Topic: Truckin, Whats up with the trucks?

[aintfoolin]

Now I'm not an expert on trucks but these guys loved pickups...alot How many were they anyway? And why ?
Any takers?

[welshwitch]

Someone on one of the threads said that pick-ups were cheap and useful for transporting bulky things or livestock. You still see them all ove rthe US and here occasionally; I've seen dogs in the back of one but never sheep or calves and I shouldn't think you could get anything bigger - I've also seen them with tools and so on. It sometimes seems to me that people dirve these now as a sort of statement, to show they aren't townies. I reckon Ennis and Jack had them because they were cheap and practical - can they be used off the blacktop ?

[tpe]

It's probably more practical.  I don't know if they were any cheaper, but I'm sure it made more sense on a farm or rural towns than a regular car.

[aintfoolin]

Having been raised on a farm I tend to agree My dad had several trucks, two of them like Jack's first black truck. Through the years I noticed that Jack's trucks got newer and nicer probably due to the fact that his financial situation became better once he married Lureen. Ennis also had several too , ALL FORDS. I happen to drive a Ford myself.  Jack, now a Texas businessman stayed with his roots and always bought trucks. Wonder if he ever considered a nice red Mustang?

[tpe]

Having been raised on a farm I tend to agree My dad had several trucks, two of them like Jack's first black truck. Through the years I noticed that Jack's trucks got newer and nicer probably due to the fact that his financial situation became better once he married Lureen. Ennis also had several too , ALL FORDS. I happen to drive a Ford myself.  Jack, now a Texas businessman stayed with his roots and always bought trucks. Wonder if he ever considered a nice red Mustang?

Thanks for the input, aintfoolin.  I didn't notice that Ennis's were all Fords.  The unforgettable ones for me are: Jack's first black one (a GM, correct?), and the one where he and Lureen made love in.     

[jesseanne21]

Having been raised on a farm I tend to agree My dad had several trucks, two of them like Jack's first black truck. Through the years I noticed that Jack's trucks got newer and nicer probably due to the fact that his financial situation became better once he married Lureen. Ennis also had several too , ALL FORDS. I happen to drive a Ford myself.  Jack, now a Texas businessman stayed with his roots and always bought trucks. Wonder if he ever considered a nice red Mustang?

Thanks for the input, aintfoolin.  I didn't notice that Ennis's were all Fords.  The unforgettable ones for me are: Jack's first black one (a GM, correct?), and the one where he and Lureen made love in.     

Sorry, TPE, but the fanatic in me has to say that Jack and Lureen made out in the backseat of L.D. Newsome's Cadillac (Lureen had to get the car home by midnight).

[aintfoolin]

Your right Jess ,Jack was ..."attacked" by Lureen in the backseat seat of her daddy's  Caddy. Smiles....Well it was a more comfortable ride anyway.

[ksxks]

Someone on one of the threads said that pick-ups were cheap and useful for transporting bulky things or livestock. You still see them all ove rthe US and here occasionally; I've seen dogs in the back of one but never sheep or calves and I shouldn't think you could get anything bigger - I've also seen them with tools and so on. It sometimes seems to me that people dirve these now as a sort of statement, to show they aren't townies. I reckon Ennis and Jack had them because they were cheap and practical - can they be used off the blacktop ?

Funny, but I didn't question the truck at all.  It's like, of course trucks.  Everyone rural had trucks.  And Ennis, for hitching a horse trailer to.

And now, well, in California anyway, townies definitely have trucks.  Guys, construction workers, dykes.

OT, but I happen to really like Aguirre's car.  Some goofy Nash Rambler or something.  And looks to be newish, because they didn't make that style too much before 1963.

kathy

[aintfoolin]

Yeah, I liked Aguirre's car too. These cars are classics now, often seen in classic car shows.

Jack was partial to Ford F-150s, a big powerful engine.

[tpe]

Sorry, TPE, but the fanatic in me has to say that Jack and Lureen made out in the backseat of L.D. Newsome's Cadillac (Lureen had to get the car home by midnight).

That was a slip.  I was thinking of vehicles, in general, but I guess this was all about the trucks! 

[jackster]

Sorry, TPE, but the fanatic in me has to say that Jack and Lureen made out in the backseat of L.D. Newsome's Cadillac (Lureen had to get the car home by midnight).

That was a slip.  I was thinking of vehicles, in general, but I guess this was all about the trucks! 

Actually, L.D.Newsom's car isn't a Cadillac, it a '64 or '65 ('65 I think) red Thunderbird with black top and red interior. When Lureen rides up to Jack to get her hat from him (after it blew off in her ride) the T-Bird can be clearly seen in the background parked along side the building. Regarding the trucks, if you've ever been to Wyoming or rural Texas almost everybody drives pickup trucks, especially "rough mannerd, rough spoken" young men. Interestingly, in one of the early screenplays Aguirre's car is called out to be an "old white Buick station wagon" - I don't know why the switch was made to a late model Rambler sedan other than convienence on the set - Rambler dealers might have been pretty scarce out in Wyoming back in '63!

[welshwitch]

A Thunderbird - that and the Corvette are the two iconic American cars for me - but I hate the idea of LD owning one. He wouldn't have a pick-up, I suppose, too rich and too busy showing off how successful he was.

( I've driven a T-bird, but a modern one, not at all the same thing.)

[ksxks]

LD would have a pick-up, or two, also, besides the T-bird, I think.  I'm surprised at the T-bird actually -- would definitely think he's a Cadillac man.

As to Aguirre, I think also that Rambler was an oddity.  First of all, certain of those middle American folks probably thought those new-fangled "compact" cars (though Ramblers were always small-ish cars I think, before the "new" trend of compacts around 63) were Commie Pinko cars!

kathy

[JBron10544]

Jack first appears in a 1950 GMC pickup that had seen better days. For a time I drove a 1951 Chevrolet pickup. It was very similar to the GMC and strictly a transportation issue and my grandfather let me have full title to it free of charge as long as I kept up and didn't get in a accident. I didn't. A lot of oral sex went on in that truck from 1957 on. It was great except that the heater was inefficient. I hung a lit red kerosene lantern from the radio knob to supplement the heat. That did the job. I never dated a girl in that truck. It was hokie in their estimation. It was not usual for a truck to have a radio in those days but it did.

[JBron10544]

Of course too many of you do not know that the Rambler was originated by Nash Motor Cars Co many moons ago. Nash and Hudson merged to form American Motors and I seem to remember that Packard was absorbed by that group as well. This was in the 1950s or so as I remember. I was so disappointed because I always wanted a Packard 600 Patrician car. Wow, what a classy vehicle that was. I rode in one every Sunday morning going to Sunday school and church. It was worth the toment of organized religion to ride in that car.  ANother advantage of the Nash was that the front seats could be leaned back and fixed in such a way to form a BED!! Every teenagers dream was to have a Nash. The thinking was that if you could get a girl in bed, it was easy sailing to your utmost desires. Anyway all this talk about Nash Hudson and Packard can be lit up by a search of google.com  I think General Motors still makes a GMC pickup. On the east coast a pickup is very stylish. Thanks.

[jackster]

A Thunderbird - that and the Corvette are the two iconic American cars for me - but I hate the idea of LD owning one. He wouldn't have a pick-up, I suppose, too rich and too busy showing off how successful he was.

( I've driven a T-bird, but a modern one, not at all the same thing.)

I think the T-Bird choice reflects the incredible depth shown in making so many aspects of this film. The 'Bird was probably bought by L.D. for his beloved daughter, he wouldn't be caught dead in it. Remember the line from the great 60s Beach Boys song (same era as this scene) "She'll have fun, fun, fun, 'till her daddy takes the T-Bird away. . ."

[ksxks]

I think the T-Bird choice reflects the incredible depth shown in making so many aspects of this film. The 'Bird was probably bought by L.D. for his beloved daughter, he wouldn't be caught dead in it. Remember the line from the great 60s Beach Boys song (same era as this scene) "She'll have fun, fun, fun, 'till her daddy takes the T-Bird away. . ."

Oh, of course -- the T-bird would have been what he bought for Lureen!

Car nostalgia.  I had a 1954 Ford in 1965; a 1950 Ford in 1966 (the color of Aspergum); a 1959 what was it -- funny tiny English car -- in 1969; a 1961 Ford Falcon in 1972 (cool car, white with red leather interior) -- all of these cars cost me $100 or less; then the only new car I ever bought, a 1974 Opel Manta Luxus.  Then, in early 80's, a 1972 VW pop-top camper; then no car for a while; then in 1990, my Dad's 1979 AMC Pacer station wagon up until only a couple years ago -- I mourn the loss of that car.  I now have a boring old lady's car, I think -- 1995 Nissan Altima.  Next year I want to buy a new car, a PT Cruiser, or that funny Chevy HHR thing.

Sorry if OT...  But the AMC reminded me of my Pacer...  And JBron, that Packard that turned into a bed, I can dig that.  My aunt had a humongous tank, a 40-something Hudson Hornet, and it did that, too, plus, the back of the back seat came up so it was like a bunk bed on top, great for kids at the drive-in movies.

kathy

[aintfoolin]

I was also thinking that the car belonged to Lureen herself. Just wanted to mention Jack's (Orange?) and white truck at the end. It had the King cab and appears to be very luxurious inside. The back seat has white tufted seats. But what are all those bars near the side veiw mirrors?

[tpe]

Actually, L.D.Newsom's car isn't a Cadillac, it a '64 or '65 ('65 I think) red Thunderbird with black top and red interior. When Lureen rides up to Jack to get her hat from him (after it blew off in her ride) the T-Bird can be clearly seen in the background parked along side the building. Regarding the trucks, if you've ever been to Wyoming or rural Texas almost everybody drives pickup trucks, especially "rough mannerd, rough spoken" young men. Interestingly, in one of the early screenplays Aguirre's car is called out to be an "old white Buick station wagon" - I don't know why the switch was made to a late model Rambler sedan other than convienence on the set - Rambler dealers might have been pretty scarce out in Wyoming back in '63!

Interesting!  Thanks jackster for the additional info.  I had not noticed the T-Bird in the background in the said scene.  That is an interesting detail I had missed.

[tpe]

Of course too many of you do not know that the Rambler was originated by Nash Motor Cars Co many moons ago. Nash and Hudson merged to form American Motors and I seem to remember that Packard was absorbed by that group as well. This was in the 1950s or so as I remember. I was so disappointed because I always wanted a Packard 600 Patrician car. Wow, what a classy vehicle that was. I rode in one every Sunday morning going to Sunday school and church. It was worth the toment of organized religion to ride in that car.  ANother advantage of the Nash was that the front seats could be leaned back and fixed in such a way to form a BED!! Every teenagers dream was to have a Nash. The thinking was that if you could get a girl in bed, it was easy sailing to your utmost desires. Anyway all this talk about Nash Hudson and Packard can be lit up by a search of google.com  I think General Motors still makes a GMC pickup. On the east coast a pickup is very stylish. Thanks.

Thanks also, JBron10544, for the interesting comments. 

[tpe]

A Thunderbird - that and the Corvette are the two iconic American cars for me - but I hate the idea of LD owning one. He wouldn't have a pick-up, I suppose, too rich and too busy showing off how successful he was.

( I've driven a T-bird, but a modern one, not at all the same thing.)

I think the T-Bird choice reflects the incredible depth shown in making so many aspects of this film. The 'Bird was probably bought by L.D. for his beloved daughter, he wouldn't be caught dead in it. Remember the line from the great 60s Beach Boys song (same era as this scene) "She'll have fun, fun, fun, 'till her daddy takes the T-Bird away. . ."

[tpe]

I was also thinking that the car belonged to Lureen herself. Just wanted to mention Jack's (Orange?) and white truck at the end. It had the King cab and appears to be very luxurious inside. The back seat has white tufted seats. But what are all those bars near the side veiw mirrors?

I should play closer attention to the details of that scene, aintfoolin.  I had not noticed the bars near the side view mirrors...

[welshwitch]

I'm strictly a speed freak so pick-ups don;t do it for me, nor old American cars, in general. But how amazing that on the  site is someone who knows so much about them - enough to get me interested. Like tpe, I hadn't picked up all these details before - wil look more carefully next time, though I did notice that Jack's pick-ups changed to reflect his financial situation, while Ennis's stayed much the same and reflected his.

This in a broader sense says a lot about differing attitudes to cars in the US and UK, where there's a great desire to own the latest model, latest year number on your plate - I know people who spend quite a bit on vanity plates to try to hide the registration year of their out-of-date model. In the US, as in the movie, models and modes of transportation seem to be much more related to utilitarian considerations.

[aintfoolin]

I suppose the pick up was conveinent for ranchers to carry hay bails, hitches for horse trailers etc. But Jack's red and white truck.(the one he "red lined")  to meet Ennis is in appeared to be very fast. This must have been a popular model because there are still plenty of them seen on the road even today.Of course Jack probably had the "peddle to the metal" in that scene!

[jackster]

Now I'm not an expert on trucks but these guys loved pickups...alot How many were they anyway? And why ?
Any takers?

OK, since you ask, now listen carefully . . . trucks used by the boys, numbered in order of screen appearance. Model years are as close as I can do without gettin' a bunch a old books out:
#1 - Jack's black '50 GMC, opening scene, etc.
#2 - Ennis's late '50s GMC (you see a lot of still pictures posed with this one).
Jack returns to Signal in his '50 GMC.
Jack goes rodeoin' in his '50 GMC, meets Lureen.
Ennis goes to grocery with the girls in his late 50s GMC.
Ennis comes home to Alma & Jack's postcard in his late 50s GMC.
Ennis goes to post office "you bet" in his late 50s GMC.
#3 - Jacks red & white '63 Ford F-100, redlines it to see Ennis in 1967.
The boys go "fishin" in the red & white '63 Ford.
#4 - Ennis now has a turquoise & white '63 Ford F-100, he goes camping & meets Jack
 who now has:
#5 Jacks blue, late 60s or possibly early '70s Ford F-100 with a camper cap (over the bed).
In the post-divorce reunion scene they're both still drivin' the same rigs.
In the Thanksgiving rush-out scene / Black & Blue Eagle bar fight scene Ennis's still driving his '63 Ford.
#6 Jacks brown & white late 70s GMC "dually" they're called duallys 'cause of the dual rear wheels. Last truck we see Jack with.
Ennis at PO with "deceased" post card and at Jack's folks at Lighting Flat is still driving his '63 Ford (#4) which by now, 1982, would be almost 20 years old.

'Course this is just an outline.
There are a lot of other trucks that appear (like Jacks father's), but these are the significant ones. For those of you not from the USofA, GMC (or Jimmy's in the vernacular) is a basically a "re-badged" Chevy sold by other General Motors dealers.

Curiosity: Jack gets a GMC, then Ennis gets a GMC; Jack gets a Ford, then Ennis gets a Ford.

Also, someone ask 'bout the "bars" on Jack's last truck windows. Them ain't bars, the back window on those trucks slide open, so what you see are the section dividers of the window. Same on the side windows, the "extended cab" pickups used a similar door stamping for the rear door as the front. Since a full sized window wouldn't fit down inside the door they needed to make the moving glass section a bit smaller, hence the divider.

Sorry if this is a bit long, but you did ask . . . it's not just a car. it's a truck.

[welshwitch]

D'you know, I just love someone who knows a lot about something. Details are fascinating - to me these were just some sort of four-wheeled transport really but all the info makes them much more understandable. Thank you, jackster.

[aintfoolin]

Jackster , you offer a wealth of knowledge on this. Thanks.  I take it that your a car and truck enthusiast? If you are then maybe post picture of your ride. I think the trucks they drove could have had cooler rims though. In the last scene they also both have those white rims which are ok but I prefer the shiny silver chrome . So much cooler looking IMO  ... don't much care for the look of whitewall tires either, .but to each his own. I'm on the east coast born and raised but during the 60's in Cali. trucks and vans were popular among the younger crowd especially the "flower children" of that era. It was a time of making them indvidual statements of art . Beach bums also were in on the action. But I know there is quite a difference in the culture in 60's Wyoming and 60's southern California.Can't imagine Ennis driving around in a pickup painted bumper to bumper  in lightningbolts  and daisies! Anyway , again thanks for your input .

[ksxks]

Thanks, jackster -- I did love that chronology of trucks, and in context.  Quite interesting.

Now I could tell you boys a thing or two about Alma's and Lureen's decor!  Just kidding...I wouldn't subject you to that, but there's a lot to notice there.  (I always wanted to be a set designer for movies -- and the funkier the better.)

kathy

[jackster]

Thanks, jackster -- I did love that chronology of trucks, and in context.  Quite interesting.

Now I could tell you boys a thing or two about Alma's and Lureen's decor!  Just kidding...I wouldn't subject you to that, but there's a lot to notice there.  (I always wanted to be a set designer for movies -- and the funkier the better.)

kathy

Yes, like that wonderful "paint by number" mountain view oil picture that goes with Ennis & Alma from the "lonesome ranch" to the apt above the landramat. Wonder if anyone has found one of those in an antique/junk shop, there should be 1,000s of 'em. Probably an inside joke with set crew, Alma had Brokeback Mountain hanging in her living room!

[tpe]

OK, since you ask, now listen carefully . . . trucks used by the boys, numbered in order of screen appearance. Model years are as close as I can do without gettin' a bunch a old books out:
#1 - Jack's black '50 GMC, opening scene, etc.
#2 - Ennis's late '50s GMC (you see a lot of still pictures posed with this one).
Jack returns to Signal in his '50 GMC.
Jack goes rodeoin' in his '50 GMC, meets Lureen.
Ennis goes to grocery with the girls in his late 50s GMC.
Ennis comes home to Alma & Jack's postcard in his late 50s GMC.
Ennis goes to post office "you bet" in his late 50s GMC.
#3 - Jacks red & white '63 Ford F-100, redlines it to see Ennis in 1967.
The boys go "fishin" in the red & white '63 Ford.
#4 - Ennis now has a turquoise & white '63 Ford F-100, he goes camping & meets Jack
 who now has:
#5 Jacks blue, late 60s or possibly early '70s Ford F-100 with a camper cap (over the bed).
In the post-divorce reunion scene they're both still drivin' the same rigs.
In the Thanksgiving rush-out scene / Black & Blue Eagle bar fight scene Ennis's still driving his '63 Ford.
#6 Jacks brown & white late 70s GMC "dually" they're called duallys 'cause of the dual rear wheels. Last truck we see Jack with.
Ennis at PO with "deceased" post card and at Jack's folks at Lighting Flat is still driving his '63 Ford (#4) which by now, 1982, would be almost 20 years old.

'Course this is just an outline.
There are a lot of other trucks that appear (like Jacks father's), but these are the significant ones. For those of you not from the USofA, GMC (or Jimmy's in the vernacular) is a basically a "re-badged" Chevy sold by other General Motors dealers.

Curiosity: Jack gets a GMC, then Ennis gets a GMC; Jack gets a Ford, then Ennis gets a Ford.

Also, someone ask 'bout the "bars" on Jack's last truck windows. Them ain't bars, the back window on those trucks slide open, so what you see are the section dividers of the window. Same on the side windows, the "extended cab" pickups used a similar door stamping for the rear door as the front. Since a full sized window wouldn't fit down inside the door they needed to make the moving glass section a bit smaller, hence the divider.

Sorry if this is a bit long, but you did ask . . . it's not just a car. it's a truck.

This is a very beautiful post, jackster.  I thank you so much.  I love the observation you make that they even seem to match their trucks...