For both generations, mine and my fathers. it felt like that war would never ever end.
The Sixties
U.S. soldier of the 25th Infantry Division at Patrol Base Diamond, near the Cambodian-Vietnamese border (April, 1969.
Downtown Cairo, Egypt. Circa 1960
A Soldier wounded in the Tet offensive 1968 during Vietnam War.
Aftermath of the 1968 Chicago riot in response to the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The bizarre story of Sonny and Cher's matching Mustangs
By Paul Henderson
May 2020
The automotive equivalent of a
1960s acid flashback, Sonny and Cher's custom cars were hideous then… and they
still are
When it comes to the event that
killed the 1960s, there are a few notable contenders. The war in Vietnam was
one. The Manson Family murders were another. Could it have been the Zodiac
Killer in California? Or Bobby Kennedy's assassination in 1968? According to
Hunter S Thompson, it was The Rolling Stones and their infamous Altamont
Speedway concert when “the sharks finally came home to roost”. Or maybe, just
maybe, it was the automotive abomination that was Sonny and Cher's matching
Ford Mustangs that marked the beginning of the end.
When 16-year-old high-school
dropout Cherilyn Sarkisian was sitting in a coffee shop in Los Angeles in 1963,
she wasn't waiting for the man of her dreams… she was dreaming of stardom.
Salvatore “Sonny” Bono, on the other hand, was 28 and had been around the
block. Having worked as a waiter, on construction sites and as a truck driver,
Sonny finally got his break as a songwriter when Sam Cooke recorded one of his
tracks and that led to him getting a job as a gofer for Phil Spector. On the
day they met, Cher recalled: "Everyone else just disappeared. He was the
most unusual person I’d ever seen."
Despite the age difference, Cher
moved in with Sonny and they married in 1964. At first they performed as Caesar
& Cleo, but a year later they released their first single “Baby Don't Go”
as Sonny & Cher. An album followed – Look At Us – and in 1965 they released
“I Got You Babe” and Cher had her dream. They became fully fledged superstars.
She was the feisty, sexy songstress; he was her funny and funky foil. And they
would go on to have a successful TV career with The Sonny And Cher Comedy Hour.
But in 1965, they were the
hottest folk/pop lovebirds of the decade (Simon & Garfunkel were up there,
but Art never looked that good in hot pants) and the Ford motor company
noticed. Having launched the Mustang in 1964, by the time “I Got You Babe”
reached the top of the charts Ford had sold a million of their Pony cars. And
that gave someone in the marketing department a great idea. Ford would gift
Sonny and Cher matching 1966 Mustang convertibles and the company could watch
the sales go, err, through the roof.
However, like all the best ideas,
they had to go and ruin it. Instead of just giving the duo a car, Ford insisted
on letting George Barris, the “King Of Kar Kustomization”, give them a
makeover. And, boy, did George do his thing.
For those that don't know, back
in the day Barris was Hollywood's go-to car guy. He built the Batmobile for
Adam West's Caped Crusader, the Munster Koach from The Munsters and also the
Monkeemobile for hey, hey, it's The Monkees. He also customised a gold
Rolls-Royce for Zsa Zsa Gabor, bespoke golf carts for Bing Crosby and Bob Hope
and a fleet of Mini Mokes for the Beach Boys. So George was never going to go
for subtle.
Cher's was coloured Hot Candy
Pink and Sonny's was finished in Murano Gold (both cars featured 40 layers of
paint). Barris also gave the Mustangs fresh front ends, with rectangular
headlights, "fake" metal grilles on the bonnet (that looked
suspiciously like extractor hoods from an oven) and both came with classic OTT
1960s hippy shag-pad interiors. In other words, Cher's had ermine fur seat
covers paired with black leather, while Sonny's was kitted out with shaggy
bobcat fur and suede. Yeah, baby! High-tech eight-track stereos were added and
the drivers' seats were both “swivel chairs”. Of course they were. (Oh, and
Barris removed the door handles, presumably because he didn't like the look of
them.)
Whether Sonny or Cher ever
actually drove their Mustangs is unclear, but in better news the cars are still
together (unlike Sonny and Cher, who divorced in 1974; custody of the cars was
not an issue). The Mustangs are currently owned by car collector Ward Morgan
and on display at the Midwest Dream Car Collection in Kansas City.
Depending on your point of view,
these cars are either unique automotive artefacts that should be celebrated, or
counterculture casualties of the 1960s every bit as tragic as Billy The Kid and
Captain America in Easy Rider.
One thing is certain,
though: when it comes to good taste in cars, they blew it, man.
I remember some of these show, not all of them.
Convoy
Starring: John Gavin
Aired: 1965
Number of Seasons: 1
The show focused on Commander Dan Talbot and his crew, who
worked at a cargo ship helping to supply troops during World War II. Its black
and white format, which was done that way so it could include old war footage,
didn’t seem to please audiences who were more interested in the new technicolor
shows.
Holmes & Yo-Yo
Starring: John Schuck, Richard B. Shull
Aired: 1976
Number of Seasons: 1
Detective shows have always been popular, especially when
there is a duo involved. ABC expected to bring an exciting twist with this one.
The show revolved around Det. Alexander Holmes and his highly technological
android partner Yoyo. It ended up lasting only 1 season and was included in TV
Guide’s List of the Worst 50 TV Shows of All Time.
Richard B. Shull (Detective Alexander Holmes) became known
for his roles in some popular plays such as "The Marriage of Bette and
Boo" (1985) and the ever-popular "Victor/Victoria". He died in
1999. John Schuck, the android partner, went on to win the hearts of Trekkie
fans when he appeared in "Star Trek VI" and lately has been dedicated
to theater.
Sea Hunt
Starring: Lloyd Bridges
Aired: 1958 - 1961
Number of Seasons: 4
Sea Hunt starred Lloyd Bridges as a S.C.U.B.A. diver who
spent his time looking for things underwater, such as downed satellites and
sunken treasures, fighting villains and saving children lost in flooded caves,
among many other adventures. The show’s voice-over narrations gave it the
feeling of a radio program and every episode was filled with adventure and
happy endings.
Lloyd Bridges kept on appearing on several TV shows and
movies and ended up seeing his fan base renewed with his role as Steve
McCroskey in the highly popular 1980 comedy “Airplane!”, as well as his role as
Admiral Benson in “Hot Shots!”, starring Charlie Sheen. He continued actively
working until his death in 1998.
Johnny Midnight
Starring: Edmond O’Brien, Yuki Shimoda
Aired: 1960
Number of Seasons: 1
Johnny Midnight was a show about an ex-actor/theater
owner, turned private detective. He operated on Broadway and the theatre
district. He had an Asian assistant called Aki and most of his clients were
from the theatre. He frequently used makeup and disguises while investigating
undercover. The show was packed with beatnik characters and slang and had an
interesting jazzy soundtrack.
Edmond O’Brien had already won an Oscar for his role in
1954’s “The Barefoot Contessa” and, after Johnny Midnight, in 1964, he got a
nomination for Best Supporting Actor for “Seven Days in May”. He died in 1985
of Alzheimer’s disease. Yuki Shimoda went on to appear on several different
shows and movies up until his death in 1981.
Shotgun Slade
Starring: Scott Brady
Aired: 1959 - 1961
Number of Seasons: 2
Shotgun Slade was a Western but unlike any other, since it
was also a detective series. Slade, the main character, and his fellow cowboy
heroes Lucas McCain and Josh Randall carried around unique modified guns on the
show, but Slade’s was even more eccentric. He was a private detective, hired to
track down criminals and solve mysteries.
After playing Shotgun Slade, Scott Brady continued
appearing sporadically as an occasional tough cop in minor movies such as “$”
(1971), “The Loners” (1972) and “Wicked, wicked” (1973). He died in 1984 from
respiratory disease, but not before appearing in some big-screen movies such as
“The China Syndrome” (1979) and “Gremlins” (1984).
Our Man Higgins
Starring: Stanley Holloway, Audrey Totter,
Frank Maxwell
Aired: 1962 - 1963
Number of Seasons: 1
The show focused on butler Higgins, a servant who is “offered”
to Alice and Duncan McRoberts as part of an unexpected inheritance from
Scotland. He goes on to lend a precious hand taking care of the 3 McRoberts
children who are always up for some adventure. The kids end up helping Higgins
become more relaxed.
Stanley Holloway went on to appear regularly on several TV
shows and films and, in his later years, theatre. Audrey Totter semi-retired
after the show and came back in 1969 with a recurrent role in the show “Medical
Center”, until 1976. Frank Maxwell became known for his tough, authority
figures throughout his career.
Broadside
Starring: Kathleen Nolan, Edward Andrews
Aired: 1964 - 1965
Number of Seasons: 1
The show was the first military sitcom featuring women as
the main characters. It revolves around Lt. Anne Morgan and her fellow Waves.
They are posted to a station in Ranakai, which does not please Commander Adrian
that keeps on scheming to transfer the women somewhere else. Although the show
had good ratings, it was canceled after 1 season
Kathleen Nolan continued appearing on many shows and
movies. Also, she was the first female president of the Screen Actors Guild in
the 70s’. Edward Andrews also guest-starred on several shows and was featured
in many movies. Amongst his work is his recurrent role on “Love, American
Style” (1969) and in “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (1970).
The Hathaways
Starring: Peggy Cass, Jack Weston
Aired: 1961 - 1962
Number of Seasons: 1
Peggy Cass starred as Elinor Hathaway, the foster mother,
and manager to three hooligan monkeys, also known as the Marquis Chimps, living
in hers and husband Walter’s home in the Los Angeles suburbs. Unfortunately,
the human/chimp story didn’t appear to please audiences, and the show was
canceled after one season.
Peggy Cass continued appearing on several different shows
and movies, with recurrent roles on the show “The Doctors” (1978) and “Women in
Prison” (1987). She died in 1999. Jack Weston received a Tony nomination for
his role in the Broadway play “The Floating Bulb” and appeared on the 1987
movie “Dirty Dancing” as the resort manager. He died in 1996.
