rockets, and all sorts of other crime fighting gadgets, this George Barris creation is arguably the most famous TV car of all time. Barris bought a discarded 1955 Ford Lincoln Futura Concept Car for one dollar, and spent about $15,000 to modify it for the Dynamic Duo. He sold the original car in 2013 for $4.6 million dollars, not a bad profit.

Classic TV Cars: Beverly Hillbillies

77 sunset strip Other memorable TV cars include: The Beverly Hillbillies’ 1921 Olds flat bed truck; The Kookie Kar, a 1923 Ford T-Bucket hot rod in 77 Sunset Strip; a 1976 Ford Gran Torino in Starsky & Hutch; a series of Ford Fairlane and Galaxie squad cars in The Andy Griffith Show; Jim Rockford’s gold Pontiac Firebird; Thomas Magnum’s red Ferrari 308 GTS; Maxwell Smart’s 1965 Sunbeam Tiger; the 1961 Chevy Corvette from Route 66; and, Columbo’s road-worn 1959 Puegeot 403 Cabriolet. And who can forget the iconic 1957 Chevy touring bus used by The Partridge Family?
 
   Classic television shows are the ones whose characters really move us, and for some of our most iconic TV characters, cars are what really moves them.  Here’s hoping that we’ll always have our stars and their cars.

1960's TV Seasons: 1961 / 1964 / ABC 1966 / 1967 / 1968 / 1969 / Fall Previews / Sharon Tate on The Beverly Hillbillies / Dark, Unseen Monkees Pilot / Pistols 'N' Petticoats / Best Episodes of Every 'Lucy Show' Season / How Lee Meriwether Became Catwoman / The Star Trek Spinoff That Didn't Happen / Why Ginger Was Almost Fired From Gilligan's Island / Every Batman (1966) Fight Scene / Whatever Happened to the Beverly Hillbillies' Mansion? / Remembering "Mary Ann" - Dawn Wells Interview / Catching Up With Lucy & Desi's 'Son' / Please Don't Eat The Daisies / The Ronny Howard Show?!? / Death of Bonanza's Dan Blocker / Broadside / The Tammy Grimes Show / David McCallum on the Legacy of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. / In Defense of Bewitched (and Jeannie) / Sad Ironic Death of Crazy Guggenheim / Larry Mathers (Beaver Cleaver) on the Rumor That He Was Killed in Vietnam / The Monkees / Jimi Hendrix 1967 Tour - The Only Night It Clicked Was In Greensboro! / William Shatner on the Origin of Star Trek / Brother Dave Garner / Remembering Newton Minow / The Nurses / / Glynis / The Debbie Reynolds Show / The Riddler Was Batman's First TV Super-Villain / Betty Lynn aka Thelma Lou / Remembering The Rifleman's Johnny Crawford / Clu Gulager Obituary / Leonard Nimoy on NBC Hating Spock / Sinatra Wanted To Play Joker on Batman? Yes! / Directing the Batman Pilot / Elinor Donahue on The Andy Griffith Show / Lucy After Ricky / Robert Clary on His Hogan's Heroes Co-stars / Jeopardy! in the 60s & 70s / Stunts Gone Wrong on The Wild Wild West / Whatever Happened To Lost In Space's Guy Williams? / Best of Julie Newmar Catwoman Season 2 / The New People / Dark Shadows Director Lela Swift / Pioneer Newswoman Lisa Howard / The Jim Nabors Hour / The UN Goes to the Movies / Stories About Filming Batman from Burt Ward / Life With Linkletter / The Green Hornet / Best of The Joker / 1961 CBS Fall Season / Bette Davis TV show: The Decorator / The Hathaways / He & She / Eartha Kitt as Catwoman / The Good Guys / James Drury of The Virginian / The Ron Hicklin Singers / Man From U.N.C.L.E. on DVD / Behind the Scenes at The Andy Griffith Show / Pat Buttram & Green Acres / TV's Tarzan / Grocery Shopping in 1962 / Carol Channing on TV / 1960's Nightclub Comic Rusty Warren / Johnny Carson Tonight Show 1964 / That Girl / The Amazing Randi / TV's Greatest Car Stars / Best of Batgirl 1967-68 / TV Shows to Movies / Batman Season 2 / Supermarionation / The Virginian's Clu Gulager / Cast Changes on Bewitched and Green Acres / Sammy Davis Jr. Show / Sunday Morning Cartoons / Naked City / Joe E. Ross / Alan Young Interview / Sherwood Schwartz Interview / Walter Cronkite Moon Landing / The Farmer's Daughter / Petula-Clark /

 

 

TVparty is Classic TV on the internet!

TV's Greatest Car Stars

TV on DVD/ /Holiday Specials on DVD
TV Commercials on DVD
TV Shows on BLU-RAY

1970s Dark Shadows movies

The Music of Dark Shadows

Book About Greensboro


Lost Kid Shows / Movie Stars on TV / Saturday Morning Shows / Video Vault / TV Goodbyes / Fabulous Fifties / Unseen Scenes / Game Shows / Requested Forgotten TV Shows / The Super Sixties / More Modern TV Shows / The New * * Shows / 1980's Wrestling / TV Blog

TVparty is Classic TV on the internet!
Classic TV on the Internet!

TV's Embarrassing Moments / Action Shows of the Sixties / TVparty Mysteries and Scandals / Variety Shows of the 1970s / The Eighties / The Laugh Track / 1970's Hit Shows / Response to TVparty / Search the Site / Add Your Comments
New TV

 

Classic TV Commercials / 1950's TV / 1960's TV / 1970's TV / Groucho vs William F Buckley / / TV Games / Honey Boo Boo / Lucy Shows / Classic Cars / John Wayne / Gene Roddenberry / Rockford Files / Sea Hunt / 1970s Commercial Jingles / Superman on DVD / Toy Gun Ads / Flip Wilson Show / Big Blue Marble / Monty Hall / Carrascolendas / Mr. Dressup / Major Mudd / Chief Halftown / What's In Oprah's Purse? / Baby Daphne / Sheriff John / Winchell & Mahoney / Fireball X-L5 / Mr. Wizard / Captain Noah / Thanksgiving Day Specials / Disney's First Christmas Special / Saturday Morning Cartoons / Amahl & the Night Visitors / Holiday Toy Commercials / Lucy & Desi's Last Christmas Show / Joey Heatherton / Sammy Davis, Jr / Steve & Eydie/ Fat Albert / The Virginian / Bewitched / Death of John Wayne / 1974 Saturday Mornings / Greensboro's Nazi POW Camps / Chuck McCann / Rudolph Collectables / Shrimpenstein / Local Popeye Shows / New Treasure Hunt / 1966 ABC TV Shows / 1967 TV Shows / 1968 TV Shows / Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes & Baby Doll / Fridays / TV Moms / Red Skelton / Bette Midler in the 1970s / Bonus 1970's Stuff: Biff Burger / Star Wars / KISS / Lancelot Link / Saturday Morning Cartoons / Wonder Woman / Classic Comic Books / Andy Griffith / Cher / TV Shows on DVD / Outtakes & Bloopers / 1967 TV Shows / Romper Room / ABC Movie of the Week / The Goldbergs / Daws Butler Commercials / Saturday Morning Commercials / Captain Kangaroo / Chicago Local Kiddie Shows / Boston Local TV / Philly Local TV / NYC Local Kid Shows / Amos 'n' Andy / Electric Company / Bette Davis / Judy Garland / Christmas Specials / Redd Foxx / Good Times / Sitcom Houses / The Oldest Italianate Architecture in the United States / What's Happening! / Winky Dink & You /  Sonny & Cher / Smothers Brothers / Commercial Icons of the 1960s / Soupy Sales / The Carpenters / Route 66 / Bozo / The Carpenters Christmas Specials / Local Kid Shows / Death of TV's Superman / Wonderama / Sesame Street / Bob Hope Specials / Little Rascals / 1980's Retro Gay T-Shirts / 1980's TV Wrestling / Fess Parker / Howdy Doody / TV Blog / Lost In Space / Pinky Lee / 1980's LA Punk Rock / Alex Toth Book / TV Terrorists / Irwin Allen / The Untouchables / Carol Burnett Show / Batman TV Show / Green Hornet / Today Show History / Our Gang / Doris Day Show / 1970's Commercials For Women / Bill Cosby in the 1970s / The Golddiggers / Lola Falana / 1970s TV Shows / David Bowie on TV / Hudson Brothers / Jackie Gleason / Hollywood Squares / Match Game / Bob Keeshan / Gumby / The Flip Wilson Show / Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour / The Bobby Darin Show / The Richard Pryor big brotherShow / George Burns / Lucy's Lost Christmas Special / Classic Christmas Toy Commercials / Cricket On The Hearth / 1950's Holiday Shows / Amahl and the Night Visitors / A Christmas Carol on TV / The Yule Log / Celebrity Commercials / Rudolph / Movie Posters & More! 

Everything is here
at a discount!

Carol Burnett Show on DVD Flipper on DVD Groucho Marx on DVD Fat Albert on DVD Hogan's Heroes on DVD Soupy Sales DVD
Looking for classic TV DVDs? See below:
TV Commercials on DVD Wrestling DVDs Classic TV Books
Jim Longworth Christmas Specials TV Shows on BLU-RAY