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Jan 13, 2011
In anticipation of the January 14, 2011 release of the 3D action comedy The Green Hornet, starring Seth Rogen, Jay Chou, and Cameron Diaz, the vigilante hero’s automotive co-star Black Beauty is now taking on Los Angeles in a unique way, perched atop the world-famous Petersen Automotive Museum’s elevated outdoor display. The 58,000 daily commuters travelling through L.A.’s third-busiest intersection at Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue will be greeted by the souped-up and armed-to-the-grill Chrysler Imperial.
The Black Beauty history: Long ago in TV land there was this very successful up and coming producer named William Dozier. In 1965 Dozier called Dean Jeffries to build the Batmobile for the upcoming TV show. Jeffries agreed and set to work on a 59 Cadillac. Two weeks later Dozier called and said they moved up the timetable and they needed the car in 3 weeks and Jeffries knowing that he would not be able to do a job he was proud of, declined the task of making the Batmobile. Desperate Dozier contacted George Barris and in roughly 3 weeks the Batmobile was born out of the 1955 Lincoln Futura show car.
It was 1966 when “Batman” the ever-popular TV series aired. Trying to duplicate that success, producers at 20th Century Fox brought forth The Green Hornet starring Van Williams as Britt Reid and Bruce Lee as Kato in 1966. Many a young child got their first exposure to martial arts with the introduction to this show.
Dozier was unhappy with the job Barris did so, Dean Jeffries, was contacted by the studio and asked to create a car to rival the Batmobile but be a little more realistic. Jeffries chose a 1966 Chrysler Crown Imperial for the task. Very possibly Chrysler’s first prominent TV/Movie car! He created only two cars for the show, one is currently in the Petersen Museum Collection and the other is currently finishing its restoration in South Carolina. The Petersen Museum purchased the Black Beauty in December of 2003 for a little over $192,000. Adding to some confusion, George Barris created 3 replicas for touring at car shows but without Jeffries or the studios approval.
Jeffries created 2 cars that were fully functional after all there were no digital effects in the 60′s. The cars have front and rear facing rocket banks, front and rear gas, oil, water, smoke cannons. Rotating headlights, four green and two white, and rotating license plates. A closed circuit TV system, front and rear cell phones (real big deal in the 60′s) brooms that sweep up its tire tracks and a host of other crime fighting gadgets switches and indicator lights.
During the early 1990′s Black Beauty 1 was restored and Black Beauty 2 is finishing its restoration in the fall/winter of 2008.
The Black Beauty is a 1964-1966 Chrysler Imperial, a full detailed look at this amazing car is something any action/TV/sci-fi fan would love. The design of this machine and the many devices it carries will delight fans, things like:
Rocket launchers, front and rear; smoke guns, front and rear; oil gun in the rear; headlights that flip from regular lights to “infra-green”; a mortar; an external loudspeaker; a flying deployable scanner with a closed circuit TV monitor inside; a flipping rear license plate; even a ‘tack sweeper’ to sweep away sharp objects from the tires in the front and a ‘broom’ in the rear to cover the Beauty’s tracks. I was told the sweepers were a later add-on not done by Dean.
The door handles are absent. Instead, Dean incorporated buttons that were flush to the surface, one press down on this button and the door opens.
What may be the first electric door locks were installed by Dean, operated by an early version of the remote electronic ‘clicker’ used in many cars today. Inside the Beauty, more surprises await. Dean told me the Black Beauty has the standard block engine, the standard black leather upholstery, power windows and an automatic, column-mounted transmission. The flat black paint job was a standard when bright lights and cameras are used.
Kato’s arsenal was on the front passenger seat, and included a change of clothes, spare darts, mask, you know, crime-fighter stuff. In the rear compartment is revealed the hiding places of the Hornet Sting and non-lethal gas gun, in what are known as the ‘C’ pillars. Also built into the rear seat is a small desk or writing area, a storage place for a complete change of clothes for the Hornet, there are telephones in the front and the rear. Oddly, there is no regular radio, and seat belts are absent. I was surprised to discover no spare tire. Lucky for TV crime fighters, flat tires never happen. After a long night of crime fighting, the Black Beauty utilized 1″x2″ steel tubes that flipped down in the front and rear, to be met by matching fitted clamps in the floor , permitting the Beauty to be flipped upside down and stored under the floor of Britt Reids’ garage.
Wanna see more? Here we have the most popular videos for The Black Beauty. For a closer look of the action check them out!
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