Andy Griffith driving a Model A roadster pickup

G

GSCOV

Well-known member
Caught a movie on Youtube the other night- 1977- The girl in the empty grave- not a bad movie- What else is there worth watching?
 
Very, very little:) TV has gotten too stupid to even bother. Absolutely no talent in script writing coming out of Meth Head Hollywood today all they can do is feature re-makes. I watch virtually none of it anymore.

BUT I will scope out this flick just to see the Roadster PU at least it will be free to watch....
 
Most people don’t realize that Andy had several old cars. I rebuilt a Model A engine for his A-400 when he retired to the Outer Banks of NC. I still work one day a week in his home town of Mount Airy (Mayberry) and go by his childhood home regularly.
 
roadster pickup ???

I have never seen a Model A Roadster Pickup. I have seen lots of Model A Open Cab Pickups.
 
It doesn't appear that this movie is currently streaming on any of the apps...unless someone's found it somewhere.
 
Hello, the old Ford Life magazine had an article on Andy Griffith , owner of a Model A his dogs liked to ride in , also in the tv series they occasionally had an old Ford included, Otis ,the town drunk buying a 33 Ford convertible, the fast women from Mount Pilot have a 38 Ford convertible,, Daring family a28 or 29 Ford truck Barney bought a 53? Ford from Ellen Corby (Grandma Walton )
 
Here is a screen grab from the movie showing Andy Griffith driving his Ford Model A pick-up:

571827


Brad in Maryland
 

Attachments

  • AndyGriffith.jpg
    AndyGriffith.jpg
    27.4 KB · Views: 336
Thanks for the photo. Open cars without tops are not very practical here in North Carolina. We get afternoon thundershowers almost every day. I was caught in one yesterday, but fortunately in my modern pickup. Mt. Airy (Andy's home town) is in the mountains and gets more rain than I do here in the foothills.
 
More on Andy Griffith and Model A's -

The July/August 1989 issue of "The Restorer" put Andy and his ol' buddy Don Knotts on the cover with Andy's 1930 Cabriolet. In this issue is a two-page article about Andy's involvement in the antique car world, mostly dominated by Fords. I don't think it would bother the folks at MAFCA much if I also attach the two-page article. Heck - I doubt that half of the readers on this website even owned a Model A at the time this issue came out, so this may all be brand-new to them.
Marshall
 

Attachments

  • Andy Griffith with Model A_1.jpg
    Andy Griffith with Model A_1.jpg
    58.5 KB · Views: 200
  • Andy Griffith with Model A_2.jpg
    Andy Griffith with Model A_2.jpg
    80.4 KB · Views: 204
  • Andy Griffith with Model A_3.jpg
    Andy Griffith with Model A_3.jpg
    63.2 KB · Views: 203
Andy lived very close to Universal Studios where he filmed Matlock. He would come to work everyday is one of his many old Fords. He liked stretching their legs and not leaving them in the garage. I had the opportunity to talk old cars with him.
 
So by calling it a "roadster pickup" it must be correct to call a coupe a tudor? It has two doors...
 
About 30 minutes in, Andy’s character starts up the pickup to leave the cemetery with Doc, and it sounds like an “A.” Fun dialogue in that scene when she asks him why he keeps the old truck and he says he’s fixing it up cause it’ll be worth big money. Good authenticity there to explain what I guess is primer on some panels. I like the look of it with what looks like ‘35 wheels and big/little tires.

Since this is a car forum, also worth pointing out the discontinuities in the opening scenes. The car that crashed is a 71-73 Mustang, yet the interior shots of the instrument panel are a 67-68 Mustang. And manually shifting the Cruise-O-Matic seems out of place. Still, it’s a fun movie with a typical for the era corniness.
 
Apropos inconsistent movie scenes: In the made-for-TV movie "Dead Man's Curve - the story of Jan Berry from Jan & Dean fame - when the 1967 Corvette "Jan" was driving at high speed ran under the back of the big truck, it suddenly became a '64 Corvette that was totally destroyed because at the time, '67 Vettes were worth their weight in gold while '64 Corvettes were the red-headed stepchild nobody wanted. It was more cost-effective to destroy a '64 Corvette for the sake of a movie than a far more valuable '67 model. Did the producers really think we 1963-67 Corvette aficionados wouldn't spot the switch???
Marshall
 
Marshall I recall that movie from many years back.

In the flick, one of them (Jan?) had rec'd his draft notice and was very upset about it, and went out driving that Vette dangerously when he crashed it.

I believe (I may be mistaken) that was all wrong, that the man in real life, enlisted in the US Army Ready Reserve to do his military obligation proudly and with honor:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top