Two inventions that have changed our lives profoundly are the automobile and the motion picture. This is especially true for George Barris.
Ever since Max Sennett’s “Keystone Cops,” movies and cars have gone together like Laurel & Hardy. In the Fifties, drive-in movies were ideal for catching flicks like “High School Confidential,” and “Hot Rod Girl.” And the idea of seeing Hollywood’s latest customs from the privacy of your own car may have been the second favorite reason for going.
Hot rod movies became a popular film genre, and Barris’ reputation and proximity to the studios soon made his name synonymous with movie cars. Eventually, the introduction of television allowed the notion of cars as popular entertainment to expand even further.
By 1957, the Barris shop was busy with film vehicles, and show cars, as well as celebrities. Then, a shop fire destroyed everything, including fourteen custom vehicles. It was a terrible loss, but before long, the shop was rebuilt, and turning out the most famous cars in the world.
“No-go” show cars weren’t always nonfunctional. Many could at least be carefully driven on and off of their transports. They were often conceived around a given them, like the “Bathtub Buggy,” or “Hard Hat Hauler.” “Bob’s Big-Boy Mobile” was designed for parades, and had a five-foot-wide cheeseburger on top!
Barris-designed vehicles also appeared in a number of surf movies. These cars are probably more memorable than the films they promoted, but few can forget Batman, or his famous ride.
George created several identical red Mantas for TV’s “Hardcastle and McCormick,” and a “driverless” Trans-Am for the “Knight Rider” series. For that car, the actual driver was concealed in a reclining position, behind a camouflaged passenger seat. Later, George helped create a similar illusion for the Ford Explorers featured in the film “Jurassic Park.”
The list of George’s grateful clients is long and diverse. Everyone from the Flintstones and the Munsters to Sonny & Cher have driven his cars. The Beverly Hillbillies have been seen in George’s creations, too. George even built a special Cadillac limousine for Elvis. When this grateful patron saw his gold-plated hubcaps for the first time, perhaps “the King” graciously replied, “Thankya very much!”
By Adam Icenogle