High Sierra Plymouth

[windsor8]

Watching High Sierra on TMC with Humphery Bogart. Have you noticed that Mr. Earls is driving a 37 Plymouth Coupe when he get run off the road and it transforms into a 38 when he stops for gas. I believe the 37 is a rumble seat coupe.

[TodFitch]

That is a fairly famous transformation. At least among vintage Plymouth owners it is fairly famous, I doubt that anyone else would notice.

[Young Ed]

Anyone watch burn notice? I've seen some differences with his charger he drives to show they must have 2-3 different cars for filming. The exterior is black but some show the car having white inside the trunk and others black. Also interior lock buttons come and go.

[Drdialtone]

And faux pas like these give "continuity" technicians in the film industry a job!!

[greg g]

Bogey was pretty famous for driving Plymouths. One had the optional under dash mounted pistol dispencer. Word is the the Plymouth assembly plant did a lot of product placement back inthe hey days of film noire and andy Andy Hardy movies.

Perhaps High Sierra was filmed over the new product year introduction period.

http://www.imcdb.org/movie.php?id=33717

Here is another set of vehicle pics from that pitcur show.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/73/39buick1lq1.jpg/

Edited May 18, 2011 by greg g

[JerseyHarold]

The 1953 movie Split Second has a '52 Plymouth business coupe that changes from real car to a model from scene to scene, ultmately getting blown up (with the bad guys in it) in an atomic bomb test. Another one of those things where only a Plymouth person would notice.

[Rodney Bullock]

I love that movie and yes I watching yesterday. That plymouth was dusting them Buick patrol cars off. It looked so sweet going up the mountain side. When he (Bogey) robbed the little store and turned the car around and hit the tree It made me cringe. I think that's why they changed cars. When he's in the chase you don't see any damage. It made me want to go out and get in my coupe:cool: Yeah only way I would out run the police is if they ran out of Gas:rolleyes:

[John Reddie]

I always wondered if the '38 coupe used in the High Sierra film was the same one in The Big Sleep made several years afterward. I have seen other Warner Brother films made in that era that featured '38 coupes. It would not surprise me if it is the same car.

John R

[JIPJOBXX]

Yea I noticed that coup had no front end damage also! Fun old movie and interesting background seens. Kind of cory but enjoyable to watch.

[LAKOTA169]

Whenever anyone asks my wife about our '37 coupe, she tells them she feels like she's in a Bogart movie riding in it.

[Rodney Bullock]

John, I think you are right I looked a the big sleep today and it looks like the same car. The dash looked like a 41:confused: I think. That gun dispinser was nice. I could use that:rolleyes:

[Drdialtone]

I love all the movie references... in fact, while driving my P-15 home for the first time, straw panama on, it made me think of one of my favorite films, "Double Indemnity." Now, Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) was cool enough, but following naval traditions, ships take on female names - could not call the car "Walter." BUT, then I remembered the Femme Fatale in the movie, "Phyllis Detricksen" (Barbara Stanwyck). PERFECT. My club coupe IS like Phyllis... curvaceous hard fenders, seductive, and under that surface all business. It stuck. We all refer to her has Phyllis now, and it fits. As a back up, she could have been "Gloria" Graham or 'cinderella with a husky voice - Lizabeth Scott.' Man, those were some women!!

[John Reddie]

There is also a film made in 1942 by Warners titled "In This Our Life" with George Brent and Bette Davis. In that film, George drives a '37 Plymouth rumble seat coupe and it's very possibly that is the same one used in several scenes of "High Sierra" that was made the year before. I think that the studios kept a fleet of cars then for different productions. Warners seemed to use Plymouths and Buicks.

I liked the flip down gun feature too Rodney. Too cool.

John R

[Jim Benjaminson]

Bogie also drove the 37 coupe in "Dark Victory" with Bette Davis. There is also a '34 Plymouth woodie wagon in the film - one of just 34 made!

[48P15Annie]

Hey, I think I saw that on TV. Was the '38 being chased by 3 '39 Buicks? Two paintd as squard cars.

[greg g]

Yep and that Plymouth walked away from the Buicks running up that mountain dirt road.