Kaisers in the movies

[kfnut]

Watching an old movie early this morning called " The Indestructible Man " with Lon Chaney Jr. , Marian Carr and Casey Adams from 1956 . There were two scenes , one early on and the last scene in the movie , where two of the characters were talking in a late Kaiser . The scenes lasted a long time and Kaiser features were easy to spot . The one piece windshield , upolstery , pillar lights , etc. . The hood ornament looked 53 but didn't look quet right .
  Also saw lots of cars from the era which is the the reason for watching those old movies . I saw a good shot of a 51 Kaiser stopped at a traffic light .
 If interested it was on TCM .

[Fid]

"A Summer Place" was on TCM Thursday night. Probably one of the better "Kaiser Movies" where Troy Donahaue and Sandra Dee hide out in a used '48 Kaiser he buys at the end of the movie. I've never seen "The Indestructable Man" so I'll have to watch for that one.
Here's a cool website where you can look up certain cars in movies -

http://www.imcdb.org/vehicles.php?make=Kaiser&model=

Not a complete list but a good list.  The movie "Donavan's Brain" has a shot of a Kaiser in it and TCM will be showing that one on June 27.

[joefrazer]

My 50 Traveler and 54 Manhattan were used in the movie "Telling Lies in America". The movie debuted in 1995 and was not an academy award winner...but is worth watching. Kevin Bacon was one of the stars in the movie so I am only one degree of separation from him. At the wrap party, he cooked steaks on several large grills for the cast. Since I had a SAG card at the time, I had speaking lines (they ended up on the cutting room floor but the cars survived and can be seen), as well as an invite to the wrap party. The steak was delicious!

[BigDave LM6174]

My 1951 Kaiser Deluxe is in the first Back to the Future.  In the high school parking lot scene where McFly knocks Biff out, my Kaiser is parked in the dark background shot.  Movie was filmed here in Whittier, CA and my grandfather drove our car around whittier high school about 20 times before a assist. Director asked if he wanted to park it in the lot.  It had a good close up shot but was dissapointed it was edited out.  Car sat on the set for two weeks.  Another Kaiser, either 54 or 55 is in driveway when McFly is a peeping tom in the tree.  When he falls out of the tree, the Kaiser is sitting right there.

[Aeroman]

Dave, the yellow Kaiser in the driveway near the tree he fell out of shows up a few more times in the movie and I'm pretty sure it was a '53. I never saw Old Gray in the parking lot scene, I will rewatch (for the 134th time) and look for it.

[BigDave LM6174]

I have a still shot somewhere that I took.  Very hard to see it.  I only bring it up because of the discussion.  It had its old paint for the movie.  I had just gotten it running, or I should say, John Parker had just gotten it running.

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

Here are some suggestions for Kaiser watchers from the TV side of things:

1.  SUPERMAN-Season two, MACHINE THAT COULD PLOT CRIMES     The bank robbers use a 1952 Kaiser Manhattan 2-door sedan and there is a scene where a black & white type 1953 Kaiser deluxe Squad car appears
2.  SUPERMAN-Season two, THE FACE AND THE VOICE    That 1952 Kaiser Manhattan appears again, used as a getaway car by the phony Superman.
3.  SUPERMAN-Season two, THE MAN WHO COULD READ MINDS The great early 1950's TV car chase.  Bad guys in a Kaiser chased by Lois & Jimmy in Lois' Nash Rambler convertible, followed by Clark and Perry in Perry's Packard Convertible, with Inspector Henderson well behind in his plain clothes Nash 4-door sedan, complete with the long whip antenna.
4.  SUPERMAN-Season two, PERRY WHITE'S SCOOP The bad guys make use of the cutaway 1952 Manhattan process car so Superman can "crash" through the roof.
5.  SUPERMAN-Season two, THE MAN IN THE LEAD MASK  With bad guys, its Kaiser all the way!  The gangsters are driving a 4-door Manhattan...if it rolls on its own it's a real car...if the rear projection screen or lights simulate driving, it's the cutaway process car.
6.  SUPERMAN-Season one THE MONKEY MYSTERY  A 1947 or 1948 Kaiser is parked on the street
7.  HEART OF THE CITY (aka BIG STORY)  a Kaiser Manhattan alternates with a Nash as the car driven by Steve Wilson
8.  MR & MRS NORTH - Although Nash is the make of preference on this series, there are some production stock film clips showing Kaisers being driven by the police.
9.  I MARRIED JOAN - I don't know the episode name, but there is an episode where Joan thinks she had a fender bender with the Stevens' new car - a Henry J

AND IF YOU CAN FIND THEM;
A.  1952-53 TODAY show programs on film (film prints were made) where Dave Garroway does commercials for Kaiser and Henry J automobiles
B.  YOUR SHOW OF SHOWS - 1951-52 season last 30 minute segment with K-F commercials.

[Fid]

Just found another one last night. The TV Movie "Kill Me If You Can - The Caryl Chessman Story" starring Alan Alda (1977) has a '47/'48 Frazer in it. It's the car shown when the first witness takes the stand against Chessman to describe what happened.


This is a rarely shown movie as most old made-for-TV movies are. I recorded it years ago but hadn't watched it till last night. The car looks like tutone silver/gray - it's in a night shot.

[Carolina Fan]

I believe I saw a late 40's Kaiser or Frazer in "It Came from Beneath the Sea" The car is in the parking lot and only seen for a couple of seconds.  It appears when the giant Octopus attacks the port authority building in San Francisco. 

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

K-F cars or pieces of K-F cars are in dozens, if not hundreds of movies...some are brief "walk-ons" and others are more significant.  from PORKY'S (1953 Kaiser Traveler) to MY FAVORITE YEAR (A prop automobile front end from a 1951 Kaiser appears on the "Comedy Cavelcade" program in the movie) to it's out there to be found.

Same for TV programs.  SECRET FILE USA has a Rotterdam Holland built 1949 Kaiser (sometimes used as a Taxi) in some episodes (the series was shot in Europe), 1950-51 ELLERY QUEEN Tv shows were sponsored by Kaiser-Frazer, and there are some K-F products in street scenes during the first production season of SUPERMAN, PRIDE OF THE FAMILY, BIG STORY (aka HEART OF THE CITY). Canadians can watch for a 1949 Kaiser in episodes of BOMB GIRLS the series set in wartime Ontario, centering around woman workers at an ammunition plant.  It's out of time line continuity but so are a number of the trucks shown.  I've seen glimpse's of the car in two episodes that are part of the season currently running.

[Fid]

Just found another yesterday. TCM showed "A Slight Case of Larceny" from 1953 with Mickey Rooney and Eddie Bracken. There's is a shot of a '47/'48 Frazer in the background as Elaine Stewart services another paying customer

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

The attached images are from episodes of the 1950's SUPERMAN second season;  the trademarks, images, and other aspects of the SUPERMAN character is a valuable property of DC Comics.

[Carolina Fan]

There is a Henry J in the beginning of Abbott & Costello's "Jack and the Beanstalk"

[kaiserfrazerlibrary]

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK had to be one of the worst-timed films produced in the 1950's when it came to product placement (use of vehicles, etc).  The film was originally set for distribution in the fall of 1951 so the HJ was good to use.  Unfortunately, for reasons best known to Universal-International, the film was not released to theaters until early 1952 and the car was dated.  The HJ was also used for a joke dealing with hooked bumpers.

Still, Kaiser-Frazer Sales Corporation sent out a memo to K-F dealers, encouraging them to contact Henry J Vagabond/Corsair prospects to go see the movie and see the Henry J in action (easily locks bumpers with Nashes).

[Carolina Fan]

Actor next to the Kaiser in the first picture from the Superman TV series is Ben Welden who appeared as one of the "bad guys" many times during the run of the show.

Actor in the second photo appears to be George Chandler.  Both men were well known and respected character actors of the era.