I just finished the last batch of car images from TAGS and submitted them to the Internet Movie Car Database. They are from the last two seasons and should be posted within about 10 days or so. (Also did some from "I Love Lucy," which are now posted.) Some observations: *At the beginning of the 1966-67 season, the owner of that green Ford Falcon is none other than Floyd. He apparently likes to swap cars from time to time. We've seen him in a '34 Pontiac and considering buying Gilly Walker's '58 Rambler. At the end of the '66-67 season, in his final appearance, he's driving a brand new, beautiful '67 Mercury Comet convertible. No wonder he left Mayberry and retired, the open road was calling him. I would love to know what kind of retirement plan helped him make those car payments. *In one of the last episodes, we find out the owner of the blue Mercury Comet is none other than Emmett. But we also see him in a '64 or '65 Falcon in another episode. *Look very carefully at the beginning of the episode about the council race between Sam and Emmett. Goober and Andy are walking down the street and in the background...are you ready for this? An Asten-Martin that looks identical to the one James Bond drives. Wonder if 007 ever did any work in Mayberry (or more realistically, at 40 Acres)? There it is, just sitting there casually, getting a lot less attention than a similar car would in any actual small town in the U.S. *Other exotic cars that pop up include the Jaguar the new town doctor shows up in, and the late model car (another Jaguar?) Opie plays around in at the auto show. *The Coors beer truck from "Goober the Executive" is a '66 Chevy C-series. And it appears the Acme gas station where they stop at the end, and see Goober's friend working the lube rack, was actually a "greeked" Shell station. The colors are a giveaway and the top part of the logo barely peeks out from being the Taylors' car. *1966 was the year Citgo became the motor oil of choice at Wally's Service/Goober's Service. Other ungreeked brands that slipped through include Birdseye frozen food, United Airlines and Kodak. On the other hand, several cars actually have their logos covered up, including Howard's '64 Chevy. *We see Andy using Aunt Bee's '55 Sunliner for personal use during the last season or so. No more taking the squad car on picnics. *The 1959 Ford pickup appears once as Emmett's work truck, but in the last few episodes it's cleaned up a bit (and the lettering removed from the door) to become Sam Jones' truck. Wow, Sam got Emmett's truck, the seat Emmett wanted on the council, and Howard's ex-girlfriend...he was something of a moocher, wasn't he? (Just kidding.) *It's now officially settled: Andy never drove a '68 squad car, the '67 even pops up in the series finale, "Mayberry R.F.D." Most Mayberry fans know this but occasionally people on car message forums insist otherwise despite a glaring lack of evidence. *In the episode where Opie makes friends with the rich kid, when Andy goes to the party at the mansion later, every single other guest shows up in a '67 Lincoln Continental, including a limo. No Cadillacs, no sports cars, just the Lincolns. This is hilarious as it makes it look like the rich life has way too much sameness and conformity to it. *Mayberrians evidently have an economical but sporty streak in them: during the last couple of seasons the town is overrun with Ford Mustangs. Dixon **************An Excellent Credit Score is 750. See Yours in Just 2 Easy Steps! (http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/100126575x1221823239x1201398650/aol?redir=http://www.freecreditreport.com/pm/default.aspx?sc=668072&hmpgID=62&bcd=May Excfooter51509NO62) _______________________________________________ WBMUTBB mailing list [email protected] http://www.mayberry.com/tagsrwc/wbmutbb/
