Marshall
McLuhan once said that “the car has
become an article of dress without which we feel uncertain, unclad, and incomplete
in the urban compound.”
The
same is very much true of the automobile in cult-tv history.
The
automobile is indeed a hero’s article of dress in modern times, and often an
image we associate, perhaps unconsciously, with a particular protagonist. The car is to the modern TV superhero,
perhaps, as the white horse Silver was to the Lone Ranger in a generation
previous.
The
most famous cult-tv car in history is undoubtedly the Batmobile created by
George Barris for the Adam West TV series in 1966. Although every Batman movie from 1989
through 2012 has featured alternate Batmobiles, it is this decades-old converted
Lincoln Futura that remains, for many fans, the gold standard in terms of the
Caped Crusader’s car.
Although
not quite iconic as the Barris Batmobile, another superhero TV series of the
same era (and from the same producers as Batman) showcased another protagonist’s
incredible ride. The Green Hornet (1966 –
1967) featured the Black Beauty, a gorgeous Imperial Crown customized by Dean
Jeffries.
In
the 1970s, cult-tv cars were a staple of sci-fi TV.
The
third incarnation of the Time Lord called the Doctor (played by Jon Pertwee),
was seen often to drive in a vehicle named Bessie, a roadster with the license “WHO
1,” at least during his years of exile on Earth. The car was eventually put into mothballs by
UNIT’s Brigadier, but appeared again one more time during the Sylvester McCoy
era in the late 1980s.
And
movie studio executive/alien-destroyer Ed Straker (Ed Bishop) drove a stylish futuristic
sports car (made from the frame of a Ford Zephyr) in the far-flung year of 1980
in Gerry Anderson’s live-action UFO. This car is seen during the opening credits
of every episode, and is a sort of visual trademark of the program
In
the 1980s, a talking car called KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand) -- a 1982
Pontiac Trans am -- became the most popular character on the TV program Knight
Rider (1982 – 1986), which also starred David Hasselhoff. Some of the most enjoyable episodes of the
series feature KITT facing off against his evil twin, KARR.
On
and on through cult-tv series history, one can see how many popular programs
are associated with automobiles. There’s
the General Lee on The Dukes of Hazzard, the Mystery Machine Van on Scooby
Doo, the Mach 5 on Speed Racer, Lady Penelope’s FAB-1
Rolls Royce on Thunderbirds, and even Mr Bean’s “Mini.”
In
one instance, there was even a sitcom called My Mother The Car (1965 –
1966). There, a woman’s soul migrated into an
antique 1928 Porter touring car, much to the chagrin of her adult son, played
by Jerry Van Dyke. Mom was voiced by Ann
Sothern.
One
series that faced very fanciful automobiles was the 1965 series, The
Wacky Race, from Hanna Barbera.
This cartoon involved a group of dedicated racers competing against one
another in vehicles such as Dick Dastardly’s “The Mean Machine,” Penelope
Pitstop’s Compact Pussycat 5, and the Buzzwagon 10.
John, very fun analysis of the cult-tv automobiles.
ReplyDeleteThe Ark II series Roamer and Logan's Run series vehicle would be far future inclusions.
SGB
A mention of FAB-1, but not Supercar?
ReplyDelete