Chevelles
(and
other A-bodies) in Movies and TV -- Genesis: Early Roots
This is where is all starts. Chevrolet had
the Corvair, and there was a BOP triumvirate that included the 1961-63
Pontiac Tempest, Oldsmobile F85, and Buick Skylark. These cars had
the Buick 215 aluminum V8 (this powerplant's descendants are produced by
Rover UK, and found in Rover vehicles, including the Range Rover SUV),
but the driveline varied on each car. (North of the border, the early
Beaumont was based upon the Chevy II, and was later based on the A-car
in 1964.) This was a time in which compacts were being marketed,
after the success of the Ford Falcon. Fast forward to 1963, when
GM engineers were developing a vehicle line that was dubbed a "senior compact",
and the original A-body that resulted was the Chevelle. The BOP triumverates
(Skylark, F85, and Tempest) were later based on the A-car chassis, with
styling cues that were significant (e.g. Buick, Olds, Pontiac), that separates
the BOP versions apart from the Chevelle.
One thing characteristic about the newly-introduced
Chevelle was the underpinnings, which was new at the time. A perimeter
frame was used, similar to the one used in the recently-introduced 1963
Vette, positioned the rails outward, which would serve as a deterrent to
side impacts. Another thing that was introduced was the 4-link rear
suspension, which consisted of unequal trailing arms, and two coil springs.
Every other automaker copied the design the following year (exc. Chrysler
and the Buick Riviera), and to this date, the same setup can be found under
FoMoCo vehicles like the Crown Vic and FOX-bodies.
During this period, the GTO was born, and the
iconic symbolism would transcend, where celebrity status was a direct result.
Royal Pontiac, the Monkees, and the Tiger promos during 1964/65 signaled
the birth of the musclecar era.
After Frankie Avalon's dragster is
wrecked, and a rival motorcycle gang is fingered, a chase erupts.
A 1964 Chevelle 2-door hardtop is seen, parked in front of a building.
When Gabrielle Queneau (Marianna Hill)
leaves her room at the Holiday Inn, a 1965 El Camino is seen, parked in
the parking lot. This scene takes place before she goes to a Pepsi
vending machine. The same El Camino is seen during a rainstorm, where
Gabrielle shows up again, right after Dan McCall (James Ward) survives
a wreck at the race track, right after he goes over the wall.
Trivial note: Several Star
Trek alumni are seen in this film, Mariana Hill (episode: Dagger
of the Mind) and George Takei (Mr. Sulu). Geroge
Takei is a pit crew chief, that holds up the cue cards.
When Batman and Robin are running down
a downtown street to the United World Headquarters (a.k.a. United Nations),
a 1965 Chevelle 4-door is seen in traffic.
A 1965 Pontiac LeMans hardtop is seen
parked across Tony Franciosa's home, when his boss and fiancee show up.
A BOP A-car station wagon is seen, used by a local news station, and the
station wagon is either a 1964/65 Buick Sportwagon or Olds Vista Cruiser.
After the scene in the police station,
a police car is seen, and after the cop car makes a turn, a 1966 Chevelle
hardtop is seen, parked on a street corner.
When Spencer Tracy backs his car out
(a 1967 Plymouth Valiant), he T-bones a young African American's T-bucket.
A 1965 Chevelle hardtop is seen in the background.
Trivial note: D'Urville Martin
(the director of Dolemite) is the driver of the T-bucket, and watch for
a classic scene with Isabel Sanford (The Jeffersons) as a maid. To
this day, this film has been the nucleus surrounding the Supreme Court's
decision of the Loving V. Virginia case (1967).
There is a scene in which Dustin Hoffman,
driving a red Triumph convertible, is passing by the Robinson estate, and
a 1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass ragtop is seen, parked, on the street.
A 1964/65 A-body hardtop (unknown make)
is seen where James Caan's wife and son arrive to pick him up. His
wife drives a 1967 Mustang ragtop.
A 1964 Chevelle 2-door hardtop is seen,
parked on a street corner, near the bank. Jack
Weston is in a 1967 Ford Country Squire station wagon, and is in a
traffic jam. A 1967 Pontiac LeMans hardtop is seen next to the Ford,
and after the truck clears the street, a 1966 Cutlass is seen, in a driveway.
Later, when Jack Weston is dumping $5000 in a Goodwill donation box, a
1966 Cutlass Supreme convertible and a 1967 Chevelle 2-door hardtop are
seen in the parking lot adjacent to the Goodwill donation boxes.
During the opening credits, a 1968
El Camino (base trim level; note the short eyebrow molding on the front
fender, similar to the Chevelle 300 series) is seen as a parked car.
A 1968 Chevelle SS 396 is seen during the chase sequence with the
Mustang and Charger, right in front of a Safeway supermarket (Marina Blvd
btwn Laguna and Divisidero). The same Chevelle SS is seen in traffic,
right after the Marina Blvd. scene. Several vehicles are used during
the chase scene, which include a VW Beetle, a 1965 El Camino (seen at the
intersection of Columbus and Chestnut Streets in SF, right after the Charger
does a burnout after an illegal left turn), and a couple of 1968 Pontiac
A-bodies (the first car seen during the chase scene was a 1968 GTO, and
either a Tempest or LeMans.
Street locations courtesy of The
Bullitt Page.
When Dean Jones leaves a car dealership,
a 1966 El Camino is seen through the glass doors. Stock shots of
traffic scenes in San Francisco include a 1965 Pontiac LeMans hardtop.
The cars appear in the windows of the "picture" VW Beetle (a 1962 Bug),
which was a standing set at Walt Disney Studios.
Trivial note: a 1962 VW Beetle,
with a cloth sunroof, is the "picture car", and in several subsequent shots,
the stunt vehicle used in action sequences was a 1965 Beetle (note that
some VWs had large side windows). Interior shots of the Beetle were
shot on soundstages at Walt Disney Studios, and stock footage of traffic
were incorporated.
Disco-Era
Movies
1980s
Movies
1990s
and Beyond
A-Car Sightings
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1999, 2000 P-n-B Productions (a
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Times franchise). All rights reserved.
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